Rout MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 7 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Rout can dramatically swing games by clearing all creatures at critical moments, providing board control.
  2. While it’s resource-intensive, Rout’s flexibility at instant speed offers tactical advantages during play.
  3. Its tactical use against creature-heavy decks makes it a cornerstone in control strategies and metagames.
Flash card art

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.

Text of card

You may play Rout any time you could play an instant if you pay more to play it. Destroy all creatures. They can't be regenerated.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Rout gives the player a significant upper hand by providing a way to clear the battlefield of creatures. This sweeping ability can effectively negate the opponent’s efforts in building a formidable presence, setting them back and thus offering you a favorable position in terms of both board state and potential card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Although Rout does not directly accelerate resources, it can indirectly contribute to resource dominance. By resetting the battlefield, it allows players who are ahead in resources to capitalize on the lack of opposing creatures, thus accelerating their offensive strategies and paving the way for a quicker victory.

Instant Speed: Rout carries the remarkable flexibility of being cast either at sorcery or instant speed. The option to cast it at instant speed for an additional cost means you can adapt to the flow of the game, surprise your opponent during their turn, and interrupt potentially game-winning plays, giving it a strategic edge over other similar sweeping effects.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Rout doesn’t have an actual discard requirement, its flexibility comes at the cost of potentially setting you back in terms of card advantage. Cast during your opponent’s turn to surprise them, it effectively costs you another card by forgoing your next draw.

Specific Mana Cost: Rout demands exact mana – two white and three of any color. This can be restrictive as it requires a significant white mana base, limiting the decks it can be effectively played in, especially in multi-color decks where mana fixing is essential.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, or seven to utilize its instant speed capability, Rout can be a resource-heavy play. Other sweepers in the game might clean the board at a lower cost, offering similar effects that allow for a more diverse and responsive strategy throughout the game.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Rout offers flexibility that’s hard to come by, as it can be cast at instant speed for an additional cost. This allows for sweeping the board on an opponent’s turn, making it a valuable asset in various control and mid-range decks.

Combo Potential: Rout’s ability to wipe the battlefield complements strategies revolving around graveyard play or death triggers. It slots into combos that require a clear board, setting the stage for your bombshell plays without interruption.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that leans heavily on creature-based strategies, Rout serves as a fail-safe against swarm tactics. It remains relevant by enabling comebacks when facing down overwhelming boards, making it a tactical card against popular aggressive decks.


How to beat

Rout is an intriguing sweeper in the game of Magic: The Gathering, offering players a versatile option for clearing the board. Its normal casting cost is aligned with other five-mana wraths, such as the classic Day of Judgment. However, what sets Rout apart is its ability to be cast as an instant by paying two additional mana, allowing for strategic flexibility during a player’s turn or even their opponent’s turn.

To effectively counter Rout, consider playing around its potential to be cast at instant speed. One method is to apply pressure by advancing your board position without overcommitting creatures that could be lost to the sweep. Additionally, utilizing cards with indestructible or death-trigger abilities can also provide resilience against such board-clearing tactics. Implementing instant-speed spells or abilities that grant your creatures indestructible or regeneration as the Rout is on the stack could also turn the tide in your favor. Finally, cards that specifically counter sorcery spells won’t stop Rout cast with its alternate instant-speed cost, so consider broader “counter target spell” options to ensure you can prevent it from resolving whenever it may be cast.

When facing up against Rout, strategic play and responsive tactics will be key to outmaneuvering this powerful control card.


BurnMana Recommendations

To fully leverage the potential of Rout within your MTG arsenal, blending strategy and careful planning is essential. Consider its pivotal role in control decks as a versatile answer to crowded boards. Your collection will shine with Rout, prepared for creature-heavy metas, particularly when surprise is on your side with its instant speed capability. Rout’s adaptability during play and its synergy with graveyard strategies or death triggers make it a wise addition. Embrace its strength in flexibility; Rout could be the linchpin card you’re missing. Dive deeper into MTG with us and unlock new strategies for dominant gameplay.


