Path to Exile MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 39 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityRare
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Path to Exile offers strategic creature removal at the benefit of flexible, instant-speed gameplay.
  2. The card’s trade-off can lead to opponent mana acceleration, though often worth the immediate removal effect.
  3. A staple in competitive play, its inclusion in decks cuts through creature-based strategies efficiently.

Text of card

Exile target creature. Its controller may search their library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Path to Exile transforms a potential threat on the battlefield into a basic land for your opponent. While this may seem like giving them a resource, the trade-off is often in your favor. Removing a key creature can disrupt their strategy and swing the tempo to your advantage.

Resource Acceleration: While Path to Exile does offer an opponent a land, it’s an essential trade for the immediate elimination of a significant threat. This allows you to deal with creatures that are difficult to remove through damage or those that may have detrimental effects if left on the field longer.

Instant Speed: The power of being able to cast Path to Exile at instant speed cannot be overstated. It enables reactive gameplay, allowing you to wait until the most opportune moment during your opponent’s turn. In multiturn dynamics, this flexibility is critical, potentially altering the course of the game by saving your creatures or removing an attacker without prior notice.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Path to Exile requires no discard, it grants opponents a basic land as compensation for the exiled creature, potentially accelerating their mana development and giving them a strategic advantage, especially if used early in the game.

Specific Mana Cost: Path to Exile’s mana cost is specifically one white, which means it fits primarily in decks that run white mana. This requirement can limit its inclusion in multicolored decks that may not focus on white or have consistent access to white mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Though Path to Exile’s mana cost is relatively low, it doesn’t come without a potential downside. In comparison to other one-cost removal spells, the trade-off of providing your opponent with a land is a notable strategic consideration, particularly in formats where mana efficiency is crucial.


Reasons to Include Path to Exile in Your Collection

Versatility: Path to Exile shines in its ability to adapt to various situations. This card can remove pesky blockers or key threats in a single swift motion, making it a perfect addition to control decks, midrange strategies, and even some aggressive lineups that aim to clear the way for their attackers.

Combo Potential: Beyond its obvious use as removal, Path to Exile can feed graveyard-based strategies or be used in a pinch to ramp your own mana by targeting one of your creatures. This plays well in decks that might have expendable creatures or ones that benefit from being in the graveyard.

Meta-Relevance: With many decks relying on powerful creatures to dominate the game, Path to Exile offers a direct and cost-efficient answer that never goes out of style. Its enduring presence in competitive formats makes it a staple card that has the ability to swing the tide of matches in your favor.


How to beat

Path to Exile is a powerful removal tool in Magic: The Gathering, allowing players to exile any creature at the cost of granting its controller a basic land. Its versatility and instant speed make it a mainstay in decks that favor control and tempo. To effectively play around this card, the key is in understanding that it gives land ramp to your opponent.

One approach to mitigate the downside of Path to Exile is to limit the quantity of creatures you play, making the targets for the spell less valuable. Utilizing creatures with enter-the-battlefield effects or death triggers can also turn the exile into a less profitable move for your opponent. Moreover, employing hexproof or shroud creatures can completely negate the spell’s effects, rendering it useless in their hands. Nonbasic lands with land type such as dual lands can often evade the land ramp disadvantage since the card specifies basic land.

Ultimately, playing against Path to Exile requires patience and strategy. By adjusting your deck composition and anticipating your opponent’s plays, you can leverage the situation to your advantage and outmaneuver the exile effect, keeping you ahead in the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

MTG players know that a well-rounded deck hinges on strategic card choices. Path to Exile stands out as a crucial part of any player’s arsenal, blending adaptability with effective threat neutralization. Whether you’re aiming to optimize your deck’s control elements or you need that tactical edge in a tight match, understanding the nuanced uses of this card can be pivotal. Piecing together a winning strategy? We encourage you to explore the full potential of Path to Exile. Dive deeper with us, and soon you’ll be making game-changing plays that can tip the scales in your favor.


Cards like Path to Exile

Path to Exile firmly balances the scale of removal spells within Magic the Gathering. Comparable to Swords to Plowshares, both perform the crucial function of exiling creatures, a potent mechanic that bypasses most protective abilities. Swords to Plowshares does so at an even lower cost, but it grants opponents life points equivalent to the creature’s power, a potential drawback in specific strategies. Path to Exile gives the opponent a basic land instead, a trade-off savvy players can exploit by removing blockers or threats during a pivotal turn.

Another analogue is Condemn, which tucks an attacking creature back into the owner’s library. While this also neutralizes threats temporarily, unlike Path to Exile, it doesn’t offer a permanent solution and can lead to recurring issues. Furthermore, there’s Oblivion Ring, offering more versatility by targeting any nonland permanent but at a higher mana investment and vulnerability to enchantment removal, which can potentially undo the spell’s effect.

In measuring the strategic impact against mana cost and potential risks, Path to Exile solidifies its status as a premier option for creature removal. It contrasts favorably with counterparts by providing a swift and enduring resolution to opposition creatures while pacing land progression, an enduring balance for player decks.

