Spoils of the VaultHow it works & interactions with other cards

What It Does

When you cast Spoils of the Vault, you name any card in the game. You then begin revealing cards one by one from the top of your library. As soon as you hit a card with the chosen name, that card goes to your hand, and every other card you revealed is exiled. The cost of this efficiency is paid in blood: you lose 1 life for every card exiled this way.

How It Resolves Step by Step

First, as the spell resolves, you choose a card name. You are not restricted to naming cards in your deck; you can name any card. Second, you reveal the top card of your library. If it matches the name, the process stops. If it does not, you continue revealing cards until you find a match or your library is empty. Finally, you move the named card to your hand, exile the others, and calculate the life loss based on the total count of exiled cards.

Common Mistakes

A common error is naming a card that isn't in your library. If you fail to reveal the named card, you will exile your entire library and lose life equal to the number of cards exiled. Additionally, remember that this is life loss, not damage, so effects that prevent damage will not save you from a lethal Spoils of the Vault.

When to Play It

Spoils of the Vault is best used when you have previously manipulated the top of your library or when you are in a desperate situation where finding a specific card is your only path to victory. It is also highly effective in combo decks that can win immediately upon finding a specific piece, regardless of how much life is lost.

Interaction examples

Ensuring a Safe Search

Vampiric Tutor

To avoid life loss, you can cast Vampiric Tutor to put a specific card on top of your library. When you then cast Spoils of the Vault and name that card, it is the first card revealed. You put it in your hand and lose 0 life because no other cards were revealed or exiled.

Fast Mana and Finding Answers

Dark Ritual

If you need a specific answer early in the game, you can use Dark Ritual to generate three black mana. Use one of those mana to cast Spoils of the Vault. If the card you named is five cards down, you will exile those four intervening cards, lose 4 life, and put the desired card into your hand, leaving you with two mana to cast your newly found spell.

The Ultimate Gamble

If you are at 10 life and name a card that is 11 cards deep in your library, the spell will exile the top 10 cards, you will lose 10 life, and you will lose the game due to having 0 life before you can even cast the card you just put into your hand.