Banishing Light MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 11 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Offers tactical edge by exiling threats, indirectly leading to card advantage.
  2. Dual nature: Can accelerate one’s position while potentially causing card disadvantage later.
  3. Versatility and meta relevance make it essential in diverse decks for threat response.

Text of card

When Banishing Light enters the battlefield, exile target nonland permanent an opponent controls until Banishing Light leaves the battlefield. (That permanent returns under its owner's control.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Banishing Light offers a significant tactical advantage by removing an opponent’s threat from the battlefield, effectively reducing their options and tilting the balance in your favor. This disruption can lead to an indirect card advantage, as it may force them to use additional resources to reclaim their position.

Resource Acceleration: While Banishing Light itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, its ability to eliminate an opponent’s key resource—a vital creature, enchantment, or artifact—can effectively slow them down and give you a temporal lead to further your own game plan.

Instant Speed: Though Banishing Light operates at sorcery speed, its impact on the board is immediate and disruptive. It allows for strategic planning during your turn to pave the way for your subsequent plays without the need to keep mana open for responses.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Banishing Light doesn’t force a discard upon casting, but in a roundabout way, it could contribute to card disadvantage. Removing an opponent’s threat temporarily doesn’t guarantee it won’t come back to haunt you. Should the Banishing Light be dealt with, you essentially traded cards one-for-one but the opponent regains their threat, potentially swinging the game back in their favor.

Specific Mana Cost: Banishing Light requires white mana as part of its casting cost, which pairs it exclusively with white decks or those that run multiple colors. This can limit the card’s flexibility in mono-colored decks that do not include white or in formats where mana fixing is less accessible.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, Banishing Light might seem reasonably priced for its ability to neutralize a threat. However, when compared to other removal spells in Magic, there are more cost-effective options. Spells like Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares offer permanent solutions at a lower cost, potentially making Banishing Light a less desirable pick in highly competitive settings where mana efficiency is key.


Reasons to Include Banishing Light in Your Collection

Versatility: Banishing Light offers a flexible solution to a wide variety of threats on the battlefield. Its ability to exile any nonland permanent makes it a valuable tool across multiple deck types, fitting effortlessly into sideboards and main decks alike.

Combo Potential: Its removal effect can synergize with decks that capitalize on the exiling of opponent’s resources. It can be particularly effective when combined with cards that benefit from permanents leaving play, opening the door for strategic plays or disruption of opponent strategies.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state dominated by powerful enchantments, creatures, and planeswalkers, Banishing Light serves as an essential control piece. It’s particularly potent in metas where permanents with game-altering abilities need to be addressed swiftly, making it a mainstay in decks looking to respond to a wide gamut of threats.


How to Beat Banishing Light

Banishing Light is a formidable enchantment card in Magic: The Gathering, known for its ability to exile nonland permanents until it leaves the battlefield. While it might seem challenging to tackle, there are effective strategies to mitigate its impact on your game. One efficient way is through enchantment removal spells. There are various cards like Disenchant and Naturalize that can directly target and destroy Banishing Light, immediately returning your exiled card to play.

Another approach involves utilizing countermagic. When Banishing Light is cast, you have the opportunity to counter it with spells like Negate or Cancel, preventing the enchantment from hitting the field entirely. Additionally, bounce spells such as Unsummon can be used to return Banishing Light to its owner’s hand after it’s been played, which not only liberates your card but also forces your opponent to spend more mana if they want to cast it again.

With these tactics at hand, players can preserve their essential pieces and maintain the upper hand against Banishing Light. Knowing when to deploy these countermeasures can be pivotal in reversing the tide of the game in your favor.


BurnMana Recommendations

Diving into the MTG realm, Banishing Light emerges as a strategic asset, mastering the art of balancing board control with resource management. Whether threading it into your white-based deck to combat diverse challenges, or utilizing it in a versatile sideboard role, this card molds to the dynamic contours of gameplay. Our exploration doesn’t halt at mere card evaluation; we delve deeper into strategic concepts and synergies that breathe life into your deck strategies. Harness the potential of Banishing Light and similar spells to expand your tactical horizon. Eager to refine your game and outshine your opponents? Embark on this journey with us and discover invaluable insights that will sharpen your deck’s edge and pave your path to triumph.


Cards like Banishing Light

Banishing Light is a versatile removal spell in Magic: The Gathering, often compared to other similar enchantments. It’s akin to Oblivion Ring, which shares the mechanic of exiling a nonland permanent until the enchantment leaves the battlefield. Banishing Light, however, boasts a more focused mana requirement, needing only white as opposed to Oblivion Ring’s more flexible but slightly more complex cost.

