Circle of Confinement MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Circle of Confinement provides early game control and potential for card advantage with targeted removal.
  2. Best suited for decks optimized for exile mechanics, it enhances board management and combo plays.
  3. Strategic inclusion can negate its mana specificity and circumvent high mana costs in gameplay.

Text of card

When Circle of Confinement enters the battlefield, exile target creature an opponent controls with mana value 3 or less until Circle of Confinement leaves the battlefield. Whenever an opponent casts a Vampire spell with the same name as a card exiled with Circle of Confinement, you gain 2 life.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Circle of Confinement provides strategic deck utility by offering removal of problematic creatures, potentially disrupting your opponent’s early game plan. With its second ability, it can also allow ongoing card advantage if you’re targeting a legendary creature, keeping your hand replenished over time.

Resource Acceleration: While this enchantment doesn’t directly produce additional mana, its low casting cost allows for early game plays without significant resource commitment. This efficient use of mana can accelerate your board state while managing threats.

Instant Speed: Although not an instant itself, Circle of Confinement can be a key part in decks that operate at instant speed. It can interact with your opponent’s creatures just as they hit the board, maintaining tempo and allowing you to reserve mana for other responses or end-of-turn plays.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: In the context of Circle of Confinement, while there is no discard requirement directly tied to the card itself, the need to manage your hand and board with cost-efficient plays is pivotal. If your strategy heavily relies on maintaining card advantage, investing in Circle of Confinement could undermine your game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: Circle of Confinement requires white mana to cast. This specificity can pose a challenge in multicolored decks that might struggle to have the necessary white mana available, especially in the early game when establishing your mana base is crucial.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its mana cost, Circle of Confinement’s ability to exile a creature with mana value 3 or less may come off as underwhelming in comparison to other cards within the mana range, particularly in a fast-paced game where tempo is key. This can affect its inclusion in decks, as it competes with other versatile and cost-effective removal options.


Reasons to Include Circle of Confinement in Your Collection

Versatility: Circle of Confinement offers flexible removal options, addressing creatures your opponents control that are likely to cause ongoing problems. Its ability to target specific threats makes it a valuable tool in decks that seek to manage the board and maintain control.

Combo Potential: This enchantment synergizes well with decks built around exile mechanics or those that capitalize on the casting of enchantments. Its secondary ability to withdraw additional cards when opponents cast certain spells creates opportunities for advantageous interactions and can lead to powerful combos.

Meta-Relevance: With a shifting game environment that often features potent creatures and commanders, Circle of Confinement’s targeted removal makes it a timely addition. Its low mana cost and enduring presence on the board enable it to influence the game’s outcome, particularly when pitted against creature-heavy decks or those reliant on specific commanders.


How to beat

Circle of Confinement is a unique white enchantment in Magic: The Gathering that challenges players with its utility to exile target creatures an opponent controls with mana value three or less. To navigate around this constraint, smart deck-building can be key. Including creatures in your deck with a mana value above three can naturally circumvent the limitations of Circle of Confinement. This strategy forces the Circle’s controller to face threats they cannot easily remove with the enchantment.

Moreover, leveraging enchantment removal spells can instantly dismantle the Circle’s grip on the battlefield. Spells like Disenchant or enchantment-specific removal like Broken Bond cater to this purpose adeptly. Additionally, cards with abilities to bounce enchantments back to the owner’s hand, such as Blink of an Eye, serve as an efficient solution to reset the Circle of Confinement, buying vital time and preserving your essential creatures.

Ultimately, overcoming Circle of Confinement hinges on strategic gameplay and thoughtful deck construction, ensuring that your creatures either evade its confines or that you have the right arsenal to dismantle its power, maintaining your dominance in the game.


Cards like Circle of Confinement

Circle of Confinement is a unique enchantment in Magic: The Gathering that joins a suite of white spells specializing in exiling target opponent’s creatures. It is somewhat akin to Banishing Light, a classic removal spell that also exiles nonland permanents until the enchantment leaves the battlefield. Circle of Confinement’s edge lies in its specificity towards creatures with mana value 3 or less, ensuring early game threats can be efficiently handled.

Adding to the conversation is Silkwrap, another sorcery that exiles a creature with mana value 3 or less. While it carries a similar mana cost to Circle of Confinement, it lacks the reusable aspect that Circle of Confinement offers when specific conditions are met. Moreover, there’s the notable Declaration in Stone which can exile any number of creatures of the same name for a relatively low cost. Yet, it compensates players by offering clue tokens in return for their exiled creatures, a trade that Circle of Confinement avoids entirely.

Assessing these comparisons, Circle of Confinement emerges as an adaptable option, remarkable for its targeted removal at a low cost and the potential for recurring value in certain decks within Magic: The Gathering’s dynamic landscape.

Banishing Light - MTG Card versions
Silkwrap - MTG Card versions
Declaration in Stone - MTG Card versions
Banishing Light - Journey into Nyx (JOU)
Silkwrap - Dragons of Tarkir (DTK)
Declaration in Stone - Shadows over Innistrad Promos (PSOI)

Cards similar to Circle of Confinement by color, type and mana cost

Blessing - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: White - MTG Card versions
Island Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Crusade - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Blue - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Artifacts - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Red - MTG Card versions
Energy Storm - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Black - MTG Card versions
Ward of Lights - MTG Card versions
Gossamer Chains - MTG Card versions
I'm Rubber, You're Glue - MTG Card versions
Absolute Grace - MTG Card versions
Seal of Cleansing - MTG Card versions
Absolute Law - MTG Card versions
Sacred Ground - MTG Card versions
Pacifism - MTG Card versions
Hypochondria - MTG Card versions
Soulcatchers' Aerie - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Green - MTG Card versions
Blessing - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Circle of Protection: White - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Island Sanctuary - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Crusade - Duel Decks: Elspeth vs. Tezzeret (DDF)
Circle of Protection: Blue - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Circle of Protection: Artifacts - Renaissance (REN)
Circle of Protection: Red - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Energy Storm - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Circle of Protection: Black - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Ward of Lights - Mirage (MIR)
Gossamer Chains - Visions (VIS)
I'm Rubber, You're Glue - Unglued (UGL)
Absolute Grace - Urza's Saga (USG)
Seal of Cleansing - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Absolute Law - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Sacred Ground - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Pacifism - Duel Decks: Divine vs. Demonic (DDC)
Hypochondria - Torment (TOR)
Soulcatchers' Aerie - Judgment (JUD)
Circle of Protection: Green - Eighth Edition (8ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Circle of Confinement MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad: Crimson Vow and Innistrad: Crimson Vow, 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 Circle of Confinement and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Circle of Confinement Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-11-19 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-11-19Innistrad: Crimson VowVOW 3292015normalborderlessDan Scott
22021-11-19Innistrad: Crimson VowVOW 72015normalblackLorenzo Mastroianni
32022-01-28Innistrad: Double FeatureDBL 2742015normalblackLorenzo Mastroianni

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Circle of Confinement has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-11-19 Auras attached to the exiled creature will be put into their owners' graveyards. Any Equipment will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled permanent will cease to exist. When the card returns to the battlefield, it will be a new object with no connection to the card that was exiled.
2021-11-19 If Circle of Confinement leaves the battlefield before its enters-the-battlefield ability resolves, the target creature won't be exiled.
2021-11-19 If a token is exiled this way, it will cease to exist and won't return to the battlefield.

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