Callous Sell-Sword // Burn Together MTG Card

Callous Sell-Sword // Burn Together - Wilds of Eldraine

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery — Adventure
Released	2023-09-08
Set symbol
Set name	Wilds of Eldraine
Set code	WOE
Number	221
Frame	2015
Layout	Adventure
Border	Black
Illustred by	Valera Lutfullina

Key Takeaways

Card provides a dynamic between accumulating hand options and increasing mana capabilities.
Its flexibile utility benefits aggressive red decks, offering creature and spell in one.
Despite its strengths, the high mana cost and specific requirements can limit versatility.

Text of card

Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to any other target. Then sacrifice it.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Callous Sell-Sword // Burn Together provides a versatile option for players looking to bolster their hand. When played, the card can pave the way for subsequent plays, offering an edge over opponents by maintaining a healthy supply of options.

Resource Acceleration: The card also shines when it comes to ramping up resources. For instance, the Burn Together aspect of the card could potentially lend additional mana when it’s most needed, allowing players to expedite their strategy and summon more formidable creatures or cast high-impact spells ahead of schedule.

Instant Speed: The instant speed nature of this card is a tactical boon. Players can optimize their mana utilization by passing the turn without committing to a specific course of action, remaining adaptive to the evolving game state. This flexibility can create significant advantages and force opponents to play around unknown variables.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Callous Sell-Sword // Burn Together demands a card to be discarded to activate its full potential, presenting a challenge during gameplay for players who may be clinging to a carefully curated hand. Having to let go of valuable cards can sometimes hurt your strategic options and overall board presence.

Specific Mana Cost: The specific mana cost necessitates a strong commitment to red mana sources. While red is a powerful color in MTG, this requirement can impose deck-building restrictions and reduce the card’s flexibility across various archetypes that aren’t heavily invested in red mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a comparatively high mana cost, Callous Sell-Sword // Burn Together could be seen as inefficient compared to other options available in the game. As players aim to optimize their mana curve, they might find that allocating four mana to this effect does not provide the best value, particularly when playing in more competitive settings where every mana point counts.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Callous Sell-Sword // Burn Together is a flexible card that can easily fit into red-oriented aggressive decks, offering both a creature and a damage-dealing spell in a single card slot.

Combo Potential: The creature side can be a valuable piece in strategies stacking cheap creatures for a swift assault, while Burn Together can synergize with spell-based strategies, amplifying damage when you have a full board.

Meta-Relevance: Given that red archetypes are often present in the competitive scene, having a card that adapts to the pace and style of your opponents can be crucial to staying on top of the game.

How to beat

Staring down Callous Sell-Sword can be quite the challenge in a game of Magic: The Gathering. This creature brings with it a mix of aggression and strategic depth. Players facing this card need to weave their plays carefully, as the Sell-Sword can hit hard if left unchecked. Understanding the card’s strengths and weaknesses is the first step.

To get the upper hand, one should focus on removal strategies that can bypass the Sell-Sword’s defenses. Targeted spells or abilities that exile creatures are particularly effective, as they prevent any recursion from the graveyard. Be wary of your timing, as a well-placed “Burn Together” can turn the tides in your opponent’s favor, potentially dealing significant damage to your life total.

Your best bet is to manage the board and your life strategically. Don’t overcommit resources to the battlefield, which could be wasted if your opponent has a creature-buffing trick up their sleeve. Instead, prioritize maintaining a stable board state, where the Sell-Sword’s impact is minimized, and always be prepared for sudden shifts in the game dynamic that a double-faced card like this could create.

Cards like Callous Sell-Sword // Burn Together

Callous Sell-Sword // Burn Together introduces a nuanced gameplay strategy for enthusiasts looking to mix aggression with synergy effects in MTG. Its intricacy is akin to cards such as Viashino Pyromancer, which shares the haste attribute and deals direct damage upon entering the battlefield. Callous Sell-Sword takes a different approach by providing a boost when equipped or enchanted, a trait not found in Viashino Pyromancer.

