The Parting of the Ways MTG Card
2023-10-13 - Number 91
2023-10-13 - Number 696
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Enchantment — Saga |
Text of card
(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.) I — Exile the top five cards of your library. For each nonland card exiled this way, put a number of time counters on that card equal to its mana value. If it doesn't have suspend, it gains suspend. II — Time travel, then time travel. III — For each opponent, destroy up to one target artifact that player controls.
Cards like The Parting of the Ways
The Parting of the Ways is an intriguing card from Magic: The Gathering that deserves a spotlight. It draws parallels with cards like Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile, which are staples in the removal category. Where The Parting of the Ways makes its mark is in its flexibility, offering two modes; one that exiles a creature and another that can deal with an enchantment. Swords to Plowshares doesn’t give you that option, though it costs less and doesn’t provide the opponent any benefit like land fetching, which Path to Exile does.
There’s also Oblivion Ring, which shares exile mechanics but isn’t restricted to creatures and enchantments like The Parting of the Ways. While The Parting of the Ways requires you to make an immediate choice, Oblivion Ring allows for more versatile removal upon entering the battlefield, which can affect any nonland permanent. This does however make Oblivion Ring potentially more vulnerable to removal itself, thus freeing the exiled card.
By comparing these choices, MTG players can appraise the adaptability of The Parting of the Ways against the more focused, efficient removal options available. In certain decks, the former’s versatility might be exactly what a strategist needs to edge out the competition in a dynamic game environment.
Cards similar to The Parting of the Ways by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Parting of the Ways offers a strategic upper hand by potentially removing a nonland permanent from play, providing a clear path to disrupt your opponent’s board state.
Resource Acceleration: Not only does this card deal with threats, but it also has the potential to transform a disadvantage into an opportunity by searching for a basic land card and putting it onto the battlefield, thus accelerating your mana resources.
Instant Speed: The ability to cast The Parting of the Ways at instant speed offers flexibility to navigate complex board states, allowing you to respond to your opponent’s actions at a moment’s notice, thereby maintaining pressure and control.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Parting of the Ways requires the player to discard a card in addition to its mana cost. This can deter players from casting it when their hand size is lower, or when they are holding key pieces that they cannot afford to lose.
Specific Mana Cost: This card has a strict mana requirement, demanding both white mana and generic mana, which can be cumbersome for players not running a heavily white-focused deck or those who struggle with mana fixing.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost that requires a significant mana investment, The Parting of the Ways competes with other cards in a similar mana range that may provide more immediate board impact or versatility.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: The Parting of the Ways offers flexibility for deck building due to its unique effect of exiling an attacking creature and then allowing the player to cast that creature without paying its mana cost. This card fits perfectly in control strategies or any deck looking to leverage opponent’s strengths.
Combo Potential: With its ability to temporarily remove a threat and then turn it into an asset, this card can be a key component in combo decks. It pairs well with cards that benefit from casting creatures or utilizing exiled cards, opening the door for powerful synergies.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment where aggressive creatures dominate, The Parting of the Ways serves as a potent tool for turning the tide. Its relevance in the current meta can provide strategic advantage in matches, making it a worthwhile addition for players looking to stay ahead of the competition.
How to beat
The Parting of the Ways is a unique MTG card that offers players a strategic advantage when played correctly. Understanding how this card functions is essential to outmaneuvering an opponent who employs it. The Parting of the Ways allows a player to choose one creature each of their opponents controls. Each of those players sacrifices those creatures. Then they may choose and exile an instant or sorcery card from their graveyard.
To effectively counter this card, the most practical strategy is to maintain a diverse array of creatures on the battlefield. Preferably with different benefits upon leaving the battlefield, to minimize the potential impact of being forced to sacrifice a valuable creature. Additionally, having graveyard interaction capabilities in your deck can prevent opponents from benefiting from the secondary exile ability. This includes cards that can shuffle your graveyard back into your library or exile cards from graveyards at will.
