Sundering Growth MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Populate

Key Takeaways

  1. Populate mechanic grants token duplication, akin to generating extra creature cards for enhanced board presence.
  2. Instant speed enables strategic play, allowing for disruption at critical moments in the game.
  3. Mana specific cost can limit deck-building options, necessitating careful mana management.

Text of card

Destroy target artifact or enchantment, then populate. (Put a token onto the battlefield that's a copy of a creature token you control.)

"One day every pillar will be a tree and every hall a glade." —Trostani


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sundering Growth’s populate mechanic provides an additional creature on the battlefield, similar to drawing an extra creature card. This can potentially double an existing powerful token to provide substantial board presence.

Resource Acceleration: While Sundering Growth itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources in terms of mana, its ability to duplicate a beneficial token can indirectly lead to accelerated board state or additional benefits depending on the token’s abilities, such as those that tap for mana.

Instant Speed: The instant speed of Sundering Growth can disrupt an opponent’s strategy by allowing you to wait until the most opportune moment for removal or token duplication. This flexibility can be a key factor in maximizing the card’s potential impact during a match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Sundering Growth doesn’t ask you to discard directly, it requires a creature token to duplicate, which can be a serious downside when you’re short on tokens or playing a deck that doesn’t produce them efficiently.

Specific Mana Cost: Sundering Growth necessitates both white and green mana, restricting its inclusion to decks that can consistently provide both types of mana. This can limit its versatility in multicolored decks that may not always have the required mana at the right time.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Though only costing two mana, for its ability to destroy an artifact or enchantment, there are other cards that perform similar functions at a lower cost, potentially making Sundering Growth a less optimal choice in decks where mana efficiency is critical.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Sundering Growth offers a unique blend of creature token synergy and enchantment or artifact removal, making it a flexible addition to various decks. Its ability to fit seamlessly into token strategies while providing the option to disrupt opponents’ game plans adds a considerable amount of adaptability to your arsenal.

Combo Potential: This card shines in decks that proliferate tokens, allowing you to capitalize on the populate mechanic. Any deck that amasses a multitude of tokens can leverage Sundering Growth not only as a removal tool but also as a way to expand its own battlefield presence.

Meta-Relevance: In a metagame dense with powerful artifacts and enchantments, Sundering Growth proves its worth. It’s a pertinent answer to many common threats and has the added bonus of fitting perfectly into the popular Selesnya token decks or any deck looking to employ a strategy that benefits from instant-speed interaction.


How to beat

Sundering Growth is a versatile instant card that can be a key asset in any MTG player’s deck when facing artifacts and enchantments. To effectively overcome this potential threat, it is important to anticipate and prepare for the possibility of its deployment. Unlike other destruction spells that exclusively target one or the other, Sundering Growth’s unique feature allows it to destroy either card type, making it doubly dangerous. Moreover, this card has the populate mechanic, potentially giving your opponent an additional creature on the battlefield.

To counter Sundering Growth, it’s advisable to limit the number of high-value artifacts and enchantments in play, or to employ strategies that can recoup those cards from the graveyard. Cards with indestructible attributes or those that can regenerate also present a challenge to Sundering Growth’s destruction capability. Another effective technique is to utilize counterspells to prevent Sundering Growth from resolving in the first place, ensuring your pivotal assets remain unaffected by your opponent’s attempts to hinder your progress.

Thus, with strategic deck construction and a careful approach to the game, players can mitigate the impact of Sundering Growth and maintain a stable board presence. Recognizing the potential for this card to appear in certain matchups is the first step in crafting a winning strategy against it.


BurnMana Recommendations

Sundering Growth packs a strategic punch, merging the capacity for removal with the opportunity for board enhancement. As an instant, it offers players the chance to surprise foes and alter the tide of battle at a moment’s notice. Particularly in a token-focused deck, its value multiplies, dovetailing destruction with duplication to widen your battlefield influence. If your collection aims at Selesnya strategies or decks rich in tokens, this card is a cornerstone to consider. Delve deeper into the synergy and secrets of Sundering Growth with us, and refine your deck to seize victory swift as a whispering wind.


