Resounding Silence MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Abilities	Cycling
Released	2008-10-03
Set symbol
Set name	Shards of Alara
Set code	ALA
Number	22
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Mark Zug

Key Takeaways

Deck manipulation and opponent disruption without drawing spells are this card’s card advantage strategy.
Instant speed allows tactical responses, turning Resounding Silence into a significant defensive asset.
Despite its higher mana cost, it remains a versatile choice for exile effects and spell-trigger combos.

Text of card

Remove target attacking creature from the game. Cycling (, Discard this card: Draw a card.) When you cycle Resounding Silence, remove up to two target attacking creatures from the game.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Resounding Silence offers strategic deck manipulation by potentially removing a threat from the game. It accomplishes card advantage not by drawing more cards but by efficiently dealing with opponents’ assets.

Resource Acceleration: Although Resounding Silence doesn’t directly generate mana or resources, its power to exile an attacker can pave the way for more aggressive resource development by disrupting the opponent’s board presence.

Instant Speed: Its ability to be cast at instant speed gives you the flexibility to act responsively, disrupting your opponent’s strategy during their most critical phases. You can maintain a defensive posture while awaiting the opportune moment to use Resounding Silence, making it a dynamic tool in your arsenal.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The playability of Resounding Silence can diminish if you’re required to discard another card to activate its optional modes, this can put you at a card disadvantage especially if you’re running low on hand resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Resounding Silence demands a precise White mana cost, which may not align with every deck’s mana base. Deck builders will need to consider their mana sources carefully to ensure they can cast it when needed.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With Resounding Silence’s mana cost being fairly steep for its base effect, players may find themselves at a crossroad, contemplating whether the card justifies its slot over lower-cost alternatives with similar or immediate impacts on the game state.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Resounding Silence offers a flexible answer to creatures, an indispensable aspect in any deck configuration. Its ability to exile targets dodges death effects and can disrupt your opponent’s graveyard strategies, making it a staple in sideboards.

Combo Potential: This card shines in its potential to combine with cards that benefit from exile effects or additional spell-casting. It can serve as a pivotal piece in decks that capitalize on manipulating exile zones or casting spells for triggers.

Meta-Relevance: With creature-heavy decks often dominating play, Resounding Silence provides a timely solution. Its instant speed allows you to navigate around threats and maintain the upper hand, ensuring your deck stays relevant in diverse competitive scenes.

How to beat

Resounding Silence is a limited environment staple that can turn the tides of a game by exiling an opponent’s creature. Unlike simple destroy effects found on cards such as Murder, Resounding Silence gets around indestructible and graveyard-based strategies, making it harder to counteract. This card can also be cycled for a new card, and if cycled, will exile a creature its owner controls.

Overcoming this versatile removal requires strategic maneuvers. Utilize cards with hexproof or shroud to protect your creatures from being targeted. Additionally, you might consider employing counterspells or discard tactics to handle Resounding Silence before it’s played or cycled. Keep a keen eye on your opponent’s untapped mana and consider the risk of cycling when playing out your creatures. It’s also crucial to have a backup plan in case a key creature is exiled, by either populating the board with multiple threats or having recursion strategies in place.

Taking proactive measures to protect your creatures and applying pressure can diminish the impact of Resounding Silence, ensuring your important threats maintain a presence on the battlefield and continue to contribute to your game plan in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards like Resounding Silence

Resounding Silence from Magic: The Gathering has a unique place in the suite of removal spells. It shares some similarities with cards like Oblivion Ring, offering exiling potential for nonland permanents. Resounding Silence distinguishes itself with the option to cycle, granting flexibility in play. Unlike Oblivion Ring, it doesn’t allow the opponent to get their card back if the exiling card leaves the battlefield because it is exiled indefinitely.

Another comparable spell is Path to Exile, which also exciles target creatures but grants the affected player a land in return. Resounding Silence, contrasts by giving no such compensation. Swords to Plowshares is another one-up comparison; it exiles a creature at an even lower cost but gives that creature’s controller life points equaled to the creature’s power. Here again, Resounding Silence stands out because it doesn’t offer this trade-off.

Taking into account the benefits and drawbacks of related cards, Resounding Silence finds its niche thanks to its cycling ability and unconditional exiling, making it a versatile and sometimes preferable option in Magic: The Gathering decks requiring precise removal tools without advantage to the opponent.

Swords to Plowshares - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Resounding Silence MTG card by a specific set like Shards of Alara, 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 Resounding Silence and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Resounding Silence has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
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.
2008-10-01	The cycling ability and the triggered ability are separate. If the triggered ability doesn’t resolve (due to being countered with Stifle, for example, or if all its targets have become illegal), the cycling ability will still resolve and you’ll draw a card.
2008-10-01	When you cycle this card, first the cycling ability goes on the stack, then the triggered ability goes on the stack on top of it. The triggered ability will resolve before you draw a card from the cycling ability.
2008-10-01	You can cycle this card even if there are no targets for the triggered ability. That’s because the cycling ability itself has no targets.