Take the High Ground 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
Target creature you control fights target creature you don't control. Score one point for your team. Exile Take the High Ground.
Complete guide
Take the High Ground is a efficient green sorcery that forces a confrontation between your strongest allies and your opponent's forces. Beyond the physical struggle on the battlefield, it also contributes to your team's score, making it a valuable tool in specific competitive formats. Let's explore how this fight spell functions and how to maximize its potential.
Understanding the Fight
When Take the High Ground resolves, two target creatures deal damage equal to their power to each other simultaneously. The creature you control must target a creature you don't control. Note that this is not combat damage, so abilities like first strike or double strike do not apply, but deathtouch and lifelink will function as expected.
Step-by-Step Resolution
First, you must choose two legal targets: a creature you control and a creature an opponent controls. If either target becomes illegal before the spell resolves (for example, by leaving the battlefield), the fight does not happen and no damage is dealt. If both targets remain legal, they deal damage to each other. Finally, you score one point for your team and the spell is exiled rather than going to the graveyard.
Strategic Considerations
Because Take the High Ground exiles itself upon resolution, you cannot easily recur it from the graveyard with standard 'regrowth' effects. This makes the timing of your fight crucial. It is best used when your creature has high toughness or a beneficial keyword like indestrucible to ensure it survives the exchange.
Maximizing Your Mana
This spell costs only one green mana, making it easy to cast early in the game. To ensure you have the mana needed to cast this while still developing your board, utilizing ramp spells to fix your colors or increase your land count is a proven strategy for success.
Interaction examples
Nature's LoreOn turn two, you cast Nature's Lore to search for a Forest and put it onto the battlefield untapped. This immediately provides the green mana required to cast Take the High Ground, allowing you to remove an opponent's utility creature before it becomes a threat.
FarseekIf you are playing a multi-color deck, you can cast Farseek to fetch a non-Forest land like a Mountain or Plains. While that land enters tapped, it ensures you have the necessary colors to support your creatures in future turns while you use your remaining green mana to cast Take the High Ground and score a point for your team.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Take the High Ground
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
No additional ruling has been published for this card.
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Meta decks with Take the High Ground
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.