Sentinel Totem MTG Card

The scry ability of Sentinel Totem improves draw quality and helps in strategizing future plays. Its instant speed activation disrupts graveyard-centric plays, making it a powerful tool in matches. Effective against decks utilizing the graveyard, Sentinel Totem serves as a strategic counter in the meta.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact
Abilities	Scry
Released	2017-09-29
Set symbol
Set name	Ixalan
Set code	XLN
Number	245
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Anthony Palumbo

Text of card

When Sentinel Totem enters the battlefield, scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.) , Exile Sentinel Totem: Exile all cards from all graveyards.

Cards like Sentinel Totem

Sentinel Totem shines in the realm of graveyard hate artifacts within Magic: The Gathering. It stands shoulder to shoulder with Tormod’s Crypt, a staple in many formats for its costless activation and ability to exile all cards from a single graveyard. However, Sentinel Totem goes one step further by exiling all cards from all graveyards upon its activation, although it requires a sacrifice to do so. This wider-reaching effect can be pivotal in shutting down multiple opponents simultaneously.

Relic of Progenitus presents another interesting comparison. Like Sentinel Totem, it can exile all graveyards, but it also offers the utility of incremental graveyard control by cantripping for one mana. Conversely, Sentinel Totem boasts scry 1 upon entering the battlefield, providing a subtle yet valuable form of deck manipulation, aligning your next draws to better suit the established board state.

Overall, Sentinel Totem’s introduction to the array of available graveyard management tools gives players a well-rounded option for keeping graveyards in check. Its universal purge combined with a quick deck sifting feature means it can find a home in many decks that care about the state of opponents’ graveyards.

Cards similar to Sentinel Totem by color, type and mana cost

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Sentinel Totem. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#	Name	Format	Archetype	Event
	Mono-Green Tron	Modern	Mono-Green Tron	2024 Hunter Burton Memorial Open

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sentinel Totem provides a unique form of card advantage through its scry ability. When it enters the battlefield, it allows you to scry 1, helping to filter upcoming draws and improve the quality of the cards you’ll play.

Resource Acceleration: While Sentinel Totem doesn’t directly accelerate resources in the traditional sense, it is a low-cost artifact that can indirectly affect the board by exiling all cards from all graveyards. This can set back opponents relying on graveyard strategies, potentially accelerating your path to victory against these decks.

Instant Speed: Sentinel Totem’s activated ability can be used at instant speed, making it a versatile tool in any player’s arsenal. Its capacity to exile graveyards on demand means that it can disrupt an opponent’s plans at a moment’s notice, particularly in response to strategies that hinge upon graveyard interactions.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One potential downside of Sentinel Totem in your deck is the exile clause on activation, meaning you must discard your graveyard as part of the cost. This condition can be restrictive if your strategy includes leveraging graveyard resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Although the totem’s initial cost is colorless and can fit into any deck, it does require a specific mana investment to activate, which can clash with decks that aim to use their mana more flexibly during a turn.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When compared to other one-cost artifacts that can be activated without additional mana, the totem’s requirement of tapping and a colorless mana might seem steep for a one-time use ability, especially in fast-paced games where mana efficiency is critical.

Reasons to Include Sentinel Totem in Your Collection

Versatility: Sentinel Totem is a versatile piece for any collection. As a low-cost artifact, it can be easily slotted into various decks that aim to control the graveyard activities of opponents, making it a staple card for maintaining a strategic edge regardless of your deck’s primary theme.

Combo Potential: This card’s ability to scry when it enters the battlefield provides card selection to set up for future plays. Furthermore, once it’s sacrificed, the totem removes all cards from all graveyards, allowing it to work seamlessly with strategies that rely on graveyard hate or benefit from opponents losing their graveyard resources.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that’s heavy with graveyard-based strategies, Sentinel Totem shines by countering these tactics effectively. It serves as a solid hedge against decks that leverage the graveyard for value, such as reanimator strategies or decks utilizing flashback and delve mechanics. Its presence is a valuable insurance policy in any collection.

How to beat

Sentinel Totem shines in MTG as a powerful artifact, providing not only a scry effect upon entering the battlefield but also a simple yet potent graveyard vanishing capability. The flexibility of this card can be a real game-changer, offering both deck manipulation and a graveyard hate option.

To conquer the challenge presented by Sentinel Totem, consider timing and strategic removal. Engage it with targeted artifact destruction before it can be activated or in response to an ability that would fill your graveyard. Abrade, Nature’s Claim, or even the brutal efficiency of Shatterstorm can render the Totem’s exile effect useless by removing it from play prematurely. Alternatively, countering it on the stack before it touches down can neutralize the threat it poses entirely, using spells like Negate or Dispel.

In essence, dealing with Sentinel Totem revolves around preemptive or responsive action. By understanding when to dismantle it and exploiting your opponent’s reliance on its graveyard-erasing potential, you can maintain control over your graveyard and secure a tactical advantage over the artifact’s temporary surveillance.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sentinel Totem MTG card by a specific set like Ixalan, 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 Sentinel Totem and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sentinel Totem has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Commander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Timeless	Legal