Spoils of Victory 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
Search your library for a Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, or Forest card and put that card onto the battlefield. Then shuffle.
Complete guide
Spoils of Victory is a versatile sorcery that provides powerful mana fixing and ramp for green decks. Unlike many land-searching spells, it allows you to pull specific subtypes directly onto the battlefield without the usual restrictions of basic lands or entering tapped. It is an excellent tool for ensuring you have the exact colors needed for your most ambitious spells.
What It Does
This spell allows you to search your library for a card with one of the five basic land types: Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, or Forest. Crucially, the oracle text does not specify 'Basic,' meaning you can find any card that possesses at least one of these subtypes. Once found, that card is put directly onto the battlefield, and because the card does not specify it enters tapped, it will enter untapped unless the land's own text says otherwise.
How It Resolves Step by Step
When you cast Spoils of Victory, you first pay the mana cost of two generic and one green mana. Upon resolution, you search your library for a qualifying land card. You may choose not to find a card if you wish, as the search criteria are specific. Once you select a card, you place it onto the battlefield. Finally, you must shuffle your library, regardless of whether you found a card or not.
Common Mistakes
A frequent mistake is assuming you can only find Basic Lands. While you can certainly find a Basic Forest, you can also find non-basic lands as long as they have the appropriate subtype listed on their type line. Another error involves the state of the land; unlike similar ramp spells, Spoils of Victory does not force the land to enter tapped, providing immediate mana utility.
When to Play It
Spoils of Victory is best utilized in multi-color decks that rely on non-basic lands with multiple types. It is particularly effective when you need a specific color of mana immediately to cast a follow-up spell in the same turn. Because it can find any of the five main land types, it acts as a universal fixer for your mana base.
Interaction examples
FarseekWhile Farseek can find a Plains, Island, Swamp, or Mountain, it cannot find a Forest and always puts the land onto the battlefield tapped. Spoils of Victory is more flexible because it can find a Forest and allows the land to enter untapped, giving you immediate access to that mana.
CultivateCultivate specifically searches for 'basic land cards,' meaning it cannot find powerful non-basic lands with subtypes. Spoils of Victory, however, can find any card with a basic land type. While Cultivate nets you two cards (one to the field, one to the hand), Spoils of Victory provides higher quality selection for your battlefield by accessing non-basic typed lands.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Spoils of Victory
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Spoils of Victory allows you to search your library for any card with the land type Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, or Forest, not just a card with one of those names.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Because the “search” requires you to find a card with certain characteristics, you don’t have to find the card if you don’t want to.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Spoils of Victory
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