Memorial to War MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
RarityUncommon
TypeLand

Key Takeaways

  1. Enables control over game tempo by destroying critical lands, crucial for targeted disruption.
  2. Demanding activation criteria can be restrictive, requiring careful deck integration.
  3. Highly strategic in certain metas, excels in decks designed for land disruption.

Text of card

Memorial to War enters the battlefield tapped. : Add . , , Sacrifice Memorial to War: Destroy target land.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Memorial to War provides strategic depth in deck construction. When sacrificed, it forces a land destruction play, potentially setting your opponent back and giving you an edge in developing board control.

Resource Acceleration: Despite not directly producing additional mana, the ability to destroy an opponent’s crucial land can indirectly accelerate your resource advantage by hindering their mana development and opening a avenue for your plays to dominate the game.

Instant Speed: The versatility of Memorial to War’s land destruction ability comes at the cost of being usable only at sorcery speed. However, this allows for calculated plays during your main phase that can be game-changing when timed correctly, especially if it disrupts your opponent’s mana base before a crucial turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Memorial to War necessitates a notable sacrifice. For its land destruction ability to be used, another land must be committed. This can become a hindrance, especially when the pace of the game accelerates and every land drop counts.

Specific Mana Cost: The cost to activate Memorial to War’s ability is stringent, demanding not only a substantial commitment of resources but also specifically red mana. This limitation can deter inclusion in multicolored decks that might struggle with color consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The five mana required to utilize its land-razing ability is steep, particularly when considering the landscape of available options. Other cards with destructive capabilities come at a lower resource cost, potentially offering similar or greater strategic advantage without the significant investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Memorial to War provides land flexibility in red-centered decks, allowing for color fixing while also having the option to disrupt opponents’ mana bases at a crucial time.

Combo Potential: This card offers a strategic edge by pairing well with land destruction strategies or graveyard-recursion mechanics, amplifying the potential to hamper your opponent’s game plan.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where land-dependent combos are prevalent, Memorial to War becomes an essential tool, offering the ability to dismantle intricate land-based strategies with pinpoint timing.


How to beat

Memorial to War is a unique land card with the potential to disrupt your opponent’s mana base in MTG. This colorless land stands out due to its ability to destroy target lands at the right moment, making it quite the strategic piece in the late game. That said, there are several approaches to mitigating its impact and maintaining the upper hand.

Considering that Memorial to War requires a sacrifice as part of its activation cost, land recursion strategies are one way to bounce back. Cards like Crucible of Worlds allow players to continuously play lands from their graveyard, therefore offsetting the destruction caused by Memorial to War. Ensuring a strong mana base with lands that can produce multiple colors of mana might also dilute the effect of having a single land destroyed. Moreover, employing instant-speed land search spells like Crop Rotation before the land destruction ability resolves will help maintain access to vital mana sources.

Lastly, aggressive land count increase, such as ramping mechanisms prominent in green decks, can overextend your land presence beyond what Memorial to War can effectively handle. In conclusion, while Memorial to War brings a tactical edge to land destruction, astute deck building and clever play can effectively nullify its threat.


Cards like Memorial to War

Memorial to War plays a unique role in Magic: The Gathering as a land with the ability to disrupt opponents’ strategies. It’s reminiscent of Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin, both of which can destroy lands. However, unlike these options, Memorial to War requires a sacrifice, and it also taps for colorless mana without any additional cost.

Comparatively, Tectonic Edge is another land with a similar purpose. While it can also destroy a land, it only targets nonbasic lands and has a usage restriction based on the number of lands an opponent controls, making Memorial to War more flexible in certain situations. Furthermore, Crumbling Vestige adds mana of any color once, while offering no land destruction, proving the strategic value Memorial to War can offer by affecting the board state directly.

In summary, Memorial to War finds its niche within MTG by combining the utility of land cards that can generate mana with the tactical advantage of land destruction, an asset for any deck focused on control and resource denial.

Ghost Quarter - MTG Card versions
Field of Ruin - MTG Card versions
Tectonic Edge - MTG Card versions
Crumbling Vestige - MTG Card versions
Ghost Quarter - Dissension (DIS)
Field of Ruin - Ixalan (XLN)
Tectonic Edge - Worldwake (WWK)
Crumbling Vestige - Oath of the Gatewatch (OGW)

Cards similar to Memorial to War by color, type and mana cost

Mountain - MTG Card versions
Dwarven Ruins - MTG Card versions
Dormant Volcano - MTG Card versions
Sandstone Needle - MTG Card versions
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle - MTG Card versions
Ghitu Encampment - MTG Card versions
Vivid Crag - MTG Card versions
Blighted Gorge - MTG Card versions
Snow-Covered Mountain - MTG Card versions
Forgotten Cave - MTG Card versions
Castle Embereth - MTG Card versions
Desert of the Fervent - MTG Card versions
Kazuul's Fury // Kazuul's Cliffs - MTG Card versions
Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge - MTG Card versions
Spikefield Hazard // Spikefield Cave - MTG Card versions
Shivan Gorge - MTG Card versions
Flamekin Village - MTG Card versions
Goblin Burrows - MTG Card versions
Den of the Bugbear - MTG Card versions
Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance - MTG Card versions
Mountain - Bloomburrow (BLB)
Dwarven Ruins - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Dormant Volcano - Visions (VIS)
Sandstone Needle - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Ghitu Encampment - Tenth Edition (10E)
Vivid Crag - Commander 2013 (C13)
Blighted Gorge - Battle for Zendikar (BFZ)
Snow-Covered Mountain - MTG Arena Promos (PANA)
Forgotten Cave - Modern Horizons (MH1)
Castle Embereth - Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate (CLB)
Desert of the Fervent - Commander 2020 (C20)
Kazuul's Fury // Kazuul's Cliffs - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Spikefield Hazard // Spikefield Cave - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Shivan Gorge - The List (PLST)
Flamekin Village - The List (PLST)
Goblin Burrows - The List (PLST)
Den of the Bugbear - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms (AFR)
Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Promos (PNEO)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Memorial to War MTG card by a specific set like Dominaria and Commander Legends, 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 Memorial to War and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Memorial to War Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2018-04-27 and 2020-11-20. Illustrated by Richard Wright.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12018-04-27DominariaDOM 2462015normalblackRichard Wright
22020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 4862015normalblackRichard Wright

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Memorial to War has restrictions

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

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