Ritual of Subdual MTG Card

Ice Age (ICE)
1995-06-03 - Number 261

Ritual of Subdual - Masters Edition II (ME2)

Masters Edition II (ME2)
2008-09-22 - Number 174

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Rare
Type	Enchantment
Abilities	Cumulative upkeep

Key Takeaways

Card advantage comes from disrupting opponents and potentially causing them to discard.
Indirectly accelerates your resources by stalling the opponent’s board.
Can strategically ‘pause’ opponents’ gameplay, leveling the playing field.

Text of card

Cumulative Upkeep: All mana-producing lands produce colorless mana instead of their normal mana.

"That which does not bend to the will of Freyalise shall surely break." —Kolbjörn, Elder Druid of the Juniper Order

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ritual of Subdual can freeze your opponent’s resources, potentially netting you significant card advantage. By preventing the untapping of artifacts and lands, you may lock out crucial plays, leading your opponents to discard due to a full hand while you continue playing.

Resource Acceleration: Although Ritual of Subdual does not directly generate mana or tokens, it can indirectly lead to resource acceleration. By stalling your opponents’ boards, you enable your strategy to progress unhindered. This, in turn, can speed up your win conditions as you capitalize on the opponents’ stymied resources.

Instant Speed: Despite Ritual of Subdual being an enchantment that operates at sorcery speed, its ability to effectively ‘pause’ other instant-speed interactions on the board is a strategic asset. It levels the playing field, giving you the leeway to maneuver around your opponents’ potential instant-speed threats with well-timed plays.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging in the Ritual of Subdual can be a strategic move in your MTG gameplay, but this card requires players to discard other cards, potentially leaving them at a resource disadvantage. Managing your hand becomes crucial as you need to weigh the benefits against the cost of losing other valuable cards.

Specific Mana Cost: Ritual of Subdual demands a precise combination of mana types to be played. This need for both green and generic mana means that not all deck types can capitalize on this card, potentially limiting its inclusion to specific decks that can fulfill its mana requirements.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its mana cost, Ritual of Subdual asks a significant investment upfront. In the dynamic world of MTG, where efficiency can be key to victory, its mana cost places it on the higher end of the spectrum, making players carefully consider its timing and impact in relation to other cards with lower mana requirements.

Reasons to Include Ritual of Subdual in Your Collection

Versatility: Ritual of Subdual’s ability to shut down all non-creature permanents makes it incredibly flexible. It can function in various decks that aim to control the board or protect their own key permanents from being targeted.

Combo Potential: This card opens up opportunities for combo decks that capitalize on creature synergies. By neutralizing the opponent’s artifacts, enchantments, and lands, you can pave the way for uninterrupted combo execution.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where artifact and enchantment strategies are prevalent, Ritual of Subdual gains significance by acting as a powerful counter. Having this card can give you an upper hand in a meta dominated by non-creature strategies.

How to beat Ritual of Subdual

Ritual of Subdual can be a solid roadblock for players facing it in the game of Magic: The Gathering. The card essentially freezes all non-creature permanents, significantly hindering your access to resources like lands. Despite its powerful effect, there are strategies to work around it. One efficient approach is to prioritize the destruction of enchantments. Cards that can remove enchantments, such as Disenchant or Naturalize, become invaluable in such scenarios and should be included in your deck if you anticipate facing such obstacles.

Alternatively, focus on maintaining a board presence before the Ritual of Subdual takes effect. This involves leveraging creatures that can provide mana such as Birds of Paradise or Llanowar Elves. Additionally, employing cards that can counteract enchantments, like Counterspell or Negate, can prevent it from ever hitting the board. Advanced players might also consider using a strategy that relies less on non-creature permanents to minimize the impact of the card.

Overcoming the challenge of Ritual of Subdual requires foresight and deck building that considers potential answers. By incorporating enchantment removal, counterspells, and alternative resource generators, players stand a strong chance against this formidable card and pave their way to victory.

Cards like Ritual of Subdual

Ritual of Subdual is an intriguing card that stands out in Magic: The Gathering’s assortment of green enchantments. It shares similarities with other cards that focus on resource denial, such as Winter Orb. Both significantly disrupt opponents by limiting their ability to use their lands. However, Ritual of Subdual allows players to bypass this limitation with cumulative upkeep, offering strategic flexibility that Winter Orb does not.

Another card worth mentioning in this context is Hall of Gemstone. Like Ritual of Subdual, it is unique to green and manipulates land usage, but it does so by making lands produce a single color of mana during turns. Though not as sweeping in effect, it provides a subtler form of control. Static Orb is also comparable, restricting both lands and creatures and impacting the flow of the game. Yet, it does not offer the cumulative upkeep option for controlled circumvention that comes with Ritual of Subdual.

In evaluating these cards in conjunction, Ritual of Subdual offers a niche but powerful impact within its category. Its capacity to control the battlefield while presenting a chance to strategically avoid self-imposed restrictions makes it a card to be reckoned with in resource denial strategies.

Cards similar to Ritual of Subdual by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ritual of Subdual MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Masters Edition II, 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 Ritual of Subdual and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ritual of Subdual Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 2008-09-22. Illustrated by Justin Hampton.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1995-06-03	Ice Age	ICE		261	1993	Normal	Black	Justin Hampton
2	2008-09-22	Masters Edition II	ME2		174	1997	Normal	Black	Justin Hampton

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ritual of Subdual has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2008-10-01	This effect changes the type of mana produced, but not the amount. For example, if a land that’s tapped for mana would add to its controller’s mana pool, it adds to that player’s mana pool instead.