Rune of Sustenance MTG Card


Rune of Sustenance - Kaldheim
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura Rune
Abilities Enchant
Released2021-02-05
Set symbol
Set nameKaldheim
Set codeKHM
Number25
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byYeong-Hao Han

Key Takeaways

  1. Attaching to permanents provides repeated life gain and card draw, enriching your resource pool.
  2. Its lifelink effect solidifies defense, making creatures formidable while preserving your life total.
  3. Used with flash creatures, it can surprise opponents and shift game momentum in your favor.

Text of card

Enchant permanent When Rune of Sustenance enters the battlefield, draw a card. As long as enchanted permanent is a creature, it has lifelink. As long as enchanted permanent is an Equipment, it has "Equipped creature has lifelink."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Rune of Sustenance provides a tangible benefit by attaching to a permanent, essentially converting one card into a source of repeatable life gain and potential card draw. This can help you to stay ahead or catch up on resources.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly accelerating resources in terms of adding mana, attaching this Rune to a creature can turn it into a must-answer threat. The lifelink provided helps stabilize your life total, effectively buying you more time to deploy other resources.

Instant Speed: While the Rune of Sustenance itself isn’t an instant, it can be attached to a creature with flash, allowing you to gain its benefits unexpectedly during an opponent’s turn. This can swing the momentum of the game by providing surprise defense and card advantage.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Rune of Sustenance doesn’t require you to discard a card directly, its enchantment nature means you must have a creature or equipment in play to use it, potentially leaving you vulnerable if your board is cleared.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s requirement for white mana can be restrictive, especially in multicolor decks that might struggle with color fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The combined cost of casting Rune of Sustenance and equipping it can be substantial compared to other aura cards, which might offer similar benefits for less investment.


Reasons to Include Rune of Sustenance in Your Collection

Versatility: Rune of Sustenance offers utility across a variety of deck themes, from enhancing creatures for better combat outcomes to providing card advantage when it enters the battlefield while attached to a permanent.

Combo Potential: This enchantment adds a layer to your strategy by granting lifelink, which can synergize with decks that capitalize on life gain. Additionally, it can become a key piece in enchantment-centric decks or those looking to exploit the draw ability.

Meta-Relevance: Lifelink can be a game-changer in current aggressive metas, helping you to stabilize while drawing cards can provide the advantage you need against slower, controlling opponents.


How to Beat

Rune of Sustenance holds a place in MTG as a card that can be both a boon to its user and a challenge for opponents. With its enchantment aura, it bestows lifelink and a card drawing ability to the enchanted permanent, making creatures harder to deal with and more valuable to their controller. To effectively counteract Rune of Sustenance, consider utilizing removal spells that can target either the aura or the enchanted permanent itself.

Spot removal spells like Disenchant or Naturalize are excellent choices as they can directly destroy the rune, while more comprehensive options like Doomskar can clear the board of creatures entirely, including those buffed by the aura. Alternatively, countering the spell as it’s cast with a Negate ensures the rune never hits the field, which can be a crucial preemptive strike. As lifelink can swing the tide of battle, dealing with the rune swiftly is key.

Overcoming Rune of Sustenance requires a keen eye on mana availability, the understanding of potential risk, and keeping removal or counter spells at the ready can ensure this enchanting rune doesn’t sustain your opponent’s lead for long.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the nuances of Rune of Sustenance can elevate your MTG gameplay, presenting opportunities for strategic life gain and card advantage crucial in turning the tide of matches. This enchantment could be the keystone in your deck’s arsenal, outlasting opponents by sustaining your presence on the battlefield. Our delve into the card’s pros and cons, its synergy with other cards, and tactical countermeasures reveals its potential. As you journey through MTG’s vast universe, incorporating and mastering cards like Rune of Sustenance is key. Ready to deepen your understanding and enrich your collection? Dive into our comprehensive guides and discussions to refine your strategy and gameplay.


Cards like Rune of Sustenance

Rune of Sustenance stands out in the realm of enchantment auras in Magic: The Gathering. It echoes the lifelink granting properties of cards such as Spirit Loop but with the added utility of granting card draw when the rune enters the battlefield. While Spirit Loop returns to its owner’s hand when the enchanted creature dies, Rune of Sustenance does not repatriate but more than makes up for it with its card draw feature.

In a parallel comparison, we see Cartouche of Solidarity offering a similar boon to the enchanted creature with its +1/+1 and first strike abilities. But again, it lacks the card draw mechanic that makes Rune of Sustenance advantageous for maintaining hand advantage. Another analogous card worth mentioning is Angelic Gift. This card provides flying instead of lifelink and, like Rune of Sustenance, allows its caster to draw a card upon entering the battlefield, a critical edge for maintaining card flow.

Rune of Sustenance finds its niche amidst these alternatives with an optimal blend of life-gaining benefits and potential for card draw, providing both defensive strides and bolstering the player’s hand. It’s easy to see why it rises to prominence among lifelink enchantments in MTG.

Spirit Loop - MTG Card versions
Cartouche of Solidarity - MTG Card versions
Angelic Gift - MTG Card versions
Spirit Loop - Time Spiral (TSP)
Cartouche of Solidarity - Amonkhet (AKH)
Angelic Gift - Battle for Zendikar (BFZ)

Cards similar to Rune of Sustenance 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
Hallowed Ground - 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
Serenity - MTG Card versions
Mageta's Boon - MTG Card versions
Seal of Cleansing - MTG Card versions
Absolute Law - MTG Card versions
Sacred Ground - MTG Card versions
Pacifism - 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)
Hallowed Ground - Ice Age (ICE)
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 - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Ward of Lights - Mirage (MIR)
Gossamer Chains - Visions (VIS)
I'm Rubber, You're Glue - Unglued (UGL)
Absolute Grace - Urza's Saga (USG)
Serenity - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Mageta's Boon - Prophecy (PCY)
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)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Rune of Sustenance MTG card by a specific set like Kaldheim, 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 Rune of Sustenance and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Rune of Sustenance has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-02-05 If the target of an Aura spell is an illegal target as that spell tries to resolve, it won’t resolve, it won’t enter the battlefield, and none of its enters-the-battlefield triggered abilities will trigger.
2021-02-05 Runes can target and be attached to any permanent, even one that isn’t currently a creature or an Equipment. You can cast a Rune choosing a Vehicle as the target, for example. The Rune’s enters-the-battlefield ability will trigger, and you’ll draw a card. The Rune won’t do anything while the Vehicle isn’t a creature, but if it becomes one later, the appropriate ability will start applying.

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