Secure the Scene MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery
Released	2020-07-03
Set symbol
Set name	Core Set 2021
Set code	M21
Number	35
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Zoltan Boros

Key Takeaways

Removes any nonland permanent with the flexibility to address a variety of threats on the battlefield.
Indirect resource management benefit by eliminating the need for future mana expenditure on the same permanent.
While not instant-speed, it’s pivotal for setting up subsequent instant-speed plays by preemptively clearing threats.

Text of card

Exile target nonland permanent. Its controller creates a 1/1 white Soldier creature token.

"You know it's a great show when the Azorius arrest the props, too!" —Judith, the Scourge Diva

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Secure the Scene provides a unique kind of card advantage through its ability to remove any nonland permanent. This flexibility can tip the scales in your favor by dealing with a wide array of threats, ensuring you maintain control of the board.

Resource Acceleration: While Secure the Scene itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources like adding mana, it indirectly contributes to resource management by freeing up your mana in subsequent turns. You won’t need to spend additional mana dealing with the same permanent again, allowing you to allocate resources more efficiently elsewhere.

Instant Speed: Although Secure the Scene works at sorcery speed, it still plays a critical role in your strategy by clearing the way for your instant-speed interactions. Once a troublesome permanent is out of the way, your mana is freed up to cast other instant-speed spells without the worry of imminent threats that could disrupt your plan.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One downside of Secure the Scene is that it can leave you at a card disadvantage. While it enables you to exile a nonland permanent, it does not replace itself in your hand, potentially leaving you with fewer options on subsequent turns.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a white mana source to play. For players not running a white-inclusive or monocolored deck, fitting Secure the Scene into their strategy could pose a challenge, hindering the card’s versatility across multiple deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Secure the Scene demands five mana, which can be rather steep for the effect it provides. When evaluating cards for removal purposes, players often look for efficiency in cost versus effect. In competitive play, where quicker removal could be crucial, Secure the Scene might not be the optimal choice compared to alternatives with lower casting costs.

Reasons to Include Secure the Scene in Your Collection

Versatility: Secure the Scene offers flexibility to any MTG player’s deck-building strategy. This card is a prime choice for control decks that require efficient removal options, capable of dealing with a variety of troublesome permanents on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: While Secure the Scene may seem straightforward, it can be particularly synergistic in decks that exploit exile effects or those that utilize the generated 1/1 white Soldier creature token for larger strategies, magnifying its impact beyond a simple removal spell.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where powerful nonland permanents frequently dictate the game’s pace, Secure the Scene can be a game-changer by neutralizing key threats. It’s a smart inclusion for players who anticipate facing decks that rely heavily on crucial noncreature permanents.

How to beat

Secure the Scene is an intriguing white removal spell in Magic: The Gathering, allowing players to exile a nonland permanent that’s not quite as straightforward to deal with compared to other removal spells. Its unique aspect is the 1/1 white Soldier creature token it provides to the target’s controller, a form of compensation that can sometimes turn the tide.

Competing with more direct forms of removal like Swords to Plowshares, Secure the Scene may not always be the first choice. Swords to Plowshares doesn’t leave a creature behind and has a lower mana cost, but can sometimes give your opponent a life advantage. On another front, Path to Exile also removes creatures efficiently without producing tokens, but it allows your opponent to search for a basic land, which can be strategically beneficial for them.

When considering how to handle Secure the Scene, bear in mind the balance between the temporary soldier token given and the permanent removal of a major threat. It’s a card that can be potent in the right circumstances, but also one that savvy MTG players can outmaneuver with foresight and alternative removal options at their disposal.

Cards like Secure the Scene

Secure the Scene is an intriguing tool for control decks in Magic: The Gathering, akin to other removal spells. A card it can be measured against is Pacifism. Both lock down threats, but Pacifism permits the creature to stay on the board, potentially being a blocker or counting towards other effects. Secure the Scene, however, exiles that creature, leaving a token behind which can prevent certain graveyard shenanigans.

Another comparison can be drawn with Oblivion Ring. Both can address nonland permanents, but Secure the Scene is limited to creatures. Whereas, Oblivion Ring has a broader application, hitting any nonland permanent. However, if Oblivion Ring leaves the field, the exiled card returns, something that isn’t a concern with Secure the Scene since it deals permanently with the creature. Then there’s Banishing Light, a cousin to Oblivion Ring with a similar function. The decision between these cards boils down to whether the exile of Secure the Scene at sorcery speed outweighs the broader, but potentially temporary, removal offered by the others at a similar cost.

Assessing these options, Secure the Scene occupies a solid position in the suite of creature control, ensuring a removal that’s final, albeit only against creatures, contrasting with the contingencies of other permanent removal spells.

Cards similar to Secure the Scene by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Secure the Scene MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2021, 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 Secure the Scene and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Secure the Scene has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2020-06-23	If the target nonland permanent is an illegal target by the time Secure the Scene tries to resolve, the spell won't resolve. No player will create a Soldier token.