Sword of Sinew and Steel MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityMythic
TypeArtifact — Equipment
Abilities Equip

Key Takeaways

  1. Equips creatures with crucial protection from black and red, thwarting many common removal strategies.
  2. Offers valuable artifact and planeswalker removal, enhancing its wielder’s board state with each attack.
  3. Resource investment and specific mana requirements may limit its integration into multi-color decks.

Text of card

Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has protection from black and from red. Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, destroy up to one target planeswalker and up to one target artifact. Equip


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Sword of Sinew and Steel provides significant card advantage by allowing you to destroy up to one target planeswalker and one target artifact your opponents control when the equipped creature deals combat damage to a player. This disruption not only removes key pieces from your opponents’ game plan but also tips the scales in your favor by indirectly preserving your resources.

Resource Acceleration: While not a direct form of mana ramp, the Sword’s ability to eliminate artifacts can hinder your opponents’ mana bases if they rely on artifact mana. Consequently, this can accelerate your relative resource availability as you maintain your pace while your opponents could potentially fall behind.

Instant Speed: The Sword of Sinew and Steel’s triggered ability operates at instant speed upon dealing combat damage. This allows you to respond to new threats or changes in the board state mid-combat, after blockers are declared, which adds a layer of strategic depth to your gameplay and can catch opponents off guard.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While wielding Sword of Sinew and Steel brings power, its equip cost may leave you in a tight spot as you’ll need to set aside additional mana that could have otherwise gone into developing your board or responding to threats.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting requirement for this artifact includes both black and red mana, which can be a hurdle for multi-colored decks not aligned with these mana types. Players may find it challenging to incorporate into a deck without proper mana fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of three to cast and two to equip, this Sword begs assertive resource allocation. In high-paced games, this investment may delay your tempo, and its benefits might be overshadowed by lower-cost equipment or removal spells that can provide instantaneous and potentially more impactful results.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Sword of Sinew and Steel is a powerful artifact that provides a significant boost to any deck it’s included in. Its ability to grant protection from black and from red is invaluable, allowing creatures to bypass common removal spells and blockers.

Combo Potential: This card can be pivotal for strategies that utilize equipment synergies. Its triggered ability to destroy an opponent’s artifact or planeswalker upon dealing combat damage can be repeated each turn, creating recurring value and potential board control.

Meta-Relevance: With a shifting landscape in competitive play, Sword of Sinew and Steel remains highly relevant against decks that rely heavily on artifacts and planeswalkers. Its presence in your collection gives you an edge in adapting to various meta-changes, ensuring your deck always has a strong answer to some of the most played card types.


How to beat

Sword of Sinew and Steel is a powerful artifact in MTG, renowned for its destructive capabilities once attached to a creature. It grants protection from black and from red, making it a formidable tool against decks that rely on those colors for removal. Additionally, when the equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, the sword’s ability allows the destruction of up to one target planeswalker and up to one target artifact.

To overcome this menacing artifact, it’s crucial to employ strategies beyond the colors it protects from. Artifact removal spells in colors like white, such as Disenchant, or green, like Naturalize, can effectively dismantle the Sword of Sinew and Steel. Counterspells are also a valuable line of defense to prevent the sword from hitting the battlefield in the first place. Implementing instant-speed interaction ensures that you can disrupt your opponent’s plays even during their combat phase. Finally, focusing on non-combat win strategies can also circumvent the power that the Sword of Sinew and Steel brings to creature-based attacks.

Remember, flexibility and adaptability are key in navigating around such formidable equipment. By diversifying your methods of interaction, you stand a better chance at disarming the Sword of Sinew and Steel and securing your position in the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Stepping into the battlefield of MTG means being armed with knowledge and the right tools to secure victory. The Sword of Sinew and Steel is a formidable weapon that offers versatility and power, aiming to disrupt your adversary’s plans. As you consider integrating this into your collection, think about the strategic value it adds through its unique removal capabilities and protection benefits. Enhance your deck’s resilience and control with this artifact, and be prepared to adapt to the evolving meta. For insight on incorporating this sword and optimizing your strategies, join us, elevate your gameplay, and conquer the arena.


Cards like Sword of Sinew and Steel

Sword of Sinew and Steel carves its unique niche in the pantheon of artifact weapons in Magic: The Gathering. It echoes the lineage of powerful equipment like Sword of Feast and Famine, which similarly offers protection and a two-fold effect upon dealing combat damage. While Feast and Famine allows for land untapping and opponent’s hand disruption, Sinew and Steel takes a more destructive path, targeting artifacts and planeswalkers on the battlefield.

Another notable relative is Sword of Fire and Ice. Both equip creatures with protection from two colors, but where Fire and Ice combines direct damage with card draw, Sinew and Steel forges a different strategy, zeroing in on precise removal of key threats. This makes it a compelling choice for controlling the board.

Analyzing their impact in gameplay, Sword of Sinew and Steel stands as a formidable option within the equipment category. Its ability to dismantle an opponent’s strategic artifacts and planeswalkers mid-combat positions it uniquely within MTG’s arsenal of Sword cards. Its sharp edge makes it a valued piece of equipment, particularly in metas where artifacts and planeswalkers command a significant presence.

Sword of Feast and Famine - MTG Card versions
Sword of Fire and Ice - MTG Card versions
Sword of Feast and Famine - Grand Prix Promos (PGPX)
Sword of Fire and Ice - Darksteel (DST)

Cards similar to Sword of Sinew and Steel by color, type and mana cost

Celestial Prism - MTG Card versions
Runed Arch - MTG Card versions
Clay Pigeon - MTG Card versions
Ashnod's Altar - MTG Card versions
Jalum Tome - MTG Card versions
Patchwork Gnomes - MTG Card versions
The Stasis Coffin - MTG Card versions
Captain's Hook - MTG Card versions
Spellweaver Helix - MTG Card versions
Scale of Chiss-Goria - MTG Card versions
Lightning Coils - MTG Card versions
Loxodon Warhammer - MTG Card versions
Sword of Feast and Famine - MTG Card versions
Training Drone - MTG Card versions
Pristine Talisman - MTG Card versions
Alloy Myr - MTG Card versions
Guardians of Meletis - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Shackles - MTG Card versions
Herald's Horn - MTG Card versions
Manalith - MTG Card versions
Celestial Prism - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Runed Arch - Ice Age (ICE)
Clay Pigeon - Unglued (UGL)
Ashnod's Altar - The Brothers' War Retro Artifacts (BRR)
Jalum Tome - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Patchwork Gnomes - Odyssey (ODY)
The Stasis Coffin - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Captain's Hook - Rivals of Ixalan Promos (PRIX)
Spellweaver Helix - Mirrodin (MRD)
Scale of Chiss-Goria - Mirrodin (MRD)
Lightning Coils - Mirrodin (MRD)
Loxodon Warhammer - Tenth Edition (10E)
Sword of Feast and Famine - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Training Drone - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Pristine Talisman - New Phyrexia Promos (PNPH)
Alloy Myr - Jumpstart (JMP)
Guardians of Meletis - Magic Origins (ORI)
Vedalken Shackles - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Herald's Horn - Treasure Chest (PZ2)
Manalith - Hour of Devastation (HOU)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sword of Sinew and Steel MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Modern Horizons Art Series, 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 Sword of Sinew and Steel and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sword of Sinew and Steel Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2019-06-14 and 2021-06-18. Illustrated by Chris Rahn.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 913631997normalblackChris Rahn
22019-06-05Modern Horizons Art SeriesAMH1 472015art_seriesborderlessChris Rahn
32019-06-14Modern HorizonsMH1 2282015normalblackChris Rahn
42021-06-18Modern Horizons 1 TimeshiftsH1R 311997normalblackChris Rahn

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sword of Sinew and Steel has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-06-14 Protection from a color means that the equipped creature can’t be blocked by creatures of that color, can’t be the target of spells of that color or abilities from sources of that color, can’t be enchanted or equipped by Auras or Equipment of that color, and all damage that sources of that color would deal to it is prevented. Nothing other than these events is prevented or illegal.

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