Sanctum of Eternity MTG Card
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Land |
| Released | 2019-08-23 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Commander 2019 |
| Set code | C19 |
| Number | 59 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | normal |
| Border | black |
| Illustred by | Daniel Ljunggren |
Key Takeaways
- Sanctum of Eternity enables crucial card advantage by safely returning commanders to hand.
- Resource acceleration is amplified as commanders with impactful effects are replayed.
- Its instant speed activation provides unmatched flexibility and adaptability in-game.
Text of card
: Add . , : Return target commander you own from the battlefield to your hand. Activate this ability only during your turn.
Come and rest here, beyond the constraints of space and time.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Sanctum of Eternity offers a unique way to gain an edge by bouncing your commander back to your hand. This can be particularly advantageous if your commander has beneficial enter-the-battlefield effects or if it has become the target of removal spells. By returning it to your hand, you essentially protect your key piece and set yourself up to recast it for more impact.
Resource Acceleration: While Sanctum of Eternity does not directly produce additional mana, it allows for a significant form of resource acceleration. It facilitates replaying commanders with powerful effects, effectively doubling the use you get out of them without the need for additional mana investment in protection spells.
Instant Speed: The ability to use Sanctum of Eternity at instant speed is vital. It means that you can wait until the last possible moment to make a strategic decision, whether in response to an opponent’s action or just before your turn, giving you the flexibility to adapt to rapidly changing board states.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Sanctum of Eternity offers the unique ability to return a commander to its owner’s hand, this action requires you to discard cards equal to that commander’s mana value. This means you could be losing significant resources, especially if your commander has a high mana value, potentially putting you at a disadvantage.
Specific Mana Cost: Sanctum of Eternity requires a specific blend of mana types to be utilized effectively. Decks that are not centered around a broad mana base may find tapping for the exact colorless mana cost restrictive, limiting the utility of this card to more color-flexible decks or Commander-focused strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: At first glance, the ability to safeguard your commander may seem invaluable, but for two colorless mana, it’s important to consider alternative cards that could contribute more significantly to your game plan. There are lower-cost options or more impactful spells and abilities that you could be playing instead of holding up mana for the activation of Sanctum of Eternity.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Sanctum of Eternity’s ability to return a creature you own to your hand gives players a flexible tool for protecting their key pieces from removal, or reusing enter-the-battlefield effects. This makes it a solid inclusion in decks that rely on creature strategies.
Combo Potential: In magic, leveraging your commander’s abilities can be game-changing. Sanctum of Eternity excels in Commander format by allowing you to redeploy your commander again and again. It can be part of infinite combos or simply enable value plays multiple times throughout a game.
Meta-Relevance: As metagames often fluctuate, having an option to reuse your commander or dodge control spells keeps your strategy resilient. Sanctum of Eternity maintains relevance by providing consistency in the face of various disruption tactics, ensuring your game plan can adapt to an evolving battlefield.
How to Beat Sanctum of Eternity
Sanctum of Eternity is a notable utility land in MTG that can strategically bounce a commander back to a player’s hand. This makes it a resilient piece in commander-centric decks, allowing for the protection and reuse of key creatures. However, disrupting Sanctum of Eternity’s functionality can be crucial to gaining the upper hand against decks that rely on this card.
To effectively counteract Sanctum of Eternity, the focus should be on land destruction or control strategies. Deploy cards that can target nonbasic lands, like Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin, to remove the Sanctum from play. Alternatively, cards such as Leonin Arbiter can hinder the usage by making it costly to activate the land’s ability. Players can also take advantage of spells that switch off activated abilities like Phyrexian Revoker. Remember, timing is essential; disrupt the Sanctum of Eternity either in response to a commander being cast or anticipate when your opponent might leverage its ability to secure your advantage.
Managing to cripple the uses of Sanctum of Eternity can be a strategic turning point in a game, offering a pathway to dismantle your opponent’s strategy and lead you towards victory.
Cards like Sanctum of Eternity
Sanctum of Eternity stands out as a unique land card in Magic: The Gathering. It bears resemblance to other cards like Homeward Path, which also focuses on regaining control of your own creatures. However, Sanctum of Eternity offers the flexibility to return a commander to your hand, allowing for protection against removal or reusing enter-the-battlefield effects.
Comparing it to Command Beacon, another land with a commander-centric utility, Sanctum of Eternity doesn’t bypass commander tax but provides an immediate sanctuary, whereas Command Beacon reduces future costs by putting your commander directly into your hand from the command zone. Command Tower is another staple in commander decks, offering mana fixing by tapping for any color in your commander’s color identity, yet it lacks the creature retrieval mechanism.
Overall, Sanctum of Eternity carves a niche for itself within MTG as a safeguard for commanders, offering a strategic advantage for players who wish to protect vital pieces or capitalize on timing for the most impact. It enhances gameplay dynamics and can be a key piece in the right deck.
Cards similar to Sanctum of Eternity by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Sanctum of Eternity MTG card by a specific set like Commander 2019, 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 Sanctum of Eternity and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See Magic products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Sanctum of Eternity has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sanctum of Eternity card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2019-08-23 | If your commander isn’t on the battlefield (or if you’re not playing the Commander variant), Sanctum of Eternity’s second ability does nothing. |
| 2019-08-23 | The “commander tax” increases based on how many times a commander was cast from the command zone. Casting a commander from your hand doesn’t require that additional cost, and it doesn’t increase what the cost will be the next time you cast that commander from the command zone. |
