Extirpate MTG Card

Extirpate provides strategic advantage by removing all copies of a card from multiple zones. Its instant speed allows for unexpected and potentially game-changing plays. Due to its single black mana cost, it’s most effective in monoblack decks.

Planar Chaos (PLC)
2007-02-02 - Number 71

Modern Masters (MMA)
2013-06-07 - Number 84

Extirpate - Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)

Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)
2021-03-19 - Number 114

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Rare
Type	Instant
Abilities	Split second

Text of card

Split second (As long as this spell is on the stack, players can't play spells or activated abilities that aren't mana abilities.) Choose target card in a graveyard other than a basic land. Search its owner's graveyard, hand, and library for all cards with the same name as that card and remove them from the game. Then that player shuffles his or her library.

Cards like Extirpate

Extirpate is a unique instant in the realm of MTG, offering players the ability to surgically remove a card from the game and ensure that all copies share the same fate. This pinpoint precision is akin to the capabilities of Surgical Extraction, another highly regarded spell that can be played for a Phyrexian mana, potentially costing the player only 2 life instead of black mana. Surgical Extraction also has the benefit of being cast at instant speed, making it a flexible response during any point of the game.

While Extirpate is lockstep with Lost Legacy in terms of purging cards, Lost Legacy comes with a steeper cost and it targets nonartifact, nonland cards. Moreover, Lost Legacy allows a player to search through the opponent’s hand, library, and graveyard, while Extirpate targets only a single card but boasts the split second ability, preventing opponents from using the stack to save the targeted spell.

Conclusively, Extirpate stands out amongst its peers for its split second capability and specificity, offering a stealthy and uncounterable approach to disrupting an opponent’s strategy. It’s a powerful tool in MTG for players looking to decisively hinder an adversary’s game plan.

Decks using this card

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

Name	Format	Archetype	Event
Dimir Mill	Modern	Mill	Modern Challenge 64 2024-03-16 (1)
Five-color Combo	Legacy	Painter	Charlotte Legacy League Season 2 Week 1
Mono-Black Coffers	Modern	Mono-Black Coffers	Modern Challenge 64 2024-03-24 (1)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Extirpate offers strategic card advantage by surgically removing all copies of a card from an opponent’s hand, graveyard, and library. This preemptive strike not only diminishes their tactical options but also grants you knowledge of their deck’s contents, allowing you to better anticipate and counter their plays.

Resource Acceleration: While Extirpate itself doesn’t directly provide resource acceleration, its ability to disrupt an opponent’s strategy can indirectly accelerate your position by setting them back, ensuring you stay ahead in the race for victory.

Instant Speed: The instant speed of Extirpate is a key asset, allowing you to disrupt your opponent’s plans at the most opportune moment. Whether it’s in response to a graveyard trigger or a crucial search effect, the ability to act during either player’s turn adds a layer of surprise and strategy to your gameplay.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: For Extirpate to impact the game significantly, you must target a card that is crucial to your opponent’s strategy. Without a relevant card in your opponent’s graveyard to target, Extirpate can be a dead draw.

Specific Mana Cost: Extirpate’s mana cost is locked into single black, which means it sits comfortably in monoblack decks but may become a less flexible choice for multicolored or colorless strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Extirpate is priced at a single black mana, the split second ability doesn’t always justify the fee when considering the effect’s scope is limited to cards in graveyards. Other disruption or graveyard management options might offer broader utility for the same or lower cost.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Extirpate shines as a sideboard hero capable of disrupting a wide range of strategies. Its ability to be played at instant speed without being countered makes it a valuable tool for any black-inclusive deck looking to target specific threats in an opponent’s graveyard.

Combo Potential: In combinations with cards that fill opponents’ graveyards, Extirpate can become a surgical instrument to remove key components of an opponent’s strategy. This can shut down graveyard-based combos completely, giving you a definitive edge.

Meta-Relevance: With graveyard-centric decks frequently making an appearance in competitive play, Extirpate remains highly relevant. Its precise targeting allows players to proactively remove threats and disrupt synergies, keeping your play experience one step ahead of the meta-game trends.

How to beat

Extirpate is a powerful piece of disruption in the arsenal of Magic: The Gathering’s black cards, allowing players to not only remove a card from an opponent’s graveyard but also to search for any copies of that card in their hand and library to exile them as well. The spell’s strength lies in its split second ability, making it nearly uncounterable and ensuring its effect resolves.

To outmaneuver Extirpate, it’s essential to diversify threats. Place less reliance on single key cards, as Extirpate excels against strategies focused on crucial combo pieces or specific cards. Utilizing cards that grant Hexproof or Shroud can prevent Extirpate from targeting a vital card in your graveyard altogether. Additionally, play around it by either baiting it out when it’s less impactful or by employing graveyard shuffling effects to ensure your important cards aren’t in the graveyard long enough for Extirpate to take effect. Cards with Flashback or other graveyard usage mechanics might be less prone to getting hit by this disruptive spell.

Ultimately, while Extirpate can significantly hinder strategies reliant on certain cards, a well-rounded deck and a strategic gameplan can negate its potential impact, ensuring your key strategies remain intact.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Extirpate MTG card by a specific set like Planar Chaos and Modern Masters, 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 Extirpate and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Extirpate Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2007-02-02 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by Jon Foster.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2007-02-02	Planar Chaos	PLC	71	2003	Normal	Black	Jon Foster
2	2013-06-07	Modern Masters	MMA	84	2003	Normal	Black	Jon Foster
3	2021-03-19	Time Spiral Remastered	TSR	114	2015	Normal	Black	Jon Foster

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Extirpate has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2021-03-19	After a spell with split second resolves (or otherwise leaves the stack), players may again cast spells and activate abilities before the next object on the stack resolves.
2021-03-19	Because the first step of casting a spell is to move it from the zone it’s in, Extirpate can’t be used to stop a spell with flashback from being cast after its controller has announced that they’re casting it.
2021-03-19	Casting a spell with split second won’t affect spells and abilities that are already on the stack.
2021-03-19	If the resolution of a triggered ability involves casting a spell, that spell can’t be cast if a spell with split second is on the stack.
2021-03-19	Players may turn face-down creatures face up while a spell with split second is on the stack.
2021-03-19	Players still get priority while a card with split second is on the stack; their options are just limited to mana abilities and certain special actions.
2021-03-19	Split second doesn’t stop triggered abilities from triggering, such as that of Chalice of the Void. If one does, its controller puts it on the stack and chooses targets for it, if any. Those abilities will resolve as normal.
2021-03-19	You don’t have to find and exile cards with the same name as the target card in its owner’s hand or library if you don’t want to, but you do have to exile the cards from the player’s graveyard.