It's not meant to be Path dude. In fact it's nothing like path. It is a great way to gain life by maybe sacrificing an unuseful token or replaying a card with a good cast-effect.
Urbar
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(6 votes)
In some situations Oust can be better that Path to Exile. For instance you don´t want the Jund player to have that extra land in order to play Broodmate Dragon. It can also be an card disadvantage for your opponent to draw the same creature two turns later. I think they made this card to replace Path to Exile when Alara rotates out.
FugimSky
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(4 votes)
Oh hey! you finally got your big eldrazi out. Congrats man. wow that was a lot you had to do to get him out...well....try again...1 mana, oust.
Laguz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(5 votes)
Not very good at all. I'm not sure why it's getting rated so highly. You're giving your opponent three life to temporarily remove a creature, and all the best decks run bloodbraid elf and other cascade cards...i really hope this isn't supposed to be path to exile's replacement.
OutlawD1
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(6 votes)
This is a more versatile card then Path. I wouldn't mind this replacing it
HairlessThoctar
★★☆☆☆ (2.7/5.0)(7 votes)
Gideon is such a badass.
SleetFox
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(2 votes)
"Strictly worse" means "there is no advantage that this has over the other card." This does not accelerate the opponent and enables different combos when used on yourself.
Being a sorcery kind of hurts this, but it's good, cheap removal for big guys, or even little guys since your opponent has to waste a draw on it.
statiefreez
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
While I wouldn't say this is better than Path, I like the 'reload' effect. It would work well in Hedron Crabs mill, since the crabs would just eat the creature when you landfall. Also, Ball Lightning (most people don't block ball lightning anyway when you have something else like goblin guide also attacking). Maybe Boros Bushwhacker could use this, but I'm thinking it might be a little too slow.
TheGodOfWar91
★★★★☆ (5.0/5.0)(25 votes)
"Don't just cover up your opponent's creatures with your regular spot removal, eliminate them with Oust!" -Kthari, advertising archmage
Subtleb
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is a good card, and I bet it'll see some play even before Path to Exile leaves. Early game you can't be giving decks like Jund and midrange Vamps accel. Against more aggressive stuff, early drops like Steppe Lynx or Vampire Lacerator are going to be a lot less scary than other things they could be drawing two turns later.
Most of these bozo's don't even know what this is really for! It seems like Fugimsky is the only person that really sees what this is really for. This is awesome against the Eldrazi or any high cost creatures.
sir_dwar
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(5 votes)
Pretty useful, actually. Spawn Tokens are probably going to play a role in getting eldrazi out at least some of the time, and this leaves them with wasted spawn tokens when you send their Eldrazi back, and with very little for them to show for it.
Also, it's a nice trick to use on your own creatures to save them, especially something like Bloodbraid Elf or other semi-cheep cards that do extra stuff when they're put onto the battlefield/cast.
It's also great against something like Kor Spiritdancer or Aura Gnarlid, since you can super bounce a heavily totem armored creature, and the auras stay behind (and go to the graveyard)
DutchSanta
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(11 votes)
This kinda single-handedly says "*** you, Dark Depths!"
dgregory
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(8 votes)
Let's put this in M11 instead of Path to Exile. Yes, white needed a re-balance after the Faeries fiasco, but white is not the removal color. This is balanced, classically white removal. Sure, it's no swords or path, but I'm pretty sure we can all agree those are bah-roken.
True_Smog
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is how path to exlle should looks like !
thornraven
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Cheap removal and more fair ( and interesting) than Path.
Demonic_Angel13
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
As long as you don't Oust one of those legendary Eldrazi, you could mill the top few cards of your opponent's deck (cough Tome Scourcough). This is a well balenced card, that gives you a second chance to counter a threat or trigger one of your leaves play/life gain abilities.
metalevolence
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If the eldrazi is going to show up again in two turns, why does the art have its head exploding?
excellent card for control though.
Lynnthear
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
What does second from the top mean? Is there 1 card on top of it or 2?
