Soul Barrier MTG Card

Ice Age (ICE)
1995-06-03 - Number 103

Fifth Edition (5ED)
1997-03-24 - Number 125

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment

Key Takeaways

Effectively slows opponents, turning their creature casts into a costly decision and potential strategy shift.
Limited to blue mana decks, it’s less flexible but shines in control strategies focused on delay.
In creature-heavy metas, Soul Barrier can be a game-changing sideboard or main deck card.

Text of card

Whenever target opponent casts a summon spell, Soul Barrier deals 2 damage to him or her. That player may pay to prevent this damage.

"There's more than one way to skin an Ouphe—or thwart a mage." —Gustha Ebbasdotter, Kjeldoran Royal Mage

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Soul Barrier is adept at preserving your hand size by posing a continual threat to your opponent’s creature spells. Each time an adversary casts a creature spell, they must decide whether the cost of losing life is worth the play, often leading to hesitate or altered strategies, which can result in a lead for you.

Resource Acceleration: Although Soul Barrier doesn’t directly produce mana or treasure tokens, its ability to slow down an opponent’s creature deployment can effectively function as a resource acceleration for you. The slower your opponent plays their creatures, the more time you have to build up your own resources and establish board control.

Instant Speed: Soul Barrier isn’t an instant itself, but it gives you the advantage of affecting the game at instant speed indirectly. Your opponents must contemplate the extra life cost to cast creature spells at any time, including during your turns, which allows you to influence the game outside the bounds of your own turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Soul Barrier demands players to sacrifice creatures, which might prove counterproductive when striving to maintain a presence on the board. This requirement translates into a strategic setback, especially when facing decks designed to overwhelm with creature numbers.

Specific Mana Cost: With blue mana exclusively needed to cast Soul Barrier, this card becomes less adaptable, limiting its integration to mono-blue or compatible multicolor decks. Consequently, its usage is not as universal as more flexible cards with generic mana requirements.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing three mana to enact a tax on opponent creatures can deter playing it in early-game scenarios. Other cards at a similar cost could provide more immediate board impact or defensive value, making Soul Barrier a potential liability in fast-paced games where tempo is critical.

Reasons to Include Soul Barrier in Your Collection

Versatility: Soul Barrier offers a unique effect that discourages opponents from casting creature spells, allowing it to be a useful inclusion in control decks or any strategy that aims to slow down enemy forces.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with effects that punish opponents for casting spells, such as Propaganda or Rhystic Study, creating a layered defense that can frustrate and set back opponents significantly.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where creature-heavy decks are prevalent, Soul Barrier serves as an efficient deterrent, making it a pragmatically valued card for sideboards or main decks aiming to counter these strategies.

How to beat

Soul Barrier presents a challenge in MTG as a recurring tax on creatures entering the battlefield. To navigate around this enchantment, considering the time it comes into play is crucial. Early in the game, prioritize developing your mana base and setting up a board presence before it can have a substantial impact. Once established, using non-creature spells, focusing on high-value creatures rather than numerous low-cost ones, or employing abilities that don’t trigger the Barrier can minimize its effect.

Pay special attention to alternative casting methods. Cards with Flash allow you to cast during your opponent’s turn, possibly when they’re tapped out and unable to pay Soul Barrier’s cost. Additionally, leveraging abilities that put creatures directly onto the battlefield bypasses the Barrier entirely. And if the enchantment proves too troublesome, keep direct enchantment removal or counterspells in hand to address it before it significantly disrupts your strategy.

Ultimately, while Soul Barrier can impose a tax on your creature spells, smart deck construction and strategic play can ensure it becomes a mere minor inconvenience rather than a game-ending hurdle.

Cards like Soul Barrier

Soul Barrier is an intriguing enchantment in the world of MTG, offering a unique way to disrupt the creature-based strategies of opponents. It’s comparable to other cards like Propaganda and Ghostly Prison which also penalize opponents for attacking. However, Soul Barrier stands out by taxing the casting of creatures rather than attacking. Players find themselves weighing the cost of summoning creatures against the life points they’ll forfeit due to Soul Barrier’s taxing effect.

Looking at other deterrents, we have cards like Rhystic Study, which similarly puts opponents in a bind, asking them to pay extra mana or allow you to draw a card. The difference lies in its trigger being on spells rather than just creatures. This broader application can provide more card advantage but doesn’t directly affect the life totals like Soul Barrier.

Evaluating these cards, Soul Barrier offers a distinctive approach to control, compelling players into making tougher strategic choices on the battlefield. It interplays remarkably with other cards that have a comparable, yet varietal, impact on the flow of the game, solidifying its position as a valued piece in decks designed to deter and stall opponents.

Cards similar to Soul Barrier by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Soul Barrier MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Fifth Edition, 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 Soul Barrier and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Soul Barrier Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 1997-03-24. Illustrated by Harold McNeill.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1995-06-03	Ice Age	ICE		103	1993	Normal	Black	Harold McNeill
2	1997-03-24	Fifth Edition	5ED		125	1997	Normal	White	Harold McNeill

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Soul Barrier has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2008-04-01	A “creature spell” is any spell with the type Creature, even if it has other types such as Artifact or Enchantment. Older cards of type Summon are also Creature spells.