Seal of Cleansing MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 13 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Offers indirect card advantage by neutralizing opponents’ key permanents and thwarting their strategies effectively.
  2. Facilitates a flexible mana curve and strategic play with its cost-effective instant speed activation.
  3. Demands preemptive deployment, which can be a setback when striving for immediate board or hand presence.

Text of card

Sacrifice Seal of Cleansing: Destroy target artifact or enchantment.

"I am the purifier, the light that clears all shadows." —Seal inscription


Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Seal of Cleansing may not directly allow you to draw cards, it can indirectly contribute to card advantage by efficiently dealing with problematic artifacts and enchantments. Removing key pieces from your opponent’s strategy often equates to negating their past turns spent casting those spells.

Resource Acceleration: Although Seal of Cleansing does not accelerate your resources in the traditional sense, it is cost-effective. At two mana, it allows for a flexible mana curve, helping you keep up with other plays or holding up mana for different interactions.

Instant Speed: Seal of Cleansing’s immediate effect can be activated at instant speed, providing strategic flexibility. You can deploy it early and decide the best moment to use it, which can be crucial in disrupting your opponent’s combo or protecting your interests during their turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Seal of Cleansing can be a flexible answer to problematic enchantments and artifacts, it demands to be on the battlefield before it can be activated. This preemptive requirement to use a card slot on Seal of Cleansing can lead to situations where you’re holding onto a reactive card instead of adding to your board presence or hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Seal of Cleansing needs white mana to be cast. For multicolored decks that are not heavily white, this specific mana requirement can make it more challenging to play on curve, potentially disrupting the deck’s mana base and overall strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When it comes to artifact and enchantment removal, the mana efficiency of Seal of Cleansing is debatable. While its cost is not exorbitant at two mana, it remains in play until activation, meaning your investment does not immediately impact the board state. In fast-paced games, instant speed removal options that have an immediate effect for a similar or lower mana investment might be preferable.


Reasons to Include Seal of Cleansing in Your Collection

Versatility: Seal of Cleansing offers a powerful utility as it can slot into almost any deck that can accommodate its white mana requirement. Its ability to deal with a diverse array of non-creature permanents such as enchantments and artifacts makes it a flexible option for sideboards or main decks alike.

Combo Potential: With its sacrifice trigger, Seal of Cleansing can be an integral part of synergistic plays. It works well in decks that capitalize on sacrificing permanents for greater benefits, enabling intricate combos while keeping the board clear of opponents’ tools.

Meta-Relevance: Given the fluctuating nature of the meta, having an efficient answer to powerful enchantments or crucial artifacts can be game-changing. This card maintains its relevance by adapting to a variety of meta environments where enchantments or artifacts dominate.


How to beat Seal of Cleansing

Seal of Cleansing shines in Magic: The Gathering as a flexible answer to problematic enchantments and artifacts. Its strength lies in the ability to threaten the removal of key pieces on your opponent’s board, making timing and strategy crucial. To overcome this card, consider employing instant-speed threats or abilities that require an immediate answer. For instance, cards like Naturalize or Disenchant can force the Seal of Cleansing’s activation at a time of your choosing.

Another tactic is using cards with hexproof or shroud, which are immune to targeted effects like the Seal of Cleansing. An example is Swiftfoot Boots, which not only grants hexproof but also haste, potentially allowing you to deal damage before the Seal can be activated. Additionally, having redundant copies of important artifacts or enchantments in your deck dilutes the impact of a single Seal of Cleansing. By spreading out your threats, the Seal becomes less effective, providing you with more room to maneuver and outplay your opponent.

Ultimately, while Seal of Cleansing can be a powerful tool for control, its reactive nature means that with the right strategies and countermeasures, you can diminish its impact and gain the upper hand in your matches.


BurnMana Recommendations

Reflecting on the versatility of Seal of Cleansing in MTG, it’s clear that this card is a strategic asset for any deck that plays white. From its capacity to disrupt opponent plans at instant speed to fitting seamlessly into sacrificial combo decks, its value cannot be understated. Outside the realm of single matches, this enchantment retains its worth by adapting to varied meta environments, solidifying its position as a mainstay in collections. For those keen on enhancing their strategic gameplay and keeping their decks one step ahead of the meta shifts, incorporating Seal of Cleansing is a wise move. Dive deeper with us into the art of MTG deck building and optimize your plays for the next level of competition.