Fordin
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
in early game this is way better then Path since u don't want your oppponent to have a mana advantage. It also stalls his drawing which is good too. Late game path will be better most of the time
True_Mumin
★★★☆☆ (4.0/5.0)(14 votes)
Oh, sure, why the hell not! Because, AGAIN, white is so very lacking in the "powerful one-mana removal" department recently!
blindthrall
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(5 votes)
gongshowninja hit the nail on the head. If you played magic before Lorwyn, you know how bad white was. I have two vintage Ice Age/Stronghold white decks, and they are complete crap.
f_fivefiftyseven
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
At first, I thought this was strictly worse than Path to Exile. I then read it over a couple of times, and started to think of a few things I could do with it. I then played with it in a deck, and I found out how much I like it. Path is sometimes better, but so is this, and its not crazy broken like path is. Also, in limited, this is extremely useful. Your opponent will often sac a ton of Spawn in order to get something big out, and as long as that thing is not Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, you can create partial card disadvantage by making draw a card that they won't be able to play for several turns. It also nullifies all the progress that your opponents levelers have made. In short, not the best card in the world, but a smart, balanced card, and lots of fun.
Lunarblade
★★☆☆☆ (2.4/5.0)(4 votes)
Not great... at least it should have been an instant.
Cheza
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(5 votes)
Well. I bet black creatures suck, because black once had the best desruction spells. But nowadays, white creatures should suck for the same reason.
R&D, are you ignorant? Just sit back for a few minutes and think about what you do!
There are several ways to simulate destruction spells: - destroy - sacrifice - exile - put it on top of a library - put it on the bottom of a library - shuffle it into a library - put it somewhere in a library - return it to owner's hand - put it into play under an opponent's control - tranfer it into something different (a 0/0; a non-creature type, ...) - imprint it ....
All of these effect represent different strategies and therefore different colors. You should focus on A FEW of them for white. And I think, white should have one of the worst ways to handle creatures. Instead it should use lifegain and card draw effects to compensate the disadvantage. THIS would be cooler than another SoP.
Stray_Dog
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love this with Tome Scour and Rise from the Grave. Did I mention I also like milling myself and playing stuff from my graveyard? A tad auto-erotic perhaps...
I usually need at least two reasons to play mill (not just milling for the win -it aint really my style), but if I can bounce a creature to my opponent's library for 1 mana, then send it to the graveyard along with 4 other cards for 1 more mana, that is pretty satisfying!
ordaikenogvorius
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
This card WRECKS! It is like a Swords to Plowshares but in standard. Less life gain for them at the cost of sorcery speed and not permanent removal. Awesome card
this is one of the most epicly flavorful cards I've ever seen: art, text, ability. All amazingly epic.
it just brings to mind a great scene:
Ulamog towers over the battlefield surrounded by the soldiers of Zendicar, but their steel and fire have no effect. It moves as it like, unhindered, and everywhere it moves soldiers die. They begin to fall back, despite their numbers they were able to do nothing against it. It is to this scene that Gideon arrives. He sees the towering eldrazi and the sea of death it has created. He holds out is arm and stops one of the fleeing soldiers who tries to pull away muttering "it… it's invincible." Gideon hold him fast and raises his other hand towards the abomination. He extends his thumb, forefinger, and middle finger, leaving the others curled back. At this the eldrazi turns, it has no eyes but they can feel it's gaze like a writhing pressure on their lungs . The soldier's legs are no longer able to support him and he into a weeping mass supported only by earth and by Gideon. First the soldier feels the shockwave and thinks himself dead, but he hears a whisper from Gideon "invincible is just a word". He turns to see the eldrazi's head consumed by light and fire which warp the sky. Gideon then lets his arm fall, slowly, of a speed with the fall of his giant adversary. And as he finally releases his comrade they feel the earthquake as Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre falls to earth.
Duskdale_Wurm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Path to Exile is better in my opinion. At least the creature is gone forever until a Riftsweeper comes in.
Zeha
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
gongshowninja... green is the worst color
zeyette
★★☆☆☆ (2.3/5.0)(3 votes)
GET OUST OF MY GAME.
iantewks
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"is there a point on an eldrazi's head where- if you shoot it- it will blow up?"
Goin' in my W/B Needlebite trap deck. Along with Condemn. Way better flavor text and art here, though.
gongshowninja
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(7 votes)
I don't like this card. Why? Because Path to Exile is better.
Hear me out.
For a long time, white has been what can only be called the weakest/worst colour, and for good reason. After Lorwyn, as early as Shards of Alara, white began to get good card- Elspeth, and then Path, with a few other cards showing up here and there. White was becoming a colour on par with most of the others.
And then we got M2010, and Baneslayer. Baneslayer Angel is not a good card, for several reasons. First, and most obviously, it's unbalanced. If you're unsure what I mean, refer to Serra Angel and Shepherd of the Lost, two balanced five-drop angels. Second, it gave Wizards an opportunity to abuse its new "Mythic" rarity. Its rarity was Baneslayer's only balance, and a poor one at that, and made it a card with such incredible demand that it is one of the most expensive cards in standard, putting it out of reach for many players.
