Sword of Light and Shadow MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeArtifact — Equipment
Abilities Equip

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides card advantage, granting a creature card return from the graveyard upon combat damage.
  2. Its resource acceleration and life gain can be integral for maintaining board control.
  3. Demands careful mana management, potentially impacting tempo and hand resources.

Text of card

Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has protection from white and from black. Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, you gain 3 life and you may return up to one target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. Equip


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sword of Light and Shadow increases card advantage by returning a creature card from your graveyard to your hand whenever the equipped creature deals combat damage.

Resource Acceleration: This artifact also offers resource acceleration through its life gain ability, enhancing your ability to survive and deploy more threats.

Instant Speed: Though not an instant, the equip ability can be activated at instant speed, allowing flexibility to respond to changing game states or end-of-turn optimizations.


Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Sword of Light and Shadow demands a precise combination of three mana for its casting cost, which includes generic mana but can be a challenge in multicolor decks that are tight on color fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: In a game that often values speed and efficiency, the cost to both play and equip the Sword of Light and Shadow might be seen as steep compared to other equipment options. This can potentially slow down your tempo, particularly in the early stages of a match when every mana counts.

Discard Requirement: While not directly forcing a discard, equipping this artifact requires a significant mana investment that could otherwise be used to deploy more threats to the battlefield or hold up mana for responses, thereby indirectly taxing your hand and resources.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Sword of Light and Shadow offers protection from two commonly utilized colors, allowing creatures to safely navigate through a variety of threats. It can be an asset in various decks, particularly those that aim to maintain a strong board presence.

Combo Potential: This card has inherent synergy with creatures that have enter-the-battlefield, leave-the-battlefield, or dies effects. By returning a creature card from your graveyard to your hand, it can repeatedly leverage such abilities, fueling powerful combos.

Meta-Relevance: The life gain and recursion abilities are particularly useful in formats where grindy, attrition-based strategies prevail. Its ability to recur key creatures can be the deciding factor in games that go the distance.


How to beat

The Sword of Light and Shadow is a robust piece of equipment in Magic: The Gathering that can be quite a puzzle to disarm. This powerful artifact provides protection from both white and black spells, alongside the ability to recapture creatures from your graveyard and gaining life. Therefore, to effectively neutralize its advantages, players need a multifaceted strategy.

To dismantle the Sword’s defenses, it’s essential to depend on versatility. Employ colorless destruction spells like Blast Zone which can circumvent the protection. Artifacts and enchantment removal cards such as Naturalize also prove potent as they aren’t hindered by color-restrictive protections. Additionally, countering the spell before it hits the battlefield with cards like Negate ensures the Sword never becomes a threat. Lastly, playing around its protective shield by focusing attacks or effects on your opponent rather than their creatures can tilt the balance in your favor.

Navigating through the challenges posed by the Sword of Light and Shadow requires thoughtful spells and a timely response. Balance the scales by leveraging non-targeted removals or neutralizing the artifact before it can become an active threat on the board.


BurnMana Recommendations

The Sword of Light and Shadow is a high-impact MTG card combining protection, life gain, and recursion. Its role in providing card advantage and durability on the battlefield makes it a worthy addition to your arsenal. While considering its mana demands, think about the strategic depth it brings to the table. If you’re fascinated by the utility and synergy this artifact provides, delve deeper into our content. We break down the essentials of deck-building, meta analysis, and card interactions to enhance your MTG journey. Discover innovative strategies and optimize your gameplay—unlock the full potential of your deck with BurnMana.


Exploring Comparable Gear

The Sword of Light and Shadow is a powerhouse among the artifact equipment cards in MTG. In the sea of equipment that floods the battlefield, few can match the balance of protection and utility it provides. Much like its counterpart, Sword of Fire and Ice, this card offers a dual ability to protect the wielder’s creatures and deliver bonus effects. However, what sets the Sword of Light and Shadow apart is its unique blend of creature protection from two particular colors and its potent life gain and recursion abilities.

