Personal Sanctuary MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Rare
Type	Enchantment
Released	2011-07-15
Set symbol
Set name	Magic 2012
Set code	M12
Number	30
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Howard Lyon

Key Takeaways

Personal Sanctuary acts as a crucial safeguard, deterring opponents from forcing card and life point losses in MTG.
It excels in white-heavy decks, enhancing resource acceleration while necessitating a specific build strategy.
Despite the mana investment, its enduring protection makes it a versatile addition against burn-heavy metas.

Text of card

During your turn, prevent all damage that would be dealt to you.

"There is a place deep within my soul where no foe can intrude and no tyrant can conquer." —Sarlena, paladin of the Northern Verge

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Personal Sanctuary is a standout for providing a unique form of card advantage. While it doesn’t directly draw you cards, it acts as a shield, potentially negating the need to replace valuable creatures or life points lost during your opponent’s turn. Its presence on the board can deter opponents from taking actions that would otherwise require you to utilize more cards to stabilize.

Resource Acceleration: By preventing all noncombat damage to you during your turn, this enchantment allows you to accelerate your resources unimpeded. It ensures that cards like Manabarbs or Price of Progress don’t set you back, meaning you’re able to tap out for significant spells or creatures without the risk of damaging repercussions – a subtle but powerful edge.

Instant Speed: Although Personal Sanctuary does not operate at instant speed itself, it synergizes exceptionally well with effects that do. Being assured that your life total is secure on your own turn, you can confidently pass the turn with mana untapped, ready to deploy instant speed interactions or end-of-turn surprises without worrying about the consequential damage that might otherwise occur on your turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Personal Sanctuary might not be a card that asks you to discard, but it does call for a dedicated deck build around it. Ensuring that you continually have its protection could influence your other plays, often requiring you to hold mana in reserve rather than committing it to the board, potentially slowing down your game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring two white mana and one of any color, Personal Sanctuary may seem restrictive for a multicolor deck’s mana base. This can make it challenging for the card to find a home outside of mono-white or white-heavy decks which can reliably meet its mana requirements.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, Personal Sanctuary comes at a point in the game where players are looking to establish board presence or accelerate their strategy. Despite its potential to protect you from your own spells during your turn, alternative cards at the same cost can often provide immediate and more impactful benefits to your board state.

Reasons to Include Personal Sanctuary in Your Collection

Versatility: Personal Sanctuary offers protection from noncombat damage, making it an adaptable choice for decks focused on enduring through direct-damage spells or red sweepers.

Combo Potential: This enchantment pairs well with effects that deal damage to players during your turn, like Mana Barbs, by negating the recoil damage to you. It also supports strategies that rely on life preservation.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta crowded with burn decks or strategies leveraging damage-based board wipes, Personal Sanctuary becomes particularly valuable by safeguarding your life total during your most vulnerable phase – your own turn.

How to beat

Confronting Personal Sanctuary on the battlefield demands strategic finesse and smart card choices. This enchantment offers protection from your own spells and abilities during your turn, making it challenging to counteract the advantage it provides the opponent. To bypass this, focus on leveraging threats during their turn. Instant-speed removals, such as Doom Blade or Path to Exile, are excellent tools for this task. These allow you to eliminate key creatures your opponent controls while Personal Sanctuary’s guard is down.

Additionally, employing spells that force players to sacrifice creatures can circumvent Personal Sanctuary’s shielding. This approach is especially useful since it does not target a creature directly and thus bypasses the sanctuary’s protection. Consider using cards like Diabolic Edict or Liliana of the Veil’s ability to pressure your adversary into making tough decisions. The key is to remain patient and apply pressure at the right moments, ultimately turning the tide in your favor.

Your strategy should also include enchantment removal. White has an array of options like Disenchant or Oblivion Ring ready to clear your path from problematic permanents. Green also brings potent remedies to the table with Naturalize or Back to Nature to sweep away enchantments. Keep these cards handy, and the sanctuary will crumble, paving the way to victory.

Cards like Personal Sanctuary

Personal Sanctuary offers a unique protective advantage in Magic: The Gathering, shielding players from damage they would take during their own turns. In comparison, the card Orim’s Prayer triggers this deflection only when creatures attack, making Personal Sanctuary more inclusive of all damage types. Another similar enchantment is Mark of Asylum, which explains that prevention is limited to noncombat damage, whereas Personal Sanctuary covers both combat and noncombat scenarios during the player’s turn.

Look at Safe Passage, for instance, which also prevents damage, but it’s a one-time use spell with its effect lasting for just a single turn. In contrast, Personal Sanctuary provides ongoing safety throughout the entire game as long as it remains on the battlefield. Furthermore, while Safe Passage protects all creatures and the player, the protection granted by Personal Sanctuary is solely concentrated on the player, efficiently nullifying burn strategies or harmful triggered abilities that an opponent might activate during the caster’s turn.

Comparing these options, Personal Sanctuary stands out for its persistent player-centric protection, making it an essential tool for turns loaded with activity and crucial strategic plays in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Personal Sanctuary by color, type and mana cost

The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration - MTG Card versions

Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant // Rune-Tail's Essence - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Personal Sanctuary MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2012, 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 Personal Sanctuary and other MTG cards: