Martyrdom MTG Card
1996-06-10 - Number 10b
1996-06-10 - Number 10a
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Instant |
Text of card
Until end of turn, you may redirect to target creature you control any amount of damage.
"The only true immortality is in dying for a cause." —Halvor Arensson, Kjeldoran Priest
Cards like Martyrdom
Martyrdom in MTG introduces a unique dynamic to the realm of damage prevention. It bears similarity to cards like Holy Day, which also averts all combat damage for a turn. However, Martyrdom allows players to redirect damage from their creatures to themselves. This is a stark contrast to Holy Day’s blanket prevention, making Martyrdom a strategic tool for decks that benefit from self-harm mechanics.
Shield Mare is another card that shares some thematic elements with Martyrdom. While Shield Mare itself cannot prevent damage to other creatures, it provides life gain when it becomes the target of spells or abilities, symbolizing a form of resilience akin to Martyrdom’s protective aspect. The introspection extends to Dawn Charm, offering versatility with its multiple options. One of its modes prevents all combat damage like Holy Day, but it’s the ability to prevent damage to a single creature or player that aligns closely with Martyrdom’s targeted approach.
Evaluating the function and strategic uses of these cards, Martyrdom holds a special place for its direct and selective damage control, underlining its significance for players who wish to capitalize on this unique damage redirection feature within the game.
Cards similar to Martyrdom by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Martyrdom enables a unique approach to card advantage by allowing you to potentially save a key creature on the battlefield. This can swing the momentum in your favor and indirectly translates to card advantage by preserving your in-game resources.
Resource Acceleration: The card doesn’t directly accelerate resources in the traditional sense of providing mana or ramp. However, by potentially saving a crucial mana dork or a creature with a tap ability for mana generation, Martyrdom can help maintain your resource acceleration.
Instant Speed: The ability to cast Martyrdom at instant speed provides flexibility in gameplay. This allows players to react to threats at critical moments without committing mana during their own turn, keeping opponents guessing and allowing for surprise defenses that could alter the course of the game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Using Martyrdom can come at a significant price, as it necessitates parting with another card in your hand. In situations where your hand is already depleted, this can pose a substantial dilemma, potentially leaving you at a disadvantage when you most need your resources.
Specific Mana Cost: Martyrdom’s casting cost is locked into a specific color composition, requiring at least one white mana. This specialized mana requirement can make it challenging to include in multicolored decks that may have a limited quantity of white sources, thus restricting its versatility across different deck archetypes.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that might be considered steep for the effect it provides, Martyrdom stands in competition with a range of alternatives that could offer more economical solutions for protection or creature durability without the same level of investment. Players may find this cost-benefit discrepancy a factor worth contemplating when building their deck.
Reasons to Include Martyrdom in Your Collection
Versatility: Martyrdom offers the ability to protect crucial creatures on the battlefield. Its flexible protection from either damage or effects can be a game-changer in decks that rely on key creatures.
Combo Potential: In combination with cards that benefit from being targeted or creatures with high toughness, Martyrdom can turn defensive plays into strategic advantages, setting up for powerful moves.
Meta-Relevance: Given its capacity to safeguard your important creatures against the prevalent removal spells or combat tricks in the current meta, including Martyrdom in your deck can significantly increase its resilience.
How to beat
Martyrdom stands as a defensive tactic in the tailored fabric of Magic: The Gathering strategies. This venerable card offers players a unique mechanism to divert damage from creatures they control to themselves, thereby shielding their invaluable minions from imminent threats. This seemingly altruistic move can turn the tides in a tightly-contested duel, making it essential to understand how to effectively counteract such self-sacrificing ploys. Posturing against Martyrdom requires guile and an appreciation for timing.
One approach is to exhaust the resources of an opponent who relies on Martyrdom. By compelling them to use it prematurely, perhaps through calculated aggression or setting irresistible bait, they may be left vulnerable to a more decisive strike later on. Meanwhile, spells that bypass the potential for redirection, hitting players directly or utilizing state-based effects to diminish creature viability, can render Martyrdom null. Always remember, understanding the opponent’s hand and being malleable in strategy, shifting gears as needed, are the keystones for ensuring that the noble act of Martyrdom is turned from an act of protection into an Achilles’ heel.
By maintaining a blend of pressure and precision, you can create scenarios where Martyrdom becomes more of a liability than a sanctuary for your opponent, ensuring your path to victory remains clear.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Martyrdom MTG card by a specific set like Alliances and Alliances, 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 Martyrdom and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Martyrdom has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Martyrdom card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | Can be used to redirect damage from that creature to itself. This has no particularly useful effect. |
| 2004-10-04 | If the target creature is not still on the battlefield when the damage is to be redirected, the damage stays where it is. |
| 2004-10-04 | If the target stops being a creature, you can’t redirect damage to it until/unless it becomes a creature again. |