Midnight Ritual MTG Card
1999-10-04 - Number 146
2007-07-13 - Number 158
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Sorcery |
Text of card
Remove X target creature cards in your graveyard from the game. For each creature card removed this way, put a black 2/2 Zombie creature token into play.
Bury old friends deeply, lest they return bearing worms.
Cards like Midnight Ritual
Midnight Ritual is a card that resonates with players looking for mass graveyard manipulation in Magic: The Gathering. It’s reminiscent of cards like Bubbling Muck, which also focuses on boosting mana for a single turn. But Midnight Ritual goes further, providing a unique twist – the ability to exile any number of creature cards from your graveyard for a surge of black mana.
When comparing, Crypt Incursion is another card that interacts with the graveyard, offering instant-speed removal of creatures and a life gain for each. Though it doesn’t give the mana acceleration Midnight Ritual does. Then there’s Songs of the Damned, a potent card in its own right, increasing your mana pool for each creature card in your graveyard, without the need to exile them.
In analyzing the utility and game impact, Midnight Ritual offers a significant advantage for decks designed around utilizing their graveyard as a resource. It stands out amongst other graveyard-related cards for its ability to turn creatures into a burst of mana, enabling potentially game-winning plays.
Cards similar to Midnight Ritual by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Midnight Ritual allows a player to exile cards from graveyards, which can translate into drawing cards or creating creatures depending on the board state. This aspect of the card can help you eke out an advantage by converting a non-resource into tangible benefits.
Resource Acceleration: As a potentially significant enabler, Midnight Ritual can fuel resource acceleration by potentially ramping up mana or simply by thinning the deck. This ensures the increased likelihood of drawing into more impactful cards.
Instant Speed: The flexibility of instant speed is a crucial factor for strategizing in MTG. Midnight Ritual’s instant speed means it can be cast in response to an opponent’s actions, offering surprise value and the opportunity for unforeseen plays that can disrupt your opponent’s strategy.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Midnight Ritual necessitates discarding a card, which could be a tough pill to swallow when running low on hand options or needing to maintain card advantage.
Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both black and generic mana, the card asks for a precise mana combination that may not seamlessly fit into all deck styles or those seeking more flexible mana bases.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Commanding three black mana, the card’s cost is on the steeper side, considering other spells or creatures you could deploy at a similar threshold might yield more immediate impact on the game state.
Reasons to Include Midnight Ritual in Your Collection
Versatility: Midnight Ritual offers a level of flexibility that can be a boon to various deck archetypes. It can seamlessly integrate into control decks seeking efficient graveyard management or aggressive strategies looking for a late-game push.
Combo Potential: This card thrives in environments where synergies with graveyard mechanics are valued. Its ability to exile cards from graveyards for mana can act as a catalyst for powerful combos, turning a game in your favor.
Meta-Relevance: With a shifting MTG landscape that often sees graveyard-based strategies rise to prominence, Midnight Ritual becomes a relevant inclusion. It serves as an answer to these strategies while also providing your own deck with additional resources.
How to beat
Midnight Ritual is an MTG card that can offer significant advantage through mass graveyard manipulation. To counteract this spell, it’s essential to understand its mechanics and to come prepared in your deck-building. Graveyard hate cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void can nullify the card’s benefits by removing graveyard interactions altogether. Timing is also key; being proactive with instant-speed removal let’s you disrupt the play before it can untap potential for your opponent.
Incorporating cards that can counter spells, such as Dovin’s Veto or Negate, can help to stop Midnight Ritual in its tracks. Moreover, if Midnight Ritual does resolve, swiftly dealing with the large number of Zombie tokens it produces can mitigate its impact. Board wipes like Damnation or Shatter the Sky can clear the tokens en masse, minimizing the advantage gained. Keeping a watchful eye on your opponent’s graveyard and strategically planning your answers will go a long way in mastering how to outplay the strategic depth that Midnight Ritual brings to the table.
In summary, beating Midnight Ritual requires a smart approach to deck building and gameplay, focusing on disrupting graveyard synergies, countering key spells, and efficiently clearing token creatures to maintain control on the battlefield.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Midnight Ritual MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques and Tenth Edition, 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 Midnight Ritual 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
Printings
The Midnight Ritual Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1999-10-04 and 2007-07-13. Illustrated by Jeff Easley.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1999-10-04 | Mercadian Masques | MMQ | 146 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Jeff Easley | |
| 2 | 2007-07-13 | Tenth Edition | 10E | 158 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Jeff Easley |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Midnight Ritual has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |