Rise of the Witch-king MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Grants card advantage by generating creatures or drawing cards, maintaining a resource lead.
  2. Instant speed casting adapts to game changes, offering strategic versatility.
  3. Discard requirement and specific mana cost are strategic considerations for inclusion.

Text of card

Each player sacrifices a creature. If you sacrificed a creature this way, you may return another permanent card from your graveyard to the battlefield.

In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl, under the archway that no enemy ever yet had passed, and all fled before his face.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Rise of the Witch-king provides a significant edge by potentially generating additional creatures or drawing cards, ensuring you stay ahead in resources.

Resource Acceleration: By offering the ability to cheat into play powerful creatures earlier than usual, Rise of the Witch-king can vastly accelerate your board presence and resource availability.

Instant Speed: The flexibility to cast Rise of the Witch-king at instant speed means you can adapt to the evolving state of the game, making it a versatile tool in any phase of play.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To harness its full potential, discarding another card is mandatory, which could potentially leave you at a disadvantage, especially if you’re managing a dwindling hand size.

Specific Mana Cost: This card commands a precise mana alignment to cast, essentially tethering its strategic deployment to decks that can produce the necessary resources consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Allocating a significant amount of mana might be required, and within the current meta, there are alternatives that could achieve similar outcomes without as hefty an investment in resources.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Rise of the Witch-king is known for its ability to fit seamlessly into multiple deck archetypes. This card can serve as a keystone in strategies that pivot around legendary creatures or revolve around the potent lore of Middle-earth.

Combo Potential: This card’s unique interaction with other cards that synergize with the Witch-king theme can empower players to execute formidable combos, leveraging the dread aura of the Witch-king himself to gain advantage over opponents.

Meta-Relevance: With the shifting landscape of the competitive scene, Rise of the Witch-king holds its ground due to its ability to influence gameplay, making it a compelling choice for players looking to navigate through a varied meta with a card of enduring relevance.


How to Beat Rise of the Witch-king

Countering Rise of the Witch-king in Magic: The Gathering can be a complex but manageable task. This formidable card is known for tipping the scales with its powerful abilities that can overwhelm opponents if left unchecked. The key to its disruption lies in its summoning process, which is often contingent on certain conditions being met in the graveyard or hand. To mitigate its impact, strategic graveyard management is crucial. Cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void can preemptively halt graveyard strategies, ensuring the Witch-king’s conditions are harder to satisfy.

Instant-speed removal spells also play a pivotal role when facing the Rise of the Witch-king. Having access to options like Path to Exile or Assassin’s Trophy can make all the difference, allowing players to react swiftly to the Witch-king’s deployment on the battlefield. This not only neutralizes the immediate threat but also keeps the board clear for future plays.

Lastly, hand disruption techniques through Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek can dismantle your opponent’s strategies early on. Proactively removing key components that enable the summoning of the Witch-king is a sound strategy, which often leads to a considerable disruption of your opponent’s game plan, thereby tipping the odds in your favor.


BurnMana Recommendations

If you’re enchanted by the lore of Middle-earth and seek to wield the power of Rise of the Witch-king in your MTG arsenal, there’s a trove of lore and strategy to uncover. Pushing the boundaries of your gameplay requires both knowledge and creativity. Mastering the intricacies of this card may take your game from ordinary to extraordinary. Enhance your resource acceleration, broaden your gameplay with instant speed strategies, and discover how to optimize the Rise of the Witch-king by visiting our extensive guide. Delve deep into the world of MTG with us and transform your game today.


Cards like Rise of the Witch-king

Rise of the Witch-king in MTG is a card that brings a distinctive strategy to the battlefield. When observing the landscape of similar cards, one could draw parallels with Lich’s Mastery. Both cards hinge on a unique condition for winning the game—Rise of the Witch-king with its alternative win condition, and Lich’s Mastery by granting you a semblance of immortality. Nonetheless, the latter presents a riskier gameplay, as it results in losing the game once it leaves the battlefield.

Comparatively, Exquisite Archangel offers a different take on avoiding defeat. Although it doesn’t provide an outright win condition like Rise of the Witch-king, it can reset your life total, potentially snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. The Archangel also serves as a creature with substantial power and toughness, which Rise of the Witch-king, as a non-creature spell, lacks.

To gather a full picture, it’s critical to consider Door to Nothingness. Although this artifact requires a hefty and diverse mana investment, it delivers a straightforward win by forcing an opponent out of the game directly. Rise of the Witch-king doesn’t offer such immediate gratification, instead weaving a path to triumph through enchantment-based gameplay.

All in all, Rise of the Witch-king stands out in MTG for those who appreciate intricate mechanics and the thrill of setting up a game-ending condition that is both cunning and satisfying.

Lich's Mastery - MTG Card versions
Exquisite Archangel - MTG Card versions
Door to Nothingness - MTG Card versions
Lich's Mastery - MTG Card versions
Exquisite Archangel - MTG Card versions
Door to Nothingness - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Rise of the Witch-king by color, type and mana cost

Blex, Vexing Pest // Search for Blex - MTG Card versions
Culling Ritual - MTG Card versions
Vigor Mortis - MTG Card versions
Rolling Spoil - MTG Card versions
Drain the Well - MTG Card versions
Jarad's Orders - MTG Card versions
Hazardous Conditions - MTG Card versions
Driven // Despair - MTG Card versions
Undercity Uprising - MTG Card versions
Blex, Vexing Pest // Search for Blex - MTG Card versions
Culling Ritual - MTG Card versions
Vigor Mortis - MTG Card versions
Rolling Spoil - MTG Card versions
Drain the Well - MTG Card versions
Jarad's Orders - MTG Card versions
Hazardous Conditions - MTG Card versions
Driven // Despair - MTG Card versions
Undercity Uprising - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Rise of the Witch-king MTG card by a specific set like The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth and The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, 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 Rise of the Witch-king and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The Rise of the Witch-king Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2023-06-23 and 2023-06-23. Illustrated by Andrea Piparo.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12023-06-23The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earthLTR 6722015NormalBlackAndrea Piparo
22023-06-23The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earthLTR 2212015NormalBlackAndrea Piparo

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Rise of the Witch-king has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Rise of the Witch-king card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2023-06-16 First the active player chooses which creature they'll sacrifice, then each other player in turn order does the same, knowing choices made before their choice. Then all those creatures are sacrificed simultaneously.
2023-06-16 You cannot return the same permanent card that you sacrificed.
2023-06-16 You choose which permanent card you're returning to the battlefield, if any, as Rise of the Witch-King resolves, after permanents are sacrificed.