Seal Away MTG Card
Key Takeaways
- Seal Away provides card advantage through strategic, non-disruptive creature removal at instant speed.
- Efficient mana cost makes it a favorable option for resource acceleration in white-based decks.
- Instant speed casting offers players flexibility and the element of surprise during combat.
Guide to Flash card ability
Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.
Text of card
Flash When Seal Away enters the battlefield, exile target tapped creature an opponent controls until Seal Away leaves the battlefield.
An ancient nemesis rendered harmless long ago.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Seal Away provides strategic removal allowing you to deal with threats without compromising your hand. Playing this card can shift the balance in your favor as you effectively remove an opponent’s creature while maintaining your own board presence.
Resource Acceleration: Efficiently costed at just two mana, this enchantment offers an affordable solution against aggressive strategies. It contributes to resource allocation by dealing with expensive creatures using minimal mana investment, potentially leaving resources available for further development of your game plan.
Instant Speed: The ability to cast Seal Away at instant speed gives you the flexibility to react during your opponent’s turn. This can be particularly impactful in moments where your opponent commits to an all-in attack, only to find their key attacker exiled before damage is dealt.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Although Seal Away does not specifically require a discard, using it effectively depends on timing and the board state. This can create situations where holding onto Seal Away could inadvertently lead to discarding other valuable cards to meet hand size limits, indirectly imposing a discard-like cost.
Specific Mana Cost: Seal Away requires white mana, which can limit its inclusion to decks running white or those capable of generating multiple mana colors. This can be a hindrance in decks that are not focused on white or those that have a stringent mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While its cost of two mana might not seem excessive, there are quicker removal options available. In the fast-paced meta, where efficiency is key, using two mana to remove a creature only when it attacks or blocks can put you at a tempo disadvantage compared to other low-cost removal spells.
Reasons to Include Seal Away in Your Collection
Versatility: Seal Away stands out for its ability to smoothly integrate into various white-based control or midrange decks. Its cost-efficient removal capabilities handle many threats, providing a tool for any player looking to improve their deck’s resilience.
Combo Potential: Use Seal Away to complement a broader strategy that aims to control the battlefield. It pairs well with sweepers and other removals, clearing the way for your win conditions. Its instant exile effect can also disrupt your opponent’s combos, providing a tactical advantage.
Meta-Relevance: Ever-present aggressive decks in the current meta make Seal Away a critical piece for survival and stalling until your game plan unfolds. It’s particularly impactful against decks that rely on early creature-based pressure, giving you the upper hand in tempo and board control.
How to beat
Seal Away is a white enchantment that presents a unique challenge for Magic the Gathering players. This spell swiftly exiles an opponent’s tapped creature until Seal Away leaves the battlefield. It’s akin to spells like Banishing Light, which also remove threats, but Seal Away is distinctively efficient in dealing with aggressive creatures that have just attacked.
When facing Seal Away, the key is in prevention and recovery. Enchantment removal spells such as Naturalize or Disenchant can directly destroy Seal Away, liberating your creature to return to the battlefield. Another tactic involves using cards like Negate to counter Seal Away when it’s cast, protecting your creatures proactively. Additionally, playing around it by not attacking with high-value creatures when your opponent has untapped mana for Seal Away can mitigate its impact. Lastly, having access to instant-speed abilities or spells that can untap your creature in response to Seal Away can prevent the exile altogether.
Ultimately, understanding your opponent’s strategy and keeping up a strong defense are paramount in outmaneuvering this enchantment. By combining strategic play and specific countermeasures, players can effectively neutralize the threat posed by Seal Away in their MTG matches.
Cards like Seal Away
Seal Away stands out among white control enchantments in Magic: The Gathering, offering a unique locking mechanism for problematic creatures. It draws parallels with other enchantments such as Banishing Light and Oblivion Ring, both of which also exile creatures but require no specific conditions from the targeted creature. Seal Away, however, hinges on a tactical advantage, activating only when a creature becomes tapped, and at a lower cost, making it a strategic choice during combat.
Another card with some resemblance is Cast Out. While Cast Out is more versatile, able to exile any nonland permanent and featuring cycling to replace itself if not needed, it comes with a higher mana investment. Lastly, Baffling End, is an early game option that deals with creatures of a smaller scale without relying on their combat status.
Considering the entire landscape, Seal Away is a valuable tool in any MTG player’s arsenal, balancing cost-effectiveness and situational benefits, particularly in formats where creatures are frequently tapped.
Cards similar to Seal Away by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Seal Away MTG card by a specific set like Dominaria, 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 Seal Away 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 Magic products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Seal Away has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Seal Away card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2018-04-27 | Auras attached to the exiled creature will be put into their owners’ graveyards. Any Equipment will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled creature 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. |
| 2018-04-27 | If Seal Away leaves the battlefield before its triggered ability resolves, the target creature won’t be exiled. |
| 2018-04-27 | If a token is exiled this way, it will cease to exist and won’t return to the battlefield. |