Yet, despite these drawbacks, blue players in this post-Lorwyn world point at white, or perhaps more accurately, cards like Baneslayer, and scream, "Heresy!"
Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile's predecessor, was one of white's original cards, and was last printed in Ice Age, I believe. Since, white has had little in terms of spot removal, which led to widespread adoption of Path when it came out in Conflux. Cards like Path, balanced, with a drawback that's as likely to harm as the effect is to help, are not the perceived problem with white (which, I will remind everyone, sucked until very recently). Cards like Baneslayer are. Each colour is evolving, and blue is still a very viable colour. Printing crap like Oust, whose drawback is a severe hindrance to the spell, to "replace" Path to Exile isn't going to change any of that.
I've been playing white for years, and have lost to most of the blue decks, red decks, hell, most decks out there. White needed a reboot, and, barring Baneslayer, which I feel is unfair, white has become a competitive colour, and blue was toned down, presumably, to bring further balance.
Please don't complain. And don't advocate hosing white again.
Thanks.
Nagoragama
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Have people tested playing this card? It seems way better than people give it credit for. It should be instant, yes, but other than that, it removes a threat for three turns and slows their tempo forcing them to draw it again. Still, I just wish it was instant.
KyoDarkFire
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Oust should be better once Path to Exile is gone from Standard, but still maybe even Journey to Nowhere is still better
Sironos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So, I'll see my creature again soon, and you're giving me life? Removal is hardly the word, more like a bump in my road. The mercy of white astounds me.
Lestat13
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Idiots shouldn't be allowed to comment, Ousting a mana dork, or any other creature that isn't relevant is like stopping your opponent from drawing any cards that could help them for an entire turn for one mana, which is kind of a good thing I've heard if you're a control deck that has more cards, and is only concerned with locking people down.
jamiepm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Man.. reprint as instance at 1w!! my sea gate oracle is about to be burnt? my wall of omens is hit with doom blade? or your mana ramp creature give me the stink eye!? uw control would l-o-v-e this card at instance... what a shame
Rhunic_32
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
k first of all if you want to complain about Baneslayer then do under Baneslayer's comments and not oust's besides with all the titans and wurmcoils out there baneslayer just is not what it used to be.
second don't complain about flavor. just play the game and adapt.
imo oust is a good card that is better than condmen in some situations and worse than others. you can't condemn a fauna shaman but you can't oust a vengevine. its more personal preference. also you'd wanna oust a titan and not wait for it to attack
second from the libary is better than you may think. in today's standard environment deck searching and shuffling are very common and will often shuffle before that second draw
blink182zombies
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
All the comments saying white was the weakest. . . Try Green. Red only has one creature that is played in Vintage. (Goblin Welder) Green wasn't even relevant until Tarmogoyf. However this is all not relevant to the card. It's a good card. Certainly not as good as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares. Maybe it would be if it was an instant. . .
Kazabet
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I don't understand how you can say this is comparable to Path to Exile. It's a sorcery!
littleteapot
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(3 votes)
Very strong. And you can just respond to a search effect and get rid of the creature forever.
gorgoncube
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
Great against decks that bang on bringing out costly creatures. Sweet against reanimator decks as well; ousting a freshly-reanimated brute will force your oppt to draw it again, and find new ways to plant it back inside the grave. Absolute tempo-screwing.
Not too good against high-speed creature aggro though. Ousting a goblin or hellspark will raise an eyebrow at most. Oust is a sorcery, that's why it's a lot less like removal and a lot more like delaying. Aggressive removals clear a path for your creatures to hit home, but the passive Oust confers so little tactical options. On the bright side, you can always Oust your Vanishing creatures to give them moar screen time.
Frost_Pheonix
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
You play Oust on a creature and pass the turn. On your next turn, you play Jace, the Mind Sculptor and play his first ability to put that creature on the bottom. Obvious synergy.
BlackAlbino
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Is it better than condemn? Yes, they won't be attacking you with their fauna shaman, birds of paradise, etc.. I would like it much better if it was just in top of their library because then you Know what they'll draw, and what they'll, most likely, play. Also more immediate draw-null. Is it better than path? No, actually it isn't even close to touching path in any way except disrupting their mana. EX: they have an ethersworn canonist, you ( somehow ) have the option to top-deck an oust or a path. What would you choose? Not to mention it's a sorcery
sonorhC
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Should be good in EDH. Cast it on your opponent's general, and then make them shuffle somehow before they re-draw it.
