Sever the Bloodline 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 and all other creatures with the same name as that creature. Flashback(You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
Complete guide
Sever the Bloodline is a powerful black sorcery capable of wiping out an entire army of identical threats with a single strike. Whether you are facing down a swarm of tokens or a board full of copies, this spell ensures their removal is permanent. With the Flashback keyword, you can even bring this destruction back for a second act later in the game.
One Target, Total Erasure
Sever the Bloodline only targets one specific creature when you cast it. Upon resolution, the spell identifies the name of that target and exiles it, along with every other creature on the battlefield that shares that exact name. Because only the initial creature is targeted, this spell effectively bypasses Hexproof and Protection on any 'other' creatures it exiles, as those keywords only prevent being targeted.
The Importance of Resolution
To successfully exile the board, the targeted creature must still be a legal target when Sever the Bloodline attempts to resolve. If your opponent removes the targeted creature in response, or if it gains Hexproof before the spell finishes, the entire spell fails. In this scenario, no creatures are exiled, not even the ones that weren't targeted. Always choose your target carefully to ensure the spell completes its effect.
Double the Value with Flashback
Flashback allows you to cast this sorcery from your graveyard by paying its alternative cost of {5}{B}{B}. You must still follow sorcery timing restrictions. Once you cast it using Flashback, the card is exiled regardless of whether it resolves or is countered. This provides a secondary layer of utility, allowing you to recover from earlier discards or to reuse your removal in the late game.
Naming Conventions
Naming is critical for this spell. Tokens usually have names based on their subtypes (like 'Soldier Token'), while double-faced cards only have the name of the side currently face-up. For example, a transformed creature will not be exiled if its front-side counterpart is the target, as they have different names.
Interaction examples
VictimizeIf you use Victimize to return two powerful threats to the battlefield, you may find yourself needing to clear the opponent's blockers. If Sever the Bloodline was previously cast or discarded to pay for a spell, you can pay its Flashback cost from your graveyard to exile your opponent's most dangerous creature and all its copies, clearing the path for your revived attackers.
Toxic DelugeIn a situation where an opponent has multiple high-toughness creatures with the same name, Toxic Deluge might require too much life to be safe. Instead, you can cast Sever the Bloodline targeting one of them. While Toxic Deluge hits everything for a price, Sever the Bloodline provides a surgical strike that removes specific name-matched threats permanently via exile, without costing you any life.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Sever the Bloodline
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Sever the Bloodline has only one target. Other creatures with the same name will be exiled even if they have hexproof or protection.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Unless a token is a copy of another permanent or was explicitly given a name by the effect that created it, its name is the subtypes it was given when it was created plus the word “Token.” For example, if an effect creates a 1/1 Soldier creature token, that token is named “Soldier Token.”
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If the target creature is an illegal target by the time Sever the Bloodline tries to resolve, the spell won’t resolve. You won’t exile any creatures at all.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Unless a token is a copy of another permanent or was explicitly given a name by the effect that created it, its name is the subtypes it was given when it was created plus the word "Token." For example, if an effect creates a 1/1 Soldier creature token, that token is named "Soldier Token."
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
You can cast a spell using flashback even if it was somehow put into your graveyard without having been cast.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If a card with flashback is put into your graveyard during your turn, you can cast it if it's legal to do so before any other player can take any actions.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost (such as a flashback cost) you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
"Flashback [cost]" means "You may cast this card from your graveyard by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost" and "If the flashback cost was paid, exile this card instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would leave the stack."
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
You must still follow any timing restrictions and permissions, including those based on the card's type. For instance, you can cast a sorcery using flashback only when you could normally cast a sorcery.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
A spell cast using flashback will always be exiled afterward, whether it resolves, is countered, or leaves the stack in some other way.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
Only creatures on the battlefield will be exiled. In other zones, they're "creature cards," not "creatures."
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #12· Wizards of the Coast
A double-faced creature only has the name of the face that's up. For example, if Village Ironsmith is targeted by Sever the Bloodline, Ironfang wouldn't be exiled.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #13· Wizards of the Coast
If the targeted creature is an illegal target by the time Sever the Bloodline resolves, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. No creatures will be exiled.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
Commentaires
- Sois le premier à commenter cette carte.
Read next
Meta decks with Sever the Bloodline
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.