Trail of the Mage-Rings MTG Card
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Plane — Vryn |
| Released | 2018-12-25 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Planechase Anthology Planes |
| Set code | OPCA |
| Number | 80 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Planar |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Vincent Proce |
Text of card
Instant and sorcery spells have rebound. (The spell's controller exiles the spell as it resolves if he or she cast it from his or her hand. At the beginning of that player's next upkeep, he or she may cast that card from exile without paying its mana cost.) Whenever you roll {Chaos}, you may search your library for an instant or sorcery card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
Cards like Trail of the Mage-Rings
Trail of the Mage-Rings stands out in the world of Magic: The Gathering as an enchantment that weaves a unique twist into gameplay. Similar enchantments, like Kasmina’s Transmutation, also change the dynamics of creatures on the battlefield. Kasmina’s Transmutation, however, permanently transforms a creature, reducing its ability to impact the game, whereas Trail of the Mage-Rings has the potential to modify the game turn after turn.
Comparably, Metamorphic Alteration is another enchantment that shares some traits with Trail of the Mage-Rings, as it can also alter creature abilities. But unlike Trail of the Mage-Rings, which affects multiple creatures, Metamorphic Alteration targets a single creature and turns it into a copy of another creature. This provides a stark contrast in terms of widespread influence during a match.
When it comes to infusing the game with a persistent effect, Trail of the Mage-Rings provides a broader scope of influence, affecting multiple creatures and enhancing player strategy each turn. This makes it a considerable option for players looking to amplify creature performance across the board.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Trail of the Mage-Rings offers the strategic benefit of sifting through the top portion of your library. By selectively choosing your draws, you increase the likelihood of accessing key elements within your deck, enhancing your overall card quality during gameplay.
Resource Acceleration: This card enables you to untap multiple lands, potentially skyrocketing your available mana in a single turn. This boost can be decisive, especially when setting up for high-cost spells or needing to respond with impactful plays rapidly.
Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Trail of the Mage-Rings at instant speed cannot be overstated. Such versatility allows you to adapt to evolving board states fluidly, respond promptly to opponents’ actions, and potentially gain significant strategic advantages, all on the fly.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While activating the prowess of Trail of the Mage-Rings promises powerful magic, it comes with the steep price of discarding a card. This requirement can pose a significant drawback during gameplay, especially when your hand is already depleted, forcing a choice between holding on to precious resources or enabling a potentially beneficial effect.
Specific Mana Cost: Wielding the power of Trail of the Mage-Rings is not without its restrictions, as it demands a particular combination of mana types for casting. This specificity narrows the scope of decks that can readily accommodate the card, potentially excluding it from diverse mana base strategies where its alignment is not a perfect fit.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The magic held within Trail of the Mage-Rings does not come cheaply, possessing a mana cost that is substantial when weighed against other options in the same category. Savvy players might find that investing in the cost for the effect provided by this card may not always align with an efficient strategy, as other spellcards could offer similar benefits at a more economical rate.
Reasons to Include Trail of the Mage-Rings in Your Collection
Versatility: Trail of the Mage-Rings is a card that can slip into a variety of deck builds with ease. Its ability to filter and manipulate the top of your deck ensures that you have the right tools at the right time, no matter the strategy you’re pursuing.
Combo Potential: This card shines in decks designed around casting a flurry of spells. It has the potential to work in tandem with other cards to achieve powerful effects each turn, helping to fuel your victory through incremental advantages.
Meta-Relevance: With a constantly evolving competitive scene, Trail of the Mage-Rings holds a place by adapting well to shifts in the gameplay environment. Its deck-filtering capability can be pivotal in outmaneuvering opponents and staying one step ahead in the meta.
How to beat
Trail of the Mage-Rings presents a unique challenge as it offers incremental advantages to its controller. This card features prominently in decks built around spell-slinging, steadily bolstering the power of each cast spell. However, like all MTG cards, there are strategic ways to mitigate its impact on the game. One approach is to prioritize the removal of enchantments, utilizing cards like Disenchant that can directly target Trail of the Mage-Rings. Denying your opponent this source of repeatable value is crucial.
Moreover, focusing on aggressive strategies can outpace the benefits provided by Trail of the Mage-Rings. Decks that can apply early pressure and reduce the opponent’s life total before they can fully harness the power of the card hold a distinct advantage. Furthermore, decks that limit the number of spells cast or utilize countermagic can also effectively dampen the impact of this card, as they prevent the accumulation of its potency over the course of a match.
Awareness of the meta and preparedness with sideboard cards specifically designed to handle enchantments can turn the tide in your favor. In essence, prompt removal, strategic aggression, and disruption are key to overcoming the challenge posed by Trail of the Mage-Rings in an MTG setting.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Trail of the Mage-Rings MTG card by a specific set like Planechase Anthology Planes, 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 Trail of the Mage-Rings and other MTG cards:
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Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Trail of the Mage-Rings card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2012-06-01 | Rebound’s delayed triggered ability will let you cast the spell at the beginning of your next upkeep even if the game has left Trail of the Mage-Rings by then. |
| 2013-04-15 | At the beginning of your upkeep, all delayed triggered abilities created by rebound effects trigger. You may handle them in any order. If you want to cast a card this way, you do so as part of the resolution of its delayed triggered ability. Timing restrictions based on the card’s type (if it’s a sorcery) are ignored. Other restrictions are not (such as the one from Rule of Law). |
| 2013-04-15 | If a replacement effect would cause a spell with rebound that you cast from your hand to be put somewhere else instead of your graveyard (such as Leyline of the Void might), you choose whether to apply the rebound effect or the other effect as the spell resolves. |
| 2013-04-15 | If a spell has restrictions on when it can be cast (for example, “Cast -his spell] only during the declare blockers step”), those restrictions may prevent you from casting it from exile during your upkeep. |
| 2013-04-15 | If a spell moves itself into another zone as part of its resolution (as Arc Blade, All Suns’ Dawn, and Beacon of Unrest do), rebound won’t get a chance to apply. |
| 2013-04-15 | If a spell with rebound that you cast from your hand doesn’t resolve for any reason (due being countered by a spell like Cancel, or because all of its targets are illegal), rebound has no effect. The spell is simply put into your graveyard. You won’t get to cast it again next turn. |
| 2013-04-15 | If a spell you cast from your hand has both rebound and buyback (and the buyback cost was paid), you choose which effect to apply as it resolves. |
| 2013-04-15 | If you are unable to cast a card from exile this way, or you choose not to, nothing happens when the delayed triggered ability resolves. The card remains exiled for the rest of the game, and you won’t get another chance to cast the card. The same is true if the ability is countered (due to Stifle, perhaps). |
| 2013-04-15 | If you cast a card from exile this way, it will go to your graveyard when it resolves, fails to resolve, or is countered. It won’t go back to exile. |
| 2013-04-15 | If you cast a card from exile “without paying its mana cost,” you can’t pay any alternative costs. Any X in the mana cost will be 0. On the other hand, if the card has optional additional costs (such as kicker or multikicker), you may pay those when you cast the card. If the card has mandatory additional costs (such as Momentous Fall does), you must pay those if you choose to cast the card. |
| 2013-04-15 | If you cast a spell using the madness or suspend abilities, you’re casting it from exile, not from your hand. Although those spells will have rebound, the ability won’t have any effect. |
| 2013-04-15 | If you cast a spell with rebound from anywhere other than your hand (such as from your graveyard due to Sins of the Past, from your library due to cascade, or from your opponent’s hand due to Sen Triplets), rebound won’t have any effect. If you do cast it from your hand, rebound will work regardless of whether you paid its mana cost (for example, if you cast it from your hand due to Maelstrom Archangel). |
| 2013-04-15 | If you cast a spell with rebound from your hand and it resolves, it isn’t put into your graveyard. Rather, it’s exiled directly from the stack. Effects that care about cards being put into your graveyard won’t do anything. |
| 2013-04-15 | If you cast an instant or sorcery spell from your hand and it’s exiled due to rebound, the delayed triggered ability will allow you to cast it during your next upkeep even if Trail of the Mage-Rings has been turned face down by then. |
| 2013-04-15 | Multiple instances of rebound on the same spell are redundant. |
| 2013-04-15 | Rebound will have no effect on copies of spells because you don’t cast them from your hand. |
| 2013-04-15 | Similarly, if you gain control of an instant or sorcery spell with Commandeer, it will have rebound, but the ability won’t do anything because that spell wasn’t cast from your hand. |
| 2013-04-15 | The rebound effect is not optional. Each instant and sorcery spell you cast from your hand is exiled instead of being put into your graveyard as it resolves, whether you want it to be or not. Casting the spell during your next upkeep is optional, however. |
| 2013-04-15 | You’ll be able to cast a spell with flashback three times this way. First you can cast it from your hand. It will be exiled due to rebound as it resolves. Then you can cast it from exile due to rebound’s delayed triggered ability. It will be put into your graveyard as it resolves. Then you can cast it from your graveyard due to flashback. It will be exiled due to flashback as it resolves. |