Survive the Night MTG Card
2016-04-08 - Number 41
2019-11-07 - Number 252
2020-09-26 - Number SOI-41
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Instant |
| Abilities | Investigate |
Key Takeaways
- Provides indestructibility and card draw, enabling survival and advantage in combat or against removals.
- Its instant speed allows for reactive play, vital for unexpectedly turning the tables.
- Despite utility, requires discard and specific mana, potentially constricting deck flexibility.
Text of card
Target creature gets +1/+0 and gains indestructible until end of turn. (Damage and effects that say "destroy" don't destroy it.) Investigate. (Put a colorless Clue artifact token onto the battlefield with ", Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.")
The longest nights are measured not in hours, but in heartbeats.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Survive the Night is structured to help you come out ahead in card economy. Beyond its primary effect, it grants an additional card draw, subtly tipping the scales in your favor during a match.
Resource Acceleration: Even though Survive the Night does not directly produce resources, its bolstering effect can protect your key creatures. This ensures you maintain a strong board presence, effectively sustaining your resource advantage over opponents.
Instant Speed: The flexibility of instant speed spells is what makes Survive the Night a strategic choice during gameplay. With the ability to cast it outside your own turn, you are equipped to navigate threats and exploit windows of opportunity as they emerge in the heat of battle.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: When playing Survive the Night, one of the drawbacks is that you must discard a card to activate its madness cost. This can deplete your hand when you might need a variety of options to respond to your opponent’s moves.
Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost for Survive the Night is confined to one white and two generic mana, which could be restrictive for multi-color decks that may struggle with mana fixing or have a tight mana curve.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of three mana for a single-target effect, some players might find Survive the Night on the expensive side when comparing it to other protective spells or combat tricks available. Other cards in the same mana range could potentially offer more in terms of versatility or board impact.
Reasons to Include Survive the Night in Your Collection
Versatility: Survive the Night is an adaptable card that can be slotted into various deck builds. Its ability to protect a creature and draw a card makes it useful in situations where board stability and card advantage are crucial.
Combo Potential: As an instant with the Investigate mechanic, Survive the Night enables players to create Clue tokens. These tokens can be pivotal in decks that utilize token synergies or those that capitalize on sacrificing artifacts for various effects.
Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where combat tricks and creature survivability can sway the tide of battle, including Survive the Night could enhance the resilience of your creatures against removal or during combat, thereby preserving crucial board presence.
How to beat
Survive the Night is a tactical instant in the realm of MTG that boasts a unique duo of effects. Both providing protection with its ‘indestructible’ clause and netting the player an extra card through ‘investigate’, it can turn the tide in combat or foil removal spells. Yet even a card as versatile as Survive the Night has its Achilles’ heel.
To circumvent this card, consider strategies that don’t rely on damage or destruction to remove creatures. Exile effects or abilities that force a sacrifice get around ‘indestructible’. Moreover, employing counterspells when Survive the Night is cast ensures it never resolves, shutting down both its protective capability and the card advantage it offers. Cards like Essence Scatter or Disdainful Stroke are perfect for this purpose.
Understanding the shifts in play that cards like Survive the Night can cause is critical. By adapting our tactics and keeping in mind the perils of ‘indestructible’ and card draw, we can effectively navigate against such protective measures and maintain control over the game’s outcome.
Cards like Survive the Night
Survive the Night is an interesting protective spell option for Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts who appreciate versatile cards. It’s akin to spells such as God’s Willing or Shelter, which also provide both protection and a potentially game-altering bonus. What sets Survive the Night apart is its investigate mechanic, offering card draw potential by creating Clue tokens, a feature not present in God’s Willing or Shelter.
Another card worth mentioning is Brave the Elements, which shares the protective theme but diverges by offering protection to multiple creatures of the same color. This card, however, doesn’t offer the card draw potential that Survive the Night does. On the other hand, we have Feat of Resistance, which not only gives protection but also puts a +1/+1 counter on the creature, a boon that Survive the Night lacks.
Each of these cards brings something unique to the table, and while Survive the Night may not be the all-encompassing shield, its ability to potentially draw a new card later in the game could be the edge a player needs. Balancing protection with future card advantages, Survive the Night holds its own in MTG’s array of protective spells.
Cards similar to Survive the Night by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Survive the Night MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad and Mystery Booster, 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 Survive the Night and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See Magic products
Printings
The Survive the Night Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2016-04-08 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Svetlin Velinov.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016-04-08 | Shadows over Innistrad | SOI | 41 | 2015 | normal | black | Svetlin Velinov | |
| 2 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 252 | 2015 | normal | black | Svetlin Velinov | |
| 3 | The List | PLST | SOI-41 | 2015 | normal | black | Svetlin Velinov |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Survive the Night has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Survive the Night card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2016-04-08 | If you sacrifice a Clue for another card’s cost or effect, such as that of Angelic Purge or Tamiyo’s Journal, you can’t also pay and sacrifice it to draw a card. |
| 2016-04-08 | The token is named Clue and has the artifact subtype Clue. Clue isn’t a creature type. |
| 2016-04-08 | The tokens are normal artifacts. For example, they can be sacrificed to cast Angelic Purge or targeted by Root Out. |
| 2016-04-08 | You can’t cast a spell without choosing legal targets. If all of those targets become illegal, the spell doesn’t resolve and you won’t investigate. |
