Dire-Strain Rampage MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeSorcery
Abilities Flashback

Key Takeaways

  1. Grants substantial card advantage and can be reused from the graveyard, increasing overall value.
  2. Instant speed allows for strategic plays and interruption of opponents’ tactics.
  3. Resource acceleration from fetching two lands can lead to earlier, game-changing spells.

Text of card

Destroy target artifact, enchantment, or land. If a land was destroyed this way, its controller may search their library for up to two basic land cards, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle. Otherwise, its controller may search their library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle. Flashback


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dire-Strain Rampage from the popular trading card game Magic the Gathering offers tremendous utility when it comes to card advantage. Not only does it act as a land tutor, ensuring you get the mana you need, but it also has the potential to return to your hand from the graveyard, ready to be used again, doubling down on its value.

Resource Acceleration: For players aiming to skyrocket their mana availability, this card is a powerhouse. It searches your library for not one, but two lands, placing them onto the battlefield. This not only ramps up your resource pool but also sets the stage for casting more significant spells far ahead of your opponents.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Dire-Strain Rampage at instant speed cannot be overstated. It allows for tactical plays, interrupting opponents’ strategies, and optimizing your own turn by maximizing mana usage. Holding this card until the most opportune moment can be the key difference in a tight match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: With Dire-Strain Rampage, you must feed the voracious lands with a card from your hand, which might trip you up, especially when cards in hand are your last line of defense.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of Dire-Strain Rampage is grueling for those not committed to the ferocious might of green and the fiery will of red, restricting its use outside of Gruul-centered decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Demanding four mana, this spell’s thirst for resources can be intense compared to other ramp or destructive options, sometimes leaving you questioning its spot when planning your deck’s curve.


Reasons to Include Dire-Strain Rampage in Your Collection

Versatility: Dire-Strain Rampage shines in its flexibility to serve various roles within a deck. It’s not only an efficient land retrieval card but also a formidable tool to deal with problematic noncreature permanents. This makes it suitable for a wide range of strategies from aggressive to control-oriented builds.

Combo Potential: The card’s land-fetching ability can set the stage for landfall combos, elevating your play by synergizing with cards that capitalize on lands entering the battlefield. Moreover, its capability to destroy enchantments and artifacts opens avenues for disruption-based combos.

Meta-Relevance: Given its utility in both ramping and providing answers to certain metagame threats, Dire-Strain Rampage maintains relevance. It’s particularly potent in environments where accelerative growth and adaptability are keys to victory, making it a sound addition to decks that wish to stay competitive.


How to beat

Dire-Strain Rampage presents a dual threat with its ability to destroy artifacts, enchantments, and lands while also ramping the player’s mana base. Overcoming this potent blend requires a strategic approach. One way to counter this card is to limit the number of targets it can hit. Utilizing instant-speed removal or counterspells like Negate before Dire-Strain Rampage is cast can drastically reduce its impact. Sideboarding in graveyard hate can also be an effective countermeasure, as it prevents the card from casting from the graveyard via flashback. Furthermore, efficient land recursion or indestructible land permanents, like Darksteel Citadel, can mitigate the damage.

Another strategy is to maintain a high level of pressure on your opponent, forcing them to use Dire-Strain Rampage defensively rather than offensively. By presenting multiple threats, the opponent may not have the luxury of using the spell to advance their own board, disrupting their game plan. Lastly, land protection spells like Heroic Intervention can save your valuable permanents from being targeted, dulling the impact of your opponent’s rampage. Playing smart and preserving key resources can turn the tide against Dire-Strain Rampage.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dire-Strain Rampage is a multi-faceted MTG card that taps into the core of what makes a ramp strategy successful. As players explore the ever-expanding universe of Magic the Gathering, having cards that offer versatility and adaptability is crucial. Whether it’s for the thrill of competitive play or the enjoyment of casual matches, adding Dire-Strain Rampage to your arsenal provides a strategic edge. Its ability to tutor lands and serve as a recovery asset makes it a valuable pick. If you’re keen on optimizing your deck and gaining insight into advanced tactics, delve deeper into our comprehensive guides. Deepen your understanding and enhance your gameplay with us.


Cards like Dire-Strain Rampage

Dire-Strain Rampage enters the vibrant pool of land-centric cards in Magic: The Gathering with a unique twist. It finds kinship with Escape to the Wilds, as both cards provide the advantage of playing an additional land on the turn they’re cast. The distinction lies with Dire-Strain Rampage offering a double feature – the ability to fetch two lands directly into play if destroyed, compared to Escape to the Wilds’ presenting five cards and allowing you to play an extra land from among them.

Moving to a similar tactic, we see Cultivate, a staple in ramp strategies. It entails placing one land onto the battlefield and another into your hand. While it’s lower in cost, it lacks Dire-Strain Rampage’s potential for immediate on-field impact with two lands. Harvest Season is another peer, it scales with the number of tapped creatures you control, potentially amassing multiple lands. That said, Dire-Strain Rampage doesn’t require a board presence to be effective and can be a game-changer even on an empty field.

Comparing these selections, Dire-Strain Rampage carves a respectable niche for itself among MTG ramp cards. Its flexibility to serve both as a preemptive measure and a recuperative tool after a board wipe enhances its strategic value considerably.

Escape to the Wilds - MTG Card versions
Cultivate - MTG Card versions
Harvest Season - MTG Card versions
Escape to the Wilds - Throne of Eldraine Promos (PELD)
Cultivate - Magic 2011 (M11)
Harvest Season - Amonkhet (AKH)

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Giantbaiting - The List (PLST)
Firespout - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Heaven // Earth - March of the Machine Commander (MOC)
Savage Smash - Ravnica Allegiance (RNA)
Road // Ruin - Modern Horizons 2 (MH2)
Wreck and Rebuild - Doctor Who (WHO)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dire-Strain Rampage MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, 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 Dire-Strain Rampage and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dire-Strain Rampage Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2021-09-24 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Darek Zabrocki.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 940702015normalblackDarek Zabrocki
22021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight HuntMID 3702015normalblackDarek Zabrocki
32021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight HuntMID 2192015normalblackDarek Zabrocki
42021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight Hunt PromosPMID 219p2015normalblackDarek Zabrocki
52021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight Hunt PromosPMID 219s2015normalblackDarek Zabrocki
62022-01-28Innistrad: Double FeatureDBL 2192015normalblackDarek Zabrocki

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dire-Strain Rampage has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-09-24 "Flashback
-ost]" means "You may cast this card from your graveyard by paying
-ost] rather than paying its mana cost" and "If the flashback cost was paid, exile this card instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would leave the stack."
2021-09-24 A spell cast using flashback will always be exiled afterward, whether it resolves, is countered, or leaves the stack in some other way.
2021-09-24 If a card with flashback is put into your graveyard during your turn, you can cast it if it's legal to do so before any other player can take any actions.
2021-09-24 If the target permanent became an illegal target by the time Dire-Strain Rampage tried to resolve, the spell won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. No player will search their library for any cards. However, if the target is still legal but wasn't destroyed, perhaps because it was indestructible, its controller may still search their library for a basic land card (even if the target was a land).
2021-09-24 To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost (such as a flashback cost) you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
2021-09-24 You can cast a spell using flashback even if it was somehow put into your graveyard without having been cast.
2021-09-24 You must still follow any timing restrictions and permissions, including those based on the card's type. For instance, you can cast a sorcery using flashback only when you could normally cast a sorcery.

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