Truth from the mouth of Gideon... Invincible is, in the end, just a word. R.I.P. Billy Mays. Gettin odors out with Oust in another place for a while now, but everyone still misses him.
endersblade
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
I'd rather play Path, Swords, Smite, or even Condemn over this.
DoragonShinzui
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(6 votes)
Wow, that's probably one of the best badass one liners in MtG history.
Enelysios
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A fun card, gives you some time to mess around and slows your opponent down. Super-powered in EDH. The three life drawback is barely noticeable.
SirZapdos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The only card that has flavor text attributed to Gideon Jura. What a shame!
Weevy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Pretty good card. White 'bounce' to the library (does that have a name?) which can affect indestructibles. You can even use it on your own cards although in that it's probably less potent than regular bounce. But all that for one white mana and a couple of life for the opponent? I'll take it.
Everyone is commenting on the badass flavour text, but no one seems to have mentioned the art...
It's an Eldrazi with its head exploding. Presumably because of Gideon. 5/5
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Really awesome against small creatures or big creatures. Small creatures -> you hinder their draw two turns from now by giving them a bad topdeck. Big creatures? It can't attack for 2-3 more turns. Love it.
That said, I really liked Gezus82's little story thing, it brings the flavor text to life a bit; I wish it hadn't been downrated :(
nope.avi
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I would like it better if it put the creature on top of the library.
SAUS3
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
EHRMAGHERD!!! I can't believe I've never seen this card before!
Must go find some now... It's perfect for Voltron EDH decks because the life doesn't really matter, and the tempo can easily mean game over. It's not quite, but pretty close to the power level of swords to plowshares. If this was instant, it would have seen play in basically all formats. At sorcery, it's still not bad, but is undervalued.
Hunted0Lesser
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
One of the most painful tools caw-blade had access to in standard, this only brings up bad memories for me. Very powerful card.
Hercynian
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I like this card a lot in EDH. I finally decided to put it in over rapid hybridization in my U/W/G deck. I read it as delay creature for two turns (3 turns w/o haste), make opponent pay X amount of mana to reactivate it, remove all +1/+1 counters and equipment from it, destroy all auras on it, and that opponent skips a draw. And gains 3 life. Very versatile. It can even get indestructible creatures and death triggers. I generally prefer to do this to commanders rather than outright destroy them because this avoids the command zone and often, if the creature or commander is too big of a threat, there are a lot of ways to have the deck shuffled.
I want to see a game where a player exiles his own creature for the three life needed to win.
Rog4Brd3
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's neat, and fairer than Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile, but it's so much weaker and narrower in use that it would physically pain me to ever play it where those cards are legal.
Solskido
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
"'Indestructible' is just a keyword."
ColdTroller
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Wow I can't believe I haven't seen this before. It feels like its actually better than swords to plowshares in certain cases, where they don't want to re-draw the creature. In that case, its like taking their draw and having a swords to plowshares all rolled into one!
Comments (68)
I think they made this card to replace Path to Exile when Alara rotates out.
Being a sorcery kind of hurts this, but it's good, cheap removal for big guys, or even little guys since your opponent has to waste a draw on it.
-Kthari, advertising archmage
Oust + Needlebite Trap (and maybe Punishing Fire) will be fun too.
Also, it's a nice trick to use on your own creatures to save them, especially something like Bloodbraid Elf or other semi-cheep cards that do extra stuff when they're put onto the battlefield/cast.
It's also great against something like Kor Spiritdancer or Aura Gnarlid, since you can super bounce a heavily totem armored creature, and the auras stay behind (and go to the graveyard)
excellent card for control though.
R&D, are you ignorant? Just sit back for a few minutes and think about what you do!
There are several ways to simulate destruction spells:
- destroy
- sacrifice
- exile
- put it on top of a library
- put it on the bottom of a library
- shuffle it into a library
- put it somewhere in a library
- return it to owner's hand
- put it into play under an opponent's control
- tranfer it into something different (a 0/0; a non-creature type, ...)
- imprint it
....
All of these effect represent different strategies and therefore different colors. You should focus on A FEW of them for white. And I think, white should have one of the worst ways to handle creatures. Instead it should use lifegain and card draw effects to compensate the disadvantage. THIS would be cooler than another SoP.
