Sands of Delirium MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Artifact |
| Abilities | Mill |
| Released | 2012-07-13 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Magic 2013 |
| Set code | M13 |
| Number | 216 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Charles Urbach |
Text of card
, : Target player puts the top X cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
It counts down your last few moments of sanity.
Cards like Sands of Delirium
Sands of Delirium is a unique artifact in the landscape of cards that facilitate milling – making an opponent put cards from their library into their graveyard. Its ability to convert unspent mana into forced milling provides a scalable option for players, particularly in the late game. Compared to other milling artifacts like Mesmeric Orb, which mills for a fixed amount each turn, Sands of Delirium offers a more versatile approach, enabling players to adjust their strategy in real-time based on the state of the game and their available resources.
Another comparable card is Grinding Station, with a focus on sacrificing an artifact to mill. While Grinding Station is lower cost and can potentially mill more frequently, the need to forfeit other artifacts can be a significant limitation. Conversely, Sands of Delirium doesn’t require additional sacrifices, thus preserving board state. Keening Stone is another powerful milling relative, but its higher activation cost makes it less flexible than Sands of Delirium, which can be impactful even with minimal mana investment.
In essence, for MTG enthusiasts looking for a milling card that can dynamically adjust to the ebb and flow of gameplay, Sands of Delirium presents a high degree of control and unpredictability that its counterparts might not offer.
Cards similar to Sands of Delirium by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Sands of Delirium offers a unique form of card advantage. Instead of drawing cards, it enables you to directly mill your opponent, potentially exhausting their resources and win conditions as the game progresses.
Resource Acceleration: This card plays well with decks that generate a lot of mana. With unlimited potential, the more resources at your disposal, the more powerful Sands of Delirium becomes, turning excess mana into a tool to whittle down your opponents’ decks quickly.
Instant Speed: Sands of Delirium operates at instant speed, giving you the flexibility to activate its ability at the end of your opponent’s turn. This element of surprise can be particularly advantageous, allowing you to decide how much mana to invest based on the unfolding situation and keeping your options open for other instant-speed interactions within the same turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Sands of Delirium compels you to discard a part of your deck, which can be a strategic setback if the discarded cards are vital to your gameplay.
Specific Mana Cost: The artifact requires a specific investment of three mana and its activation cost demands colorless mana, which not all decks can generate efficiently or in large quantities.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: In terms of resources, the demand for both the initial cast and continuous activations can severely tax your mana pool, potentially diverting you from playing other crucial spells in the game.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Sands of Delirium is a flexible card that can be slotted into a variety of deck archetypes. It serves as a win condition in control strategies and can also be a useful tool in mill-focused decks to relentlessly whittle down an opponent’s library.
Combo Potential: This card works exceptionally well with effects that untap permanents or generate large amounts of mana, allowing for multiple activations in a single turn. This escalates the milling effect and can combo off with cards like Basalt Monolith for a swift victory.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where decks often draw out the game and build substantial amounts of mana, Sands of Delirium becomes increasingly powerful. It exploits long matches where it can continuously exhaust an opponent’s resources, serving as a persistent threat that can end games out of nowhere.
How to beat
Sands of Delirium presents a unique challenge on the battlefield, offering players the chance to funnel unused mana into milling their opponent’s deck. This artifact can turn the tide in a match by subtly exhausting an opponent’s resources. To strategically dismantle its threat, the key is targeting the artifact itself. Using artifact destruction spells like Naturalize or Shatter can swiftly remove it from play. Counterplay also involves increasing one’s own deck resilience to milling strategies – consider adding cards like Elixir of Immortality or Gaea’s Blessing which can shuffle your graveyard back into your library.
It is also feasible to outpace the milling strategy by focusing on aggressive playstyles that pressure the opponent, forcing them to divert mana away from Sands of Delirium and into defensive measures. Enacting quick combos or establishing a strong board presence with creatures can escalate the match to your advantage. Additionally, gaining insight into when to expect this artifact—typically seen in control decks—can transform the way you construct your deck and sideboard, ensuring you have answers at the ready for when the sands start to shift.
Being proactive and keeping your opponent’s threats in check while building a resilient deck approach is the best way to disarm the slow stranglehold of Sands of Delirium and cruise to victory.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Sands of Delirium MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2013, 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 Sands of Delirium 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
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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Sands of Delirium has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sands of Delirium card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2012-07-01 | If the player has fewer than X cards in their library, they put all of them into their graveyard. |