Mark of Eviction MTG Card

Mark of Eviction - Ravnica: City of Guilds

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2005-10-07
Set symbol
Set name	Ravnica: City of Guilds
Set code	RAV
Number	58
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Tsutomu Kawade

Key Takeaways

Ensures ongoing control by returning creatures every turn, disrupting opponent strategies.
Offers reusable advantage from creatures with enter-the-battlefield effects.
Demands careful hand management due to its discard requirement each upkeep.

Text of card

Enchant creature At the beginning of your upkeep, return enchanted creature and all Auras attached to that creature to their owners' hands.

Tharashk the Bold suddenly wasn't himself. Or anyone else, for that matter.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mark of Eviction provides a consistent method of recurring card advantage every upkeep. By returning a creature to its owner’s hand, you can reuse creatures with enter-the-battlefield effects and disrupt your opponent’s board presence.

Resource Acceleration: Although Mark of Eviction does not directly accelerate resources, it can indirectly promote mana efficiency. By bouncing your own creatures, it allows for repeated utilization of their abilities, effectively stretching your resources further over multiple turns.

Instant Speed: While Mark of Eviction operates at sorcery speed, its effect can lead to instant-speed interactions. The anticipated return of a creature can set the stage for powerful plays on your turn and can synergize with cards that benefit from casting spells or creatures at unexpected times.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The gameplay of Mark of Eviction demands a strategic hand management as it emphasizes a discard element each turn. This can be a setback for players if their card pool is already running thin, handcuffing their ability to maintain a presence on the battlefield and navigate through the late game.

Specific Mana Cost: Mark of Eviction is bound by a blue mana cost, making it a specialized card best suited for mono-blue or blue-centric decks. Players who dabble in multicolor combinations might find it challenging to consistently have the necessary blue mana available when they need to deploy this card to the fullest.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Coming in at two mana, Mark of Eviction can be perceived as an investment, especially in decks that aim for peak efficiency and rapid board state development. Its ongoing effect might not always justify the initial investment, particularly when considering other available options that could impact the game more immediately or with longer-term benefits.

Reasons to Include Mark of Eviction in Your Collection

Versatility: Mark of Eviction is a versatile addition to any collection due to its ability to adapt to various gameplay situations. It enables players to continually disrupt opponents by returning creatures to their owner’s hand each turn, thus it can fit into control or tempo decks seamlessly.

Combo Potential: This enchantment offers ample combo potential within decks that thrive on using enter-the-battlefield or leave-the-battlefield effects. By repeatedly bouncing creatures, you can trigger these effects multiple times for significant advantage.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where permanents with potent static abilities or with prohibitive casting costs dominate, this card becomes highly relevant. By utilizing Mark of Eviction, you can remove key pieces from your opponent’s board, nullifying their strategies and gaining the upper hand.

How to beat

Mark of Eviction presents a unique challenge in the arena of Magic: The Gathering. This blue enchantment has the surprising ability to return a creature to its owner’s hand during each of the controller’s upkeeps. This can quickly become a persistent nuisance, particularly if you are facing a deck designed to capitalize on enter-the-battlefield (ETB) effects or one that seeks to disrupt your board presence.

To effectively counteract Mark of Eviction, consider strategies such as direct removal of enchantments, which will eliminate the recurring issue. Another tactful approach is to focus on hexproof or shroud-enabled creatures, making them invalid targets for the enchantment. Additionally, utilizing instants that can be played in response, such as Negate or Disenchant, to prevent Mark of Eviction from sticking to the battlefield can save your creatures and maintain your tempo.

Ultimately, understanding the intricacies of your opponent’s intentions with Mark of Eviction and preparing your deck with proactive defenses or reactive measures will ensure that this potentially game-altering card is kept at bay, allowing you to maintain control of the match.

Cards like Mark of Eviction

Mark of Eviction stands out in the realm of Magic: The Gathering due to its unique ability to control the battlefield by returning creatures to their owner’s hand. It aligns with the effects of cards like Unsummon, which also allows for the tactical bounce of creatures, but with Mark of Eviction, the effect repeats every upkeep, providing ongoing control as long as you can maintain the enchantment and the mana for it.

In a similar strategy, we also look at Crystal Shard, allowing players to return creatures to their owner’s hand, either by paying mana or by returning a land to their hand. While this artifact offers versatility, Mark of Eviction ensures a consistent effect each turn. Capsize, another comparable option, gives players repeatable creature bounce but at a higher mana cost, though it comes with the buyback advantage, potentially offering endless use.

When placing these cards side by side, Mark of Eviction offers a unique approach to creature management that requires strategic planning. It’s an enchantment that, when tactically deployed, can become a persistent nuisance to your opponents, showcasing its potential influence on the game’s dynamic.

Cards similar to Mark of Eviction by color, type and mana cost

Cloak of Invisibility - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mark of Eviction 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 Mark of Eviction and other MTG cards: