Sarkhan's Unsealing MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides card advantage by potentially removing multiple threats with one creature cast, enhancing card superiority.
  2. The enchantment’s cost and color specificity may limit deck-building choices, favoring a strong red mana base.
  3. Combining with high power creatures unleashes potent damage, offering strategic value in creature-focused decks.

Text of card

Whenever you cast a creature spell with power 4, 5, or 6, Sarkhan's Unsealing deals 4 damage to any target. Whenever you cast a creature spell with power 7 or greater, Sarkhan's Unsealing deals 4 damage to each opponent and each creature and planeswalker they control.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: With its unique ability to deal damage to any target when casting large creatures, Sarkhan’s Unsealing can often remove opposing cards from the battlefield, effectively providing you with potential two-for-one exchanges or better, preserving your card superiority.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly accelerating resources, the ability to potentially clear multiple threats with a single creature cast can keep the board open for further development, reducing the need for additional resource investments to handle threats.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, the impact of Sarkhan’s Unsealing can be felt immediately upon casting a qualifying creature spell. This pseudo instant-speed effect through its trigger can disrupt opponents’ plans at critical moments, akin to instant-speed interaction.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Though not required for activation, building a deck around Sarkhan’s Unsealing means potentially discarding impactful creatures that don’t fulfill the power requirements to trigger the card’s effect. This can result in a subpar hand and diminished in-game flexibility.

Specific Mana Cost: The inclusion of both generic and red mana in its cost makes Sarkhan’s Unsealing somewhat restrictive. It necessitates a strong red mana base, which can limit deck-building options and potentially exclude it from more varied multi-color strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost of four, including three generic and one red, it may enter the battlefield too late against faster, more aggressive decks. Additionally, in a mana-curve-conscious environment, investing four mana in a non-creature spell can put you at a tempo disadvantage against opponents.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Sarkhan’s Unsealing is highly adaptable and can be a game-changer in decks built around casting large creatures. Its ability to deal damage to any target provides flexibility to manage opponent’s threats or even pave the way to a direct victory.

Combo Potential: By combining Sarkhan’s Unsealing with creatures that have power 4, 5, or greater, players can unleash a barrage of damage onto the battlefield, triggering the card’s devastating effect multiple times in a single turn.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that supports creature-heavy decks or big mana plays, Sarkhan’s Unsealing proves to be a significant asset. It aligns perfectly with strategies focused on casting imposing creatures that can dominate opponents not prepared to handle repeated area-of-effect damage.


How to beat

Sarkhan’s Unsealing is a powerful enchantment in Magic: The Gathering that can turn the tide of a game with its creature-based triggering abilities. The key to defeating a deck harnessing this card lies in prioritizing the removal of the enchantment itself. Using enchantment removal spells such as Disenchant or Naturalize allows players to dismantle the underlying strategy before it gains momentum.

Counterplay also involves managing the board by controlling the creatures that trigger Sarkhan’s Unsealing. Spells that counter creature spells, such as Negate or Essence Scatter, are effective at keeping worrisome creatures off the battlefield. Another tactic is to employ control decks with sufficient sweepers like Wrath of God or Doomskar to reset the board and mitigate the Unsealing’s impact.

Overall, maintaining a responsive playspace with varied removals or counterspells, managing the board state vigilantly, and preserving a healthy life total until the Unsealing’s influence can be neutralized, are all key steps to secure victory against decks harnessing this potent enchantment.


BurnMana Recommendations

Delving deep into MTG’s intricate gameplay, cards like Sarkhan’s Unsealing offer tactical depth that can dramatically shift the scope of a match. Whether you’re optimizing your deck to harness its explosive potential or seeking answers to counter this potent enchantment, understanding its mechanics is crucial. Fine-tuning your approach to include the right mix of high-power creatures or leveraging removal strategies will elevate your play. We invite you to explore further, enhance your collection, and refine your deck-building skills. For players eager to master the art of the game, we’re here to guide you. Discover more and sharpen your strategies with us.


Cards like Sarkhan's Unsealing

Exploring the vast array of powerful spells in Magic: The Gathering, Sarkhan’s Unsealing stands out. Comparable enchantments like Warstorm Surge enable direct damage to opponents with creature casting, sharing a notable similarity with Sarkhan’s Unsealing. Yet, Sarkhan’s Unsealing’s lower cost gives it an edge, being more accessible earlier in the game.

Another related card is Where Ancients Tread, which also capitalizes on creatures with high power entering the battlefield. Nonetheless, the flexibility of Sarkhan’s Unsealing, triggering off creature spells rather than exclusively relying on creature’s entry, allows for greater versatility and a broader range of strategic plays.

In analyzing the strengths of similar enchantments, the distinct advantage provided by Sarkhan’s Unsealing—its ability to deal damage to any target and potentially sweep the board with the casting of a single, powerful creature—establishes it as a formidable inclusion in creature-heavy decks, underscoring its unique position within MTG’s enchantment options.

Warstorm Surge - MTG Card versions
Where Ancients Tread - MTG Card versions
Warstorm Surge - Magic 2012 (M12)
Where Ancients Tread - Shards of Alara (ALA)

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Pyromancy - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
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Impulsive Maneuvers - Odyssey (ODY)
Stensia Uprising - Innistrad: Crimson Vow (VOW)
Magmatic Core - Coldsnap (CSP)
Pyrohemia - Commander Anthology (CMA)
Uncontrollable Anger - Tenth Edition (10E)
Elemental Mastery - Neon Dynasty Commander (NEC)
Splinter Twin - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sarkhan's Unsealing MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2019 Promos and Core Set 2019, 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 Sarkhan's Unsealing and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sarkhan's Unsealing Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2018-07-13 and 2020-07-17. Illustrated by Daarken.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12018-07-13Core Set 2019 PromosPM19 155s2015normalblackDaarken
22018-07-13Core Set 2019M19 1552015normalblackDaarken
32020-07-17JumpstartJMP 3612015normalblackDaarken

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sarkhan's Unsealing has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-07-13 Each of the triggered abilities of Sarkhan’s Unsealing resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger. It resolves even if that spell is countered.
2018-07-13 If a creature card’s power is written as * and an ability defines its power, that ability applies while the creature spell is on the stack. Sarkhan’s unsealing checks its power only as you finish paying costs; it doesn’t matter what the spell’s power is as you begin to cast it or when the triggered ability resolves.
2018-07-13 If you cast a creature spell that will enter the battlefield with a number of +1/+1 counters, such as Hungering Hydra, those counters aren’t considered when determining whether either ability of Sarkhan’s Unsealing triggers. Similarly, effects that will raise the creature’s power once it has entered the battlefield won’t apply.
2018-07-13 In a Two-Headed Giant game, the last ability of Sarkhan’s Unsealing causes the opposing team to lose 8 life.

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