Cut Your Losses MTG Card


Offers card advantage and instant speed, essential for control strategies and reactive play. Demands color-specific decks and can deplete your hand, which may limit its use. Versatile and meta-relevant, a valuable disruptor in spell-heavy and combo decks.
Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeSorcery
Abilities Casualty,Mill

Text of card

Casualty 2 (As you cast this spell, you may sacrifice a creature with power 2 or greater. When you do, copy this spell and you may choose a new target for the copy.) Target player mills half their library, rounded down.


Cards like Cut Your Losses

Cut Your Losses is an interesting spell among MTG’s array of strategic options. This card shares attributes with the likes of Settle the Score, primarily used for its unique ability to remove creatures from the game. Cut Your Losses, however, introduces an additional twist to the removal mechanic – allowing you to mill cards from your own library, potentially offering a strategic edge in the right deck.

Murder is another similar card used for creature elimination. While it performs a similar function by destroying a target creature at a cost of three mana, it does not offer the milling bonus that comes with Cut Your Losses. Conversely, when examining Psychic Strike, we note that while this counter spell also mills the opposing player’s deck upon a successful interruption, it does not directly destroy creatures but rather prevents them from hitting the field.

Assessing these comparisons, Cut Your Losses holds a distinctive place. It provides the utility of creature control while simultaneously fuelling graveyard strategies—a dual benefit that might just tip the scales in a closely matched game of MTG.

Settle the Score - MTG Card versions
Murder - MTG Card versions
Psychic Strike - MTG Card versions
Settle the Score - MTG Card versions
Murder - MTG Card versions
Psychic Strike - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Cut Your Losses by color, type and mana cost

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Amnesia - MTG Card versions
Time Spiral - MTG Card versions
Cultural Exchange - MTG Card versions
Echo of Eons - MTG Card versions
Cosmic Epiphany - MTG Card versions
Mind's Desire - MTG Card versions
Rise from the Tides - MTG Card versions
Inspiring Refrain - MTG Card versions
Flow of Ideas - MTG Card versions
Tunnel Vision - MTG Card versions
Govern the Guildless - MTG Card versions
Reality Strobe - MTG Card versions
Mass Polymorph - MTG Card versions
Mindculling - MTG Card versions
Stolen Identity - MTG Card versions
Spelltwine - MTG Card versions
Rise of Eagles - MTG Card versions
Interpret the Signs - MTG Card versions
Upheaval - MTG Card versions
Set Adrift - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Cut Your Losses. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Bant ControlBant Control StandardBant ControlStandard Challenge 32 2024-01-20
Lotus Field ComboLotus Field Combo PioneerHidden Strings#10 Last Chance Qualifier: Pioneer

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Cut Your Losses enables the drawing of extra cards which significantly bolsters your hand, giving you a strong advantage in maintaining board control and setting up your strategy.

Resource Acceleration: While it doesn’t directly produce mana or tokens, this card helps to streamline your deck mid-game by filtering out unwanted cards, thereby indirectly accelerating your access to needed resources.

Instant Speed: The ability to play Cut Your Losses at instant speed provides the flexibility to react to an opponent’s move, disrupt their strategy or simply capitalize on the best moment to gain card advantage without the need to wait for your main phase.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Cut Your Losses necessitates that you discard two cards as part of its casting process. This can significantly deplete your hand, hampering your ability to respond to your opponent’s moves or diminishing your strategic options as the game progresses.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost for Cut Your Losses includes both black and blue mana, which can restrict its inclusion to decks that comfortably run these colors. Players running mono-colored or off-color decks will find it challenging to integrate and utilize this card effectively.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost that totals six mana (four generic, one blue, and one black), Cut Your Losses comes with a steep price for its effect. In the fast-paced environment of MTG gameplay, deploying this card might be too slow compared to other disruption or card advantage options available at lower costs.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Cut Your Losses offers unique flexibility, seamlessly fitting into control decks that thrive on managing the late-game scenarios. Its ability to counteract an opponent’s strategy keeps your game plan secure.

Combo Potential: This card enables intriguing combos, especially in strategies revolving around spell slinging or graveyard manipulation, offering strategic depth and surprise plays against opponents.

Meta-Relevance: With a meta that often shifts toward spell-heavy or combo-based tactics, Cut Your Losses stands out as a key piece to disrupt these strategies, making it a timely addition to your arsenal.


How to beat

Cut Your Losses is a nuanced card that challenges players with its strategic implications in Magic: The Gathering. Mastering the art of thwarting this spell is crucial for competitive gameplay. At its core, this card places opponents in a dilemma by forcing them to select and lose half of their hand, rounded up. This effect can be quite devastating, dramatically reducing the available resources and options.

To effectively counteract Cut Your Losses, consider cards that bolster your hand size, ensuring that losing half your cards won’t leave you at a crippling disadvantage. Alternatively, gravitate towards spells and abilities that allow you to reclaim cards from your graveyard, turning the potential loss into future gain. It’s also wise to play cards with Flash. This allows you to deploy your hand before Cut Your Losses resolves, thereby minimizing its impact.

Proactive measures, including the employment of counterspells or hand disruption tactics aimed at pre-empting Cut Your Losses, can prove instrumental. By disrupting your opponent’s strategy and keeping key cards at the ready, you can reduce the efficacy of Cut Your Losses and maintain a solid foothold in the match. Understanding and anticipating this card, while maintaining a diverse and resilient hand, will guide you to victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering MTG is about deep understanding and strategic finesse, especially when discerning the value of nuanced cards like Cut Your Losses. This card’s ability to shape the battlefield with its powerful trade-off can be both a boon and a bane to players. We encourage you to look beyond its apparent cost to the potential it can unlock in your deck. With a focus on resource management and combo building, Cut Your Losses might just be the key to outmaneuvering your opponents. Dive deeper into its strategic uses and learn how it can serve as a linchpin in various decks. Embrace the challenge and discover how this card could alter your game plan for the better.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Cut Your Losses MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Streets of New Capenna Promos, 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 Cut Your Losses and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Cut Your Losses Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2022-04-29 and 2022-04-29. Illustrated by Dominik Mayer.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 997532015NormalBlackDominik Mayer
22022-04-29Streets of New Capenna PromosPSNC 38s2015NormalBlackDominik Mayer
32022-04-29Streets of New CapennaSNC 4102015NormalBlackDominik Mayer
42022-04-29Streets of New CapennaSNC 382015NormalBlackDominik Mayer
52022-04-29Streets of New Capenna PromosPSNC 38p2015NormalBlackDominik Mayer

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Cut Your Losses has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2022-04-29 Casualty N means “As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may sacrifice a creature with power N or greater.” and “When you cast this spell, if a casualty cost was paid for it, copy it. If the spell has any targets, you may choose new targets for the copy.”
2022-04-29 If you cast Cut Your Losses and copy it targeting the same player, that player will mill half their library, then mill half of what remains after that. They do not mill their entire library.
2022-04-29 If you pay the casualty cost of a spell, the copy will resolve before the original spell.
2022-04-29 The copy of the spell is created on the stack, so it's not “cast.” Abilities that trigger when a player casts a spell won't trigger.
2022-04-29 You may sacrifice only one creature to pay a spell's casualty cost, and you copy the spell only once.