Suffer the Past MTG Card

Exiling cards from graveyards with this instant can disrupt an opponent’s plan, offering a crucial edge. Flexible mana investment allows for adaptability, scaling with available resources at any game stage. Instant speed means it can be used reactively, a powerful surprise element in MTG strategies.

Suffer the Past - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)

Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
2010-04-23 - Number 128

Commander 2021 (C21)
2021-04-23 - Number 155

Suffer the Past - Modern Horizons 3 Commander (M3C)

Modern Horizons 3 Commander (M3C)
2024-06-14 - Number 205

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant

Text of card

Exile X target cards from target player's graveyard. For each card exiled this way, that player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Ulamog's tentacles, their touch like burning ice, rummaged through his soul and stung his memories one by one.

Cards like Suffer the Past

Suffer the Past is an intriguing utility card in the realm of graveyard manipulation and life point strategies in Magic: The Gathering. It stands in comparison to cards like Exsanguinate, which also revolves around diminishing opponent’s life total while bolstering your own. Suffer the Past offers more control, allowing you to target specific cards in a graveyard and eliminate them, a crucial strategy against decks that thrive on recursion. Exsanguinate lacks this granularity but compensates with a potential massive life swing.

Moving closer in similarity, we encounter Crypt Incursion. Like Suffer the Past, Crypt Incursion is adept at dealing with creatures in graveyards, though its focus is removal only, without the damage or life gain aspects. It’s incredibly efficient in exiling creatures but doesn’t impact the opponent’s life directly. Lastly, there’s Tormod’s Crypt, a zero-cost artifact providing a one-time graveyard sweep. While it doesn’t affect life totals, its cost-efficiency makes it a consideration for any deck concerned with graveyard disruption.

Each of these cards offers distinct capabilities, yet Suffer the Past uniquely combines direct damage with life gain and targeted graveyard hate, a combo that can be critical in turning the tide of a match in MTG.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The power to exile cards from a graveyard with Suffer the Past can be pivotal in eliminating key pieces from an opponent’s strategy. This action can provide a significant advantage as it disrupts their game plan, especially in formats where graveyard-based decks are common.

Resource Acceleration: While Suffer the Past does not directly generate additional mana or treasure, the fact that it scales with X allows for resource allocation to be perfectly adjusted. You can invest as much or as little mana as you have available to tailor the effect’s magnitude, making it adaptable and efficient at any stage of the game.

Instant Speed: As an instant, Suffer the Past offers flexibility and surprise factor, which are crucial in MTG. This means you can use it on your opponent’s turn, in response to graveyard triggers, or whenever strategic timing can yield maximum impact. Quick reactions can often turn the tide of a duel, and instant speed plays are essential for maintaining the upper hand.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging with Suffer the Past necessitates an often overhead-intensive setup. Players need to exile cards from their opponent’s graveyard and, to optimize its use, this setup is essential. Failure to meet this requirement can render the card ineffective in key moments.

Specific Mana Cost: Suffer the Past comes with a very specific mana cost, requiring both generic and black mana. This can pose a limitation in decks that are not heavily invested in black mana resources or those that are multicolored and may struggle to generate the right type of mana when needed.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment might be considered steep in the fast-paced games where efficiency is key. It is vital for players to weigh the benefits against other cards within the same mana range to ensure the best use of resources during gameplay.

Reasons to Include Suffer the Past in Your Collection

Versatility: Suffer the Past can be a dynamic addition to multiple styles of decks, particularly those that require graveyard interaction. Its utility in removing specific cards from an opponent’s graveyard while potentially providing life gain is a valuable asset in various situations.

Combo Potential: This card enables players to craft intricate combos by reducing opponents’ graveyard resources, thus disrupting their strategies. It also serves as a countermeasure against graveyard-based decks, providing an edge in those matchups.

Meta-Relevance: Against decks that heavily rely on graveyard synergy, Suffer the Past rises as an effective tool. In a game where graveyard play is integral, having this card in your collection means being prepared for the evolving dynamics of the meta.

How to beat

Suffer the Past is a powerful instant card that can impact the late game by disrupting graveyard strategies and potentially altering life totals. This versatile card can exile multiple cards from the opponent’s graveyard and cause loss of life equal to the number of cards exiled. To effectively counter Suffer the Past, it’s essential to manage your graveyard with caution, especially when your opponent has open mana and could cast this spell.

One strategy to beat Suffer the Past is proactive graveyard management. Cards like Tormod’s Crypt allow you to purge your graveyard before an opponent has a chance to target it. Additionally, cards with the Dredge mechanic let you replace your draw by self-milling, filling your graveyard with fodder for Suffer the Past, but importantly on your terms. In essence, you are in control and not at the mercy of your opponent’s strategy.

It’s also wise to diversify your win conditions and not solely depend on the graveyard as a resource. By doing so, you mitigate the damage Suffer the Past can inflict, ensuring that your deck remains resilient against such targeted graveyard hate. By adopting a flexible game plan, you stand a much better chance of overcoming the challenges posed by cards like Suffer the Past.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Suffer the Past MTG card by a specific set like Rise of the Eldrazi and Commander 2021, 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 Suffer the Past and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Suffer the Past Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2010-04-23 and 2024-06-14. Illustrated by Trevor Claxton.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2010-04-23	Rise of the Eldrazi	ROE	128	2003	Normal	Black	Trevor Claxton
2	2021-04-23	Commander 2021	C21	155	2015	Normal	Black	Trevor Claxton
3	2024-06-14	Modern Horizons 3 Commander	M3C	205	2015	Normal	Black	Trevor Claxton

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Suffer the Past has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2010-06-15	If the targeted player becomes an illegal target by the time Suffer the Past resolves but the targeted cards don’t, you still exile the cards and gain life. The player won’t be lose any life, though.
2010-06-15	Suffer the Past’s effect causes a single life-gain event, not a number of separate ones. This matters for cards such as Cradle of Vitality.
2010-06-15	The life that’s lost and the life that’s gained are based on the number of cards that are actually exiled, not on the value of X (in case any of the targeted cards somehow leave the graveyard in response and thus can’t be exiled this way).