Highway Robbery 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
You may discard a card or sacrifice a land. If you do, draw two cards. Plot(You may pay
Complete guide
Highway Robbery is a flexible red sorcery that allows players to trade resources for fresh cards. By utilizing the new Plot mechanic, you can set up powerful future turns without depleting your mana at a critical moment.
Efficiency and Cost
Highway Robbery provides card advantage at the cost of either a card in your hand or a land on the battlefield. Unlike some similar spells, these are not additional costs to cast the spell; instead, the choice happens during resolution. This means if the spell is countered, you don't lose the card or land you intended to discard or sacrifice.
How Resolution Works
When Highway Robbery resolves, you choose one of two options: discard a card or sacrifice a land. You cannot choose to discard if your hand is empty, and you cannot choose to sacrifice a land if you control none. If you successfully perform one of these actions, you draw two cards. If you cannot do either, you simply do not draw.
Mastering the Plot Mechanic
You can pay the Plot cost of {1}{R} as a special action during your main phase when the stack is empty to exile Highway Robbery. This action cannot be responded to. On a future turn, you can cast it from exile for free. This is particularly useful for 'storm' style turns or when you are waiting to draw a card you actually want to discard.
Common Mistakes
A common error is trying to cast the card the same turn it was plotted; the rules explicitly state it must be a later turn. Additionally, while the mana cost is free when casting from exile, any mandatory additional costs imposed by other effects must still be paid.
Interaction examples
PlotOn turn two, you pay {1}{R} to Plot Highway Robbery. You place it in the exile zone (represented by the Plot reminder card). On turn three, you cast it from exile for free. Upon resolution, you sacrifice a land you no longer need to draw two cards, leaving your turn three mana fully available for other spells.
Faithless LootingYou cast Faithless Looting to draw two cards and discard two. Seeing that you have excess lands, you then cast Highway Robbery. During the resolution of Highway Robbery, you sacrifice a Mountain to draw two more cards, digging deeper into your deck than Faithless Looting could alone.
VandalblastIf you have a card like Vandalblast that is also plotted or cast for free, remember that you cannot choose to pay alternative costs like Overload when casting a spell for free via Plot. However, for Highway Robbery, the 'discard or sacrifice' choice is part of the effect, not an alternative cost, so it functions normally even when cast for free.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Highway Robbery
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
You can’t choose to discard a card if you have no cards in hand. Similarly, you can’t choose to sacrifice a land if you control no lands.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Plot abilities are written “Plot [cost],” which means “Any time you have priority during your main phase while the stack is empty, you may pay [cost] and exile this card from your hand. It becomes plotted.”
Card named in this ruling
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Exiling a card using its plot ability is a special action. Once you announce you’re taking that action, no other player can respond by trying to remove that card from your hand.
Card named in this ruling
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
You can’t cast a plotted card on the same turn it became plotted. On any future turn, you may cast that card from exile without paying its mana cost during your main phase while the stack is empty.
Card named in this ruling
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If you’re casting a plotted card from exile without paying its mana cost, you can’t choose to cast it for any other alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs, such as kicker costs. If the plotted card has any mandatory additional costs, those must still be paid to cast the spell.
Card named in this ruling
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If a plotted card has
in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.Card named in this ruling
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Meta decks with Highway Robbery
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.