Swords to Plowshares 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 gains life equal to its power.
Complete guide
Swords to Plowshares is one of the most iconic removal spells in Magic: The Gathering history. This simple one-mana instant provides a permanent solution to almost any creature threat, provided you are willing to let your opponent gain a bit of health.
What It Does
At its core, Swords to Plowshares is a targeted removal spell that exiles a creature. Because the creature is exiled rather than destroyed, it bypasses keywords like Indestructible and prevents the creature from being easily returned from the graveyard. The 'downside' is that the creature's controller gains life equal to that creature's power.
How It Resolves
First, you choose a legal target for the spell as you cast it. Upon resolution, the creature is moved from the battlefield to the exile zone. Immediately after the creature is exiled, the game checks its power as it last existed on the battlefield to determine how much life the controller gains. If the creature had a power-modifying effect or counters on it, those are included in the calculation.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is trying to respond to the life gain after the creature is gone. The exile and the life gain happen as part of the same resolution step. Additionally, remember that if the target becomes illegal (for example, gaining Hexproof in response), the entire spell fails to resolve, and no life is gained by anyone.
When to Play It
Since it only costs one white mana, it is best used to remove high-threat creatures that your opponent has invested a lot of resources into. It is often better to wait until an opponent attempts to equip or buff a creature to ensure you get maximum value from your single mana.
Interaction examples
You cast Swords to Plowshares targeting an opponent's 5/5 creature. The creature is moved to the exile zone, and the opponent gains 5 life. The creature cannot be regenerated because it was not destroyed.
Path to ExileWhile both cards exile a creature for one mana, Path to Exile gives the opponent a land while Swords to Plowshares gives them life. Against aggressive decks, you might prefer Path to Exile to keep their life total low, but in many cases, Swords to Plowshares is superior because it does not accelerate the opponent's mana production.
Enlightened TutorIf you have Enlightened Tutor in hand, you can search for an artifact or enchantment to help deal with non-creature permanents, while saving your Swords to Plowshares specifically for a creature that represents lethal damage on the board.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Swords to Plowshares
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Use the power of the creature from when it was last on the battlefield to determine how much life is gained.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Swords to Plowshares + Jumbo Cactuar
- 1Declare Jumbo Cactuar as an attacker, triggering its ability, giving it +9999/+0 until end of turn.
- 2Cast Swords to Plowshares by paying
, exiling Jumbo Cactuar and causing you to gain 10,000 life.
Serra Avatar + Swords to Plowshares + Sanguine Bond
- 1Cast Swords to Plowshares by paying , exiling Serra Avatar and gaining life equal to its power.
- 2Sanguine Bond triggers, causing target opponent whose lifetotal is less than or equal to Serra Avatar's power to lose life equal to the life you gained.
- 3The opponent loses the game due to having zero or less life.
Wall of Blood + Vizkopa Guildmage + Swords to Plowshares
- 1Activate Vizkopa Guildmage's second ability by paying
, creating a delayed triggered ability. - 2Activate Wall of Blood's ability multiple times by paying 1 life each time until you are at 1 life, giving Wall of Blood +1/+1 until end of turn for each activation.
- 3Cast Swords to Plowshares by paying , exiling Wall of Blood and gaining life equal to its power.
- 4The delayed triggered ability from Vizkopa Guildmage triggers, causing each opponent to lose that much life.
Serra Avatar + Swords to Plowshares + Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
- 1Cast Swords to Plowshares by paying , exiling Serra Avatar and gaining life equal to its power.
- 2Vito triggers, causing target opponent whose lifetotal is less than or equal to Serra Avatar's power to lose life equal to the life you gained.
- 3The opponent loses the game due to having zero or less life.
Vizkopa Guildmage + Swords to Plowshares + Serra Avatar
- 1Activate Vizkopa Guildmage's second ability by paying , causing each opponent to lose life when you gain life this turn.
- 2Cast Swords to Plowshares by paying , exiling Serra Avatar and gaining life equal to its power.
- 3Vizkopa Guildmage triggers, causing each opponent to lose life equal to the life you gained.
- 4Each opponent loses the game due to having zero or less life.
Soul of Eternity + Swords to Plowshares + Sanguine Bond
- 1Cast Swords to Plowshares by paying , exiling Soul of Eternity and gaining life equal to its power.
- 2Sanguine Bond triggers, causing target opponent whose lifetotal is less than or equal to Soul of Eternity's power to lose life equal to the life you gained.
- 3The opponent loses the game due to having zero or less life.
Soul of Eternity + Swords to Plowshares + Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
- 1Cast Swords to Plowshares by paying , exiling Soul of Eternity and gaining life equal to its power.
- 2Vito triggers, causing target opponent whose lifetotal is less than or equal to Soul of Eternity's power to lose life equal to the life you gained.
- 3The opponent loses the game due to having zero or less life.
Vizkopa Guildmage + Swords to Plowshares + Soul of Eternity
- 1Activate Vizkopa Guildmage's second ability by paying , causing each opponent to lose life when you gain life this turn.
- 2Cast Swords to Plowshares by paying , exiling Soul of Eternity and gaining life equal to its power.
- 3Vizkopa Guildmage triggers, causing each opponent to lose life equal to the life you gained.
- 4Each opponent loses the game due to having zero or less life.
Legal formats
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