Inscription of Ruin MTG Card

Versatile spell providing immediate board presence or disrupting opponent’s resources for strategic advantage. Can be cast at instant speed, allowing players to surprise opponents and effectively manage tempo. Demands a dedicated black mana setup, challenging deck diversity but rewarding with powerful control options.

Inscription of Ruin - Zendikar Rising Promos (PZNR)

Zendikar Rising Promos (PZNR)
2020-09-25 - Number 108s

Inscription of Ruin - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)

Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
2020-09-25 - Number 108

Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
2020-09-25 - Number 340

Zendikar Rising Promos (PZNR)
2020-09-25 - Number 108p

Inscription of Ruin - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Magic Online Promos (PRM)
2002-06-24 - Number 83798

Card sets	Released in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Rare
Type	Sorcery
Abilities	Kicker

Text of card

Kicker Choose one. If this spell was kicked, choose any number instead. • Target opponent discards two cards. • Return target creature card with mana value 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. • Destroy target creature with mana value 3 or less.

Cards like Inscription of Ruin

Inscription of Ruin stands out in Magic: The Gathering for its flexibility and various modes of disruption. This particular card draws comparison to others like Unmake the Graves, which also revolves around the theme of creature revival. Unmake the Graves reanimates two creatures at instant speed, but what Inscription of Ruin offers is the choice to alternatively force an opponent to discard two cards or destroy a target creature with a power of two or less, providing a wider range of options based on the game state.

Another card worthy of comparison is Bone Splinters, a single-purpose spell that shares the creature destruction ability, though it requires the sacrifice of a creature as additional cost. While both spells can disrupt the opponent’s board, Inscription of Ruin gives players more control by not demanding such a sacrifice, and it can also be kicked for enhanced effects, unlike the simple yet efficient Bone Splinters.

On evaluating Inscription of Ruin and its counterparts, it becomes evident that flexibility can be as crucial as raw power in gameplay. This card, with its multitasking potential, can suit a range of situations, making it a valuable asset in Magic: The Gathering decks designed for dynamic and strategic plays.

Cards similar to Inscription of Ruin by color, type and mana cost

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Inscription of Ruin. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

Name	Format	Archetype	Event
Mono-Black Discard	Pioneer	Mono-Black Discard	Pioneer Preliminary 2024-03-26
Waste Not	Pioneer	Mono-Black Discard	21Champions Cup Final Season 2 Round 1
Mono-Black Midrange	Pioneer	Mono-Black Midrange	Pioneer Challenge 64 2024-02-04
Mono-Black Control	Gladiator		Gladiator Team Unified League
Orzhov Combo	Legacy		MO78#CS
Obosh Control	Modern	Obosh Control	Modern League 2023-11-03

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Inscription of Ruin offers versatility through its three modes. Players choosing the mode to return a creature card with converted mana cost 2 or less from their graveyard to the battlefield gain immediate board presence. This equals a steady progression towards card advantage, which can be decisive in the game’s outcome.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly accelerating resources, the second mode forces an opponent to discard two cards. This disrupts their resource planning and can potentially accelerate your own position by indirectly devaluing their assets on hand.

Instant Speed: The capability to cast Inscription of Ruin at instant speed allows players to remain reactive. This flexibility lets you adapt to your opponent’s moves, perhaps causing them to discard or reviving a creature on their end step, thus optimizing your plays and maintaining tempo advantage.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The ability to force an opponent to discard two cards can be less effective later in the game when opponents may not have many cards in hand, reducing the impact of Inscription of Ruin’s disruption.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring one black mana plus two generic mana, Inscription of Ruin necessitates a commitment to black mana sources in your deck, which can constrain deck building and mana base flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of three mana, this card competes with other impactful three-drops. Its versatility does add value, but in some instances, players may prefer spells with a lower mana cost that provide a more immediate and targeted answer to board threats.

Reasons to Include Inscription of Ruin in Your Collection

Versatility: Inscription of Ruin is the tool you want at your disposal for a wide range of situations. This flexible card can disrupt your opponent’s hand, bring back your creatures from the graveyard, or serve as direct removal—talk about multipurpose!