Cards like Rout

Rout is an intriguing instance of a board sweep in the world of Magic: The Gathering. It follows in the footsteps of classic mass removal cards such as Wrath of God, which exiles all creatures from the battlefield. Rout, with an added twist, gives players the option to cast it at instant speed for a higher mana cost, granting the flexibility to disrupt opponents during their turn. This is not an option with Wrath of God, which is limited to sorcery speed.

Day of Judgment is another comparable card that eradicates creatures without offering the versatility of instant-speed play that Rout provides. In evaluating Rout’s place in the MTG meta, Supreme Verdict also enters the discussion, boasting similar creature removal capabilities and the bonus of being uncounterable, yet still it lacks the instant-speed option Rout presents. Thus, while Supreme Verdict is powerful for its resilience against countering, players opting for Rout value timing and adaptability in their strategies.

To encapsulate, Rout distinguishes itself among removal cards with its dual nature, capturing a unique niche where tactical execution and timing can pivot the outcome of a match, positioning itself as a formidable and adaptable tool for players.

Wrath of God - MTG Card versions
Day of Judgment - MTG Card versions
Supreme Verdict - MTG Card versions
Wrath of God - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Day of Judgment - Zendikar (ZEN)
Supreme Verdict - Return to Ravnica Promos (PRTR)

Cards similar to Rout by color, type and mana cost

Purify - MTG Card versions
Global Ruin - MTG Card versions
March of Souls - MTG Card versions
Lonesome Unicorn // Rider in Need - MTG Card versions
Slash the Ranks - MTG Card versions
Promise of Loyalty - MTG Card versions
Saltblast - MTG Card versions
Three Dreams - MTG Card versions
Evangelize - MTG Card versions
Hallowed Burial - MTG Card versions
Iona's Judgment - MTG Card versions
Increasing Devotion - MTG Card versions
Defy Death - MTG Card versions
Angelic Edict - MTG Card versions
End Hostilities - MTG Card versions
Fell the Mighty - MTG Card versions
Winds of Rath - MTG Card versions
Planar Outburst - MTG Card versions
Righteous Confluence - MTG Card versions
Wave of Reckoning - MTG Card versions
Purify - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Global Ruin - Invasion (INV)
March of Souls - Planeshift (PLS)
Lonesome Unicorn // Rider in Need - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Slash the Ranks - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Promise of Loyalty - Murders at Karlov Manor Commander (MKC)
Saltblast - Planar Chaos (PLC)
Three Dreams - Planechase Anthology (PCA)
Evangelize - Time Spiral (TSP)
Hallowed Burial - Conspiracy: Take the Crown (CN2)
Iona's Judgment - Commander Legends (CMR)
Increasing Devotion - Phyrexia: All Will Be One Commander (ONC)
Defy Death - Avacyn Restored (AVR)
Angelic Edict - Jumpstart (JMP)
End Hostilities - Khans of Tarkir (KTK)
Fell the Mighty - Murders at Karlov Manor Commander (MKC)
Winds of Rath - Forgotten Realms Commander (AFC)
Planar Outburst - Zendikar Rising Commander (ZNC)
Righteous Confluence - Commander Masters (CMM)
Wave of Reckoning - Commander 2016 (C16)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Rout MTG card by a specific set like Invasion 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 Rout and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Rout Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2000-10-02 and 2021-04-23. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12000-10-02InvasionINV 341997normalblackRon Spencer
22002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 624652015normalblackIgor Kieryluk
32014-06-06ConspiracyCNS 802003normalblackIgor Kieryluk
42017-08-25Commander 2017C17 712015normalblackIgor Kieryluk
52020-09-26The ListPLST C21-1012015normalblackIgor Kieryluk
62020-09-26The ListPLST INV-341997normalblackRon Spencer
72021-04-23Commander 2021C21 1012015normalblackIgor Kieryluk

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Rout has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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