Forbidden Ritual MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Rare
Type	Sorcery
Released	1997-02-03
Set symbol
Set name	Visions
Set code	VIS
Number	60
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Christopher Rush

Key Takeaways

Grants card advantage, crucial for maintaining strategic options and game pressure.
Accelerates resources, changing tempo and allowing for faster, impactful plays.
Instant speed casting adds flexibility and the element of surprise to strategies.

Text of card

Sacrifice a card in play: Target opponent loses 2 life unless he or she sacrifices a permanent or chooses and discards a card. You may repeat this process as many times as you choose.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Forbidden Ritual grants an edge by offering access to extra cards, a crucial tactic for deck efficiency and outpacing opponents in the long game. By refilling your hand, you maintain pressure and options during play.

Resource Acceleration: This potent spell accelerates your resources, quickly advancing your board position and enabling you to cast more impactful spells sooner than ordinary play would allow. The acceleration effect can be a game-changer, adjusting the tempo in your favor.

Instant Speed: The capability to cast Forbidden Ritual at instant speed adds a layer of flexibility and surprise to your strategy. It allows you to adapt to the board state on the fly, potentially disrupting your opponent’s plans when they least expect it.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Players must discard a card when casting Forbidden Ritual, which can deplete valuable hand resources in crucial game moments.

Specific Mana Cost: Forbidden Ritual demands one black mana, potentially restricting its inclusion to decks that run heavily on black mana or require ample mana-fixing to cater to its cost.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost that includes three colorless and one black mana, Forbidden Ritual may be less favorable in situations where playing lower-cost cards could lead to more immediate or impactful developments on the board.

Reasons to Include Forbidden Ritual in Your Collection

Versatility: Forbidden Ritual is a dark horse in the realm of Magic, with its ability to disrupt opponents and offer strategic versatility. This card slips into decks that appreciate the benefits of mana acceleration and tactical spellcasting capabilities.

Combo Potential: Spells and abilities that capitalize on the sacrifice of creatures or the accruing of black mana find a perfect ally in Forbidden Ritual. Utilizing this card, players can craft game-winning combos, making it an asset for creative deckbuilders.

Meta-Relevance: Given its capacity to alter the battlefield, Forbidden Ritual keeps pace with an evolving meta. Whether you face aggressive swarms or formidable control decks, this card provides a disruptive edge that can pivot the tide of play in your favor.

How to Beat

Overcoming the challenge posed by Forbidden Ritual in Magic: The Gathering requires a strategic approach. This card is designed to impede your game plan by forcing sacrifices. Crucial to beating Forbidden Ritual is maintaining a diverse board presence. Ensuring you have expendable creatures or tokens can mitigate the loss from its effect. Additionally, instant-speed removal or counterspells like Disallow can disrupt the Ritual before it takes effect.

It is also advantageous to hold onto cards that regenerate or return creatures from the graveyard to your hand or battlefield. Cards such as Unearth or Reanimate bolster your resilience against sacrifice demands. An ability to swiftly restock the board is key, as Forbidden Ritual targets your creatures’ sustainability. Look for spells that generate multiple creatures or effects that protect them, such as Make a Stand, which can give your creatures indestructible for a turn.

Adapting your game to the possibility of facing Forbidden Ritual requires preparation and flexible tactics. Leveraging the plethora of spells that provide protection, revival, or duplication of creatures can effectively counterbalance the disruptive nature of this compelling card.

Cards like Forbidden Ritual

Forbidden Ritual steps into the realm of Magic: The Gathering as a unique artifact with a twist on mana ramp strategies. Comparably within MTG, Dark Ritual is a direct ancestor, allowing for an immediate influx in black mana. Yet, Forbidden Ritual diverges with a nuanced ability to sacrifice creatures for a multipurpose advantage.

Analogous to Forbidden Ritual’s creature-sacrifice for gain, Culling the Weak offers a single-use, explosive mana burst at the cost of a creature. However, it does not provide the continued potential for advantage that Forbidden Ritual does over several turns. Altar of Dementia serves a related function too, translating a creature’s departure into a library milling tactic rather than generating mana.

The persistent capacity to tap into creatures’ latent power for various benefits positions Forbidden Ritual intriguingly in decks that utilize creature deaths. Its strategic depth and utility in the right deck environment illustrate why certain players view Forbidden Ritual as a key component for their MTG deck building considerations.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Forbidden Ritual MTG card by a specific set like Visions, 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 Forbidden Ritual and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Forbidden Ritual has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2004-10-04	If you choose to repeat the process, you repeat the effect but do not get to pick a different target opponent.
2004-10-04	You choose the target opponent on casting.
2004-10-04	You sacrifice during resolution, not during casting.