Carnage Altar MTG Card

Zendikar (ZEN)
2009-10-02 - Number 198

Commander 2013 (C13)
2013-11-01 - Number 238

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact

Key Takeaways

Turns surplus creatures into valuable draw power, enhancing strategic flexibility.
Activates at instant speed, enabling reaction to opponents’ moves for advantage.
Demands creature sacrifice, posing a challenge against control-heavy decks.

Text of card

, Sacrifice a creature: Draw a card.

"In these bloodstains I will find the fingerprints of our oppressors." —Anowon, the Ruin Sage

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Carnage Altar provides consistent opportunities to turn excess creatures or tokens that are otherwise of low value into fresh draws, which can help you pull ahead with more options and responses.

Resource Acceleration: When facing a stalled board or in need of specific non-creature spells, this artifact gives you the flexibility to use creatures as a resource, thereby potentially accelerating your plays and strategy. It can be particularly powerful in decks that generate a lot of creature tokens.

Instant Speed: This artifact’s ability can be activated at instant speed, offering strategic depth and surprise factor. It can be utilised in response to an opponent’s removal, effectively exchanging a creature that would be destroyed for a new card and minimizing loss.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Carnage Altar demands you sacrifice a creature as part of its activation cost, which could be a significant setback if you’re unable to maintain a robust board presence or are up against control decks that limit your creature count.

Specific Mana Cost: Although the altar itself requires generic mana, repeatedly using its ability can swiftly deplete your mana pool, making it imperative to have a well-structured mana base to sustain both the activation cost and your overall game strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While sacrificing a creature to draw a card can offer some card advantage, the three mana required per activation is substantial. In formats where efficiency is key, there are alternative options for card draw or sacrifice outlets that might be more mana-efficient or provide additional utility.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Carnage Altar serves as a utility card that can be integrated into a variety of decks, particularly those looking for a reliable sacrifice outlet. Its ability to convert creatures into card draw ensures that it has a place in decks that may operate within creature-heavy metas or those leveraging graveyard strategies.

Combo Potential: This card can be a key piece in combo decks that harness the benefits of sacrificing creatures. Whether it’s to fuel delve mechanics, enable death-triggered abilities, or empower cards that count creatures in the graveyard, Carnage Altar’s simple activation cost allows for flexibility in executing complex strategies.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where creature removal is prevalent, having Carnage Altar means you can repurpose your threatened creatures into card advantage, sustaining your hand resources and maintaining pressure on your opponents.

How to beat

Carnage Altar is a versatile artifact that can be found in many Magic: The Gathering decks. This card offers a dependable sacrifice outlet, allowing players to convert creatures on the battlefield into card advantage. With its activation cost requiring the sacrifice of a creature, the key to countering this card lies in strategic creature management and timing.

To effectively combat Carnage Altar, players should minimize the number of creatures they control that are expendable, thus limiting the available targets for the altar’s ability. Employing instant-speed removal spells can disrupt the timing of the sacrifice, leaving your opponent unable to utilize the altar effectively. Additionally, artifact destruction spells or abilities that target artifacts directly can remove Carnage Altar from the field, severing this card advantage engine at its root.

Remember, while Carnage Altar may offer your opponent a steady stream of new cards, with patient play and precise responses, it can be rendered just another piece of metal on the battlefield. Control the creature flow, and Carnage Altar’s effect on the game can be significantly diminished, or better yet, turned into a liability for the opposing strategist.

Cards like Carnage Altar

Carnage Altar is a versatile sacrificial artifact in Magic the Gathering, comparable to other cards that capitalize on the self-sacrifice strategy. Standing side by side with the likes of Ashnod’s Altar, Carnage Altar allows players to trade creatures on the battlefield for an advantageous outcome. Ashnod’s Altar, however, is more efficient mana-wise, providing two colorless mana with each creature sacrificed at no additional cost.

Phyrexian Altar is another card that shares a similar function, offering mana generation instead of card draw when a creature is sacrificed. While Phyrexian Altar helps in mana fixing by providing one mana of any color, Carnage Altar focuses solely on bolstering your hand by drawing cards. It’s a crucial difference, tailoring each card to specific deck strategies, with Carnage Altar leaning more toward decks hungry for card advantage.

In the context of gaining immediate card resources, Altar’s Reap presents itself as a more direct comparison. It’s a single-use instant that allows sacrificing a creature to draw two cards at a lower cost. Unlike Carnage Altar, it doesn’t offer a repeatable effect but can be more of a surprise element during critical moments in the game.

Cards similar to Carnage Altar by color, type and mana cost

Water Gun Balloon Game - MTG Card versions

Winter Orb - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)

Ankh of Mishra - Collectors' Edition (CED)

Emerald Medallion - Commander Anthology (CMA)

Cursed Totem - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)

Tsabo's Web - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)

Swiftfoot Boots - The Brothers' War Retro Artifacts (BRR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Carnage Altar MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar and Commander 2013, 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 Carnage Altar and other MTG cards: