Enshrined Memories MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Sorcery |
| Released | 2005-02-04 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Betrayers of Kamigawa |
| Set code | BOK |
| Number | 124 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Jeff Easley |
Key Takeaways
- Can draw multiple cards by revealing a creature with high power, impacting late-game scenarios favorably.
- Casts at instant speed, providing flexibility and efficient mana use during opponents’ turns.
- Limited by color-specific mana and high cost, potentially unsuitable for fast-paced matches.
Text of card
Reveal the top X cards of your library. Put all creature cards revealed this way into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
"The race is run in the mind before the first step is taken." —Dosan the Falling Leaf
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Enshrined Memories can potentially let you draw several cards with just a single cast. By revealing a creature from your hand and paying its mana cost, you sift through the top X cards of your deck, where X equals the revealed creature’s power. This card’s ability to generate an uneven exchange in your favor often translates into dominating the latter stages of a match.
Resource Acceleration: Although Enshrined Memories itself doesn’t directly produce mana or tokens, it propels your game by increasing your hand size. This can lead to drawing into additional lands or mana dorks, thereby speeding up your resource development. It’s a catalyst for ramp strategies aiming to deploy threats ahead of the curve.
Instant Speed: The flexibility of Enshrined Memories is one of its key strengths. Being able to cast it at instant speed means you can wait until the end of your opponent’s turn to make decisions. This timing allows players to maximize mana usage, ensuring that no resource goes to waste while keeping the pressure and the element of surprise on their side.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: In the case of Enshrined Memories, a high card draw is dependent on a creature’s power. If your board is clear of formidable creatures, you might find the effectiveness of this spell greatly reduced, impacting your game strategy negatively when you’re in need of options.
Specific Mana Cost: Requiring green mana puts Enshrined Memories in a color-specific category. This limits its use primarily within green decks or multi-colored decks that can afford the green mana curve, potentially excluding it from other deck builds that can’t meet its mana demands.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the potential card draw is considerable, the starting mana cost is significant, beginning at three green mana plus additional for each card you wish to draw. In fast-paced games, the delay in casting Enshrined Memories could put you at a disadvantage compared to utilizing lower-cost cards that provide more immediate board presence or advantage.
Reasons to Include Enshrined Memories in Your Collection
Versatility: Enshrined Memories is a versatile card that works well in decks focusing on casting numerous creatures, particularly those with a tribal theme. Its ability to potentially draw a large number of cards can be a significant game-changer.
Combo Potential: This card shines when used in combination with library manipulation or creature-heavy decks. It enables you to dig deep for combo pieces or essential creatures, fueling your win conditions more effectively.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where knowledge and preparation are key, Enshrined Memories helps you cycle through your deck to adapt to various opponents, keeping your strategies responsive and dynamic against diverse deck archetypes.
How to beat
Confronting Enshrined Memories in Magic: The Gathering can be somewhat of a double-edged sword for players. The spell’s potent ability to potentially reel in numerous creatures based on the mana you pour into it makes it a threat that requires strategic planning to contend with. Addressing the menace of Enshrined Memories begins by understanding its strengths – it hinges on the diversity and count of creatures in the library it’s pulling from.
One effective approach to undermining Enshrined Memories is through hand disruption. Making use of discard effects to pluck it from an opponent’s hand before it can be cast is a direct method to stop the spell. Another avenue is controlling the types of creatures they have access to. This is achieved through the use of board wipes that address multiple creatures, or graveyard management to prevent recurrent use from the graveyard if they recur the card. Anticipating and countering Enshrined Memories with cards like Negate can also efficiently neutralize the potentially explosive play, keeping you in the game without having to deal with an overwhelming creature advantage.
Adapting to the strategy and deck type you’re facing when Enshrined Memories is part of the equation is key. By targeting the framework that allows Enshrined Memories to excel, you can maintain balance and prevent your opponent from leveraging their creatures into a dominating position.
Cards like Enshrined Memories
Enshrined Memories stands out in Magic the Gathering as a unique green spell designed to refill a player’s hand with creature cards. It shares similarities with other card advantage spells like Commune with the Gods, which also digs through the top cards of the library, though it offers a smaller selection and focuses on finding a creature or enchantment card. Unlike Enshrined Memories, it doesn’t have the potential to draw multiple cards based on a creature’s power.
Another comparable card is Lead the Stampede, which looks at the top five cards of your library and lets you reveal any number of creature cards from among them and put them into your hand. While both spells are excellent for creature-heavy decks, Enshrined Memories can potentially surpass Lead the Stampede in terms of raw card advantage if you reveal a high-power creature on top. However, Enshrined Memories comes with a higher mana cost, and its effectiveness hinges on the creatures in the deck.
Considering these comparisons, Enshrined Memories can be a powerhouse in decks that are creature-dense and have high average creature power, though it requires strategic deck construction to optimize its potential in a game of Magic the Gathering.
Cards similar to Enshrined Memories by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Enshrined Memories MTG card by a specific set like Betrayers of Kamigawa, 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 Enshrined Memories and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Enshrined Memories has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |