Siren's Ruse MTG Card


Siren's Ruse - Ixalan
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Released2017-09-29
Set symbol
Set nameIxalan
Set codeXLN
Number80
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byBen Maier

Key Takeaways

  1. Siren’s Ruse offers card draw coupled with flickering, enhancing hand advantage and strategic flexibility.
  2. Specific blue mana cost restricts use, while comparative high cost may hinder its competitive appeal.
  3. Counterspells and strategic timing can effectively negate its benefits, maintaining control over gameplay.

Text of card

Exile target creature you control, then return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control. If a Pirate was exiled this way, draw a card.

Deception and misdirection are the heart of the pirate's arsenal.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Siren’s Ruse provides the opportunity to draw a card when it’s cast, helping the player keep their hand full and potentially drawing into more strategic options.

Resource Acceleration: By allowing the flicker of a permanent with an enter-the-battlefield effect, Siren’s Ruse can potentially accelerate resources. This could mean extra creatures on the board, additional mana, or other advantageous effects that could put the player ahead in the game.

Instant Speed: As an instant, Siren’s Ruse can be used reactively, giving the player the flexibility to protect a valuable creature from removal or to retrigger an enter-the-battlefield effect at a crucial moment during the course of the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Siren’s Ruse does not directly require discarding as a cost, it’s important to note that flickering a creature without an enter-the-battlefield ability could inadvertently lead to a disadvantage, essentially wasting a card from your hand without gaining value.

Specific Mana Cost: Siren’s Ruse demands a blue mana, which restricts its playability to blue or multicolored decks. This specificity can potentially limit the versatility of your deck building, especially in formats where mana flexibility is crucial.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of two mana for a temporary protection or blink effect, Siren’s Ruse may be less attractive compared to other cards with similar but more cost-efficient effects. In competitive play, efficiently using mana is key, and the card might not hold up well in a slot competition with other low-cost utility spells.


Reasons to Include Siren’s Ruse in Your Collection

Versatility: Siren’s Ruse proves to be a flexible addition by enabling creature-based strategies. This card allows for instant-speed protection of key creatures and re-triggering of enter-the-battlefield effects, thus enhancing various deck archetypes.

Combo Potential: For decks that thrive on enter-the-battlefield (ETB) triggers, Siren’s Ruse is a combo enabler. By flickering creatures, you can multiply the value of your ETB effects or even rescue a creature from a targeted removal spell.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment that’s filled with targeted removal and interaction, Siren’s Ruse offers a counterplay option that can maintain board presence and tempo while providing card advantage, an essential for prevailing in dynamic metas.


How to beat

Siren’s Ruse stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a utility spell with the ability to protect creatures or re-trigger enter-the-battlefield effects. It might seem challenging to counteract, but an understanding of its workings paves the way for effective strategies. Key to overcoming Siren’s Ruse is the strategic timing of removal spells. By holding onto removal until your opponent commits to using Siren’s Ruse, you can negate the flicker effect, making their card spend futile.

Moreover, incorporating counter spells into your deck can directly address Siren’s Ruse. Countering this spell not only prevents the flickering of the targeted creature but also denies the card draw, disrupting your opponent’s rhythm and resources. It’s also advantageous to anticipate the scenarios in which your opponent might cast Siren’s Ruse, such as in response to a removal or during combat to avoid damage. By understanding these patterns, you can adjust your play to maintain the upper hand.

While Siren’s Ruse can seem a daunting aspect of an opponent’s strategy, the key lies in the adept timing of responses and maintaining pressure. In doing so, Magic: The Gathering players can effectively neutralize the advantages this spell provides, ensuring control over the game’s flow remains in their favor.


BurnMana Recommendations

A finely crafted MTG deck strategizes beyond the battlefield, leveraging the nuanced mechanics of cards like Siren’s Ruse. With its blend of flicker effects and card draw, it presents varied tactical advantages. Whether you’re keen on optimizing creature-based strategies or simply enhancing your deck’s resilience, incorporating Siren’s Ruse could be a game-changer. It’s not just about the card’s abilities, but how you integrate it with your playstyle and overall deck synergy. For more insights on how Siren’s Ruse could elevate your game and to explore its full potential in your deck builds, join us and refine your MTG strategy.


Cards like Siren's Ruse

Siren’s Ruse is a unique spell in the MTG universe with its blend of flickering and card-drawing capabilities. It shares the flicker effect with cards like Ghostly Flicker, which allows you to exile two target artifacts, creatures, and/or lands you control and then return them to the battlefield under your control. Siren’s Ruse, however, exiles just one target creature but compensates by drawing you a card, making it advantageous for deck strategies focused on enter-the-battlefield (ETB) triggers or needing card advantage.

Another card with similarities is Momentary Blink. Similar in function, Momentary Blink also flickers a creature but without the card draw, yet it has the added utility of flashback, providing a repetitive use. This makes it a staple in decks that are looking to maximize recursion of ETB effects.

In essence, while each of these spells serves the flicker strategy in their own right, Siren’s Ruse stands out among them by offering the immediate bonus of card draw, potentially swinging the game in favor of the player who can capitalize on both efficient ETB triggers and maintaining hand advantage.

Ghostly Flicker - MTG Card versions
Momentary Blink - MTG Card versions
Ghostly Flicker - Avacyn Restored (AVR)
Momentary Blink - Time Spiral (TSP)

Cards similar to Siren's Ruse by color, type and mana cost

Counterspell - MTG Card versions
Hurkyl's Recall - MTG Card versions
Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - MTG Card versions
Lat-Nam's Legacy - MTG Card versions
Flash - MTG Card versions
Boomerang - MTG Card versions
Updraft - MTG Card versions
Impulse - MTG Card versions
Rebound - MTG Card versions
Memory Lapse - MTG Card versions
Hoodwink - MTG Card versions
Tidal Bore - MTG Card versions
Accumulated Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Teferi's Response - MTG Card versions
Aether Burst - MTG Card versions
Cyclonic Rift - MTG Card versions
Thassa's Intervention - MTG Card versions
Snap - MTG Card versions
Metamorphose - MTG Card versions
Flash Counter - MTG Card versions
Counterspell - Commander Masters (CMM)
Hurkyl's Recall - Antiquities (ATQ)
Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Lat-Nam's Legacy - Alliances (ALL)
Flash - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Boomerang - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Updraft - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Impulse - Game Night: Free-for-All (GN3)
Rebound - Stronghold (STH)
Memory Lapse - Strixhaven Mystical Archive (STA)
Hoodwink - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Tidal Bore - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Accumulated Knowledge - Masters 25 (A25)
Teferi's Response - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Aether Burst - Odyssey (ODY)
Cyclonic Rift - Commander Masters (CMM)
Thassa's Intervention - Theros Beyond Death (THB)
Snap - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Metamorphose - Scourge (SCG)
Flash Counter - Eighth Edition (8ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Siren's Ruse MTG card by a specific set like Ixalan, 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 Siren's Ruse and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Siren's Ruse has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2017-09-29 If a token is exiled this way, it will cease to exist and won’t return to the battlefield.
2017-09-29 Once the exiled creature returns, it’s considered a new object with no relation to the object that it was. Auras attached to the exiled creature will be put into their owners’ graveyards. Equipment attached to the exiled creature will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled creature will cease to exist.
2017-09-29 The returned creature won’t be the target of any spells or abilities that targeted it before. Any spells that don’t target it, such as Star of Extinction, will still affect it.
2017-09-29 You’ll draw a card if the creature was a Pirate as it was exiled, even if it doesn’t return to the battlefield (most likely because it’s a token) or if it returns to the battlefield but isn’t a Pirate anymore (most likely because it’s copying something else).

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