Portable Hole MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeArtifact

Key Takeaways

  1. Portable Hole disrupts early game by exiling low-cost permanents, offering strategic advantage without card loss.
  2. Limited to white decks, it’s less effective late-game or against high-cost permanents compared to broader removals.
  3. Counter it by using protective spells, adjusting deck composition, or employing enchantment destruction.

Text of card

When Portable Hole enters the battlefield, exile target nonland permanent an opponent controls with mana value 2 or less until Portable Hole leaves the battlefield.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Portable Hole offers a subtle form of card advantage by removing a nonland permanent with mana value 2 or less from the game. This can tilt the balance in your favor, especially when targeting integral pieces of your opponent’s strategy, potentially disrupting their plays without losing a card yourself.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly accelerating resources, Portable Hole can indirectly influence your mana efficiency. By removing low-cost permanents, it ensures your mana is spent impacting the board, allowing you to allocate resources elsewhere to develop your own game plan.

Instant Speed: Portable Hole is a sorcery; however, the speed at which it can affect the board state upon resolution is akin to instant speed removals due to its capacity to disrupt your opponent’s early game tempo. It can be played right after your opponent’s creature or artifact comes into play, ensuring they don’t get a chance to utilize that resource, thereby keeping you ahead in the race.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike other removal options, Portable Hole does not require you to discard, thus its cons are related to other aspects of gameplay.

Specific Mana Cost: Portable Hole demands a single white mana for casting. This restriction means that decks without white mana sources cannot leverage its utility, potentially limiting its inclusion to only certain archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Portable Hole’s mana cost is low, it’s specifically designed to target nonland permanents with mana value 2 or less. This limitation may render it less effective in late-game scenarios or against decks that run higher-cost impactful cards, which could be addressed by alternative removal spells with a broader range of targets despite a higher mana cost.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Portable Hole offers a flexible solution for dealing with a wide range of nonland permanents with low mana costs. It can easily slot into decks that need efficient removal options.

Combo Potential: As a quick and cost-effective way to eliminate threats, Portable Hole can complement strategies focused on tempo or utilizing permanent exile synergies.

Meta-Relevance: Given the prevalence of aggressive, low-curve decks in the current environment, Portable Hole is highly relevant for controlling the board early on. Its efficiency makes it a strong contender in various formats.


How to beat

The Portable Hole card presents players with a conundrum when they find their key permanents exiled by its swift and unforeseen activation. Understanding its limitations is crucial to turning the tables on this potent piece of removal. Its power lies in its capacity to whisk away any nonland permanent with a mana value of two or less, which can target a wide range of early-game threats.

Countering this card’s efficiency involves adjusting your deck to include fewer key pieces that fall under its removal threshold or utilizing protective spells to shield your assets from banishment. Additionally, enchantment destruction or permanents that can bounce Portable Hole back to its owner’s hand can invalidate the exile, retrieving your precious cards. This ensures that your crucial permanents aren’t vulnerable to removal or at least makes sure the value lost is minimal.

Ultimately, preemptive strategies and a well-timed removal reversal can effectively negate Portable Hole’s disruption, maintaining your board presence and turning this removal spell from a setback into a mere hiccup in your path to victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Portable Hole shines as a strategic asset in MTG, excelling at exiling pesky low-cost permanents and clearing the path for your victory. Whether you’re disrupting an opponent’s early-game or safeguarding your board, this card’s utility makes it a worthy addition to any white-aligned deck. With the continuous evolution of the game and emergence of new strategies, staying informed and adaptable is key. For those looking to refine their gameplay and stay ahead of the curve, we invite you to delve deeper into strategies and card synergies. Enhance your collection and gameplay—visit us to uncover more insights and elevate your MTG experience.


Cards like Portable Hole

Portable Hole has carved its niche in MTG as a unique removal tool that can target and exile any nonland permanent with mana value two or less. It’s an effective piece of removal, similar to Disenchant, which also serves as a way to deal with artifacts and enchantments. However, Portable Hole can handle a wider variety of cards early in the game, including troublesome creatures or mana ramp artifacts.

Path to Exile is another card often weighed against Portable Hole. While Path to Exile removes creatures regardless of their mana value and provides an unconditional exile effect, it gives your opponent a basic land in return. This downside is avoided with Portable Hole, which can set you ahead without immediately benefiting the opponent. Then there’s Fatal Push, a low-cost removal that can take out larger creatures if a permanent you controlled left the battlefield that turn. Although broader in the range of creatures it can hit, it can’t affect artifacts or enchantments like Portable Hole does.

In essence, Portable Hole’s ability to exile specific nonland permanents cheaply and early in the game gives it a remarkable edge in MTG. It’s a tactical option for precision control of the board that seamlessly plays into various deck strategies.

Disenchant - MTG Card versions
Path to Exile - MTG Card versions
Fatal Push - MTG Card versions
Disenchant - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Path to Exile - Wizards Play Network 2009 (PWP09)
Fatal Push - Aether Revolt (AER)

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Implement of Improvement - Aether Revolt (AER)
Esper Sentinel - Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)
Arcbound Mouser - Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)
Arcbound Javelineer - Modern Horizons 2 (MH2)
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Hedgewitch's Mask - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)
Hotshot Mechanic - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Inchblade Companion - Alchemy: Kamigawa (YNEO)
Clockwork Drawbridge - Dominaria United (DMU)
T.A.P.P.E.R. - Unfinity (UNF)
Pin Collection - Unfinity (UNF)
Yotian Frontliner - The Brothers' War (BRO)
Swooping Lookout - Phyrexia: All Will Be One (ONE)
Skrelv, Defector Mite - Phyrexia: All Will Be One (ONE)
Basilica Skullbomb - Phyrexia: All Will Be One (ONE)
Kor Halberd - March of the Machine (MOM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Portable Hole MTG card by a specific set like Adventures in the Forgotten Realms and Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, 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 Portable Hole and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Portable Hole Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-07-23 and 2022-07-07. Illustrated by John Stanko.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-07-23Adventures in the Forgotten RealmsAFR 3982015normalblackJohn Stanko
22021-07-23Adventures in the Forgotten RealmsAFR 332015normalblackJohn Stanko
32022-07-07Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's GateHBG 982015normalblackJohn Stanko

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Portable Hole has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-07-23 Auras attached to the exiled permanent will be put into their owners' graveyards. Any Equipment will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled permanent will cease to exist. When the card returns to the battlefield, it will be a new object with no connection to the card that was exiled.
2021-07-23 If Portable Hole leaves the battlefield before its ability resolves, the target permanent won't be exiled.
2021-07-23 If a token is exiled this way, it will cease to exist and won't return to the battlefield.
2021-07-23 If an Aura is exiled this way, its owner chooses what it will enchant as it returns to the battlefield. An Aura put onto the battlefield this way doesn't target anything (so it could be attached to a permanent with shroud, for example), but the Aura's enchant ability restricts what it can be attached to. If the Aura can't legally be attached to anything, it remains in exile for the rest of the game.
2021-07-23 We recommend keeping your Bag of Holding far, far away.

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