In the same category, we encounter Ember Hauler, another creature that brings versatility to the game. It deals damage upon sacrifice, which can be a tactical advantage over Callous Sell-Sword’s conditional strength boost. The dual-faced nature of Callous Sell-Sword // Burn Together also invites comparison to the transform mechanic seen in cards like Village Messenger. While both cards can evolve mid-game to adapt to changing situations, Burn Together stands out for leveraging the camaraderie of multiple creatures when casting spells during combat.

Analyzing these parallels, Callous Sell-Sword // Burn Together captures a unique place in MTG as a card that can escalate in power rapidly with the right support, balancing raw power and strategic adaptability.

Cards similar to Callous Sell-Sword // Burn Together by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Callous Sell-Sword // Burn Together MTG card by a specific set like Wilds of Eldraine, 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 Callous Sell-Sword // Burn Together and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Callous Sell-Sword // Burn Together has restrictions

Format	Legality
Standard	Legal
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Alchemy	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Future	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Callous Sell-Sword // Burn Together card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2023-09-01	An adventurer card is a permanent card in every zone except the stack, as well as while on the stack if not cast as an Adventure. Ignore its alternative characteristics in those cases. For example, while it’s in your graveyard, Questing Druid is a green creature card whose mana value is 2. It can’t be the target of Tenacious Tomeseeker’s triggered ability (“return target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand”).
2023-09-01	An effect may refer to a card, spell, or permanent that “has an Adventure.” This refers to a card, spell, or permanent that has an adventurer card’s set of alternative characteristics, even if they’re not being used and even if that card was never cast as an Adventure.
2023-09-01	Casting a card as an Adventure isn’t casting it for an alternative cost. Effects that allow you to cast a spell for an alternative cost or without paying its mana cost may allow you to apply those to the Adventure.
2023-09-01	If a spell is cast as an Adventure, its controller exiles it instead of putting it into its owner’s graveyard as it resolves. For as long as it remains exiled, that player may cast it as a permanent spell. If an Adventure spell leaves the stack in any way other than resolving (most likely by being countered or by failing to resolve because its targets have all become illegal), that card won’t be exiled and the spell’s controller won’t be able to cast it as a permanent later.
2023-09-01	If an adventurer card ends up in exile for any other reason than by exiling itself while resolving, it won’t give you permission to cast it as a permanent spell.
2023-09-01	If an effect copies an Adventure spell, that copy is exiled as it resolves. It ceases to exist as a state-based action; it’s not possible to cast the copy as a permanent.
2023-09-01	If an effect instructs you to choose a card name, you may choose the alternative Adventure name. Consider only the alternative characteristics to determine whether that is an appropriate name to choose.
2023-09-01	If an effect refers to a card, spell, or permanent that has an Adventure, it won’t find an instant or sorcery spell on the stack that’s been cast as an Adventure.
2023-09-01	If an object becomes a copy of an object that has an Adventure, the copy also has an Adventure. If it changes zones, it will either cease to exist (if it’s a token) or cease to be a copy (if it’s a nontoken permanent), and so you won’t be able to cast it as an Adventure.
2023-09-01	If the first target of Burn Together is an illegal target as the spell resolves but the last target is still legal, Burn Together will resolve, but no damage will be dealt and nothing will be sacrificed.
2023-09-01	If the last target of Burn Together is an illegal target as the spell resolves but the first target is still legal, Burn Together will still resolve and you'll still sacrifice the first target.
2023-09-01	If you cast an adventurer card as an Adventure, use only its alternative characteristics to determine whether it’s legal to cast that spell. For example, if you control Johann, Apprentice Sorcerer (“Once each turn, you may cast an instant or sorcery spell from the top of your library.”) and Questing Druid is on top of your library, you can cast Seek the Beast, but not Questing Druid.
2023-09-01	When casting a spell as an Adventure, use the alternative characteristics and ignore all of the card’s normal characteristics. The spell’s color, mana cost, mana value, and so on are determined by only those alternative characteristics. If the spell leaves the stack, it immediately resumes using its normal characteristics.
2023-09-01	You must still follow any timing restrictions and permissions for the permanent spell you cast from exile. Normally, you’ll be able to cast it only during your main phase while the stack is empty.