Shrine of Limitless Power MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Artifact |
| Released | 2011-05-13 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | New Phyrexia |
| Set code | NPH |
| Number | 154 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Min Yum |
Key Takeaways
- Shrine of Limitless Power grants relentless card advantage and strategic hand disruption capabilities.
- Instant speed activation allows for sudden, game-changing plays, crucial for control strategies.
- Despite its high activation cost, its versatility and synergy with shrines make it formidable.
Text of card
At the beginning of your upkeep or whenever you cast a black spell, put a charge counter on Shrine of Limitless Power. , , Sacrifice Shrine of Limitless Power: Target player discards a card for each charge counter on Shrine of Limitless Power.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: With Shrine of Limitless Power in your MTG deck, not only do you accumulate counters each turn, representing potential card draws, but when it’s time to cash in, you’re looking at a massive pay-off. Sacrificing it at the right moment lets you discard a significant number of cards from your opponent’s hand, thereby tipping the scales of card advantage in your favor.
Resource Acceleration: This card elegantly fits into strategies centered around resource acceleration. As a shrine, it synergizes with other shrines, growing in power rapidly and providing a substantial boost to your resource pool in a prolonged game. Playing it early can set the stage for explosive turns later on, allowing you to outpace your opponents by tapping into an ever-increasing reservoir of counters.
Instant Speed: One of the subtle yet potent features of Shrine of Limitless Power is its ability to be activated at instant speed. This flexibility gives you the agency to choose the most opportune moment during your opponent’s turn to strategically discard their hand. Instant speed activation keeps your opponents on their toes, making it a superb addition to control decks that thrive on disrupting the opponent’s strategy.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Shrine of Limitless Power necessitates the discarding of a card upon activation. This can lead to a potential loss of hand advantage and can be particularly detrimental in game states where each card in hand is critical to maintaining board presence or strategy execution.
Specific Mana Cost: Activation requires a specific combination of mana, which can be restrictive for decks that are not tailored to support such a cost. Players running multicolor decks may find it challenging to gather the necessary mana without compromising their development in the early stages of the game.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the Shrine of Limitless Power might appear to provide a substantial effect, its activation cost is on the higher end when compared to other cards with similar abilities. For the mana investment required, players might expect a more immediate or impactful advantage, which the Shrine does not necessarily guarantee, potentially making it a less attractive option during deck construction.
Reasons to Include Shrine of Limitless Power in Your Collection
Versatility: Shrine of Limitless Power is a unique piece in various deck builds, offering a flexible role in control and combo strategies. Its ability to scale up in power with the number of Shrines in play makes it a card that can easily be tailored to different play styles and situations.
Combo Potential: This Shrine, when combined with other Shrines or cards that benefit from sacrificing artifacts, can create powerful synergies. Its sacrificial ability can be an integral part of turning the tide of a game, making it a key component in decks built around artifact and graveyard mechanics.
Meta-Relevance: Depending on the shifts in the competitive landscape, Shrine of Limitless Power can emerge as a strong sideboard card or even a main deck choice. Its ability to disrupt graveyard strategies and provide a late-game mana sink makes it a card worth considering in the current meta.
How to beat
Shrine of Limitless Power presents a unique challenge on the battlefield, standing out as a strategic artifact in MTG. As a player facing this card, it’s essential to recognize that patience and timing are key to undermine its influence. Shrine of Limitless Power accumulates counters and eventually provides a significant advantage by enabling graveyard disruption and mass discard for an opponent, aligning with cards like Tormod’s Crypt for its graveyard management potential.
To effectively combat Shrine of Limitless Power, consider implementing enchantment removal like Disenchant, or universal removal tools such as Beast Within or Generous Gift. These allow you to swiftly remove the artifact before it accumulates too many counters. Additionally, employing counterplay strategies with cards like Pithing Needle to prevent the activation of its abilities can halt its imminent threat, akin to how these cards are used to neutralize other problematic artifacts and planeswalkers. Keep a vigilant watch for opportunities to destabilize your opponent’s plans before Shrine of Limitless Power can turn the tides of the game.
Being proactive rather than reactive is advisable when dealing with Shrine of Limitless Power. Preventing it from entering the play with counter spells such as Negate or by using hand disruption like Thoughtseize could ensure that this powerful artifact doesn’t disrupt your strategy or deplete your valuable resources.
Cards like Shrine of Limitless Power
Shrine of Limitless Power gives players a potent advantage in MTG by acting as both a mana generator and a tool for disrupting opponents. It’s akin to Gilded Lotus, which provides three mana of any one color without any additional effects. Shrine of Limitless Power, however, has the added benefit of removing cards from an opponent’s graveyard, excellent for dismantling strategies reliant on graveyard interactions.
Another comparable card is Nyx Lotus, which taps for an amount of mana equivalent to your devotion to a color. Although Nyx Lotus can potentially offer more mana than the Shrine, it doesn’t provide graveyard control. Conversely, Tormod’s Crypt offers no mana but excels in purging graveyards, coming in handy when facing reanimator strategies that hinge on a stocked graveyard.
While each card carries unique strengths, Shrine of Limitless Power stands out for its dual capabilities, aiding MTG players in maintaining mana flow while keeping opponents’ graveyards in check. It is an asset for those who want to keep the game’s pace in their favor and control over their rivals’ potential plays.
Cards similar to Shrine of Limitless Power by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Shrine of Limitless Power MTG card by a specific set like New Phyrexia, 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 Shrine of Limitless Power 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 MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Shrine of Limitless Power has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Shrine of Limitless Power card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2011-06-01 | Unlike most abilities that force a player to discard cards, this ability may be activated whenever you could cast an instant, including during your opponent’s draw step after they have drawn a card. |
| 2011-06-01 | You can’t force an opponent to discard a card they cast by activating the last ability in response. The spell is on the stack by then. |
