Turn to Dust MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Released	2003-10-02
Set symbol
Set name	Mirrodin
Set code	MRD
Number	137
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Wayne England

Key Takeaways

Turn to Dust can exile several threats, giving players a tactical edge by disrupting multiple opponent strategies at once.
While the card provides instant speed flexibility, its specific mana cost and discard requirement can be limiting.
The card’s utility makes it an essential piece in control decks and a valuable tool against artifact-heavy strategies.

Text of card

Destroy target Equipment. Then add to your mana pool.

Mirrodin's inhabitants must be prepared for anything—including suddenly being unprepared.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Turn to Dust provides a unique advantage by potentially removing multiple threats in one sweep. This not only disrupts your opponent’s strategies but also effectively conserves the cards in your hand, giving you a qualitative edge in the battle of resources.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly linked to traditional resource acceleration, successfully exiling key cards from your opponent with Turn to Dust can indirectly hasten your victory by clearing the path for your own strides and allowing you to capitalize on the now-open battlefield. This strategic tempo gain can be just as valuable as ramping up mana resources in many gameplay scenarios.

Instant Speed: The instant speed of Turn to Dust allows for reactive gameplay, enabling you to address threats on the spot without having to wait for your turn. This flexibility is critical in MTG, helping you maintain control and keep your opponents on their toes, guessing your next move.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Having to discard a card is part of the cost for unleashing Turn to Dust’s power. This can be quite taxing when your hand is already depleted, potentially leaving you at a disadvantage if you’re forced to let go of other valuable cards in your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Turn to Dust is locked into a very specific mana cost arrangement which requires both colorless and colored mana. This inflexibility can hinder players who operate multicolored decks and who might not always have the exact combination of mana available when they need to cast this card.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment to get Turn to Dust’s effect into play is substantial. When you’re looking to optimize every turn, allocating such a large amount of mana to a single card can put you at a slower pace compared to others that require less and do more, potentially affecting your game tempo adversely.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Turn to Dust offers a broad utility, excelling in decks that aim to control the board. Its ability to remove potentially game-changing artifacts or enchantments from the battlefield can be a pivot in many matchups.

Combo Potential: In decks that manipulate graveyards or benefit from spell recursion, Turn to Dust can repeatedly eliminate threats or key pieces of an opponent’s strategy, making it a cornerstone for synergistic plays.

Meta-Relevance: With many players relying on powerful artifacts and enchantments to push their strategies, Turn to Dust becomes an essential tool in tailoring your deck to handle the prevalent high-impact permanents in the current meta-game effectively.

How to beat

Turn to Dust can pose quite the challenge when it comes across the battlefield. This potent card allows a player to exile any nonland permanent, which makes it a versatile tool in Magic the Gathering. It’s not just about removing creatures; Turn to Dust can tackle enchantments, artifacts, and planeswalkers, which could otherwise sway the game to your opponent’s favor.

To counter this, consider using cards with hexproof to protect your valued permanents. Diving into blue’s vast pool of counterspells such as Negate or Counterspell can also be effective in safeguarding your side of the field. Timing is essential; keeping mana open for these counters when you sense Turn to Dust could be played is a smart strategy. Alternatively, baiting out the spell with less important permanents before deploying crucial threats can also force a premature use of this removal card, allowing you to proceed with your game plan unimpeded.

Adaptability and anticipation are key in surmounting the obstacle posed by Turn to Dust. Recognize the potential threat it represents, and plan ahead to ensure your game isn’t disrupted by a sudden exile of your key resources.

Cards like Turn to Dust

Turn to Dust has its own place among the vast array of removal options in Magic the Gathering, positioning itself along similar lines as cards like Shatter and Smelt. Each of these spells specializes in dismantling an opponent’s artifacts. Shatter eliminates artifacts with a straightforward and economic two mana cost, just like Turn to Dust, but lacks the latter’s flexibility and potential for broader impact.

In contrast, we notice cards such as Disenchant, which widen the removal scope to include not just artifacts but enchantments as well, offering more targets at the cost of the same mana. However, Disenchant is unable to sweep multiple threats simultaneously, which is where Turn to Dust shines, especially against decks heavy with artifacts. While not as mana-efficient, By Force is comparable, allowing for targeted artifact removal that scales with the invested mana, potentially clearing out numerous threats in one fell swoop.

Ultimately, Turn to Dust carries its weight in MTG as a capable and situational sideboard card, especially in environments saturated with artifact-based strategies. Its ability to disrupt multiple assets in a single stroke makes it a card worth considering when tailoring your deck against artifact-heavy opponents.

Cards similar to Turn to Dust by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Turn to Dust MTG card by a specific set like Mirrodin, 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 Turn to Dust and other MTG cards: