Sam's Desperate Rescue MTG Card


Offers card advantage, resource acceleration, and insidious surprise through instant speed. Presents challenges: demands card discard, specific mana, and has a higher mana cost. Strategically valuable in reactive decks; consider mana and tempo implications.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery

Text of card

Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. The Ring tempts you.

"By all the signs, there's a large warrior loose, with an Elf-sword, and an axe as well maybe." Gorbag spat. Sam smiled grimly at this description of himself.


Cards like Sam's Desperate Rescue

Sam’s Desperate Rescue is a unique spell within the realm of Magic: The Gathering, offering players a way to potentially reclaim a key creature or planeswalker from their graveyard. It echoes the mechanics of cards like Unearth, which also brings back creatures from the graveyard, but lacks the additional layer of potential Sam’s Desperate Rescue provides. Unlike Unearth, Sam’s Desperate Rescue can target a planeswalker in addition to a creature, albeit at a higher mana cost.

Moving in the space of versatile recovery options, cards such as Wildest Dreams offer a similar resurrection advantage as they return any number of cards from the graveyard to your hand. However, while Wildest Dreams allows for greater target diversity, it does so at a higher, scalable mana investment. Then, there’s also the competitor Regrowth, which allows for the retrieval of any one card at a low cost, providing a more affordable but less robust solution when compared to the potential mass recovery that Sam’s Desperate Rescue brings to the table.

Deciding on the right recovery spell in Magic: The Gathering involves weighing mana costs against the potential value of the returned assets. Sam’s Desperate Rescue might require a higher mana cost and the sacrifice of a creature, but under the right circumstances, it offers a strong come-back potential, marking its place in decks that rely on critical creatures and planeswalkers.

Unearth - MTG Card versions
Wildest Dreams - MTG Card versions
Regrowth - MTG Card versions
Unearth - MTG Card versions
Wildest Dreams - MTG Card versions
Regrowth - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Sam's Desperate Rescue by color, type and mana cost

Raise Dead - MTG Card versions
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Imperial Seal - MTG Card versions
Raise Dead - MTG Card versions
Mind Twist - MTG Card versions
Contract from Below - MTG Card versions
Spoils of War - MTG Card versions
Tendrils of Despair - MTG Card versions
Bloodcurdling Scream - MTG Card versions
Organ Harvest - MTG Card versions
Duress - MTG Card versions
Bubbling Muck - MTG Card versions
Reanimate - MTG Card versions
Soul Strings - MTG Card versions
Restless Dreams - MTG Card versions
Cabal Therapy - MTG Card versions
Confront the Past - MTG Card versions
Stir the Grave - MTG Card versions
Cry of Contrition - MTG Card versions
Deathmark - MTG Card versions
Call to the Netherworld - MTG Card versions
Raven's Crime - MTG Card versions
Imperial Seal - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sam’s Desperate Rescue shines by potentially flipping the scales of card advantage in your favor. Drawing from your benchmark of three cards, then assessing what’s needed most, helps you to respond to the evolving board state efficiently.

Resource Acceleration: This card can provide a significant boost in resources by allowing you to return up to three cards with different names from your graveyard to your hand. This essentially recycles valuable spells or creatures, effectively accelerating your resource availability and broadening your strategic options.

Instant Speed: Another striking benefit of this card is its instant speed, enabling reactive gameplay and creating opportunities to surprise your opponent. Handling threats or optimizing end-of-turn plays without committing to a main-phase action can give you a tangible edge during critical junctures in the match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Sam’s Desperate Rescue necessitates a card discard, potentially depleting your hand when you might need those cards for future plays.

Specific Mana Cost: The cost to cast this spell is restricted to two color types, which necessitates a dedicated deck build to optimize its casting.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Its mana cost is on the higher side, which could impact your tempo, especially when compared to other spells offering similar effects at a lower cost.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Sam’s Desperate Rescue offers flexibility in deck building, fitting seamlessly into strategies that need instant speed interaction to protect valuable creatures or thwart an opponent’s action.

Combo Potential: This card holds promise in combo decks, particularly those that aim to capitalize on spell recursion or benefit from the counterplay dynamic, allowing players to unexpectedly shift the tide of the game.

Meta-Relevance: Given its capacity to safeguard key pieces against removal or disrupt combo plays, Sam’s Desperate Rescue can be instrumental in environments where reactive plays dictate the pace of the match.


How to beat

Sam’s Desperate Rescue has the potential to throw a wrench into your strategic gears, but like every MTG card, it can be outmaneuvered. This card’s strength lies in its ability to potentially return three critical cards from a graveyard to its owner’s hand, which could mean a miraculous comeback for your opponent.

To combat this, focus on graveyard disruption and control. Using cards that exile key pieces from the opposing graveyard denies the full utility of Sam’s Desperate Rescue. Control decks can include counterspells to prevent it from resolving or discard spells forcing the opponent to get rid of it before it can be used. Hand disruption like Thoughtseize can pry it from your opponent’s grasp preemptively, shutting down any shot of a late-game pivot.

Denying your opponent the chance to gather resources and build their assault is the adept strategist’s route to triumph. Watch the graveyard, hold your reactive spells for the critical moment, and Sam’s Desperate Rescue will become a mere hiccup rather than a game-changing hurdle.


BurnMana Recommendations

Sam’s Desperate Rescue exemplifies the strategic depth within MTG, offering a potent comeback mechanic that can swing the game in your favor. Its ability to recover a variety of cards with instant speed is a valuable asset in any player’s arsenal. Building around this card means structuring your deck to leverage both its strengths and weaknesses effectively. If you’re eager to boost your strategic play with this versatile card or seek to find the perfect balance in resource acceleration, delve deeper with us. Discover how Sam’s Desperate Rescue can be a game-changer in your deck and shape victories from the brink of defeat.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sam's Desperate Rescue 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 Sam's Desperate Rescue and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sam's Desperate Rescue Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2023-06-23 and 2023-06-23. Illustrated by Lixin Yin.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12023-06-23The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earthLTR 5562015NormalBlackLixin Yin
22023-06-23The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earthLTR 1052015NormalBlackLixin Yin

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sam's Desperate Rescue has restrictions

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

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sam's Desperate Rescue 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 As the Ring tempts you, you get an emblem named The Ring if you don't have one. Then your emblem gains its next ability and you choose a creature you control to become (or remain) your Ring-bearer.
2023-06-16 Each player can have only one emblem named The Ring and only one Ring-bearer at a time.
2023-06-16 Each time the Ring tempts you, you must choose a creature if you control one.
2023-06-16 If the creature you choose as your Ring-bearer was already your Ring-bearer, that still counts as choosing that creature as your Ring-bearer for the purpose of abilities that trigger "whenever you choose a creature as your Ring-bearer" or abilities that care about which creature was chosen as your Ring-bearer.
2023-06-16 Some spells and abilities that cause the Ring to tempt you may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. The Ring won't tempt you.
2023-06-16 The Ring can tempt you even if you don't control a creature. In this case, abilities that trigger "whenever the Ring tempts you" will still trigger.
2023-06-16 The Ring gains its abilities in order from top to bottom. Once it gains an ability, it has that ability for the rest of the game.