Structural Distortion MTG Card

Structural Distortion - Shadows over Innistrad

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery
Released	2016-04-08
Set symbol
Set name	Shadows over Innistrad
Set code	SOI
Number	185
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jung Park

Key Takeaways

It’s a dual-purpose card, removing artifacts or lands and hindering opponent’s resources effectively.
Demands strategic play due to specific mana costs and sorcery speed limitations.
Remains relevant in metas with complex manabases and prevalent artifacts.

Text of card

Exile target artifact or land. Structural Distortion deals 2 damage to that permanent's controller.

"As Zendikar has bled, so will Innistrad. As I have wept, so will Sorin." —Nahiri

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Structural Distortion is pivotal in disrupting your opponent’s game plan by permanently removing a land or an artifact from the match. This not only diminishes their resources but also potentially cuts them off from crucial colors or abilities, thereby passively contributing to your card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: While Structural Distortion itself does not directly accelerate resources in the traditional sense, by setting your opponent back, it indirectly accelerates your position on the board. This can lead to a significant advantage as you continue to develop your board state unimpeded.

Instant Speed: Though Structural Distortion is a sorcery card, its effect compensates for the lack of instant speed. The impactful nature of its targeted removal ensures that the timing of its play is still crucial and can be pivotal in the tempo of the game, especially when played in the early turns.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Structural Distortion does not ask for a card to be discarded. It’s crucial to plan your strategy without relying on discarding as a component of this spell’s casting process.

Specific Mana Cost: Sporting a precise mana requirement of three generic and one red mana, Structural Distortion necessitates a dedicated spot in red-aligned or multicolor decks adept at generating the necessary mana combination.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The card’s casting cost might be considered burdensome when you weigh it against other options that destroy artifacts or lands. Players might find that four mana can be a hefty price for the effect, especially in formats where tempo and mana efficiency are paramount.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Structural Distortion offers a dual ability to disrupt your opponent’s land resources or eliminate problematic artifacts, making it a flexible addition to various decks that aim to control the battlefield.

Combo Potential: This card’s ability to send target land or artifact directly to exile pairs well with land destruction strategies or decks that capitalize on an opponent’s inability to utilize essential resources, creating potential for disruptive combos.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where artifacts are commonplace or where mana bases are complex and susceptible to interference, Structural Distortion becomes a valuable tool to throw off your opponent’s game plan, maintaining relevance in certain metas.

How to beat

Structural Distortion is a card that packs a punch in Magic: The Gathering, offering players the capability to not only remove an opponent’s land or artifact but also to deal direct damage in the process. Such versatility can be trouble for those relying heavily on specific noncreature permanents or their mana base.

Overcoming this particular challenge requires strategic land protection, like ensuring land regeneration with cards like Terra Eternal or utilizing indestructible landscapes provided by Darksteel Citadel. Additionally, countering the spell through classic blue control cards like Negate or Mana Leak can prevent the unpleasant surprise of losing a crucial land or artifact. Keeping in mind the possibility of your land being targeted, diversifying mana resources through the use of mana dorks or artifact-based ramp might also mitigate the potential setback, sustaining your game despite the loss of a land or artifact.

While Structural Distortion may appear daunting, Magic: The Gathering offers a variety of strategies to nullify its impact. By having the right countermeasures in place, you can protect your key assets and maintain control of the game, effectively rendering the card a minor inconvenience rather than a game-ending threat.

Cards like Structural Distortion

Structural Distortion finds its niche in the realm of Magic: The Gathering as a unique spell that disrupts opponents while causing direct damage. Within the same sphere, we encounter cards like Molten Rain and Stone Rain. Though both instigate land destruction similar to Structural Distortion, they diverge in effects; Molten Rain inflicts additional damage if the land is nonbasic, while Stone Rain offers a more cost-efficient, yet purely destructive option without the damage bonus.

Another counterpart, Demolish, offers the flexibility of destroying either an artifact or a land. Despite this versatility, it lacks Structural Distortion’s ability to exile the targeted card, thereby preventing recursion strategies that many decks rely on. While Ghost Quarter doesn’t deal damage, it has a unique place by disrupting manabases at no mana cost but grants opponents the chance to replace the land—a tactical trade-off that Structural Distortion doesn’t require you to contend with as it leaves no room for replacement.

Considering the strategic advantages of exiling over mere destruction in certain MTG metas, it’s clear why Structural Distortion would appeal to players seeking to disrupt and pinch their opponent’s resources with prejudice against graveyard retrieval—all in one efficient package.

Cards similar to Structural Distortion by color, type and mana cost

Draconic Intervention - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Structural Distortion MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad, 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 Structural Distortion and other MTG cards: