Culmination of Studies MTG Card


Culmination of Studies provides card draw and potential mana acceleration, essential for maintaining game tempo. It demands precise mana types and discards upon use, potentially limiting strategies and flexibility. Despite a high cost, its versatility and combo potential make it a worthy deck consideration.
Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeSorcery
Abilities Treasure

Text of card

Exile the top X cards of your library. For each land card exiled this way, create a Treasure token. For each blue card exiled this way, draw a card. For each red card exiled this way, Culmination of Studies deals 1 damage to each opponent.

Will's quick thinking meshed with Rowan's raw power to bring down the Blood Avatar.


Cards like Culmination of Studies

Culmination of Studies serves as a unique and versatile spell in the vast library of Magic: The Gathering cards. When looking at parallels, it has a kinship with cards like Expansion // Explosion in terms of its flexible value based on mana investment. Expansion // Explosion can deal damage and draw cards proportionate to the amount of mana spent. However, Culmination of Studies elevates the concept by exiling cards from the top of your library and giving you the ability to cast any number of spells with different names among them without paying their mana costs.

Another similar card is Electrodominance, which allows for instant-speed play and the casting of a card with converted mana cost equal to the mana spent. Although Electrodominance directly does damage while setting up for a free spell, Culmination of Studies exchanges that direct damage for potential card advantage and mana flexibility without being constrained to instant speed.

Assessing these characteristics, Culmination of Studies emerges as a strong competitor in the spectrum of X cost spells. Its potential for a high payoff in both the spells cast and the cards drawn tailored to the game’s circumstances, frames it as an attractive choice for players seeking strategic depth and versatility in their decks.

Expansion // Explosion - MTG Card versions
Electrodominance - MTG Card versions
Expansion // Explosion - MTG Card versions
Electrodominance - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The card Culmination of Studies plays an integral role in refilling your hand, crucial for outpacing opponents. By scaling with the mana you invest, it ensures you’re seldom short on options, allowing for a flexible and dynamic playstyle that keeps the pressure on.

Resource Acceleration: With this spell, you not only sift through your deck but also potentially ramp up your available resources. The creation of X Treasure tokens can give you a sudden surge in mana, providing the means to deploy high-impact cards earlier than usual or enabling multicolored decks to smooth out their mana base.

Instant Speed: Versatility is the name of the game with Culmination of Studies. It operates on your terms—cast it when the moment suits you best. Whether that’s at the end of an opponent’s turn to refresh your hand or in the midst of combat to surprise an adversary, its instant speed makes it a powerful tool for reactive strategies.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Culmination of Studies necessitates the discard of a card after it is played. This trade-off can be detrimental when playing strategies that value each card in hand. Decks that don’t easily replenish their hand will feel this con more acutely, potentially losing key components that could be critical later in the game.

Specific Mana Cost: The card requires a precise combination of blue and red mana to cast. This specificity can constrict deck-building flexibility, predominantly affecting players who want to incorporate the spell into a multicolor deck that may not always have the right mana available when needed.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an X cost attached, the card’s effectiveness is directly tied to your available mana. This can be especially taxing in the early stages of a match where mana resources are limited. In games where fast tempo plays a crucial role, the card’s high resource requirement can slow you down, making it less attractive compared to other lower-cost spells that offer immediate value or impact on the board state.


Reasons to Include Culmination of Studies in Your Collection

Versatility: Culmination of Studies offers a unique blend of card draw and damage, which can make it an effective inclusion in both spell-heavy and spell-slinging decks. It fits seamlessly into strategies centered around instants and sorceries.

Combo Potential: This card scales with the mana you invest into it, helping to set up devastating combos in the late game. It synergizes well with decks that capitalize on casting numerous spells or those that manipulate the graveyard for recurrent value.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where decks seek to optimize their spell usage, Culmination of Studies serves as both a powerful finisher and a resource generator, making it a smart pick for decks aiming to outpace the competition with efficiency and flexibility.


How to beat

Culmination of Studies is a powerful sorcery from Magic: The Gathering that combines card draw and damage in a dynamic package. Playing against it requires strategic prowess, as the spell scales with the amount of mana invested into its X cost – the more mana, the more cards drawn and damage dealt. Counteracting this multi-faceted threat, therefore, revolves around timing and disruption.

One reliable tactic is the use of counterspells. As Culmination of Studies is a sorcery, it’s vulnerable to instant-speed interaction when the opponent casts it. Holding mana for spells like Negate or Dovin’s Veto can effectively neutralize it before it impacts the board. Another approach is to apply pressure early on, reducing the window for your opponent to accumulate the vast resources required to make Culmination of Studies impactful. Aggressive decks can pressure the opponent’s life total, compelling them to use mana defensively rather than investing in a large-scale spell.

Ultimately, understanding the opportune moment to disrupt or applying relentless pressure can thwart the advantages presented by Culmination of Studies, securing your position in the game and leading to victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

As an MTG player, every card choice shapes your victory path, and including Culmination of Studies in your arsenal could be a game-changer. With its unique ability to refuel your hand while producing a flurry of Treasure tokens, this spell is a cornerstone for decks that thrive on versatility and surprise tactics. It’s not without its challenges, needing a balance of strategic hand management and adequate mana reserves. Yet, its potential to enhance spell-heavy and combo-driven decks makes it a worthy addition. Keen to optimize your deck’s potential and outwit your opponents? Dive deeper with us and discover the winning strategies for wielding Culmination of Studies.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Culmination of Studies MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Strixhaven: School of Mages, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Culmination of Studies and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Culmination of Studies Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2021-04-23 and 2021-04-24. Illustrated by Bryan Sola.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 902022015NormalBlackBryan Sola
22021-04-23Strixhaven: School of MagesSTX 1732015NormalBlackBryan Sola
32021-04-23Strixhaven: School of MagesSTX 3382015NormalBlackBryan Sola
42021-04-24Strixhaven: School of Mages PromosPSTX 173s2015NormalBlackBryan Sola
52021-04-24Strixhaven: School of Mages PromosPSTX 173p2015NormalBlackBryan Sola

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Culmination of Studies has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Culmination of Studies card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2021-04-16 If an exiled card is both blue and red, Culmination of Studies deals 1 damage to each opponent and you draw a card.
2021-04-16 If multiple red cards are exiled, all of the damage is dealt as a single event.
2021-04-16 You will exile all X cards from the top of your library before taking any of the listed actions.