Relic Bane MTG Card

Relic Bane impairs opponents, yielding card advantage by disabling key artifacts and disrupting game plans. Its restrictive mana requirement and high cost can limit deck integration, but influence overall strategy effectiveness. Boasting versatility, Relic Bane thrives against artifact-dense metagames, enhancing its value in certain matchups.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2003-10-02
Set symbol
Set name	Mirrodin
Set code	MRD
Number	76
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Eric Peterson

Text of card

Enchanted artifact has "At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 2 life."

A sword that has seen cowardice in battle exacts the price of honor from its wielder.

Cards like Relic Bane

Relic Bane is a unique enchantment card in the expansive universe of Magic: The Gathering, sharing some functional similarities with a cluster of other enchantment cards designed to disrupt opponents’ strategies. Cards like Stony Silence also focus on hampering artifact abilities but do so in a more absolute way without causing life loss, rendering all artifacts’ activated abilities ineffective. Unlike Relic Bane, which targets a single artifact, Stony Silence affects all artifacts on the battlefield, making it far broader in scope.

A more targeted comparison can be made with cards like Disenchant, which simply destroys an artifact or enchantment outright. While Relic Bane maintains a persistent threat by attaching to an artifact and slowly whittling away at an opponent’s life total, Disenchant leans towards immediate single-use resolution. Finally, examining Phyrexian Revoker reveals a creature that can nullify an artifact’s or creature’s activated abilities, similar in spirit to Relic Bane’s restrictive nature but with the added versatility that includes creatures.

Therefore, when analyzing the competition, Relic Bane’s steady impact over time stands differentiated among enchantments in Magic: The Gathering that aim to undermine an opponent’s artifact-related game plan, striking a balance between outright destruction and ongoing disruption.

Cards similar to Relic Bane by color, type and mana cost

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When you bring Relic Bane into the game, its ability to dismantle opponent artifacts can disrupt their strategy and provide you with a net gain in resources, tilting the scale of card advantage in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Relic Bane may not directly accelerate your resources, but by hampering your opponent’s artifact-based accelerants, you effectively gain ground by slowing them down, leading to a relative acceleration for your position on the board.

Instant Speed: Whilst Relic Bane operates at sorcery speed, its effect lingers, continuing to hinder your adversary’s setup during their turns, which compensates for the lack of instant speed by providing ongoing disruption.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Relic Bane requires sacrificing a resource, specifically a card from your hand. This can disrupt your game plan, especially if you are playing with a strategy that values card retention over the board state.

Specific Mana Cost: To cast Relic Bane, you need a precise combination of mana colors, which could present a challenge in a multicolored deck. This specificity restricts it to certain types of decks, potentially limiting its versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Relic Bane’s mana cost is on the higher side when compared to other enchantments with similar effects. This can delay its deployment on the battlefield, making it less efficient in fast-paced matchups where lower-cost cards could provide a quicker impact.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Relic Bane fits into a variety of deck archetypes since it can disrupt opponents who rely heavily on artifacts. Its ability to attach to any artifact means it has multiple targets in most game scenarios.

Combo Potential: This card can synergize with strategies that benefit from destroying artifacts. Pairing Relic Bane with cards that allow you to recycle or reuse artifacts can lead to powerful and unexpected combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta-game that’s dense with artifact strategies, Relic Bane shines as a countermeasure. Whether it’s disabling mana rocks or intricate combo pieces, this card provides targeted removal that’s crucial at the right moment.

How to Beat

Relic Bane, a specialized card in Magic: The Gathering, poses a unique challenge. To effectively navigate against it, understand its function as an artifact control card. Its ability to attach to an opponent’s artifact and potentially render it useless is its key strength. When facing Relic Bane, deploy a strategy that minimizes reliance on artifacts or emphasizes rapid deployment and utilization of artifact-based resources before they become targets.

Consider using artifact removal spells like Naturalize or cards that sacrifice artifacts for a benefit, such as Krark-Clan Ironworks. These ensure that if your artifacts become afflicted by Relic Bane, they won’t be liabilities for long and can still contribute to your game plan. Moreover, being pro-active with counter spells such as Negate can prevent Relic Bane from latching onto your valuable artifacts in the first place, denying your opponent the satisfaction and strategic advantage. Adjusting your deck’s composition to be less reliant on artifacts or to have answers to enchantments is key in mitigating the risk posed by Relic Bane.

Adaptability and foresight are indispensable tools in overcoming the constraints imposed by this card, ensuring your artifacts either avoid its grasp or their loss becomes a calculated step within a grander scheme.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Relic Bane 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 Relic Bane and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Relic Bane has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal