Start from Scratch MTG Card

Start from Scratch - Strixhaven: School of Mages

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery — Lesson
Released	2021-04-23
Set symbol
Set name	Strixhaven: School of Mages
Set code	STX
Number	114
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Bayard Wu

Key Takeaways

Offers flexibility with damage or artifact removal, enhancing strategic control and hand utility.
The instant speed allows for reactive plays, creating potential game-changing moments.
Specific limitations such as mana cost and discard requirement affect deck suitability.

Text of card

Choose one — • Start from Scratch deals 1 damage to any target. • Destroy target artifact.

"I don't care what they think!" Rootha snapped. "I know I can do better."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Start from Scratch offers flexibility by allowing you to deal damage to any target or to destroy an artifact, which helps keep your hand replenished with new cards through strategic plays.

Resource Acceleration: With the ability to eliminate an opponent’s mana-producing artifacts, Start from Scratch can effectively set back their progression, indirectly accelerating your own resource advantage over time.

Instant Speed: The instant speed nature of Start from Scratch enables reactive play, giving you the freedom to respond to an opponent’s actions on their turn or making crucial game-changing decisions at the last possible moment for maximum impact.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Start from Scratch brings a unique dynamic to gameplay, but it comes with a discard requirement that demands strategic hand management. This prerequisite can prove challenging, especially when your hand is fading, and each card’s value weighs more heavily.

Specific Mana Cost: Another consideration before including this card in your deck is its specific mana cost. Tailored for decks that can generate both red and colorless mana, this card might not find a place in multi-colored or non-red dominant decks, thereby limiting its versatility across different deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When evaluating the efficiency of removal or utility spells, Start from Scratch stands on the higher end of the mana spectrum. For its ability to destroy an artifact or enable scrying, other cards might offer similar or better utility at a lower cost, making them more favorable for decks that aim for swift and efficient plays.

Reasons to Include Start from Scratch in Your Collection

Versatility: Start from Scratch offers flexibility in gameplay, allowing players to effortlessly adapt to evolving situations by either dealing with problematic artifacts or generating new cards to advance their game plan.

Combo Potential: This card holds the potential to synergize with strategies that emphasize direct damage or artifact manipulation, offering a dual route for players to explore intricate and potent combos.

Meta-Relevance: Given the tendency for artifacts to feature prominently in various deck builds, Start from Scratch proves to be particularly relevant by offering utility as both a tool for disruption and a way to draw into more impactful plays.

How to beat

Start from Scratch is a unique card in the MTG arena, joining the roster of red spells with the flexibility to either disrupt an opponent’s strategy or offer a slight card advantage. This card sets itself apart by providing an option to either deal one damage to any target, which can be key in removing an opponent’s critical one-toughness creatures early in the game, or to destroy an opponent’s artifact, which can be essential against artifact-centric decks.

To effectively overcome Start from Scratch, it’s important to minimize its impact. Avoid playing low-toughness creatures that fall right into the card’s damage range. Prioritize creatures with two or more toughness to ensure they stay on the board. Simultaneously, be judicious with your artifact plays. Consider the timing and whether you have ways to protect them or if you can afford to have them destroyed. Reducing the effectiveness of your opponent’s choices can significantly weaken the strategic advantage Start from Scratch is meant to provide.

If your strategy revolves around important artifacts or a swarm of smaller creatures, include counterspells or protective spells like Blossoming Defense to safeguard your board state. By proactively predicting the challenges Start from Scratch may present and preparing your deck accordingly, you’ll be well-positioned to ensure this card’s impact is merely a scratch on your route to victory.

Cards like Start from Scratch

Start from Scratch is a unique card within the realm of Magic: The Gathering, offering specific board control by allowing players to choose either to destroy an artifact or deal one damage to any target. This flexibility can be likened to cards such as Abrade, which also presents a choice between artifact destruction or dealing damage, albeit Abrade offers a higher damage output but lacks the modular choice of targets provided by Start from Scratch.

Another comparable card is Shattering Spree, which showcases the potential for multiple artifact destructions. While Shattering Spree is excellent for clearing out numerous threats at once and can be amplified using its replicate ability, it does not offer the direct damage capability that Start from Scratch provides, which can be crucial for removing pesky utility creatures or even closing out a game.

Moreover, Start from Scratch is part of the Learn mechanic’s lesson cards, which allows it to be fetched directly from outside the game, granting it situational adaptability that its counterparts do not possess. This grants players a tactical advantage, precisely when they need it, whether to disrupt an opponent’s strategy or to apply pressure with direct damage.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Start from Scratch MTG card by a specific set like Strixhaven: School of Mages, 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 from Scratch and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Start from Scratch 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 from Scratch card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2021-04-16	Although you may want to include Lessons in your sideboard if you’re playing with cards that instruct you to learn, Lesson cards can be included in your main deck like other instant or sorcery cards.
2021-04-16	Lesson is a spell subtype found on some instant and sorcery cards in the Strixhaven set. The Lesson subtype has no special rules associated with it.