Scouring Sands MTG Card


Scouring Sands acts as a board sweeper, targeting swarms of one-toughness creatures effectively. Its ability to scry after clearing creatures helps maintain card quality and selection. While versatile, it’s limited by specific mana requirements and situational efficiency.
Scouring Sands - Born of the Gods
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery
Abilities Scry
Released2014-02-07
Set symbol
Set nameBorn of the Gods
Set codeBNG
Number110
Frame2003
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byJonas De Ro

Text of card

Scouring Sands deals 1 damage to each creature your opponents control. Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.)

When Purphoros cleans the ashes from his forge, entire cities vanish.


Cards like Scouring Sands

Scouring Sands shines as a small-scale sweeper in Magic: The Gathering, capable of clearing out a wave of one-toughness creatures across the board. It’s a sorcery spell delivering a one-damage blow to each creature your opponents control and when a creature dealt damage this way dies this turn, you also get to scry 1. This aspect offers strategic deck filtering post-sweep, a step up from similar cards like Electrickery, which lacks the scry benefit. Electrickery can either be played for its cheaper cost to hit one target or for its overload cost, similar to Scouring Sands’ effect, but without the additional benefit of scry.

In the realm of red spells, Barrage of Boulders is another card with fascinating parallels. It can affect not only creatures but players as well, dishing out damage to each creature you don’t control and requiring a creature with power 4 or greater to be played as a ferocious trigger. Unlike Scouring Sands, it doesn’t allow the scry mechanic, but can potentially break through a stalled board by denying blockers.

Evaluating these cards showcases Scouring Sands as a niche tool in MTG for dealing with swarms of small creatures while maintaining card selection control, proving its unique place in strategic gameplay.

Electrickery - MTG Card versions
Barrage of Boulders - MTG Card versions
Electrickery - MTG Card versions
Barrage of Boulders - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Scouring Sands by color, type and mana cost

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Volcanic Hammer - MTG Card versions
Rolling Thunder - MTG Card versions
Fanning the Flames - MTG Card versions
Strategy, Schmategy - MTG Card versions
Disorder - MTG Card versions
Warrior's Oath - MTG Card versions
Last Chance - MTG Card versions
Tribal Flames - MTG Card versions
Breath of Darigaaz - MTG Card versions
Lava Blister - MTG Card versions
Pyroclasm - MTG Card versions
Incendiary Flow - MTG Card versions
Embereth Shieldbreaker // Battle Display - MTG Card versions
Nahiri's Lithoforming - MTG Card versions
Mizzium Mortars - MTG Card versions
Burning Wish - MTG Card versions
Mana Seism - MTG Card versions
Yamabushi's Storm - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Scouring Sands’ ability to potentially deal with several creatures at once can clear the way for your cards to have better impact, indirectly acting as a multiplier of your existing card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Scouring Sands itself may not directly accelerate resources, but by dealing with multiple tokens or small creatures, it helps maintain your tempo and conserve resources for more significant threats or plays.

Instant Speed: As a sorcery, Scouring Sands can’t provide the flexibility of instant speed, but its sweeping effect is designed for a timely and crucial intervention during your main phase, setting the stage for advantageous turns.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Scouring Sands can be effective in removing several creatures with one damage each, it does not have a discard requirement. Instead, its drawbacks lie elsewhere, such as the specific conditions under which it can be most effective.

Specific Mana Cost: Scouring Sands asks for a specific combination of mana to cast, one red and one generic. This may restrict its integration outside of mono-red or certain dual-colored red decks, potentially limiting its versatility across the wide array of Magic the Gathering deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although not extremely costly, Scouring Sands sits at two mana for its sweeping one damage effect. In contrast, other cards at similar mana costs may provide more impactful board presence or control, making it a less optimal choice in situations where mana efficiency is paramount.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Scouring Sands is an asset in decks that aim to control the board since it can simultaneously clear away multiple tokens and smaller creatures. This makes it a flexible sideboard option in various red decks.

Combo Potential: When paired with cards that benefit from dealing noncombat damage, Scouring Sands can be the trigger you need for effects that reward you for damaging your opponents or their creatures.

Meta-Relevance: Given the prevalence of aggro strategies that rely on a swarm of creatures, Scouring Sands could earn a spot in your deck to shift the tide in your favor against these popular decks.


How to beat

Scouring Sands occupies a unique position among red sorceries in Magic: The Gathering. This particular card offers players the ability to wipe out multiple weak creatures in one fell swoop, making it a tactical choice for controlling a board bustling with small threats. It finds its niche in targeting decks that swarm the field with low-toughness creatures, especially ones that can amass them quickly.

To effectively counter Scouring Sands, one must consider creature resilience. Opting for creatures with higher toughness can straightaway nullify the impact of Scouring Sands. It’s also beneficial to have instant-speed spells that can boost creature toughness, ensuring they survive this sorcery. Additionally, leveraging counter spells to prevent Scouring Sands from resolving at all secures your board state from being compromised. Acknowledging Scouring Sands as a threat in a red player’s arsenal means being prepared to adapt your strategy, whether it’s through the creatures you play or the reactive spells at your disposal. By doing so, you preserve your forces and maintain a competitive edge.

Therefore, understanding and anticipating the potential presence of Scouring Sands leads to strategic deck construction and game play decisions that can diminish its effectiveness, leaving the card at a disadvantage against well-prepared opponents in the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

MTG challenges players to be strategic with every card they choose. With Scouring Sands, you’ve got a sorcery that can effectively reset the playing field against token strategies and create openings for your own strategies to take center stage. It’s a specific tool with particular strengths, namely in its ability to alter the game flow by reducing multiple threats and refining your next draw through scrying. Embrace the nuance of Scouring Sands in your collection and use it to outmaneuver opponents banking on quantity over quality. Equip your deck with wisdom and become adept at nuanced control by understanding how Scouring Sands can serve your goals in MTG. Discover more insights and strategies with us.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Scouring Sands MTG card by a specific set like Born of the Gods, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Scouring Sands and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Scouring Sands has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Scouring Sands card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2013-09-15 Scry appears on some spells and abilities with one or more targets. If all of the spell or ability’s targets are illegal when it tries to resolve, it won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won’t scry.
2013-09-15 When you scry, you may put all the cards you look at back on top of your library, you may put all of those cards on the bottom of your library, or you may put some of those cards on top and the rest of them on the bottom.
2013-09-15 You choose how to order cards returned to your library after scrying no matter where you put them.
2013-09-15 You perform the actions stated on a card in sequence. For some spells and abilities, that means you’ll scry last. For others, that means you’ll scry and then perform other actions.