Rolling Spoil MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery
Released	2005-10-07
Set symbol
Set name	Ravnica: City of Guilds
Set code	RAV
Number	179
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Ron Spencer

Key Takeaways

Rolling Spoil grants card advantage by removing multiple threats with a single cast.
Its instant speed adds flexibility, allowing players to cast it at the most impactful moment.
Enables resource acceleration in graveyard-centric land strategies, bolstering tactical options.

Text of card

Destroy target land. If was spent to play Rolling Spoil, all creatures get -1/-1 until end of turn.

The shadow that fell over the grove was silent yet horribly alive, roiling with millions of tiny minions dedicated to the process of rot.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Rolling Spoil, the ability to potentially wipe out multiple creatures or key lands can leave you at an advantageous position. If used when opponents are overextended on the board, it translates into a significant card advantage, disrupting their game plan while maintaining your board presence.

Resource Acceleration: Rolling Spoil can act as a resource accelerator in decks that benefit from lands being in the graveyard. This can be particularly useful with land recursion strategies or mechanics like landfall, turning a potential setback into an advantage and catalyzing your gameplay.

Instant Speed: The versatility of Rolling Spoil being an instant allows for strategic depth. You can adapt to the flow of the game, choosing the optimal moment to cast it, be it during combat to disrupt your opponent’s attacks or in response to an opponent’s play, maximizing its impact.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Rolling Spoil’s mechanic requires players to discard a card to benefit from its full potential. This can become a liability, particularly in later game stages where card advantage becomes crucial for maintaining pressure and presence on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: The card demands a particular combination of mana, green and black, to be played. This requirement can restrict its integration, making it less versatile and more suitable for only a specific archetype of deck known for those colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that could be deemed steep for its effects, Rolling Spoil faces competition from other cards that might accomplish similar goals for less mana investment. This factor can influence its playability, as players often evaluate cards based on the return they get for each unit of mana spent.

Reasons to Include Rolling Spoil in Your Collection

Versatility: Rolling Spoil isn’t just a straightforward land destruction card. It doubles as a mass removal spell in green, dealing with opponents’ creatures while disrupting their mana base, making it a multifaceted tool in a variety of green decks.

Combo Potential: This card can synergize extremely well with landfall mechanics or strategies that benefit from having lands in the graveyard, such as enabling delve or powering up undergrowth abilities. Its flexibility offers numerous opportunities for creative deck builders.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where powerful lands or creature ramp strategies dominate, Rolling Spoil can serve as an equalizer. It’s particularly effective against decks reliant on utility lands or those that seek to outpace you with an abundance of creatures.

How to beat

Confronting the Rolling Spoil card in your MTG match can be a turning point, especially if you’re relying on lands to execute your strategies. This card, known to obliterate lands and weaken creatures, can be bested with a few clever moves. To safeguard your board, consider incorporating land regrowth spells like Life from the Loam or Crucible of Worlds to recover those precious terrains from the graveyard. Similarly, utilize indestructible creatures, which can withstand the -1/-1 effect, keeping your offensive line intact.

Another approach is using instant-speed land animation effects after Rolling Spoil resolves, such as Sylvan Awakening, to ensure your lands remain creatures when it’s safest. Additionally, spell-countering cards like Counterspell or Negate can neutralize Rolling Spoil before it wreaks havoc. These strategies put you one step ahead, maintaining the integrity of your lands and creatures despite the looming threat of this destructive green sorcery.

Paying attention to mana curve and holding back on overextending your lands can also be crucial. This prudence might give you the buffer needed to bounce back if Rolling Spoil hits the table. Remember, anticipation and strategic reserves are key in overcoming this landscape-changing spell.

Cards like Rolling Spoil

Rolling Spoil joins the ranks of land destruction and swarming destruction spells within the Magic: The Gathering universe. Interestingly, we can compare it to Poison the Well, which also targets lands and gives a secondary effect of 2 damage to that land’s controller. Unlike Poison the Well, Rolling Spoil has the potential to affect multiple lands and creatures with its sweeping effect when you have the threshold of six mana for its potential overload cost.

Terashi’s Grasp is another comparison point, offering not only the ability to destroy an artifact or enchantment but also to gain life equal to that permanent’s value. While it doesn’t affect lands or creatures like Rolling Spoil, the life gained can be significant in particular match-ups. In contrast, Creeping Mold stands out with its option to destroy target artifact, enchantment, or land, providing more targeted control without the sweeping effect of Rolling Spoil but with added versatility.

Each of these cards provides unique strategies and trade-offs, yet Rolling Spoil packs a unique one-two punch, disrupting land bases while potentially clearing smaller creatures off the board, a combination that can swing the game’s momentum in your favor.

Cards similar to Rolling Spoil by color, type and mana cost

Blex, Vexing Pest // Search for Blex - MTG Card versions

Hazardous Conditions - MTG Card versions

Rise of the Witch-king - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Rolling Spoil MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica: City of Guilds, 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 Rolling Spoil and other MTG cards: