Ashnod's Altar is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Sacrifice a creature: Add.
Complete guide
Ashnod's Altar is a cornerstone of powerful artifact-based strategies, offering a repeatable way to turn creatures into mana. This legendary piece of machinery allows you to fuel massive spells or trigger death effects at a moment's notice. Understanding its timing as a mana ability is key to mastering its potential.
What it Does
Ashnod's Altar is an artifact that provides a mana ability. By sacrificing a creature you control, you immediately add two colorless mana to your mana pool. Because this is a mana ability, it does not use the stack and cannot be responded to, meaning your opponents cannot cast spells to stop you from gaining the mana once you begin the activation process.
How it Resolves
To use the Altar, you first declare you are activating the ability. You then choose a creature you control to sacrifice as the cost. Once the creature is placed into the graveyard, you immediately receive two colorless mana. This process happens instantly and can even be done while you are in the middle of casting another spell or activating another ability that requires a mana payment.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is trying to sacrifice a creature that is already marked for death by an opponent's spell, such as a destruction effect, after that spell has resolved. You must activate the Altar in response to their spell while the creature is still on the battlefield. Additionally, remember that the mana produced is colorless, not generic; while it can pay for generic costs, it cannot satisfy requirements for specific colors of mana.
When to Play It
Ashnod's Altar is best played when you have creatures that have 'enters-the-battlefield' or 'dies' triggers, or when you simply need a burst of mana to cast a high-cost finisher. It serves as an excellent sacrifice outlet to protect your creatures from being exiled or stolen, ensuring you get value out of them before they leave the battlefield.
Interaction examples
Swiftfoot BootsIf you have a creature on the battlefield and an opponent attempts to take control of it, you can activate Ashnod's Altar to sacrifice that creature. The sacrifice happens immediately, and you gain two colorless mana. You can then use one of that mana to pay the Equip cost of Swiftfoot Boots for a different creature you control, ensuring your resources stay productive.
Arcane SignetSuppose you have a small token creature and want to cast a spell that requires five mana, but you only have three lands and an Arcane Signet. You can tap the Signet for one mana, tap your three lands for three mana, and then sacrifice the token to Ashnod's Altar. This gives you a total of six mana, allowing you to cast your spell while still having one colorless mana left over in your pool.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Ashnod's Altar
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
No additional ruling has been published for this card.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar + Reassembling Skeleton
- 1Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing Reassembling Skeleton, adding .
- 2When Reassembling Skeleton dies, Pitiless Plunderer triggers, creating a Treasure token.
- 3Activate the Treasure token by tapping and sacrificing it, adding
. - 4Activate Reassembling Skeleton by paying
, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped. - 5Repeat.
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Ashnod's Altar
- 1Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing the creature with persist, adding .
- 2When that creature dies, its persist ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.
- 3Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing the persist creature, adding .
- 4When the persist creature dies, its undying ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
- 5Repeat.
Gravecrawler + Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar
- 1Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing Gravecrawler, adding .
- 2When Gravecrawler dies, Pitiless Plunderer triggers, creating a Treasure token.
- 3Activate the Treasure token by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 4Cast Gravecrawler from your graveyard by paying .
- 5Repeat.
Luminous Broodmoth + Ashnod's Altar
- 1Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing the persist or undying creature, adding .
- 2When the creature dies, its persist or undying ability triggers if it doesn't have a -1/-1 counter or +1/+1 counter on it respectively, and Luminous Broodmoth triggers if the creature didn't have flying.
- 3Resolve the persist or undying trigger, if applicable, returning the creature from your graveyard to the battlefield with either a -1/-1 counter or a +1/+1 counter on it.
- 4Resolve the Luminous Broodmoth trigger, if applicable, returning the creature from your graveyard to the battlefield with a flying counter on it if the creature is still in your graveyard.
- 5Repeat.
Nim Deathmantle + Ashnod's Altar
- 1Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing the persist or undying creature, adding .
- 2When the persist or undying creature dies, its persist or undying ability and Nim Deathmantle trigger.
- 3Resolve the Nim Deathmantle trigger, choosing not to pay.
- 4Resolve the creature's trigger, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a +1/+1 or -1/-1 counter on it.
- 5Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing the persist or undying creature, adding .
- 6When the persist or undying creature dies, Nim Deathmantle triggers, causing you to pay
to return the persist or undying creature from your graveyard to the battlefield. - 7Repeat.
Ashnod's Altar + Cathars' Crusade
- 1Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing the persist creature.
- 2When the persist creature dies, its persist ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.
- 3When the persist creature enters, Cathars' Crusade triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
- 4Repeat
Scrap Trawler + Myr Retriever + Ashnod's Altar + Foundry Inspector
- 1Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing Myr Retriever, adding .
- 2When Myr Retriever dies, it triggers, returning Scrap Trawler from your graveyard to your hand.
- 3Cast Scrap Trawler by paying its mana cost, which is reduced by Foundry Inspector.
- 4Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing Scrap Trawler, adding .
- 5When Scrap Trawler dies, it triggers, returning Myr Retriever from your graveyard to your hand.
- 6Cast Myr Retriever by paying its mana cost, which is reduced by Foundry Inspector.
- 7Repeat.
Ashnod's Altar + Rhythm of the Wild
- 1Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing the persist creature.
- 2When the persist creature dies, its persist ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield without a -1/-1 counter on it due to Rhythm of the Wild.
- 3Repeat.
Legal formats
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