Volrath's Dungeon MTG Card

Strengthens tactics by disrupting hands and enhancing graveyard-based plays through instant disruption. Requires careful play as it demands self-discard, constraining its utility and risking card advantage. Combines well with decks that utilize discarded cards, magnifying its strategic depth significantly.

Exodus (EXO)
1998-06-15 - Number 78

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number EXO-78

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Rare
Type	Enchantment

Text of card

Any player may pay 5 life during his or her turn to destroy Volrath's Dungeon. Choose and discard a card: Target player chooses a card in his or her hand and puts that card on top of his or her library. Play this ability as a sorcery.

Cards like Volrath's Dungeon

Volrath’s Dungeon, a unique card in the trading card game Magic: The Gathering, shares similarities with interactive enchantments that manipulate players’ hands and decisions. Like Painful Quandary, it enforces a choice on the opponent, though Painful Quandary’s effect is more immediate, affecting the opponent every time they cast a spell. Whereas Volrath’s Dungeon allows the freedom to choose when to discard, Painful Quandary charges a specific cost – either five life or discarding a card.

Comparably, Bottomless Pit establishes a steady pressure with its forced discard during each player’s upkeep, indiscriminate of the player’s choices. Volrath’s Dungeon, on the other hand, turns the screws by giving the owner control over opponents’ hands albeit at the cost of life points to activate its ability. Then there’s Cunning Lethemancer, offering a regular discard effect during your upkeep, which parallels Volrath’s Dungeon’s capacity to disrupt hand strategies, but without the immediate tactical usage and life cost attached to Volrath’s Dungeon.

In summary, while there are enchantments with similar thematic effects as Volrath’s Dungeon in Magic: The Gathering, this card distinguishes itself through the tactical agency it grants to the caster, tightroping the boundaries of strategy and life point sacrifice.

Cards similar to Volrath's Dungeon by color, type and mana cost

Feast of the Unicorn - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Volrath’s Dungeon enables you to disrupt your opponent’s hand while potentially filling your own graveyard with cards that can be advantageous for strategies involving recursion or threshold effects.

Resource Acceleration: By dictating the pace at which both players discard cards, you can indirectly accelerate your resources. This synergizes well with decks that capitalize on high graveyard counts or require specific types of cards in the graveyard to unlock their full potential.

Instant Speed: While Volrath’s Dungeon itself is an enchantment, its activation ability can be used at instant speed. This aspect of the card gives you the flexibility to wait until the most tactical moment to force a discard, often catching your opponent off-guard and disrupting their strategy mid-turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Volrath’s Dungeon requires you to potentially sacrifice card advantage. When activating the ability to force an opponent to exile a card from their hand, you too must discard, which can deplete your hand quickly if not managed wisely.

Specific Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes both black and generic mana, Volrath’s Dungeon may not seamlessly fit into decks that aren’t tailored to a black mana base, possibly restricting its versatility across various MTG strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The need for a total of three mana to invest in a card whose impact on the game is often incremental rather than immediate may feel steep. For the same mana investment, there may be alternatives that offer more dynamic or immediate effects on the game state.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Volrath’s Dungeon offers adaptability in decks looking to manipulate both players’ hands. Its ability to force discards can be universally applied regardless of your opponent’s strategy.

Combo Potential: This card shines when used in tandem with strategies that benefit from opponents discarding cards or ones that capitalize on knowing your opponent’s hand, helping to form devastating combinations.

Meta-Relevance: In game environments where hand disruption is key, Volrath’s Dungeon can be a critical asset. Its enduring relevance in various meta scenarios ensures that it continues to be a useful tool against a wide array of decks.

How to beat Volrath’s Dungeon

Volrath’s Dungeon is an intriguing card that allows players to force their opponents into difficult decisions. With its capability to make an opponent discard cards by completing specific, self-imposed challenges, it can potentially disrupt an opponent’s strategy. However, there are ways to outmaneuver its confinements and turn the tide to your advantage.

To effectively counter this card, consider deploying strategies that benefit from or mitigate card disadvantage. Utilizing cards that have flashback or other abilities that can be activated from the graveyard can blunt the impact of the dungeon’s discard effect. Moreover, embrace the idea of redundancy in your deck construction. By including multiple copies of key cards or similar effects, you diminish the dungeon’s potency as your essential strategies are not easily thwarted by a single discard.

Another successful avenue is to accelerate the pace of your game. Playing aggressive creatures or deploying quick spells can surpass the dungeon’s ability to control the game. By putting pressure on your opponent, you force them to contend with imminent threats rather than meticulously planning their dungeon traps. Finally, leaning into card advantage can overcome the temporary setback of discarding, ensuring you have the resources needed to outlast and defeat Volrath’s intricate labyrinth.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Volrath's Dungeon MTG card by a specific set like Exodus and The List, 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 Volrath's Dungeon and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Volrath's Dungeon Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1998-06-15 and 1998-06-15. Illustrated by Stephen Daniele.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1998-06-15	Exodus	EXO		78	1997	Normal	Black	Stephen Daniele
2	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST		EXO-78	1997	Normal	Black	Stephen Daniele

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Volrath's Dungeon has restrictions

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