Ransack MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Ransack grants players card selection power, crucial for sculpting game strategies and hand composition.
  2. The card’s instant speed allows for dynamic play, adapting to opponents’ moves for strategic advantage.
  3. Its specific mana requirements and discard cost limit its flexibility and deck compatibility.

Text of card

Look at the top five cards of target player's library. Put any number of those cards on the bottom of that library in any order and the rest on top of the library in any order.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: One key strength of Ransack is its ability to grant significant card selection power. By sifting through the top cards of your library, you’re equipped to strategically sculpt your hand and forthcoming plays.

Resource Acceleration: A card that offers the potential to jump ahead on resources — such as lands or relevant spells — can be a game-changer. Ransack delivers on this front, providing a golden opportunity to sift for key pieces that can accelerate your game plan.

Instant Speed: The versatility of instant speed cannot be overstated. With Ransack, the strategic depth of your game increases as you can respond to an opponent’s actions or end their turn efficiently, keeping your strategy fluid and adaptable.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Ransack requires a card to be discarded from your hand, which can be particularly taxing when your hand size is already whittled down. This makes the card less flexible during moments when every card in hand counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Ransack comes with a specific mana cost that necessitates at least one black mana. This inflexibility may deter decks not deeply invested in black mana from including it in their strategies, limiting its utility across various types of decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Charging two and two black mana, Ransack’s cost is on the steeper side for its effect. This can affect your tempo, especially when up against quicker decks that capitalize on more cost-effective disruptions or card advantage strategies.


Reasons to Include Ransack in Your Collection

Versatility: Ransack is a nuanced addition that can suit a variety of deck types due to its ability to navigate through your deck, ensuring a smoother draw of necessary cards.

Combo Potential: This card shines in synergy with strategies that benefit from card sifting, setting up the perfect conditions for powerful combos or recovering key components from your deck.

Meta-Relevance: With the shifting landscape of the meta, Ransack maintains relevance as it can adapt to various opponents by filtering through undesirable draws and enhancing consistency in your play.


How to beat Ransack

Ransack is recognized among players for its disruptive capability in a game of Magic: The Gathering. This intriguing card forces a player to reveal their hand and discards a nonland card from it. It’s a direct hit to your opponent’s strategy, potentially removing a key piece before they have the chance to play it. To effectively neutralize the threat posed by Ransack, one must adopt versatile and preventive measures within their deck construction and play style.

Implementing abundant card draw effects in your deck can cushion the impact of Ransack, ensuring that your hand remains full and minimizing the odds of losing critical cards. Running cards with Flashback or other abilities that function from the graveyard can also turn the apparent disadvantage of discarding into a strategic benefit. Moreover, playing with an emphasis on redundancy of vital cards can reduce the negative implications of discarding, safeguarding your game plan against a Ransack. Most importantly, understanding the timing and anticipating when your opponent may deploy this disruptive card allows you to hold back on key plays until the coast is clear.

Through smart deck building and strategic play that counts on recovering from hand disruption, players can effectively diminish the impact that Ransack has during a duel. Awareness and preparedness are key in mitigating its potentially game-swinging effect.


Cards like Ransack

Ransack stands out in the pantheon of destruction spells in MTG, bearing likeness to notable cards that cater to disrupting opponents’ strategies. It finds companionship with the likes of Stone Rain and Molten Rain, which are classic spells capable of obliterating lands from the game. Stone Rain simply demolishes a land, making it a straightforward choice for land destruction decks, while Molten Rain has the added kick of dealing damage if the demolished land was nonbasic.

Considering Pillage, it’s almost a cousin to Ransack, also disrupting land but with the perk of being able to target artifacts as well. This dual functionality adds an edge in versatility compared to the single-minded Ransack. However, Ransack’s lower casting cost makes it enticing for a more aggressive strategy or when the aim is to quickly unsettle an opponent’s mana base early in the game.

Comparando strategic options, Ransack holds its ground as a cost-efficient choice within MTG’s land destruction tactics. It might not have the additional damage or wider target range like its peers, but for players seeking a swift upset to opponents’ plans, Ransack is an arrow worth having in their quiver.

Stone Rain - MTG Card versions
Molten Rain - MTG Card versions
Pillage - MTG Card versions
Stone Rain - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Molten Rain - Mirrodin (MRD)
Pillage - Alliances (ALL)

Cards similar to Ransack by color, type and mana cost

Juxtapose - MTG Card versions
Baki's Curse - MTG Card versions
Touch of Brilliance - MTG Card versions
Polymorph - MTG Card versions
Diminishing Returns - MTG Card versions
Counterintelligence - MTG Card versions
Rhystic Scrying - MTG Card versions
Wash Out - MTG Card versions
Dematerialize - MTG Card versions
Deep Analysis - MTG Card versions
Tempted by the Oriq - MTG Card versions
Inscription of Insight - MTG Card versions
Airborne Aid - MTG Card versions
Peer Pressure - MTG Card versions
Mouth to Mouth - MTG Card versions
Sift - MTG Card versions
Distant Melody - MTG Card versions
Sleep - MTG Card versions
Argivian Restoration - MTG Card versions
Vivisection - MTG Card versions
Juxtapose - Masters Edition (ME1)
Baki's Curse - Homelands (HML)
Touch of Brilliance - Portal Second Age (P02)
Polymorph - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Diminishing Returns - Masters Edition (ME1)
Counterintelligence - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Rhystic Scrying - Prophecy (PCY)
Wash Out - IDW Comics 2014 (PI14)
Dematerialize - Odyssey (ODY)
Deep Analysis - Commander Masters (CMM)
Tempted by the Oriq - Strixhaven: School of Mages Promos (PSTX)
Inscription of Insight - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Airborne Aid - Onslaught (ONS)
Peer Pressure - Onslaught (ONS)
Mouth to Mouth - Unhinged (UNH)
Sift - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Distant Melody - Wilds of Eldraine Commander (WOC)
Sleep - Magic 2011 (M11)
Argivian Restoration - The List (PLST)
Vivisection - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ransack MTG card by a specific set like Stronghold and Starter 1999, 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 Ransack and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ransack Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1998-03-02 and 1999-07-01. Illustrated by Ron Spencer.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11998-03-02StrongholdSTH 391997normalblackRon Spencer
21999-07-01Starter 1999S99 471997normalwhiteRon Spencer

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ransack has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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