Rise of the Ants MTG Card
2021-09-24 - Number 196
2022-01-28 - Number 196
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Sorcery |
| Abilities | Flashback |
Key Takeaways
- Rise of the Ants enhances board presence with consistent token generation, bolstering both offense and defense.
- Despite its mana-specific cost, its strategic benefits justify inclusion in decks that value creature-based tactics.
- Effective counters to Rise of the Ants include sweepers and counterspells, which maintain board control.
Text of card
Create two 3/3 green Insect creature tokens. You gain 2 life. Flashback (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Rise of the Ants provides a steady stream of creature tokens, offering a significant advantage as you populate the board with insects that can pressure opponents or chump block threats.
Resource Acceleration: This spell synergizes with landfall and ramp strategies, enabling you to deploy threats ahead of schedule by amassing a large insect army that can overwhelm your opponent.
Instant Speed: As a sorcery, Rise of the Ants may not have instant speed, but its create and learn mechanic compensates by allowing you to shape your hand and future plays according to the evolving game state.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Rise of the Ants brings potential swarms to the battlefield, it asks for a tribute from your hand. To activate its flashback ability, you must discard a card. This could be detrimental if your hand is already depleted from previous plays or if you’re holding onto key pieces of your strategy.
Specific Mana Cost: The card’s mana cost can be a sticky situation for multicolor decks. With a demand for three green mana, decks not heavily forested may find themselves unable to cast this spell when needed, particularly if they’re balancing a diverse mana base or facing mana disruption from their opponents.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When compared to other cards that might offer more immediate board presence or utility, the six total mana, including the specific three green, becomes a noteworthy consideration. In fast-paced games, you could be overrun before these insects can turn the tides in your favour, rendering the cost steep in terms of both mana and opportunity.
Reasons to Include Rise of the Ants in Your Collection
Versatility: Rise of the Ants is a dynamic card that slots into a variety of deck archetypes. Its ability to produce multiple token creatures makes it a robust addition to swarm strategies and decks that capitalize on creature count.
Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with mechanics that reward you for casting spells with higher mana values or for having numerous creatures on the battlefield, paving the way for impactful plays and synergistic combos.
Meta-Relevance: Given the shifting nature of the metagame, Rise of the Ants adapts to environments where creating multiple blockers or attackers can swing the game in your favor, making it a prudent choice for decks looking to thrive in diverse meta conditions.
How to beat
Rise of the Ants is a unique inclusion in the realm of Magic the Gathering, offering a strategic edge in late-game scenarios. This card allows players to flood the battlefield with insect tokens, creating a sizeable army given enough time. Unlike cards that provide immediate, one-time effects, Rise of the Ants effects build up progressively, reinforcing the importance of timing and momentum in MTG.
Overrunning opponents with swarms of creature tokens can be daunting, but certain strategies can turn the tide. One approach involves leveraging sweepers, such as Wrath of God or Doomskar, which can clear the board regardless of how many tokens Rise of the Ants produces. Direct removal spells, like Path to Exile or Fatal Push, offer less comprehensive solutions yet remain effective in disrupting the building momentum.
Counterspells also present an obstacle for Rise of the Ants, interrupting the spell before it ever resolves. A perfectly timed Dovin’s Veto or Negate can prevent the insect infestation before a single token hits the field. As a result, incorporating reactive measures into one’s deck becomes a key strategy. When anticipating creatures en masse, it’s imperative to maintain board control and manage pacing to stay ahead of the Rise of the Ants’s incremental growth.
Cards like Rise of the Ants
Rise of the Ants stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a solid choice for players looking to build an insect army. It’s similar to cards like Scute Swarm, which also possesses the ability to rapidly create a legion of creature tokens. However, Rise of the Ants brings an additional advantage to the table by providing life gain on each cast, a feature that Scute Swarm lacks. Moreover, Scute Swarm requires a landfall trigger to create more tokens, whereas Rise of the Ants ensures a steady influx of ant tokens upon casting.
In the realm of creature generation, Magic: The Gathering offers cards like Murmuring Mystic which produces bird tokens upon casting noncreature spells. Although it caters to a different build, focusing on instants and sorceries, it does reflect the token swarm strategy prevalent in Rise of the Ants. Meanwhile, Army of the Damned is another comparable card that excels in token production. It creates a massive army of Zombie tokens, but at a significantly higher mana cost. Plus, it doesn’t offer the incremental life gain that Rise of the Ants does.
Assessing these options, Rise of the Ants appeals to players for its blend of consistent token production and life gain, factors that support both your battlefield presence and survivability within the game dynamics of Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Rise of the Ants by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Rise of the Ants MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad: Midnight Hunt 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 Rise of the Ants 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 MTG Products
Printings
The Rise of the Ants Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-09-24 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Nicholas Gregory.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021-09-24 | Innistrad: Midnight Hunt | MID | 196 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Nicholas Gregory | |
| 2 | 2022-01-28 | Innistrad: Double Feature | DBL | 196 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Nicholas Gregory |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Rise of the Ants has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Rise of the Ants card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 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 | 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. |