Fallen Ideal MTG Card


Fallen Ideal provides card advantage through recursive play and creature power scaling. Its ability to sacrifice at instant speed offers flexible and reactive game maneuvers. Mana cost and color specificity can be restrictive in diverse MTG decks.
Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature has flying and "Sacrifice a creature: This creature gets +2/+1 until end of turn." When Fallen Ideal is put into a graveyard from play, return Fallen Ideal to its owner's hand.


Cards like Fallen Ideal

Fallen Ideal joins the realm of aura enchantments in Magic: The Gathering, bringing unique synergies and tactical advantages to the table. It’s often compared to other “sacrifice for benefit” enchantments like Rancor. Rancor provides a lighter effect, granting trample and a smaller boost in power but with the distinctive trait of returning to its owner’s hand upon hitting the graveyard. Fallen Ideal, however, provides an exponential potential for growth as creatures can be continually sacrificed for a stacking effect, combined with the invaluable flying ability, ensuring the enchanted creature becomes a serious aerial threat.

Another related card is Dragon Breath, which not only gives the enchanted creature a power boost and haste but also has the built-in recursion effect when a sizable creature enters the battlefield under your control. While Dragon Breath emphasizes speed and immediate impact, Fallen Ideal allows for a dynamic power scaling, making it a considerable threat in prolonged matches. Then there’s Fling, not an enchantment, but a spell that embodies the sacrifice-for-damage philosophy, offering a one-time significant impact by converting a creature’s power into direct damage, whereas Fallen Ideal encourages strategic build-up over time.

Through this comparison, it’s clear that Fallen Ideal offers a versatile tool for MTG players, creating opportunities for both immediate board impact and long-term tactical advantages, making it a unique and valuable inclusion in decks that thrive on synergistic interactions and creature-focused strategies.

Rancor - MTG Card versions
Dragon Breath - MTG Card versions
Fling - MTG Card versions
Rancor - MTG Card versions
Dragon Breath - MTG Card versions
Fling - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Fallen Ideal by color, type and mana cost

Gloom - MTG Card versions
Season of the Witch - MTG Card versions
Tourach's Gate - MTG Card versions
Withering Wisps - MTG Card versions
Funeral March - MTG Card versions
Casting of Bones - MTG Card versions
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Hecatomb - MTG Card versions
Megrim - MTG Card versions
Recurring Nightmare - MTG Card versions
Contamination - MTG Card versions
Oppression - MTG Card versions
Maggot Therapy - MTG Card versions
Murderous Betrayal - MTG Card versions
Noxious Field - MTG Card versions
Tainted Well - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Arena - MTG Card versions
Gravestorm - MTG Card versions
Mortiphobia - MTG Card versions
Gloom - MTG Card versions
Season of the Witch - MTG Card versions
Tourach's Gate - MTG Card versions
Withering Wisps - MTG Card versions
Funeral March - MTG Card versions
Casting of Bones - MTG Card versions
Blanket of Night - MTG Card versions
Necropotence - MTG Card versions
Hecatomb - MTG Card versions
Megrim - MTG Card versions
Recurring Nightmare - MTG Card versions
Contamination - MTG Card versions
Oppression - MTG Card versions
Maggot Therapy - MTG Card versions
Murderous Betrayal - MTG Card versions
Noxious Field - MTG Card versions
Tainted Well - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Arena - MTG Card versions
Gravestorm - MTG Card versions
Mortiphobia - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Fallen Ideal is a unique enchantment that, when attached to a creature, not only boosts its power with every sacrifice but also has a recursion ability allowing you to return it to your hand. This empowers you to potentially benefit from it multiple times throughout the game, outpacing your opponent’s resources and bulking up your side of the field for a sustained advantage.

Resource Acceleration: By enabling you to sacrifice creatures at will, Fallen Ideal can turn your expendable tokens or creatures into valuable offensive power. While this doesn’t directly produce mana, it does accelerate your board presence and can synergize with other cards that benefit from creatures dying, such as those triggering death effects or utilizing graveyard strategies, enhancing your resources on multiple fronts.

Instant Speed: Fallen Ideal’s ability to be sacrificed at instant speed gives it a versatile role in your arsenal. This allows you to respond reactively to your opponent’s actions, ensuring that you make the most effective plays. From dodging removal spells to creating surprise blockers or enabling a sudden burst of damage, its instant usage can turn the tides of the game in your favor when used judiciously.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Fallen Ideal demands that players sacrifice a creature to activate its ability. This can be a costly requirement, particularly in decks where creatures are a key resource or in situations where board presence is critical.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring a dedicated source of black mana, Fallen Ideal can be restrictive and hard to cast in multicolored decks that may not always have the necessary mana readily available.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an initial casting cost of three mana, including double black, Fallen Ideal can be considered mana-intensive, especially when competing against lower-cost enchantments or when attempting to maintain tempo in the early game.


Reasons to Include Fallen Ideal in Your Collection

Versatility: Fallen Ideal is a unique aura that can serve multiple roles within various deck archetypes. It enhances creatures by giving them flying and the ability to sacrifice other creatures for a power boost, making it useful in both aggressive and defensive strategies.

Combo Potential: Its sacrificial mechanic pairs beautifully with decks that revolve around creature recursion or death triggers, amplifying strategies centered around graveyard synergy or aristocrats-style gameplay.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature-based strategies are prevalent, having an enchantment like Fallen Ideal offers a way to quickly turn the tide of battle by creating a potentially lethal airborne threat that can bypass ground defenses.


How to beat

Fallen Ideal is an intriguing enchantment card that can dramatically alter the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. Known for its ability to sacrifice a creature for a significant power boost, it also grants flying, which can turn any ground-based skirmish into an aerial threat. To overcome this card, interrupting the enchantment before it can be utilized is essential. Targeted removals such as Disenchant or Naturalize are key in dismantling the threat it presents.

Additionally, controlling the creature count on your opponent’s side is another effective strategy. Board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation can ensure that the sacrifice outlet provided by Fallen Ideal becomes a moot point. Graveyard manipulation can also be a powerful tactic, as Fallen Ideal has recurrence potential from the graveyard. Relic of Progenitus or Leyline of the Void can help keep Fallen Ideal out of play permanently, thus nullifying its impact on the game.

Ultimately, the best approach against Fallen Ideal involves preemptively managing potential threats, employing strategic removals, and consistently applying pressure to limit the options for your opponent to capitalize on the card’s synergistic possibilities.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the strategy and maximizing the potential of Fallen Ideal in MTG constitutes an exciting challenge. As you refine your deck-building skills and look for ways to get ahead, understanding the nuances of each card is essential. Fallen Ideal offers numerous synergies, especially in strategies involving creature sacrifices and recursion. Exploring this card further could be the key to unlocking new victorious strategies, enhancing your gameplay to be both formidable and surprising to your opponents. So, if you’re ready to upgrade your deck and elevate your MTG experience, dive deeper into the tactics and advanced plays with Fallen Ideal. Join us and discover how cards like Fallen Ideal can reshape the battlefield and secure your triumphs in the magical world of MTG.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Fallen Ideal MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral and Commander 2015, 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 Fallen Ideal and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Fallen Ideal Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2006-10-06 and 2015-11-13. Illustrated by Anson Maddocks.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12006-10-06Time SpiralTSP 1092003NormalBlackAnson Maddocks
22015-11-13Commander 2015C15 1252015NormalBlackAnson Maddocks
32020-09-26The ListPLST C15-1252015NormalBlackAnson Maddocks

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Fallen Ideal has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2006-09-25 The creature’s controller (not Fallen Ideal’s controller) can activate the “sacrifice a creature” ability.