Rune of Protection: Blue MTG Card


The card grants card advantage and gameplay flexibility with its cycling ability at instant speed. Its specific protection and mana requirements can narrow deck-building choices and strategies. Despite its narrow effect, it provides essential meta relevance and versatile combo potential.
Rune of Protection: Blue - Urza's Saga
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment
Abilities Cycling
Released1998-10-12
Set symbol
Set nameUrza's Saga
Set codeUSG
Number37
Frame1997
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byScott M. Fischer

Text of card

oo W Prevent all damage to you from a blue source. (Treat further damage from that source normally.) Cycling (You may pay and discard this card from your hand to draw a card. Play this ability as an instant.)


Cards like Rune of Protection: Blue

Rune of Protection: Blue slots neatly into the enchantment suite of Magic: The Gathering, offering targeted protection. It’s akin to other “circle of protection” cards, such as Circle of Protection: Red, which allows players to prevent damage from red sources. However, Rune of Protection: Blue uniquely grants protection from blue sources, which can be activated by spending mana.

Delving into other similar cards, we find Story Circle which gives players the flexibility to choose the color of protection at the time of its casting. Despite the higher casting cost compared to Rune of Protection: Blue, its versatile nature can be crucial in a game’s changing dynamics. Then there’s Spectra Ward, offering a broader scope of protection against all colors, yet it is limited to a single creature and comes with a heftier mana investment.

When comparing these cards, Rune of Protection: Blue stands out as a cost-effective option for those specific moments when blue spells or creatures dominate the board. It embodies Magic: The Gathering’s strategic depth, where even a simple twist in card abilities can pivot the course of the match.

Circle of Protection: Red - MTG Card versions
Story Circle - MTG Card versions
Spectra Ward - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Red - MTG Card versions
Story Circle - MTG Card versions
Spectra Ward - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Rune of Protection: Blue by color, type and mana cost

Blessing - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Red - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Black - MTG Card versions
Island Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: White - MTG Card versions
Crusade - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Blue - MTG Card versions
Hallowed Ground - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Artifacts - MTG Card versions
Energy Storm - MTG Card versions
Ward of Lights - MTG Card versions
Gossamer Chains - MTG Card versions
I'm Rubber, You're Glue - MTG Card versions
Absolute Grace - MTG Card versions
Serenity - MTG Card versions
Mageta's Boon - MTG Card versions
Seal of Cleansing - MTG Card versions
Absolute Law - MTG Card versions
Sacred Ground - MTG Card versions
Pacifism - MTG Card versions
Blessing - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Red - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Black - MTG Card versions
Island Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: White - MTG Card versions
Crusade - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Blue - MTG Card versions
Hallowed Ground - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Artifacts - MTG Card versions
Energy Storm - MTG Card versions
Ward of Lights - MTG Card versions
Gossamer Chains - MTG Card versions
I'm Rubber, You're Glue - MTG Card versions
Absolute Grace - MTG Card versions
Serenity - MTG Card versions
Mageta's Boon - MTG Card versions
Seal of Cleansing - MTG Card versions
Absolute Law - MTG Card versions
Sacred Ground - MTG Card versions
Pacifism - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Rune of Protection: Blue enables card advantage through its cycling ability. By paying a small mana cost, you can draw a card, effectively replacing itself in your hand, thus keeping your card resources replenished and potentially drawing into more useful cards as the game progresses.

Resource Acceleration: In terms of resource acceleration, the enchantment serves by saving your resources. It acts as an insurance against blue spells, which means you can use your mana and other resources more aggressively elsewhere, confident in the protection this card provides.

Instant Speed: The versatility of Rune of Protection: Blue is further increased with its instant-speed cycling ability. This allows you to react swiftly to the shifting tides of a match, cycling the card away for a new draw if the protection it offers is no longer necessary or if the board state changes such that a different response is required.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Rune of Protection: Blue requires a card to be discarded from your hand to activate its cycling ability. This can be a disadvantage when your hand is already running low or each card is vital for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: This card necessitates white mana, which restricts its addition to decks that run white or have a reliable mana base to accommodate white spells, potentially limiting its versatility in non-white decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of two mana, one of which must be white, it asks for a fair amount of resources for an effect—protection from blue—that is remarkably narrow. This can be quite steep, especially when considering other cards that might shield multiple colors or offer additional benefits.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Rune of Protection: Blue offers a dynamic shield against one of the most pervasive colors in the game. It can be included in various decks requiring defense against blue spells and abilities, ensuring your pivotal creatures and strategies remain unaffected by opponents’ actions.

Combo Potential: This card serves as an ideal piece in combos aimed at granting protection to your valuable permanents. It can be paired with cards that allow for the recycling of enchantments or with aura synergies, further extending its utility and defensive capabilities across multiple turns and scenarios.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where blue-based control decks, combo decks, and powerful instants and sorceries are at the forefront, Rune of Protection: Blue becomes especially valuable. It allows players to safeguard their game plan and maintain a stable board presence amidst the ever-shifting tactics prevalent in the competitive scene.


How to beat

Rune of Protection: Blue is a specialized shield in the realm of MTG, allowing players to dodge blue spells that might otherwise doom them. Unlike broader defenses that might cover multiple colors or spell types, this enchantment focuses specifically on blue, making it perfect for meta environments where blue decks dominate. To navigate around it, consider diversifying your threats beyond those in the blue spectrum.

Enchantment removal is your straightforward solution to dismantling the Rune’s safety net. Cards like Disenchant or Naturalize allow you to swiftly eliminate it, ensuring your blue spells reach their targets unimpeded. Adaptability is key, and utilizing versatile spells or creatures that can target enchantments ensures you won’t be thwarted by protection runes of any color.

Moreover, exploiting weaknesses in the opponent’s mana can be effective. Since activating the Rune’s ability requires mana, pressuring your opponent’s resources can disrupt their ability to shield themselves consistently. A well-timed land destruction spell or a strategy that taxes their mana can render the Rune of Protection less efficient and your path to victory more clear.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Rune of Protection: Blue MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga, 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 Rune of Protection: Blue and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Rune of Protection: Blue has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2004-10-04 A source of damage is a permanent, a spell on the stack (including one that creates a permanent), or any object referred to by an object on the stack. A source doesn’t need to be capable of dealing damage to be a legal choice.
2004-10-04 Can be used even when there is no damage to prevent. It prevents the next damage (if any) from the source this turn.
2008-10-01 Cycling is an activated ability. Effects that interact with activated abilities (such as Stifle or Rings of Brighthearth) will interact with cycling. Effects that interact with spells (such as Remove Soul or Faerie Tauntings) will not.