Ral, Storm Conduit MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Planeswalker — Ral
Abilities Scry
Loyalty 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Ral’s ability to copy instants and sorceries can dominate the game, creating card advantage.
  2. His minus two loyalty ability accelerates gameplay, unleashing powerful spell combinations.
  3. Requires strategic mana allocation but provides invaluable instant-speed play options.

Text of card

Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, Ral, Storm Conduit deals 1 damage to target opponent or planeswalker.
+2: Scry 1.
-2: When you cast your next instant or sorcery spell this turn, copy that spell. You may choose new targets for the copy.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ral, Storm Conduit offers a static ability that can repeatedly copy spells, effectively multiplying your chances to pull from your deck and control the flow of the game.

Resource Acceleration: His -2 loyalty ability acts as an engine to turn any instant or sorcery spell into a potent double cast, accelerating your game plan by unleashing multiple effects at once. This can often lead to a cascade of actions that can overwhelm an opponent with resources.

Instant Speed: Ral can turn many of your spells into instant-speed threats, giving you the flexibility to respond to opponents’ moves on their turn, all while potentially setting up for your win condition or disrupting theirs. This strategic advantage ensures that you’re always in the game, ready to react and adapt at a moment’s notice.


Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Ral, Storm Conduit requires both blue and red mana to cast, necessitating a commitment to those colors and potentially restricting deck building flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a four-mana cost, including two colored mana, Ral, Storm Conduit might come into play later than other impactful cards in the same mana range, possibly slowing down your game tempo.

Discard Requirement: Although not directly requiring a discard, Ral’s dependency on casting multiple spells to maximize his potential can deplete your hand quickly, acting as an indirect tax on your available resources.


Reasons to Include Ral Storm Conduit in Your Collection

Versatility: Ral Storm Conduit slides effortlessly into a myriad of deck archetypes that thrive on instants and sorceries. It amplifies spell-slinging strategies and can act as both a win condition and a value engine for any deck looking to cast multiple spells in a single turn.

Combo Potential: Ral’s passive ability to ping an opponent each time you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell opens the door to various combo possibilities. Pairing him with spells that copy themselves can lead to an unending loop, dealing lethal damage to your adversaries out of nowhere.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state that rewards casting numerous spells and seeks to outpace opponents with clever combos, Ral Storm Conduit holds its ground. It fits particularly well in meta environments that welcome prowess-like mechanics and rewards players for building around his unique set of abilities.


How to beat

Ral, Storm Conduit is an impactful planeswalker that can turn the tide of a game in MTG if left unchecked. His passive ability pairs dangerously with instants and sorceries, particularly when an infinite combo is established, leading to a victory loop. To counteract Ral’s strategy, disruption is key. Employing instant-speed spells that can remove or counteract Ral’s abilities is critical.

Targeted removal such as Murderous Rider can eliminate Ral before his loyalty becomes a threat. Counterspells like Negate or Dovin’s Veto are also instrumental as they can interrupt the pivotal spells that Ral’s controller is aiming to duplicate. Furthermore, creatures with abilities that can deactivate planeswalker abilities or deal direct damage to them, such as Questing Beast or Fry, can offer a more aggressive approach to handling Ral. Ultimately, maintaining board presence and applying consistent pressure often prevents Ral’s controller from setting up the required combo, keeping the conduit of storms in check. By being proactive and responsive, an MTG player can ensure that Ral’s influence on the battlefield is as fleeting as a passing storm.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the depths of MTG strategy is vital for any player looking to make a mark. Ral, Storm Conduit is a testament to this, offering unique advantages and requiring adept know-how to wield effectively. Maximizing the potential of your decks through insightful card choices and synergy is essential, and Ral is a prime example of a card that can augment your strategies with spell copying finesse. We encourage you to dive deeper into the strategic intricacies that Ral presents. For those intrigued by spell-slinging dynamics and the thrill of combo-driven victories, explore more with us. Empower your collection and gameplay—a new level of mastery awaits.


Cards like Ral, Storm Conduit

Ral, Storm Conduit is a pivotal piece in spell-slinging decks within Magic: The Gathering. Its closest counterparts are planeswalkers like Saheeli, Sublime Artificer, and Niv-Mizzet, Parun. Ral stands out with its ability to copy spells and deal direct damage to any target, which amplifies its allure in decks with plenty of instants and sorceries.

Distinctively, Ral’s passive ability presents an incremental damage strategy whenever a player casts or copies an instant or sorcery spell, reminiscent of Niv-Mizzet’s draw-dependent damage. However, Niv-Mizzet requires a heavier mana investment and hinges its effect on card draw. Saheeli’s focus, contrarily, is on creating servo tokens with each noncreature spell cast, offering a broader synergistic reach to artifact-centric strategies as opposed to Ral’s spell-copying finesse.

Given these comparisons, Ral, Storm Conduit carves out a robust niche for combo enthusiasts in Magic: The Gathering, permitting cascades of spells to become lethal volleys. Its unique position in the pantheon of red-blue archetype planeswalkers ensures it remains a compelling choice for players looking to craft spell-heavy, dynamic playstyles.

Saheeli, Sublime Artificer - MTG Card versions
Niv-Mizzet, Parun - MTG Card versions
Saheeli, Sublime Artificer - War of the Spark (WAR)
Niv-Mizzet, Parun - Guilds of Ravnica Promos (PGRN)

Cards similar to Ral, Storm Conduit by color, type and mana cost

Saheeli, Filigree Master - MTG Card versions
Ral Zarek - MTG Card versions
Saheeli, the Gifted - MTG Card versions
Saheeli, Filigree Master - The Brothers' War Promos (PBRO)
Ral Zarek - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Saheeli, the Gifted - Commander 2018 Oversized (OC18)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ral, Storm Conduit MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Magic Online Promos, 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 Ral, Storm Conduit and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ral, Storm Conduit Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2019-05-03 and 2019-12-02. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 779652015normalblackWesley Burt
22002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 722312015normalblackNaochika Morishita
32019-05-03War of the SparkWAR 211★2015normalblackNaochika Morishita
42019-05-03War of the SparkWAR 2112015normalblackWesley Burt
52019-05-04War of the Spark PromosPWAR 211p2015normalblackWesley Burt
62019-05-04War of the Spark PromosPWAR 211s2015normalblackWesley Burt
72019-05-04War of the Spark PromosPWAR 211s★2015normalblackNaochika Morishita
82019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 5232015normalblackWesley Burt

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ral, Storm Conduit has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-05-03 If an effect copies a spell multiple times, as Finale of Promise may, Ral’s first ability triggers that many times.
2019-05-03 If the spell that’s copied has damage divided as it was cast, the division can’t be changed (although the targets receiving that damage still can). The same is true of spells that distribute counters.
2019-05-03 If the spell that’s copied is modal (that is, it says “Choose one —” or the like), the copy created by Ral’s last ability will have the same mode or modes. You can’t choose different ones.
2019-05-03 Some spells instruct you to “copy target instant or sorcery spell.” Because a spell is never a legal target for itself, you can’t cast such a spell targeting itself to create a loop that causes Ral’s first ability over and over.
2019-05-03 The copies that Ral’s last ability creates are created on the stack, so they’re not “cast.” Abilities that trigger when a player casts a spell won’t trigger.
2019-05-03 You can’t choose to pay any additional costs for the copy created by Ral’s last ability. However, effects based on any additional costs that were paid for the original spell are copied as though those same costs were paid for the copy too.
2019-06-14 If an effect copies a card rather than a spell (such as that of God-Eternal Kefnet), this doesn’t cause Ral’s first ability to trigger. That ability will trigger if you cast the copy, however.

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