Relic of Sauron 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

: Add two mana in any combination of , , and/or . , : Draw two cards, then discard a card.

Complete guide

Relic of Sauron is a powerful artifact that serves as both a significant mana accelerator and a reliable source of card advantage. Representing the dark influence of the Dark Lord, this relic ensures you have the resources needed to cast high-cost spells while refining your hand during the later stages of the game.

Dual Utility of the Relic

Relic of Sauron offers two distinct activated abilities. The first is a mana ability that provides two mana in any combination of Blue, Black, or Red. The second is a utility ability that costs three generic mana and tapping the artifact to draw two cards and then discard one. Note that because both abilities require tapping the Relic, you must choose between generating mana or drawing cards each turn cycle unless you have a way to untap it.

Step-by-Step Resolution

When you activate the second ability, you first pay the three generic mana and tap the Relic. Upon resolution, you draw two cards first. Only after drawing those cards do you choose one card from your hand to discard. This ensures you have the maximum amount of information before deciding which resource is the least valuable to your current strategy.

Common Pitfalls

A frequent mistake is attempting to use the two mana generated by the Relic's first ability to pay for its second ability. Since both abilities require the Relic of Sauron to tap as part of the cost, you cannot use the Relic to fund its own card-draw mechanism in the same turn without external untap effects. Additionally, remember that the discard is mandatory even if you draw cards you wish to keep.

Strategic Implementation

In the early game, use this artifact to jump from four mana to seven, allowing you to bypass mid-game hurdles. In the late game, when you have excess mana from lands, the Relic transforms into a 'looting' engine. It helps you dig through your deck for win conditions while pitching unnecessary lands or redundant spells to the graveyard.

Interaction examples

Accelerating your Board State

Solemn Simulacrum

With Relic of Sauron on the battlefield, you can tap it for two mana and use two additional lands to cast Solemn Simulacrum. This allows you to ramp into a land and a creature blocker efficiently, effectively utilizing the Grixis-aligned mana the Relic provides.

Managing Resources

Commander's Sphere

If you have both artifacts in play, you can use the mana from Commander's Sphere to help pay for the Relic of Sauron's draw ability. If you are in desperate search of a specific answer, you can activate the Relic to draw two and discard one, then sacrifice the Commander's Sphere to draw an additional card.

Simple Mana Generation

During your main phase, you tap Relic of Sauron and choose to add one Blue and one Black mana to your mana pool. This mana can be used to cast two separate spells or contribute to the cost of a single larger spell.

Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.