Ghosts of the Innocent MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 7 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Spirit |
| Released | 2005-10-07 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Ravnica: City of Guilds |
| Set code | RAV |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 5 |
| Number | 20 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Kev Walker |
Key Takeaways
- Ghosts of the Innocent can extend playtime, making it a deterrent for aggressive decks reliant on high damage.
- This card’s mana cost and white dependency may limit its versatility in multi-color decks.
- Smart deck-building with removals or damage-immunity strategies can effectively counter Ghosts of the Innocent.
Text of card
If a source would deal damage to a creature or player, it deals half that damage, rounded down, to that creature or player instead.
"Ma said we should offer up blini-cakes and salt to the good ones, but I get that chill up my spine and just shut the door." —Otak, Tin Street shopkeep
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Ghosts of the Innocent shines in scenarios that pivot around life totals. While not directly offering card draw, this unique enchantment can indirectly lead to a card advantage by discouraging attacks and helping to maintain a healthy life total, which could keep you in the game longer and give you more draw steps.
Resource Acceleration: Although Ghosts of the Innocent isn’t a direct source of resource acceleration, it can indirectly contribute to it. The card’s ability to halve damage allows you to potentially save mana that would otherwise be spent on creature regeneration or life-gaining spells. This preserved mana could be used to deploy additional threats or answers, thus potentially accelerating your board state and resources.
Instant Speed: Ghosts of the Innocent is a static enchantment, meaning it doesn’t have instant speed capabilities itself. However, its constant effect on the game state offers a form of flexibility similar to instant speed interactions. It forces opponents to consider the reduced damage output during every action they take, effectively making it a deterrent that’s always ‘on’, much like how an instant would be used strategically to surprise an opponent.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Ghosts of the Innocent card doesn’t require a discard, but its effect can essentially force you to discard the advantage you would gain from playing cards with life-draining abilities or damage-dealing features, which can create self-imposed restrictions on your playing style.
Specific Mana Cost: This card has a specific mana cost that includes white mana, making it less flexible for inclusion in multi-color decks that may not focus on or sufficiently produce white mana.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that requires four mana, including two white, Ghosts of the Innocent may be considered a costly investment for the effect it provides. Players could find this mana could be better spent on other spells or creatures that offer an immediate impact on the game state.
Reasons to Include Ghosts of the Innocent in Your Collection
Versatility: Ghosts of the Innocent is a unique card that can be integrated into a variety of deck archetypes, especially those seeking to prolong the game and disrupt opponent strategies that rely on inflicting massive damage.
Combo Potential: This card shines when paired with cards that allow you to manipulate life totals or take advantage of damage prevention. Its ability can lead to surprising combos that can turn the tide of a game.
Meta-Relevance: With a meta that often cycles through aggressive strategies designed to quickly reduce life totals, Ghosts of the Innocent can serve as a powerful countermeasure. In an environment with decks that aim to deal a lot of damage fast, it can provide a crucial delay, giving you the time needed to execute your winning strategy.
How to beat
Ghosts of the Innocent is a unique card in Magic the Gathering that requires a strategic approach to conquer. This rare and challenging enchantment reduces the life total each player would lose by half, rounding down. It’s a curveball that can lengthen the game and provide your opponent with a substantial defensive advantage. The key to outmaneuvering Ghosts of the Innocent lies in precision and resourcefulness.
To dismantle this card’s effects, you can focus on building a deck with removal spells or enchantment destruction cards like Disenchant or Naturalize. Additionally, cards that offer indirect advantages such as exiling effects, permanent control alterations, or even giving creatures trample to overtake defense lines can prove crucial. Strategic use of spells that can’t be prevented or that deal damage to multiple targets can also circumvent the hindrance caused by Ghosts of the Innocent.
Remember, flexibility and adaptability are your best assets on the battlefield. By being prepared and having the right tools at your disposal, passing through the spectral barrier of Ghosts of the Innocent becomes a manageable task, shifting the tide of the game back into your favor.
Cards like Ghosts of the Innocent
Ghosts of the Innocent stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a unique card that cuts all damage in half. This distinct effect harkens back to cards like Divine Presence, which also serves to limit the amount of damage to three per source. While similar in their damage reduction theme, Ghosts of the Innocent takes a more sweeping approach, affecting all sources and all types of damage, making it a broader shield than the pinpoint guard of Divine Presence.
Another card worth comparing is Light of Sanction, which protects your creatures from your own damage-dealing effects. Although it doesn’t reduce damage, it shares the protective ethos, selectively shielding your battlefield position. This differs from the egalitarian safety net that Ghosts of the Innocent provides, impacting all players’ creatures equally. In the realm of damage mitigation, we also see Urza’s Armor, which shaves off one damage from each source, a subtler but continuous form of protection that also does not discriminate by player.
Ultimately, Ghosts of the Innocent’s broad-stroke reduction in Magic: The Gathering can significantly alter the landscape of a multiplayer game, making it a card that can pivot the dynamics of damage-oriented strategies effectively.
Cards similar to Ghosts of the Innocent by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Ghosts of the Innocent MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica: City of Guilds, 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 Ghosts of the Innocent and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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 Ghosts of the Innocent has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Ghosts of the Innocent card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2005-10-01 | Half of 1 rounded down is 0. A source that would deal 1 damage won’t deal damage at all. |
| 2005-10-01 | If a damage prevention effect and Ghosts of the Innocent’s effect would apply to the same damage, the player or the controller of the creature being dealt damage may apply the effects in either order (most likely applying the halving effect first). |
| 2005-10-01 | If both Ghosts of the Innocent and Furnace of Rath (which doubles damage) are on the battlefield, the controller of the permanent being dealt damage or the player being dealt damage can apply the effects in either order. This can matter if the original amount of damage is odd. For example, if a source would deal 3 damage, Ghosts of the Innocent would make it 1 damage, then Furnace of Rath would make it 2 damage, if the player chose to apply the effects in that order. |
| 2005-10-01 | If damage is redirected, it’s only halved once. |
| 2005-10-01 | Multiple Ghosts of the Innocent effects are cumulative, and each will halve the damage, rounded down. For example, with three on the battlefield, 14 damage becomes 7, then 3, then finally 1, and only 1 damage would actually be dealt. |
| 2005-10-01 | This isn’t a damage prevention effect. If Excruciator (“Damage that would be dealt by Excruciator can’t be prevented”) would deal 7 damage to a permanent or player, it deals 3 damage instead. |