Magic: The Gathering · expansion
Desperate Measures
Tarkir: Dragonstorm · #78 · uncommon · 2025
Instant
Listings
No active listings
From
—
Market reference
$0.25
TCGPlayer
Current listings on The Game Traders
No active listings for this card right now.
Card facts
Quick reference for collectors and graders.
- Collector number
- 78 / 427
- Release year
- 2025
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Illustrator
- Gaboleps
- Colors
- B
- Frame
- 2015
- Border
- black
- Finishes
- nonfoil · foil
- Printed
- 2025-04-11
Card analysis
Computed from this card's stats and text — not a reposted price.
- Primary role
- Draw
- Mana value
- 1
- Type
- Instant
Also does
Strategy & play
How Desperate Measures plays — derived from its stats and the rules of the game, not an opinion.
- Not a main attacker — its job is card draw. Run it as a consistency hub and protect it, because opponents will target the engine.
How to beat Desperate Measures
- KO it to choke their draw / search engine.
More by Gaboleps
This card was illustrated by Gaboleps.
About this card
Mana cost: {B}
Type: Instant
Target creature gets +1/-1 until end of turn. When it dies under your control this turn, draw two cards.
""Sing for us when we depart for battle, and sing for us if we fail to return." —Mardu parting"
Tournament legality
Current legal status across competitive formats.
Pricing reference
Latest snapshot from the upstream catalog. Actual marketplace prices fluctuate by condition, edition, and grade — use this as a reference, not a quote.
Scryfall pricing
| Variant | Price |
|---|---|
| USD (non-foil) | $0.25 |
| USD (foil) | $0.34 |
| EUR (non-foil) | €0.14 |
| EUR (foil) | €0.23 |
| MTGO tix | 0.04 |
Frequently asked
How can I tell if my Desperate Measures is real?
Desperate Measures is not on our list of commonly-counterfeited cards, but counterfeits exist across every set. Check the print quality and cardstock (real cards have a distinctive blue inner core visible from the edge), the rosette pattern on the back, the security stamp on planeswalker / mythic cards from recent sets, and confirm the collector number and set code match the official Scryfall record. For high-value copies we recommend submitting to a professional grader (PSA, BGS, CGC) for tamper-evident authentication.
What is Desperate Measures worth?
As of the latest data, the current market reference price for Desperate Measures is $0.25; there are no active listings on The Game Traders right now. Actual value depends on condition, grading, edition and printing variant — graded high-condition copies (PSA 9–10) trade at a substantial premium over raw copies.
What set is Desperate Measures from?
Desperate Measures is from the Magic: The Gathering set "Tarkir: Dragonstorm" in the expansion series, released in 2025.
What rarity is Desperate Measures?
Desperate Measures is a uncommon card in the Tarkir: Dragonstorm set.