Swords to Plowshares - MTG Card versions
Condemn - MTG Card versions
Oblivion Ring - MTG Card versions
Swords to Plowshares - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Condemn - Dissension (DIS)
Oblivion Ring - Lorwyn (LRW)

Cards similar to Path to Exile by color, type and mana cost

Death Ward - MTG Card versions
Blaze of Glory - MTG Card versions
Healing Salve - MTG Card versions
Purelace - MTG Card versions
Swords to Plowshares - MTG Card versions
Guardian Angel - MTG Card versions
Righteousness - MTG Card versions
Indestructible Aura - MTG Card versions
Glyph of Life - MTG Card versions
Warning - MTG Card versions
Heal - MTG Card versions
Anoint - MTG Card versions
Rally the Troops - MTG Card versions
Enlightened Tutor - MTG Card versions
Orim's Touch - MTG Card versions
Pollen Remedy - MTG Card versions
Sacred Rites - MTG Card versions
Pay No Heed - MTG Card versions
Piety Charm - MTG Card versions
Hallow - MTG Card versions
Death Ward - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Blaze of Glory - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Healing Salve - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Purelace - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Swords to Plowshares - Murders at Karlov Manor Commander (MKC)
Guardian Angel - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
Righteousness - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Indestructible Aura - Chronicles (CHR)
Glyph of Life - Legends (LEG)
Warning - Ice Age (ICE)
Heal - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Anoint - Tempest (TMP)
Rally the Troops - Portal Second Age (P02)
Enlightened Tutor - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Orim's Touch - Invasion (INV)
Pollen Remedy - Planeshift (PLS)
Sacred Rites - The List (PLST)
Pay No Heed - Torment (TOR)
Piety Charm - Onslaught (ONS)
Hallow - Darksteel (DST)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Path to Exile 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 Path to Exile and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Path to Exile Magic the Gathering card was released in 32 different sets between 2006-01-02 and 2024-03-08. Illustrated by 12 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 361742003normalblackRebecca Guay
22002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 779572015normalblackDaarken
32002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 575802015normalblackRaf Sarmento
42006-01-02DCI PromosPDCI 242003normalblackRebecca Guay
52009-02-06ConfluxCON 152003normalblackTodd Lockwood
62010-06-18ArchenemyARC 42003normalblackTodd Lockwood
72011-06-17Commander 2011CMD 252003normalblackTodd Lockwood
82012-03-30Duel Decks: Venser vs. KothDDI 232003normalblackErica Yang
92013-06-07Modern MastersMMA 252003normalblackTodd Lockwood
102014-05-30Modern Event Deck 2014MD1 32003normalblackTodd Lockwood
112017-03-17Modern Masters 2017MM3 172015normalblackTodd Lockwood
122017-06-09Commander AnthologyCMA 192015normalblackTodd Lockwood
132017-11-24Explorers of IxalanE02 32015normalblackTodd Lockwood
142019-06-28Signature Spellbook: GideonSS2 32015normalblackDaarken
152019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 1962015normalblackTodd Lockwood
162019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 2262015normalborderlessMarija Tiurina
172019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 4772015normalblackRiot Games
182020-01-01MagicFest 2020PF20 12015normalblackChris Seaman
192020-07-17JumpstartJMP 1272015normalblackTodd Lockwood
202020-08-07Double Masters2XM 252015normalblackTodd Lockwood
212020-09-26The ListPLST CON-152003normalblackTodd Lockwood
222020-09-26The ListPLST E02-32015normalblackTodd Lockwood
232021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 2991997normalblackTodd Lockwood
242022-04-29New Capenna CommanderNCC 2082015normalblackTodd Lockwood
252022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 232015normalblackRaf Sarmento
262022-09-09Dominaria United CommanderDMC 1042015normalblackTodd Lockwood
272022-10-14Game Night: Free-for-AllGN3 152015normalblackTodd Lockwood
282023-02-03Phyrexia: All Will Be One CommanderONC 842015normalblackTodd Lockwood
292023-04-21March of the Machine CommanderMOC 1982015normalblackTodd Lockwood
302023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 1752015normalblackTorgeir Fjereide
312023-08-04Commander Masters Art SeriesACMM 332015art_seriesborderless
322023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 6262015normalborderlessRon Spears
332023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 492015normalblackTodd Lockwood
342023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 8012015normalblackColin Boyer
352023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 2102015normalblackColin Boyer
362023-11-17The Lost Caverns of Ixalan CommanderLCC 1342015normalblackTodd Lockwood
372024-02-09Murders at Karlov Manor CommanderMKC 782015normalblackTodd Lockwood
382024-03-08FalloutPIP 1692015normalblackStephen Stark
392024-03-08FalloutPIP 6972015normalblackStephen Stark

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Path to Exile has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-03-19 If the target creature is an illegal target by the time Path to Exile tries to resolve, the spell won't resolve. The creature's controller won't search for a basic land card.
2021-03-19 The controller of the exiled creature isn't required to search their library for a basic land. If that player doesn't, the player won't shuffle their library.

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