Soul Reap MTG Card


Soul Reap - Eventide
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery
Released2008-07-25
Set symbol
Set nameEventide
Set codeEVE
Number44
Frame2003
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byIzzy

Key Takeaways

  1. Instant speed gives Soul Reap flexibility in gameplay, allowing players to act with optimal timing.
  2. Its card advantage and resource acceleration can shift game dynamics in your favor swiftly.
  3. Demands specific mana and has a graveyard exile cost, which may limit its utility in some decks.

Text of card

Destroy target nongreen creature. Its controller loses 3 life if you played another black spell this turn.

Their thoughtweft carried Darial's last thoughts back to his doun. They sorely wished it had not.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Soul Reap offers a dual benefit that can tip the scales of card parity. It not only removes a creature from the fray, potentially disrupting your opponent’s strategy but also grants you the chance to draw a card if a certain condition is met, keeping your hand filled with options.

Resource Acceleration: An often overlooked aspect of Soul Reap is its potential to accelerate your resources. By removing an opponent’s creature, you effectively set back their board development, which can be thought of as indirect resource acceleration, as it may allow you to overtake them in the race for board presence and mana usage.

Instant Speed: The true strength of Soul Reap lies in its flexibility. Being an instant, it allows you to navigate your turns with more information, choosing to act only when the situation is most advantageous for you. This not only conserves your resources but also keeps your opponents guessing, as they must consider the possibility of Soul Reap disrupting their plans at any moment.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Soul Reap requires a player to exile a creature card from their graveyard as part of its effect. This could be a downside, especially when your graveyard management is crucial to your strategy or when such resources are scarce.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a precise mana configuration to be cast, one black mana, and one white mana. This requirement limits the card’s flexibility, as not all MTG decks run these particular colors, potentially excluding it from certain deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, some might regard Soul Reap as a costly option for its effect. While it can be a powerful removal spell, other alternatives may provide more utility or lower-cost removal in the competitive landscape of MTG.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Soul Reap is a flexible card, capable of fitting seamlessly into various deck archetypes. It’s particularly handy in black-aligned decks that focus on life management as a tactic for victory.

Combo Potential: It offers combo possibilities by tying into strategies that benefit from life loss and gain. Engaging with synergistic cards that exploit these dynamics can be a game-changer during play.

Meta-Relevance: With a gameplay environment that rewards efficient removal and life gain mechanisms, Soul Reap holds relevance. Its ability to deal with creatures and affect life totals makes it a prudent choice for those looking to adapt to and overcome the current competitive scene.


How to beat

Soul Reap is a card that has its grip in the world of MTG due to its life-draining feature. It removes creatures from the game and gives its controller a nice cushion of life points. Despite its apparent strength, overcoming this card is possible with strategic planning and understanding its limitations. To defeat Soul Reap, you need to reduce its target options. This means either having fewer creatures on the board or using creatures with hexproof or shroud abilities, making them untargetable by such spells. Another tactic is to utilize instant-speed sacrifice effects, allowing you to get value from your creature before Soul Reap can resolve.

Furthermore, countering Soul Reap directly can be effective. Cards that counter target spell, especially those with a low mana cost, can ensure that Soul Reap never affects the board state. Players can also use artifacts or enchantments that grant their creatures indestructible or regeneration, as Soul Reap only affects creatures that could be destroyed. Remember, the key to beat Soul Reap lies in a proactive strategy, keeping its potential targets to a minimum, and having the right counters in hand when it’s cast.


Cards like Soul Reap

Soul Reap is an intriguing card from the Magic: The Gathering set of spells focused on both creature removal and life gain. It bears some resemblance to other removal spells like Doom Blade or Go for the Throat, which efficiently dispose of creatures at a low cost. What makes Soul Reap stand out is its added ability to provide life equal to the destroyed creature’s power, giving a player a significant health boost – a feature the others lack.

Examining cards such as Death Grasp, it’s evident that the life gain element is not unique; however, Death Grasp is more flexible as it can target any creature or player at the expense of being costlier. Disfigure is another card to consider; it serves as cheaper creature removal but without the life gain perk of Soul Reap.

Surveying the landscape of removal spells in Magic: The Gathering, Soul Reap offers a unique advantage for players looking to stabilize their life total while keeping the board clear. Its blend of direct removal and life gain nuances positions it effectively in creature-heavy matchups.

Doom Blade - MTG Card versions
Go for the Throat - MTG Card versions
Death Grasp - MTG Card versions
Disfigure - MTG Card versions
Doom Blade - MTG Card versions
Go for the Throat - MTG Card versions
Death Grasp - MTG Card versions
Disfigure - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Soul Reap by color, type and mana cost

Drain Life - MTG Card versions
Demonic Tutor - MTG Card versions
Sinkhole - MTG Card versions
Word of Binding - MTG Card versions
Soul Exchange - MTG Card versions
Dry Spell - MTG Card versions
Hymn to Tourach - MTG Card versions
Mind Knives - MTG Card versions
Shattered Crypt - MTG Card versions
Disturbed Burial - MTG Card versions
Death Stroke - MTG Card versions
Exhume - MTG Card versions
Imperial Edict - MTG Card versions
Diabolic Intent - MTG Card versions
Decompose - MTG Card versions
Chainer's Edict - MTG Card versions
Walk the Plank - MTG Card versions
Predators' Hour - MTG Card versions
Nausea - MTG Card versions
Distress - MTG Card versions
Drain Life - MTG Card versions
Demonic Tutor - MTG Card versions
Sinkhole - MTG Card versions
Word of Binding - MTG Card versions
Soul Exchange - MTG Card versions
Dry Spell - MTG Card versions
Hymn to Tourach - MTG Card versions
Mind Knives - MTG Card versions
Shattered Crypt - MTG Card versions
Disturbed Burial - MTG Card versions
Death Stroke - MTG Card versions
Exhume - MTG Card versions
Imperial Edict - MTG Card versions
Diabolic Intent - MTG Card versions
Decompose - MTG Card versions
Chainer's Edict - MTG Card versions
Walk the Plank - MTG Card versions
Predators' Hour - MTG Card versions
Nausea - MTG Card versions
Distress - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Soul Reap MTG card by a specific set like Eventide, 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 Soul Reap and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Soul Reap has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2008-08-01 A hybrid creature that’s green and another color is *not* a nongreen creature. Since it’s green, it can’t be nongreen!
2008-08-01 Although Soul Reap says it looks for “another black spell,” there’s no requirement that Soul Reap actually be cast (or be black) for this part of its ability to work. For example, if a spell such as Commandeer causes you to gain control of Soul Reap, it’ll still check whether you cast a black spell this turn, even though you didn’t cast Soul Reap itself.
2008-08-01 Soul Reap doesn’t check whether you’ve cast another black spell until Soul Reap resolves. If you cast Soul Reap, then cast a black instant in response, the creature’s controller will lose the life when Soul Reap resolves.

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