Other notable artifacts, such as the Sword of Feast and Famine, offer a different strategic avenue, trading life gain for hand disruption and land untapping. There’s a strategic shift to consider here, focusing on resource denial and acceleration. The Sword of War and Peace also enters the discussion, bringing a mix of life gain and damage that is directly tied to the number of cards in players’ hands. While formidable, it lacks the recursion ability that is central to the Sword of Light and Shadow’s value in long-term play.

Analyzing these illustrious artifacts, it becomes evident that the Sword of Light and Shadow holds a revered place in MTG. It stands tall for its ability to swing games with its life-sustaining and graveyard recursion powers, a true gem for players opting for resilience and recovery in equipment form.

Sword of Fire and Ice - MTG Card versions
Sword of Feast and Famine - MTG Card versions
Sword of War and Peace - MTG Card versions
Sword of Fire and Ice - Darksteel (DST)
Sword of Feast and Famine - Grand Prix Promos (PGPX)
Sword of War and Peace - New Phyrexia (NPH)

Cards similar to Sword of Light and Shadow by color, type and mana cost

Celestial Prism - MTG Card versions
Runed Arch - MTG Card versions
Bösium Strip - MTG Card versions
Clay Pigeon - MTG Card versions
Ashnod's Altar - MTG Card versions
Jalum Tome - MTG Card versions
Static Orb - MTG Card versions
Patchwork Gnomes - MTG Card versions
The Stasis Coffin - MTG Card versions
Captain's Hook - MTG Card versions
Wall of Spears - MTG Card versions
Spellweaver Helix - MTG Card versions
Scale of Chiss-Goria - MTG Card versions
Lightning Coils - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Shackles - MTG Card versions
Loxodon Warhammer - MTG Card versions
Sword of Feast and Famine - MTG Card versions
Training Drone - MTG Card versions
Pristine Talisman - MTG Card versions
Alloy Myr - MTG Card versions
Celestial Prism - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Runed Arch - Ice Age (ICE)
Bösium Strip - Weatherlight (WTH)
Clay Pigeon - Unglued (UGL)
Ashnod's Altar - The Brothers' War Retro Artifacts (BRR)
Jalum Tome - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Static Orb - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Patchwork Gnomes - Odyssey (ODY)
The Stasis Coffin - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Captain's Hook - Rivals of Ixalan Promos (PRIX)
Wall of Spears - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Spellweaver Helix - Mirrodin (MRD)
Scale of Chiss-Goria - Mirrodin (MRD)
Lightning Coils - Mirrodin (MRD)
Vedalken Shackles - Kaladesh Inventions (MPS)
Loxodon Warhammer - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Sword of Feast and Famine - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Training Drone - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Pristine Talisman - New Phyrexia Promos (PNPH)
Alloy Myr - Jumpstart (JMP)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sword of Light and Shadow MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Darksteel, 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 Sword of Light and Shadow and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sword of Light and Shadow Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2004-02-06 and 2020-08-07. Illustrated by 4 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 828522015normalblackKev Walker
22004-02-06DarksteelDST 1492003normalblackMark Zug
32013-06-07Modern MastersMMA 2172003normalblackChris Rahn
42016-09-30Kaladesh InventionsMPS 302015normalblackMatt Stewart
52020-08-07Double Masters2XM 2982015normalblackChris Rahn
62020-08-07Double Masters2XM 3662015normalborderlessKev Walker

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sword of Light and Shadow has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-08-07 If you choose a target creature card in your graveyard and that card is an illegal target by the time the triggered ability tries to resolve, the ability won't resolve. You won't gain 3 life. If you don't choose a target at all, you just gain 3 life.
2020-08-07 The triggered ability can target a creature card that was put into your graveyard as a result of state-based actions immediately after the combat damage that caused the ability to trigger.

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