Another comparable card is Detention Sphere. Like Banishing Light, it exiles, but with the additional benefit of removing all permanents with the same name. This can be a game-changer in matches where opponents use multiples of the same card. Conversely, Cast Out is an alternative that offers cycling, allowing for greater flexibility if the removal effect isn’t needed. Detention Sphere’s broader removal ability and Cast Out’s cycling option contrast with Banishing Light’s straightforward exiling effect.

By evaluating each card’s strengths and application in various game scenarios, Banishing Light stands out for its simplicity and efficiency, making it a valued removal spell especially well-suited for decks focusing on white mana.

Oblivion Ring - MTG Card versions
Detention Sphere - MTG Card versions
Cast Out - MTG Card versions
Oblivion Ring - Lorwyn (LRW)
Detention Sphere - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Cast Out - Amonkhet (AKH)

Cards similar to Banishing Light by color, type and mana cost

Damping Field - MTG Card versions
Farmstead - MTG Card versions
Cooperation - MTG Card versions
Noble Steeds - MTG Card versions
Aura of Silence - MTG Card versions
Empyrial Armor - MTG Card versions
Cessation - MTG Card versions
Arrest - MTG Card versions
Glorious Anthem - MTG Card versions
Samite Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Pariah - MTG Card versions
Tattoo Ward - MTG Card versions
Sparring Regimen - MTG Card versions
Shielded by Faith - MTG Card versions
The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration - MTG Card versions
Oblivion Ring - MTG Card versions
Cage of Hands - MTG Card versions
Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant // Rune-Tail's Essence - MTG Card versions
Guardian's Magemark - MTG Card versions
Celestial Dawn - MTG Card versions
Damping Field - Antiquities (ATQ)
Farmstead - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Cooperation - Ice Age (ICE)
Noble Steeds - Alliances (ALL)
Aura of Silence - Commander 2015 (C15)
Empyrial Armor - Weatherlight (WTH)
Cessation - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Arrest - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Glorious Anthem - Junior Super Series (PSUS)
Samite Sanctuary - Prophecy (PCY)
Pariah - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Tattoo Ward - Odyssey (ODY)
Sparring Regimen - Strixhaven: School of Mages Promos (PSTX)
Shielded by Faith - Signature Spellbook: Gideon (SS2)
The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)
Oblivion Ring - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)
Cage of Hands - Commander Legends (CMR)
Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant // Rune-Tail's Essence - The List (PLST)
Guardian's Magemark - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Celestial Dawn - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Banishing Light MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Friday Night Magic 2014, 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 Banishing Light and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Banishing Light Magic the Gathering card was released in 11 different sets between 2014-05-02 and 2023-06-23. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 538402015normalblackWesley Burt
22014-01-01Friday Night Magic 2014F14 92015normalblackWesley Burt
32014-05-02Journey into NyxJOU 52003normalblackWillian Murai
42015-11-13Commander 2015C15 612015normalblackWillian Murai
52018-06-08Commander Anthology Volume IICM2 182015normalblackWillian Murai
62020-01-24Theros Beyond DeathTHB 42015normalblackWillian Murai
72020-07-17Jumpstart Arena ExclusivesAJMP 42015normalblackWillian Murai
82020-09-25Zendikar Rising CommanderZNC 112015normalblackWillian Murai
92021-02-05Kaldheim CommanderKHC 192015normalblackWillian Murai
102021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 2911997normalblackWillian Murai
112023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 1612015normalblackJoseph Meehan

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Banishing Light has restrictions

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

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Banishing Light 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 Auras attached to the exiled permanent will be put into their owners' graveyards. Any Equipment will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled permanent will cease to exist. When the card returns to the battlefield, it will be a new object with no connection to the card that was exiled.
2021-03-19 If Banishing Light leaves the battlefield before its triggered ability resolves, the target permanent won't be exiled.
2021-03-19 If a token is exiled this way, it will cease to exist and won't return to the battlefield.
2021-03-19 If an Aura is exiled this way, its owner chooses what it will enchant as it returns to the battlefield. An Aura put onto the battlefield this way doesn't target anything (so it could be attached to a permanent with shroud, for example), but the Aura's enchant ability restricts what it can be attached to. If the Aura can't legally be attached to anything, it remains in exile for the rest of the game.

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