Springsage Ritual MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Released	2016-07-22
Set symbol
Set name	Eldritch Moon
Set code	EMN
Number	172
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Ben Maier

Key Takeaways

Offers card advantage by drawing a card while eliminating enchantments and disrupting opponent plans.
Instant speed play allows flexible response to threats, enhancing turn efficiency dramatically.
The specific mana requirement makes it best suited for decks rich in green mana.

Text of card

Destroy target artifact or enchantment. You gain 4 life.

"Every evil destroyed is a strike against the enemy." —Erold, Gatstaf springsage

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Springsage Ritual provides a mechanism to gain card advantage by allowing players to remove enchantments from the game while drawing a card. This two-for-one deal empowers savvy players to maintain a strong hand while disrupting opponents’ strategies.

Resource Acceleration: By removing an enchantment and drawing a card, Springsage Ritual facilitates smoother gameplay, ensuring that players can use their resources effectively. Although it doesn’t directly produce mana or tokens, the card draws it enables can lead to a quicker access to vital resources.

Instant Speed: The ability to act at instant speed gives players the flexibility to make pivotal plays during an opponent’s turn. This adaptability allows for strategic timing in using Springsage Ritual, which can be essential in responding to threats or maximizing the efficiency of each turn’s resources.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When casting Springsage Ritual, you need to sacrifice a creature, which can be a costly demand, especially if your board state is already fragile. This can set you back if you’re not careful about timing and which creature you choose to lose.

Specific Mana Cost: Springsage Ritual necessitates that you pay not just green mana, but one green and three other mana of any type. This specific requirement means that only players with a significant green mana base can efficiently add it to their decks, potentially excluding a variety of other strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total casting cost of four mana for a single-use effect, Springsage Ritual competes with other cards in the four-mana slot that might provide more immediate or lasting benefits. Its cost diminishes its practicality in faster-paced games where efficiency is key.

Reasons to Include Springsage Ritual in Your Collection

Versatility: Springsage Ritual offers flexible utility for your deck. The ability to remove enchantments or artifacts and gain life can be pivotal in games where such permanents dominate the battlefield.

Combo Potential: As an instant, Springsage Ritual can be a surprise element in combinations, fitting well with decks focused on life gain or those looking to exploit the absence of key enemy artifacts or enchantments.

Meta-Relevance: Given the prevalence of enchantment and artifact-based strategies in various formats, Springsage Ritual can serve as a powerful tool to disrupt opponents’ plans while fortifying your position. Its meta significance makes it a timely addition to any collection.

How to beat

Springsage Ritual is a unique card within the MTG realm, offering a dual solution to certain board states. At first glance, the card appears to be a simple method of enchantment removal. Broadly comparable to cards like Naturalize, which specifically targets enchantments and artifacts, Springsage Ritual goes a step further to provide life gain, a feature that can potentially alter the course of the game.

Yet, even with its benefits, there are strategies to effectively counter it. One method to undermine the impact of Springsage Ritual is to limit its targets. By minimizing the presence of enchantments in your deck, or by using enchantments that can shield themselves or bounce back to your hand, you reduce the value Springsage Ritual can provide to your opponent.

A seasoned player will also recognize the advantage of pace and tempo in MTG. Springsage Ritual, which requires four mana and sorcery speed, could consume a turn without impacting the board significantly. Prioritizing a card with instant speed removal or with lower mana cost can maintain tempo and pressure, thus diluting the motivational aspect for an opponent to utilize a turn casting Springsage Ritual.

Cards like Springsage Ritual

Springsage Ritual is a card that invites comparisons within the Magic: The Gathering assortment of enchantment removal spells. Set in contrast with Naturalize, Springsage Ritual offers the additional benefit of gaining life, which can be crucial in stabilizing during the later stages of the game. While Naturalize targets only artifacts and enchantments at a lower cost, Springsage Ritual presents a broader removal option and the life gain which can turn the tables in a match.

Against another comparable option, Sundering Growth, Springsage Ritual is less restrictive in mana requirements by not needing a specific color combination but misses out on the populate mechanic provided by Sundering Growth. The ability to duplicate a token can be a significant advantage in token-based decks, but Springsage Ritual maintains its appeal in a diversity of deck builds due to its generalized cost and the immediate life-gain perk.

To sum up, Springsage Ritual stands out as a versatile card within the realm of Magic: The Gathering. It combines the destruction of problematic artifacts or enchantments with a welcome boost to the player’s life total – a dual-purpose utility that can sway the dynamics of gameplay in one’s favor.

Cards similar to Springsage Ritual by color, type and mana cost

Stonewood Invocation - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Springsage Ritual MTG card by a specific set like Eldritch Moon, 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 Springsage Ritual and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Springsage Ritual has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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