Salvager of Ruin MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Artifact Creature — Construct |
| Released | 2019-07-12 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Core Set 2020 |
| Set code | M20 |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 1 |
| Number | 237 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | James Paick |
Text of card
Sacrifice Salvager of Ruin: Choose target permanent card in your graveyard that was put there from the battlefield this turn. Return it to your hand.
"The next model should be able to achieve a rescue without self-destruction." —Sargis Haz, artificer
Cards like Salvager of Ruin
Salvager of Ruin is a unique artifact creature card in MTG that offers a specialized form of graveyard recursion. Its ability to retrieve a permanent card from the graveyard if it perished this turn creates a specific niche for it. When we look at similar cards, Myr Retriever stands out, also enabling players to return another artifact card from their graveyard to their hand when it dies. Myr Retriever presents a more general condition, not limiting the recursion to the same turn.
Workshop Assistant is another card that mirrors the effect of Myr Retriever, though both these cards require themselves to be sacrificed, unlike Salvager of Ruin, which can target other permanents that were sent to the graveyard. These subtle variances in requirements and triggers can significantly influence which card is more beneficial for a certain deck strategy. For instance, Salvager of Ruin works well in decks that actively want to protect key pieces or in combinations with self-sacrificing artifacts.
Each of these cards brings different strengths to the table, but Salvager of Ruin excels in scenarios where immediate protection and recursion are crucial. It is an exemplar of precision when timing and control over specific permanents are of the essence in the strategy of an MTG deck.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Salvager of Ruin shines by giving you the opportunity to reclaim a key piece from your graveyard. This is particularly useful for returning high-impact artifacts or creatures to your hand, ensuring you keep the pressure or defenses up during crucial moments in the game.
Resource Acceleration: While Salvager of Ruin doesn’t directly accelerate your resources the traditional way by providing mana, it does allow for a unique form of acceleration. It can potentially save mana costs by bringing back an integral three-cost card that would otherwise require additional mana investment if recast from the command zone or reanimated from the graveyard.
Instant Speed: Salvager of Ruin doesn’t act at instant speed itself, but it plays well in strategies that rely on leaving mana open for instant-speed interaction. By utilizing it during your main phase after opponents have exhausted their resources, you can tactically recover valuable pieces without interruption.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Salvager of Ruin necessitates the sacrifice of another artifact as part of its activation cost. This could potentially deplete valuable artifacts from your side of the battlefield, which might be detrimental if you’re already behind or in need of board presence.
Specific Mana Cost: This artifact creature requires three colorless mana to cast. Such a cost could prove cumbersome in multicolored mana bases, especially in formats where mana efficiency is crucial for maintaining tempo against opponents.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While three mana might not seem prohibitive, other cards in the three-mana slot could offer more immediate impact or versatility. In competitive play, where every turn counts, the investment in Salvager of Ruin could yield less return compared to other options available.
Reasons to Include Salvager of Ruin in Your Collection
Versatility: Salvager of Ruin operates as an essential piece in any deck that works with artifact synergy or aims to recycle key components. Its ability to reclaim artifacts or creatures from the graveyard gives it a flexible role in various deck builds.
Combo Potential: This card has the ability to create powerful loops with sacrifice and revival mechanics. It shines in decks that want to repeatedly utilize the enter-the-battlefield or death triggers of their permanents, setting up potential infinite combos under the right conditions.
Meta-Relevance: In formats where the meta shifts towards control or attrition strategies, having a card like Salvager of Ruin can help outmaneuver opponents. It preserves your key pieces from removal spells and can continuously provide value as the game progresses.
How to beat
The Salvager of Ruin from MTG presents a unique challenge with its ability to safeguard players from the consequences of their permanents being sent to the graveyard. This colorless creature stands out for offering protection to specific key pieces of a player’s strategy, particularly in artifact-centric decks or those that utilize high-value permanents extensively.
When up against this mechanical savior, it’s strategic to shift focus away from targeting individual permanents and instead aim for the source, the Salvager itself. Using removal spells that bypass its effect, such as exile or bounce spells, can neutralize this guard of the battlefield effectively. Alternatively, implementing graveyard hate cards can also prevent it from recurring valuable pieces, thus diminishing its utility on the field. Moreover, board wipes can prove to be a significant hurdle for the Salvager, as they deal with the protected card alongside the Salvager, circumventing its ability to salvage altogether.
Understanding and dismantling the synergy that Salvager of Ruin offers requires precise timing and choosing the right countermeasures, but it’s certainly achievable. By focusing on these strategies, players can effectively disrupt their opponent’s reliance on the Salvager and gain the upper hand in the game.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Salvager of Ruin MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2020, 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 Salvager of Ruin and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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 Salvager of Ruin has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Salvager of Ruin card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2019-07-12 | A permanent card is an artifact, creature, enchantment, land, or planeswalker card. |
| 2019-07-12 | Because targets are chosen for activated abilities before costs (such as “Sacrifice Salvager of Ruin”) are paid, Salvager of Ruin’s ability can’t target itself. |
| 2019-07-12 | Permanent spells that were countered earlier in the turn never entered the battlefield, so they are not legal targets for Salvager of Ruin’s ability. |
| 2019-07-12 | Salvager of Ruin’s ability can target a permanent card in your graveyard that was put there from the battlefield before Salvager of Ruin entered the battlefield during the same turn. |