Path to Exile 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
Exile target creature. Its controller may search their library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
Complete guide
Path to Exile is a premier removal spell in Magic: The Gathering, offering a permanent solution to any creature threat for just one white mana. While it provides a significant tempo advantage, it comes with a downside that grants your opponent a resource, making timing and target selection crucial.
How It Works
When you cast Path to Exile, you choose a target creature to be removed from the game. Unlike destruction effects, exile prevents the creature from going to the graveyard, bypassing abilities like indestructible or regeneration. As the spell resolves, the creature's controller is given the option to search their library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped.
Step-by-Step Resolution
First, the target creature is moved to the exile zone. Second, the controller of that creature decides whether or not to search their library; this is optional. If they choose to search, they find a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, and then shuffle their library. If they choose not to search, no land is placed, and no shuffling occurs.
Common Mistakes
A common error occurs when the target creature leaves the battlefield or becomes an illegal target (such as gaining Hexproof) before Path to Exile resolves. In this case, the entire spell fails; the creature is not exiled, and the controller does not get to search for a land. Additionally, remember that the land enters the battlefield tapped, meaning it cannot be used for mana immediately unless the player has another way to untap it.
When to Play It
Because Path to Exile gives your opponent a basic land, it is often best saved for the late game when an extra land matters less to them, or for early game emergencies against high-priority threats. Using it on your own creature is also a valid strategy if you desperately need to mana ramp or fix your colors by searching for a specific basic land.
Interaction examples
Swords to PlowsharesBoth spells cost one white mana and exile a creature. While Swords to Plowshares gives your opponent life, Path to Exile gives them a permanent mana advantage. In aggressive decks, you might prefer Path to Exile so your opponent's life total stays low; in control decks, you might prefer Swords to Plowshares to ensure your opponent doesn't outpace you in mana.
Enlightened TutorIf an opponent casts Enlightened Tutor to put a powerful artifact on top of their library, you can respond by casting Path to Exile on one of their creatures. If they choose to search for a basic land, the mandatory shuffle at the end of Path to Exile's resolution will shuffle the artifact they just tutored for away from the top of their deck.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Path to Exile
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The controller of the exiled creature isn't required to search their library for a basic land. If that player doesn't, the player won't shuffle their library.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If the target creature is an illegal target by the time Path to Exile tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. The creature's controller won't search for a basic land card.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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