Start // Finish MTG Card

Start // Finish offers board control and card replacement, enhancing in-game utility and strategy. Demands sacrifice and specific mana, potentially limiting its integration into diverse deck builds. Its dual functionality suits decks that require creatures and removal, boosting versatility.

Amonkhet (AKH)
2017-04-28 - Number 215

Start // Finish - Amonkhet Remastered (AKR)

Amonkhet Remastered (AKR)
2020-08-13 - Number 264

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery
Abilities	Aftermath

Text of card

Aftermath (Cast this spell only from your graveyard. Then exile it.) As an additional cost to cast Finish, sacrifice a creature. Destroy target creature.

Cards like Start // Finish

Start // Finish offers Magic: The Gathering players a versatile tool in the form of a dual-faceted card. It is akin to other split cards, but it distinguishes itself with its inherent flexibility to either create creature tokens with Start or to perform targeted creature removal with Finish. This mirrors the functionality of cards like Raise the Alarm, which similarly creates two 1/1 white soldier creature tokens at instant speed.

Yet, when it comes to removal, Start // Finish can be compared to cards such as Bone Splinters, demanding a sacrifice in addition to its casting cost for targeted creature destruction. Nonetheless, Start // Finish allows for more strategic planning by separating the two effects over different turns if necessary.

Considering the tactical advantage that split cards inherently possess, Start // Finish can be more efficient in a game, depending on the situation. It allows players to either populate the board quickly or deal with threats directly. Each mode may have its counterparts in MTG’s broad spectrum of spells, but the ability to choose between them at will makes Start // Finish a noteworthy option in decks that value flexibility.

Cards similar to Start // Finish by color, type and mana cost

Consecrate // Consume - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Start // Finish card provides a versatile method to achieve card advantage. By presenting two distinct opportunities to control the board, this split card ensures you can effectively replace itself with more utility on the field.

Resource Acceleration: While Finish doesn’t directly offer resource acceleration, by clearing the battlefield of opposing creatures, it paves the way for your threats to connect, thereby accelerating your victory and resource dominance indirectly.

Instant Speed: The Start half of the card can be cast at instant speed, conferring significant tactical advantages. This enables you to surprise an opponent by flashing in blockers or by simply reacting to their end of turn moves, maintaining the tempo in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of the Start // Finish card is its discard mechanism. While casting Start, there’s no extra cost, but Finish requires sacrificing a creature, which can be quite taxing if your board is already under pressure or you’re maintaining a strategic set of creatures for synergy.

Specific Mana Cost: Start // Finish demands a particular blend of mana—one white and two of any color for Start, and one black and two of any color for Finish. This condition can constrain deck-building, especially for players who prefer a more flexible mana base or are running multicolored decks where mana availability can fluctuate.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The combined mana cost for getting the full benefit of Start // Finish is six mana—three for each half. Considering you’re getting two 1/1 white Warrior creature tokens with lifelink and the ability to destroy one creature at sorcery speed, each effect might be deemed costly, especially when other cards could provide similar effects or more value at a lower mana investment.

Reasons to Include Start // Finish in Your Collection

Versatility: Start // Finish offers dual utility in a single card, fitting into decks that need both creature generation and removal. Its flexibility ensures it has a place in various strategic builds.

Combo Potential: The token creatures from Start can synergize with strategies like sacrifice or token buffs, while Finish enables removal-fueled synergies, enhancing deck dynamics.

Meta-Relevance: This card excels in metas dominated by creature-heavy strategies. The ability to create blockers and remove threats makes it a relevant choice in diverse gameplay environments.

How to Beat Start // Finish MTG Card

The Start // Finish card introduces a dynamic element to Magic: The Gathering’s array of flexible removal options. This split card allows players to create creature tokens with Start and destroy opponent’s creatures with Finish. Facing this card in play requires a tactical approach due to its adaptability in both offense and defense.

To effectively counter Start // Finish, consider instant-speed removals or counterspells to disrupt the spell before it resolves. Cards like Disallow, which can counter any spell or activated ability, are solid choices. Additionally, graveyard manipulation can render Finish ineffective, with cards like Rest in Peace removing the option of aftermath altogether. Board wipes such as Supreme Verdict can also clear the tokens generated by Start, negating the card’s value.

Moreover, it’s key to maintain card advantage. Start // Finish can tempt opponents into overcommitting to the board, so patience and strategic planning can go a long way. Wait for the optimal moment to play your answers, be it removal or counterspell, ensuring that you can outlast the dual utility that Start // Finish presents.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Start // Finish MTG card by a specific set like Amonkhet and Amonkhet Remastered, 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 Start // Finish and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Start // Finish Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2017-04-28 and 2020-08-13. Illustrated by Magali Villeneuve.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2017-04-28	Amonkhet	AKH		215	2015	Aftermath	Black	Magali Villeneuve
2	2020-08-13	Amonkhet Remastered	AKR		264	2015	Aftermath	Black	Magali Villeneuve

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Start // Finish 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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2017-04-18	A spell with aftermath cast from a graveyard will always be exiled afterward, whether it resolves, it’s countered, or it leaves the stack in some other way.
2017-04-18	All split cards have two card faces on a single card, and you put a split card onto the stack with only the half you’re casting. The characteristics of the half of the card you didn’t cast are ignored while the spell is on the stack. For example, if an effect prevents you from casting green spells, you can cast Destined of Destined // Lead, but not Lead.
2017-04-18	Each split card has two names. If an effect instructs you to choose a card name, you may choose one, but not both.
2017-04-18	Each split card is a single card. For example, if you discard one, you’ve discarded one card, not two. If an effect counts the number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard, Destined // Lead counts once, not twice.
2017-04-18	If another effect allows you to cast a split card with aftermath from a graveyard, you may cast either half. If you cast the half that has aftermath, you’ll exile the card if it would leave the stack.
2017-04-18	If another effect allows you to cast a split card with aftermath from any zone other than a graveyard, you can’t cast the half with aftermath.
2017-04-18	If you cast the first half of a split card with aftermath during your turn, you’ll have priority immediately after it resolves. You can cast the half with aftermath from your graveyard before any player can take any other action if it’s legal for you to do so.
2017-04-18	Split cards with aftermath have a new frame treatment—the half you can cast from your hand is oriented the same as other cards you’d cast from your hand, while the half you can cast from your graveyard is a traditional split card half. This frame treatment is for your convenience and has no rules significance.
2017-04-18	While not on the stack, the characteristics of a split card are the combination of its two halves. For example, Destined // Lead is a green and black card, it is both an instant card and a sorcery card, and its converted mana cost is 6. This means that if an effect allows you to cast a card with converted mana cost 2 from your hand, you can’t cast Destined. This is a change from the previous rules for split cards.
2017-07-14	Once you’ve started to cast a spell with aftermath from your graveyard, the card is immediately moved to the stack. Opponents can’t try to stop the ability by exiling the card with an effect such as that of Crook of Condemnation.