Cut Short MTG Card


Cut Short’s draw effect offsets the removal’s card cost, balancing board and hand presence. Instant speed provides strategic flexibility to disrupt foes during crucial match moments. Mana and hand requirements limit Cut Short’s usage, favoring premeditated deck strategies.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Convoke

Text of card

Convoke (Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for or one mana of that creature's color.) Destroy target planeswalker that was activated this turn or tapped creature.

With one swift, merciful stroke, Tamiyo's story came to an end.


Cards like Cut Short

Cut Short is an intriguing spell in the realm of Magic: The Gathering for disrupting an opponent’s creatures. Within the vast collection of instant-speed removal spells, Cut Short stands in comparison to the likes of Swords to Plowshares. Swords to Plowshares exiles a creature outright, the trade-off being that the creature’s controller gains life equal to its power. Unlike Swords to Plowshares, Cut Short does not provide life to the opponent’s side, which can be a strategic advantage in tightly contested matches.

Another similar card is Path to Exile, providing an immediate answer to creatures by exiling them, but it does allow your opponent to ramp by searching their library for a basic land card. Cut Short, on the other hand, doesn’t offer your opponent any form of compensation, keeping the scales tipped in your favor. Finally, consider the staple card, Unsummon. It returns a creature to its owner’s hand at low cost, providing a temporary solution, whereas Cut Short potentially disrupts longer-term plays by removing creatures from the combat phase without bouncing them back to advantage your opponent.

When analyzing Cut Short against its counterparts, it proves to hold a unique position by offering creature disruption without giving additional benefits to the opponent, a subtle yet potent tool for any MTG player’s arsenal.

Swords to Plowshares - MTG Card versions
Path to Exile - MTG Card versions
Unsummon - MTG Card versions
Swords to Plowshares - MTG Card versions
Path to Exile - MTG Card versions
Unsummon - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Cut Short by color, type and mana cost

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Reverse Damage - MTG Card versions
Army of Allah - MTG Card versions
Holy Light - MTG Card versions
Morale - MTG Card versions
Blood of the Martyr - MTG Card versions
Piety - MTG Card versions
Martyrdom - MTG Card versions
Harsh Justice - MTG Card versions
Kor Chant - MTG Card versions
Just Fate - MTG Card versions
Waylay - MTG Card versions
Warrior's Honor - MTG Card versions
Radiant's Judgment - MTG Card versions
Afterlife - MTG Card versions
Abolish - MTG Card versions
Restrain - MTG Card versions
Prismatic Strands - MTG Card versions
Ardenvale Tactician // Dizzying Swoop - MTG Card versions
Teferi's Protection - MTG Card versions
Generous Gift - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Cut Short. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Azorius TempoAzorius Tempo StandardAzorius TempoStandard Challenge 64 2024-01-14
Azorius MentorAzorius Mentor StandardAzorius TempoClassic Qualifier Prague 2024
Caw-GatesCaw-Gates PauperCaw-GatesPauper Qualifier 2024-03-02
Esper ControlEsper Control Free formStandard Pauper Tournament Feb 2024
Azorius MidrangeAzorius Midrange StandardAzorius TempoThe Pizza Box Open: Standard

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Cut Short enables players to remove an opponent’s threat while also drawing a card, enhancing their hand while dismantling the adversary’s strategy.

Resource Acceleration: Efficiently costed, this card optimizes mana usage, allowing players to disrupt enemy plays while still progressing their board state.

Instant Speed: As an instant, Cut Short offers flexibility, permitting players to respond to threats in real-time, maintaining momentum and control during the heated moments of a match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Cut Short means you must toss another card from your hand into the graveyard. This could be particularly detrimental when your hand is already depleted from battling your opponent, making it hard to maintain card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Cut Short’s casting cost demands a specific combination of one black and one blue mana. This stipulation pigeonholes it into only blue-black decks, restricting its versatility across the broader MTG meta.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring three mana for its effect may be steep when you consider the efficiency of alternative removal options available. In many scenarios, players may find themselves opting for lower-cost spells that offer similar—or even better—board control.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Cut Short is a versatile inclusion, adept at removing pesky creatures from the battlefield. It is especially useful in decks that strive for control and a steady pace towards victory.

Combo Potential: Its capacity to neutralize threats also works well in combination with strategies that capitalize on an opponent’s reduced board presence, enabling more secure paths to deliver lethal blows.

Meta-Relevance: This instant shines in environments heavily populated with low-cost creatures, providing an efficient answer to swarm tactics and tempo plays that could otherwise overrun a more deliberate deck design.


How to beat

Cut Short is an intriguing card in Magic: The Gathering that offers players instant speed interaction by allowing them to remove a blocker from combat. To overcome this card, it’s essential to anticipate when your opponent might have a Cut Short ready. Keep an eye on their untapped lands and consider the colors they’re playing. If you suspect they have Cut Short, you might want to bait it out with a less critical creature before committing your key attacker to the board.

Alternatively, cards with hexproof can be particularly effective against Cut Short, as it can’t target them. Lastly, playing creatures with beneficial enter the battlefield or death effects minimizes the impact of Cut Short, turning your creatures into more than just attackers and making it less profitable for your opponent to remove them. The key is to stay one step ahead and not overextend into a situation where Cut Short can disrupt your strategy. Proper threat assessment and strategic baiting can help ensure your important creatures land successful attacks.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Cut Short // Cut Short MTG card by a specific set like March of the Machine Art Series and March of the Machine, 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 Cut Short // Cut Short and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Cut Short // Cut Short Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2023-04-21 and 2023-04-21. Illustrated by Tran Nguyen.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12023-04-21March of the Machine Art SeriesAMOM 32015Art seriesBorderlessTran Nguyen
22023-04-21March of the MachineMOM 102015NormalBlackTran Nguyen

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Cut Short has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2023-04-14 A planeswalker was “activated” during a turn if one of its abilities was activated that turn. This includes its loyalty abilities and any other activated abilities it may have. That ability may still be on the stack, or it could have resolved, failed to resolve, been countered, or have been removed from the stack some other way.
2023-04-14 Emblems are separate from the planeswalkers you got them from. Activating an ability of an emblem doesn’t cause any planeswalker to be “activated.”
2023-04-14 Once an ability of a planeswalker is activated, it doesn’t matter if the planeswalker loses that ability. That planeswalker has still been “activated” that turn.