Another tactic includes using cards that either grant your creatures indestructible until the end of the turn or can counter sorcery cards directly from your hand. By employing these strategies, The Parting of the Ways becomes less formidable, allowing you to maintain control of the game and ultimately outpace your opponent.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase The Parting of the Ways MTG card by a specific set like Doctor Who and Doctor Who, 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 The Parting of the Ways and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
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Printings
The The Parting of the Ways Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2023-10-13 and 2023-10-13. Illustrated by Syd Mills.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 91 | 2015 | Saga | Black | Syd Mills | |
| 2 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 696 | 2015 | Saga | Black | Syd Mills |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where The Parting of the Ways has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering The Parting of the Ways card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2023-10-13 | As the second triggered ability resolves, you must cast the card if able. You must do so even if it requires targets and the only legal targets are ones that you really don't want to target. Timing permissions based on the card's type are ignored. |
| 2023-10-13 | Cards exiled with suspend are exiled face up. |
| 2023-10-13 | Exiling a card with suspend isn't casting that card. This action doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to. |
| 2023-10-13 | If an effect refers to a "suspended card," that means a card that (1) has suspend, (2) is in exile, and (3) has one or more time counters on it. |
| 2023-10-13 | If the card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost. |
| 2023-10-13 | If the first triggered ability of suspend (the one that removes time counters) is countered, no time counter is removed. The ability will trigger again at the beginning of the card's owner's next upkeep. |
| 2023-10-13 | If the second triggered ability is countered, the card can't be cast. It remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it's no longer suspended. |
| 2023-10-13 | If the spell requires any targets, those targets are chosen when the spell is finally cast, not when the card is exiled. |
| 2023-10-13 | If you can't cast the card, perhaps because there are no legal targets available, it remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it's no longer suspended. |
| 2023-10-13 | If you cast a card "without paying its mana cost," such as with suspend, you can't choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those if you want to cast the card. |
| 2023-10-13 | Suspend is a keyword that represents three abilities. The first is a static ability that allows you to exile the card from your hand with the specified number of time counters (the number before the dash) on it by paying its suspend cost (listed after the dash). The second is a triggered ability that removes a time counter from the suspended card at the beginning of each of your upkeeps. The third is a triggered ability that causes you to cast the card when the last time counter is removed. If you cast a creature spell this way, it gains haste until you lose control of that creature (or, in rare cases, you lose control of the creature spell while it's on the stack). |
| 2023-10-13 | The mana value of a spell cast without paying its mana cost is determined by its mana cost, even though that cost wasn't paid. |
| 2023-10-13 | Time counters are usually found on cards with suspend and vanishing, but may be found on other cards as well. Notably, Sagas use lore counters to track their progress, not time counters. You can't move a Saga's chapters forward and backward this way. |
| 2023-10-13 | To time travel, look at each permanent you control with a time counter on it and each card you own in exile with a time counter on it. For each of them, you choose whether you want to put a time counter on that card or permanent, remove a time counter from it, or do neither. Then those changes all happen simultaneously. |
| 2023-10-13 | When the last time counter is removed, the second triggered ability of suspend (the one that lets you cast the card) triggers. It doesn't matter why the last time counter was removed or what effect removed it. |
| 2023-10-13 | You are never forced to activate mana abilities to pay costs, so if there is a mandatory additional mana cost (such as from Thalia, Guardian of Thraben), you can decline to activate mana abilities to pay for it and hence fail to cast the suspended card, leaving it in exile. |
| 2023-10-13 | You can exile a card in your hand using suspend any time you could cast that card. Consider its card type, any effects that modify when you could cast it (such as flash) and any other effects that stop you from casting it (such as from Meddling Mage's ability) to determine if and when you can do this. Whether you could actually complete all steps in casting the card is irrelevant. For example, you can exile a card with suspend that has no mana cost or that requires a target even if no legal targets are available at that time. |