Exploring the Versatility of Seal of Cleansing

Within the strategic world of Magic the Gathering, Seal of Cleansing has etched its place as a utility card with flexible removal capabilities. This enchantment bears a striking resemblance to Disenchant, another classic card primarily revered for its ability to target artifacts or enchantments. What sets Seal of Cleansing apart is its enchantment characteristic that allows it to dodge certain removals aimed at instant or sorcery spells, and provides a discreet board presence that can be triggered at will.

Cards like Seal of Cleansing

Comparing Seal of Cleansing to its counterparts, we discover a web of strategic choices. For instance, Aura of Silence offers a broader tactical advantage by not only acting as removal but also hindering opponents by making their artifacts and enchantments more costly. However, it comes at a higher mana cost and doesn’t provide the instant speed removal timing that Seal of Cleansing affords.

Another parallel can be drawn with the likes of Return to Dust. This card offers a more impactful, double-target removal, which can be a game-changer in multi-player formats. On the flip side, Seal of Cleansing invites a more nuanced, tactical deployment with its lower cost and the ability to affect the battlefield earlier in the game.

Assessing Seal of Cleansing in the broader scope of MTG removal options, its inexpensive cost paired with the flexibility of decision timing makes it a tactical inclusion in many decks. Its intrinsic value lies in the power to manipulate the flow of the game and provide options for counterplay, making it a worthy consideration for players who value strategic versatility.

Disenchant - MTG Card versions
Aura of Silence - MTG Card versions
Return to Dust - MTG Card versions
Disenchant - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Aura of Silence - Weatherlight (WTH)
Return to Dust - Time Spiral (TSP)

Cards similar to Seal of Cleansing by color, type and mana cost

Blessing - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: White - MTG Card versions
Island Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Crusade - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Blue - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Artifacts - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Red - MTG Card versions
Energy Storm - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Black - MTG Card versions
Ward of Lights - MTG Card versions
Gossamer Chains - MTG Card versions
I'm Rubber, You're Glue - MTG Card versions
Absolute Grace - MTG Card versions
Absolute Law - MTG Card versions
Sacred Ground - MTG Card versions
Pacifism - MTG Card versions
Hypochondria - MTG Card versions
Soulcatchers' Aerie - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Green - MTG Card versions
First Come, First Served - MTG Card versions
Blessing - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Circle of Protection: White - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Island Sanctuary - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Crusade - Duel Decks: Elspeth vs. Tezzeret (DDF)
Circle of Protection: Blue - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Circle of Protection: Artifacts - Renaissance (REN)
Circle of Protection: Red - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Energy Storm - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Circle of Protection: Black - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Ward of Lights - Mirage (MIR)
Gossamer Chains - Visions (VIS)
I'm Rubber, You're Glue - Unglued (UGL)
Absolute Grace - Urza's Saga (USG)
Absolute Law - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Sacred Ground - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Pacifism - Duel Decks: Divine vs. Demonic (DDC)
Hypochondria - Torment (TOR)
Soulcatchers' Aerie - Judgment (JUD)
Circle of Protection: Green - Eighth Edition (8ED)
First Come, First Served - Unhinged (UNH)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Seal of Cleansing MTG card by a specific set like Nemesis and World Championship Decks 2000, 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 Seal of Cleansing and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Seal of Cleansing Magic the Gathering card was released in 11 different sets between 2000-02-14 and 2024-02-09. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12000-02-14NemesisNEM 181997normalblackChristopher Moeller
22000-08-02World Championship Decks 2000WC00 nl18sb1997normalgoldChristopher Moeller
32000-08-02World Championship Decks 2000WC00 tvdl18sb1997normalgoldChristopher Moeller
42000-08-02World Championship Decks 2000WC00 tvdl181997normalgoldChristopher Moeller
52002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 351322003normalblackChristopher Moeller
62010-11-08Magic Online Theme DecksTD0 A151997normalblackChristopher Moeller
72014-06-16Vintage MastersVMA 432015normalblackChristopher Moeller
82015-11-13Commander 2015C15 792015normalblackChristopher Moeller
92016-06-10Eternal MastersEMA 262015normalblackNoah Bradley
102019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 2192015normalblackNoah Bradley
112020-09-26The ListPLST EMA-262015normalblackNoah Bradley
122021-06-18Modern Horizons 2MH2 2642015normalblackChristopher Moeller
132024-02-09Murders at Karlov Manor CommanderMKC 802015normalblackChristopher Moeller

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Seal of Cleansing has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-06-18 Sacrificing Seal of Cleansing is the cost to activate its ability. Once you activate the ability, no player can do anything to Seal of Cleansing to stop you from activating it. Notably, if you cast Seal of Cleansing during your turn, you'll have priority to activate its ability before anyone can respond to stop you.

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