Palace Siege MTG Card
2015-01-23 - Number 79
2015-01-23 - Number 79★
2017-08-25 - Number 119
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Enchantment |
Key Takeaways
- Palace Siege offers recurring card or life advantage, crucial for ongoing battlefield dominance.
- Resource conservation and pressure on opponents make it a strategic game component.
- Potential restrictions in deck-building due to color and mana considerations are a concern.
Text of card
As Palace Siege enters the battlefield, choose Khans or Dragons. • Khans — At the beginning of your upkeep, return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. • Dragons — At the beginning of your upkeep, each opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Palace Siege presents a strategic choice at the beginning of your upkeep to either return a creature card from your graveyard to your hand or drain life from an opponent. This recurring effect can lead to significant card advantage over the course of a game, depending on which mode you choose.
Resource Acceleration: The returned creature from the graveyard to the hand by Palace Siege can be seen as a form of resource acceleration. By consistently retrieving creatures, you effectively reduce the need to draw and play additional creatures, thereby saving your mana and card resources for other purposes.
Instant Speed Interaction: While Palace Siege itself does not operate at instant speed, the life drain mode grants you a steady form of interaction with your opponent’s life total at the beginning of your upkeep. This can apply pressure or even change the pace of the game, as opponents must consider the impending life loss during each of their turns.
Card Cons
Specific Mana Cost: Palace Siege demands a commitment to black mana, specifically requiring two black mana and three of any color to cast. This can restrict deck-building options and is not ideal for multicolored decks that aren’t heavily black.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Five mana to get Palace Siege on the battlefield is a significant investment, especially considering that its effects do not impact the board immediately. In faster-paced games, this could be a considerable drawback.
Discard Requirement: While Palace Siege itself doesn’t require you to discard cards, its “dragons” mode compels you to return a creature from your graveyard to your hand each turn, which can be less optimal if you’re forced to discard for hand size at the end of your turn.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Palace Siege offers a dynamic choice of modes to fit different game situations. Whether you need creature recursion or an incremental life-drain strategy, this card seamlessly integrates into control or midrange black decks.
Combo Potential: This enchantment pairs well with other cards that benefit from constant life loss or gain, and can act as a reliable engine for triggering death or life-gain related abilities each turn.
Meta-Relevance: With shifts in gameplay that favor sustained board presence and resilience, Palace Siege provides a persistent advantage that can tip the scales in grindy match-ups, keeping it relevant in various meta environments.
How to Beat Palace Siege
Palace Siege is a dynamic enchantment in MTG that can greatly influence the pace and outcome of a game. With its capacity to either restore health or return creatures from the graveyard to your hand, it’s a card that commands attention on the battlefield. But like any power piece in MTG, there are strategies to counteract it effectively.
To tip the scales back in your favor, consider using enchantment removal spells or abilities that can deal with Palace Siege directly. Cards such as Disenchant or Naturalize are classic examples of spells that can dispatch it swiftly. In addition, graveyard disruption tools like Relic of Progenitus work well to nullify Palace Siege’s secondary ability, making it less valuable for your opponent.
Timing is also critical. If possible, anticipate when Palace Siege might be cast and hold onto your removal tools until it becomes a threat. Patience and strategic foresight can be just as powerful as any spell in your deck. By keeping the siege at bay, you sustain a stronger position to emerge victorious.
Cards like Palace Siege
Palace Siege, a powerful enchantment from the Khans of Tarkir set, distinguishes itself in the realm of recurring advantage cards in Magic: The Gathering. Players might find similarities with cards like Phyrexian Arena, which also provides a steady stream of card advantage at the cost of life. Yet, Palace Siege offers flexibility that isn’t present in Phyrexian Arena; it allows players to choose between reclaiming creatures from their graveyard or draining life from their opponents each turn.
Another comparable card is Grey Merchant of Asphodel, famed for its ability to significantly alter life totals upon entering the battlefield. While Palace Siege’s impact is more gradual, its consistent drain can be pivotal in long games. Like Palace Siege, the Merchant can be especially meaningful in strategies geared towards life-total manipulation. Additionally, Blood Artist offers a creature-based approach to similar effects, triggering whenever a creature dies. Although it isn’t an enchantment, the strategy synergy with Palace Siege’s creature return option is evident.
Ultimately, Palace Siege stands out for its dual modes and the strategic depth it brings to MTG, affirming its place among Magic’s versatile life-total influencing enchantments.
Cards similar to Palace Siege by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Palace Siege MTG card by a specific set like Fate Reforged and Fate Reforged, 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 Palace Siege 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
Printings
The Palace Siege Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2015-01-23 and 2017-08-25. Illustrated by Slawomir Maniak.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015-01-23 | Fate Reforged | FRF | 79 | 2015 | normal | black | Slawomir Maniak | |
| 2 | 2015-01-23 | Fate Reforged | FRF | 79★ | 2015 | normal | black | Slawomir Maniak | |
| 3 | 2017-08-25 | Commander 2017 | C17 | 119 | 2015 | normal | black | Slawomir Maniak |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Palace Siege has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Palace Siege card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2014-11-24 | Each Siege will have one of the two listed abilities, depending on your choice as it enters the battlefield. |
| 2014-11-24 | Each of the last two abilities is linked to the first ability. They each refer only to the choice made as a result of the first ability. If a permanent enters the battlefield as a copy of one of the Sieges, its controller will make a new choice for that Siege. Which ability the copy has won’t depend on the choice made for the original permanent. |
| 2014-11-24 | The words “Khans” and “Dragons” are anchor words, connecting your choice to the appropriate ability. Anchor words are a new rules concept. “ -nchor word] — -bility]” means “As long as you chose -nchor word] as this permanent entered the battlefield, this permanent has -bility].” Notably, the anchor word “Dragons” has no connection to the creature type Dragon. |