I usually need at least two reasons to play mill (not just milling for the win -it aint really my style), but if I can bounce a creature to my opponent's library for 1 mana, then send it to the graveyard along with 4 other cards for 1 more mana, that is pretty satisfying!
it just brings to mind a great scene:
Ulamog towers over the battlefield surrounded by the soldiers of Zendicar, but their steel and fire have no effect. It moves as it like, unhindered, and everywhere it moves soldiers die. They begin to fall back, despite their numbers they were able to do nothing against it.
It is to this scene that Gideon arrives. He sees the towering eldrazi and the sea of death it has created. He holds out is arm and stops one of the fleeing soldiers who tries to pull away muttering "it… it's invincible."
Gideon hold him fast and raises his other hand towards the abomination. He extends his thumb, forefinger, and middle finger, leaving the others curled back. At this the eldrazi turns, it has no eyes but they can feel it's gaze like a writhing pressure on their lungs . The soldier's legs are no longer able to support him and he into a weeping mass supported only by earth and by Gideon.
First the soldier feels the shockwave and thinks himself dead, but he hears a whisper from Gideon "invincible is just a word". He turns to see the eldrazi's head consumed by light and fire which warp the sky. Gideon then lets his arm fall, slowly, of a speed with the fall of his giant adversary. And as he finally releases his comrade they feel the earthquake as Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre falls to earth.
Note how Green gets to put Stuff on top of the library because they stay within their sphere of influence.
Hear me out.
For a long time, white has been what can only be called the weakest/worst colour, and for good reason. After Lorwyn, as early as Shards of Alara, white began to get good card- Elspeth, and then Path, with a few other cards showing up here and there. White was becoming a colour on par with most of the others.
And then we got M2010, and Baneslayer. Baneslayer Angel is not a good card, for several reasons. First, and most obviously, it's unbalanced. If you're unsure what I mean, refer to Serra Angel and Shepherd of the Lost, two balanced five-drop angels. Second, it gave Wizards an opportunity to abuse its new "Mythic" rarity. Its rarity was Baneslayer's only balance, and a poor one at that, and made it a card with such incredible demand that it is one of the most expensive cards in standard, putting it out of reach for many players.
Yet, despite these drawbacks, blue players in this post-Lorwyn world point at white, or perhaps more accurately, cards like Baneslayer, and scream, "Heresy!"
Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile's predecessor, was one of white's original cards, and was last printed in Ice Age, I believe. Since, white has had little in terms of spot removal, which led to widespread adoption of Path when it came out in Conflux. Cards like Path, balanced, with a drawback that's as likely to harm as the effect is to help, are not the perceived problem with white (which, I will remind everyone, sucked until very recently). Cards like Baneslayer are. Each colour is evolving, and blue is still a very viable colour. Printing crap like Oust, whose drawback is a severe hindrance to the spell, to "replace" Path to Exile isn't going to change any of that.
I've been playing white for years, and have lost to most of the blue decks, red decks, hell, most decks out there. White needed a reboot, and, barring Baneslayer, which I feel is unfair, white has become a competitive colour, and blue was toned down, presumably, to bring further balance.
Please don't complain. And don't advocate hosing white again.
Thanks.
my sea gate oracle is about to be burnt?
my wall of omens is hit with doom blade?
or your mana ramp creature give me the stink eye!?
uw control would l-o-v-e this card at instance... what a shame
second don't complain about flavor. just play the game and adapt.
imo oust is a good card that is better than condmen in some situations and worse than others. you can't condemn a fauna shaman but you can't oust a vengevine. its more personal preference. also you'd wanna oust a titan and not wait for it to attack
second from the libary is better than you may think. in today's standard environment deck searching and shuffling are very common and will often shuffle before that second draw
Not too good against high-speed creature aggro though. Ousting a goblin or hellspark will raise an eyebrow at most. Oust is a sorcery, that's why it's a lot less like removal and a lot more like delaying. Aggressive removals clear a path for your creatures to hit home, but the passive Oust confers so little tactical options. On the bright side, you can always Oust your Vanishing creatures to give them moar screen time.
R.I.P. Billy Mays. Gettin odors out with Oust in another place for a while now, but everyone still misses him.
It's an Eldrazi with its head exploding. Presumably because of Gideon. 5/5
That said, I really liked Gezus82's little story thing, it brings the flavor text to life a bit; I wish it hadn't been downrated :(
I can't believe I've never seen this card before!
Must go find some now... It's perfect for Voltron EDH decks because the life doesn't really matter, and the tempo can easily mean game over. It's not quite, but pretty close to the power level of swords to plowshares. If this was instant, it would have seen play in basically all formats. At sorcery, it's still not bad, but is undervalued.
I want to see a game where a player exiles his own creature for the three life needed to win.