Cards like Sundering Growth

Sundering Growth finds its place within the pantheon of versatile removal spells in Magic: The Gathering. Its closest comparisons come from cards like Disenchant, which allows players to destroy an artifact or enchantment without the Populate mechanic included in Sundering Growth. While Disenchant is simpler and more straightforward in its removal process, Sundering Growth offers a dual benefit, particularly advantageous in token strategies.

Moving towards a functionally similar spell, Naturalize also allows players to destroy target artifact or enchantment at the same two mana cost. However, it sits at a stark contrast in terms of additional effects, lacking the token duplicating ability that defines Sundering Growth. Consequently, for decks that leverage token generation, Sundering Growth may present a more synergistic option.

Selesnya Charm is another spell worth mentioning due to its modality and also being in the Selesnya guild colors. It can exile a powerful creature or boost up your creatures in combat, while still retaining the ability to destroy enchantments, adding to its versatility. Despite different applications, Sundering Growth carves out its niche effect, echoing the Selesnya ethos by fostering growth while dismantling obstacles.

Disenchant - MTG Card versions
Naturalize - MTG Card versions
Selesnya Charm - MTG Card versions
Disenchant - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Naturalize - Onslaught (ONS)
Selesnya Charm - Return to Ravnica (RTR)

Cards similar to Sundering Growth by color, type and mana cost

Vitalizing Cascade - MTG Card versions
Wax // Wane - MTG Card versions
Heroes' Reunion - MTG Card versions
Aura Mutation - MTG Card versions
Eladamri's Call - MTG Card versions
Gerrard's Command - MTG Card versions
Ray of Revelation - MTG Card versions
Rite of Harmony - MTG Card versions
Seeds of Strength - MTG Card versions
Reknit - MTG Card versions
Sigil Blessing - MTG Card versions
Selesnya Charm - MTG Card versions
Dromoka's Command - MTG Card versions
Nature's Chant - MTG Card versions
Bind // Liberate - MTG Card versions
Vitalizing Cascade - Mirage (MIR)
Wax // Wane - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Heroes' Reunion - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Aura Mutation - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Eladamri's Call - Modern Horizons (MH1)
Gerrard's Command - Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs. the Coalition (DDE)
Ray of Revelation - Historic Anthology 5 (HA5)
Rite of Harmony - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)
Seeds of Strength - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Reknit - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Sigil Blessing - Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)
Selesnya Charm - GRN Guild Kit (GK1)
Dromoka's Command - March of the Machine Commander (MOC)
Nature's Chant - Modern Horizons (MH1)
Bind // Liberate - Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2021 (CMB2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sundering Growth MTG card by a specific set like Return to Ravnica and Modern Masters 2017, 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 Sundering Growth and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sundering Growth Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2012-10-05 and 2019-08-23. Illustrated by David Palumbo.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12012-10-05Return to RavnicaRTR 2232003normalblackDavid Palumbo
22017-03-17Modern Masters 2017MM3 2112015normalblackDavid Palumbo
32018-11-02GRN Guild KitGK1 1202015normalblackDavid Palumbo
42019-08-23Commander 2019C19 2032015normalblackDavid Palumbo

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sundering Growth has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2013-04-15 Any “as
-his creature] enters the battlefield” or “
-his creature] enters the battlefield with” abilities of the new token will work.
2013-04-15 If you choose to copy a creature token that’s a copy of another creature, the new creature token will copy the characteristics of whatever the original token is copying.
2013-04-15 If you control no creature tokens when you populate, nothing will happen.
2013-04-15 The new creature token copies the characteristics of the original token as stated by the effect that put the original token onto the battlefield.
2013-04-15 The new token doesn’t copy whether the original token is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or Auras and Equipment attached to it, or any noncopy effects that have changed its power, toughness, color, and so on.
2013-04-15 You can choose any creature token you control for populate. If a spell or ability puts a token onto the battlefield under your control and then instructs you to populate (as Coursers’ Accord does), you may choose to copy the token you just created, or you may choose to copy another creature token you control.
2017-03-14 You must target an artifact or enchantment to cast Sundering Growth. If that artifact or enchantment is an illegal target when Sundering Growth tries to resolve, it won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won’t populate.

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