Combo Potential: It shines when paired with cards that capitalize on discarding or destruction effects. Imagine utilizing its abilities to fuel graveyard strategies or to harness the recursion of powerful creatures, setting up game-changing combos.

Meta-Relevance: Considering the landscape of current gameplay, Inscription of Ruin fits nicely into decks poised to counteract creature-heavy or aggressive strategies. Its diversity allows you to stay one step ahead, making it a smart pick for your gaming arsenal.

How to beat

Inscription of Ruin is a versatile magic card that can disrupt opponents in multiple ways. With its ability to force a player to discard two cards, return a creature from the graveyard to the battlefield, or destroy a target creature with a certain power, it requires a strategic approach to counteract. To best this card, it’s crucial to manage your resources effectively and maintain a hand sufficient enough to deploy your own spells even after potential discard effects. Having creatures on the battlefield that exceed the power threshold can ensure they remain safe from destruction.

Don’t overextend your board presence without protection, since reanimation effects can tip the scales in your opponent’s favor. Cards like Grafdigger’s Cage can prevent creatures from being returned from the graveyard, lessening the impact of one of Inscription of Ruin’s modes. Consider also instant-speed removal or counterspells to neutralize the chosen mode as it is cast. As with any modal card, the key is to anticipate the most damaging option for your situation and have an answer ready, or put yourself in a position where the impact of their choice is minimized.

Being prepared for the different avenues of attack that Inscription of Ruin presents ensures that you’ll be able to protect your strategy and ultimately gain the upper hand against this multi-faceted spell.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Inscription of Ruin MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Zendikar Rising Promos, 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 Inscription of Ruin and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Inscription of Ruin Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2020-09-25 and 2020-09-25. Illustrated by Zoltan Boros.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	~~2002-06-24~~	Magic Online Promos	PRM	83798	2015	Normal	Black	Zoltan Boros
2	2020-09-25	Zendikar Rising Promos	PZNR	108s	2015	Normal	Black	Zoltan Boros
3	2020-09-25	Zendikar Rising	ZNR	108	2015	Normal	Black	Zoltan Boros
4	2020-09-25	Zendikar Rising	ZNR	340	2015	Normal	Black	Zoltan Boros
5	2020-09-25	Zendikar Rising Promos	PZNR	108p	2015	Normal	Black	Zoltan Boros

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Inscription of Ruin has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2020-09-25	An ability that triggers when a player casts a kicked spell resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger, but after targets have been chosen for that spell. It resolves even if that spell is countered.
2020-09-25	Because targets are chosen as you cast a spell, you can’t have Inscription of Ruin return a creature card and then destroy that creature.
2020-09-25	If a card in a player’s graveyard or a creature on the battlefield has in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.
2020-09-25	If any targets become illegal, the other targets will still be affected as appropriate.
2020-09-25	If more than one mode is chosen, perform them in the order written. Nothing can happen in between, however, and no player may choose to take actions. Any abilities that trigger will be put onto the stack after the spell has finished resolving.
2020-09-25	If you copy a kicked spell, the copy is also kicked. If a card or token enters the battlefield as a copy of a permanent that’s already on the battlefield, the new permanent isn’t kicked, even if the original was.
2020-09-25	If you kick Inscription of Ruin, you can’t choose any one mode more than once.
2020-09-25	If you put a permanent with a kicker ability onto the battlefield without casting it, you can’t kick it.
2020-09-25	Kicker represents an optional additional cost that you may choose to pay as you cast the spell. A spell cast with that additional cost paid is “kicked.”
2020-09-25	Some instant or sorcery spells require alternative or additional targets if they’re kicked. You ignore these targeting requirements if those spells aren’t kicked, and you can’t kick those spells unless you can choose the appropriate targets. On the other hand, you can kick a permanent spell even if you won’t be able to choose targets for an enters-the-battlefield ability of that permanent once the spell resolves.
2020-09-25	To determine a spell’s total cost, start with the mana cost (or an alternative cost if another card’s effect allows you to pay one instead), add any cost increases (such as kicker), then apply any cost reductions. The converted mana cost of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
2020-09-25	You can’t pay a kicker cost more than once.