Grisly Ritual MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Offers removal plus card draw against creatures power 4 or higher, pivoting the card advantage.
  2. Instant speed casting allows strategic flexibility and timing to disrupt opponents.
  3. Demands careful hand management due to its discard requirement.

Text of card

Destroy target creature or planeswalker. Create two Blood tokens. (They're artifacts with ", , Discard a card, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.")

"You can always tell who's new from the screaming." —Tinua, Skirsdag cultist


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Grisly Ritual shines by allowing a player to exile a target creature. This removal not only hinders opponents but also offers the player an edge by potentially drawing a card if a creature with power 4 or greater is exiled, thus maintaining or tilting the card advantage in their favor.

Resource Acceleration: Although Grisly Ritual doesn’t directly produce mana or Treasure tokens, its primary function of creature removal can indirectly accelerate resources. Eliminating a critical creature from the opposing side can reduce the opponent’s board presence, paving the way for faster victories and reducing the need for further resource investment into board control.

Instant Speed: The versatility of being able to cast Grisly Ritual at instant speed is a significant advantage. It allows players to adeptly navigate through complex board states, holding up mana for the perfect moment to disrupt an opponent’s strategy or as a defensive measure against incoming threats during their turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Grappling with a discard condition can often leave players in a tight spot, especially if their hand is brimming with key cards. Grisly Ritual mandates chucking a card from your hand, which could derail your strategy if you’re not prepared to part with resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Grisly Ritual’s demand for a precise combination of mana can pigeonhole it into specific deck archetypes. With its strict color requirements, it can be a clumsy fit in multicolored decks that may not reliably muster the necessary mana types in the heat of the game.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing a fair chunk of mana to deploy, Grisly Ritual faces stiff competition from other cards that could potentially deliver a better bang for your mana buck. In an environment where every mana point matters, it is pivotal to weigh whether Grisly Ritual’s effects justify its mana investment over other options.


Reasons to Include Grisly Ritual in Your Collection

Versatility: Grisly Ritual shows its adaptability by fitting seamlessly into various deck archetypes. As a removal spell, it serves the dual purpose of disrupting your opponent’s strategy while also advancing your own game plan.

Combo Potential: This card becomes instrumental in enabling synergies with graveyard-based strategies or decks that capitalize on casting spells from the graveyard or punishing opponents for losing creatures.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature-heavy decks are dominant, Grisly Ritual’s ability to remove key threats can dramatically shift the momentum of a game in your favor, making it a crucial inclusion against specific meta trends.


How to beat

Grisly Ritual presents MTG players with a unique challenge due to its spell effect, which can sway the game by removing a key creature and peering into the opponent’s strategy. Competing against this powerful card requires a keen understanding of timing and resource management. Counterspells like Negate or creatures with hexproof can be efficient ways to neutralize Grisly Ritual’s impact, keeping your essential creatures safe and your game plan intact.

Strategically holding back on playing your most vital creatures until you have the means to protect them can also be effective. Alternatively, employing an aggressive strategy that pressures the Grisly Ritual player before they accumulate sufficient mana to cast it can limit its effectiveness. Keep in mind the graveyard as well, utilizing cards that can retrieve your fallen creatures can help mitigate the loss Grisly Ritual causes.

Ultimately, a flexible strategy and anticipation of key spells is essential when facing powerful removal cards like Grisly Ritual in MTG. Adaptability, defensive measures, and pressure can turn the tables in your favor, ensuring that Grisly Ritual becomes a mere bump in the road to victory.


Cards like Grisly Ritual

Grisly Ritual finds its place among the removal spells in Magic: The Gathering. It echoes other spells like Murder, a straightforward card capable of destroying any target creature without any additional payoff. Grisly Ritual, on the other hand, has an added benefit that sets it apart – apart from handling an adversary’s creature, it also offers a card draw as a reward for your strategic elimination.

Looking at other comparable enactments, there’s Go for the Throat, which offers a more cost-efficient removal at instant speed, but strictly limits the devastation to non-artifact creatures. It lacks the card advantage that makes Grisly Ritual more appealing in certain decks. Then there’s the infamous Hero’s Downfall, which expands on the concept by targeting planeswalkers in addition to creatures, yet it does not provide the card draw that could turn the tide in a long game.

In summary, while assessing the range of removal options in Magic: The Gathering, Grisly Ritual has its merits for players seeking to combine creature control with card advantage, ensuring the spell not only disrupts but also propels their game plan forward.

Murder - MTG Card versions
Go for the Throat - MTG Card versions
Hero's Downfall - MTG Card versions
Murder - Magic 2013 (M13)
Go for the Throat - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Hero's Downfall - Theros (THS)

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

Kiss of Death - MTG Card versions
Dark Offering - MTG Card versions
Poison Arrow - MTG Card versions
Corrupt - MTG Card versions
Morbid Hunger - MTG Card versions
Haunting Voyage - MTG Card versions
Zombie Apocalypse - MTG Card versions
Nightmare Incursion - MTG Card versions
Beseech the Queen - MTG Card versions
Stolen Grain - MTG Card versions
Essence Feed - MTG Card versions
Rain of Daggers - MTG Card versions
Hex - MTG Card versions
Grave Exchange - MTG Card versions
Assassin's Strike - MTG Card versions
Sip of Hemlock - MTG Card versions
Spiteful Blow - MTG Card versions
Endless Obedience - MTG Card versions
Deadly Tempest - MTG Card versions
Certain Death - MTG Card versions
Kiss of Death - Portal Second Age (P02)
Dark Offering - Starter 1999 (S99)
Poison Arrow - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Corrupt - The Brothers' War (BRO)
Morbid Hunger - Odyssey (ODY)
Haunting Voyage - Kaldheim Promos (PKHM)
Zombie Apocalypse - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Nightmare Incursion - Eventide (EVE)
Beseech the Queen - Planechase (HOP)
Stolen Grain - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Essence Feed - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Rain of Daggers - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Hex - Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate (CLB)
Grave Exchange - Avacyn Restored (AVR)
Assassin's Strike - Jumpstart (JMP)
Sip of Hemlock - Theros (THS)
Spiteful Blow - Journey into Nyx (JOU)
Endless Obedience - Zendikar Rising Commander (ZNC)
Deadly Tempest - The List (PLST)
Certain Death - Shadows over Innistrad Remastered (SIR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Grisly Ritual MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad: Crimson Vow and Innistrad: Double Feature, 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 Grisly Ritual and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Grisly Ritual Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-11-19 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Anastasia Ovchinnikova.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-11-19Innistrad: Crimson VowVOW 1162015normalblackAnastasia Ovchinnikova
22022-01-28Innistrad: Double FeatureDBL 3832015normalblackAnastasia Ovchinnikova

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Grisly Ritual has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

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