Pestilent Cauldron // Restorative Burst MTG Card


Provides card draw in multiplayer games by exploiting opponents’ graveyards. Enables mana ramp by sacrificing creatures, aiding in casting big spells. Demands careful hand management due to its discard mechanism.
Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeArtifact
Abilities Mill

Text of card

, Discard a card: Create a 1/1 black and green Pest creature token with "When this creature dies, you gain 1 life." , : Each opponent mills cards equal to the amount of life you gained this turn. , : Exile four target cards from a single graveyard. Draw a card.


Cards like Pestilent Cauldron // Restorative Burst

Pestilent Cauldron is a multifaceted card from Strixhaven that offers versatility not often found in other Magic: The Gathering artifacts. Drawing parallels to cards like Ghoulcaller’s Bell, Pestilent Cauldron also facilitates incremental milling of the deck with its first ability. The Cauldron, however, allows players to control this milling, targeting specific players and potentially transforming cards into life gain with its second ability.

Looking at Trading Post, another artifact with multiple modes, it becomes clear that while both offer a selection of utilities, Pestilent Cauldron’s focus is on repeated graveyard interaction. Trading Post demands higher mana investments for its effects and lacks the Cauldron’s ability to ramp by filtering lands from the graveyard to the battlefield. This ramp aspect is echoed in Crucible of Worlds, yet Crucible does not offer Pestilent Cauldron’s ability to interact with creatures in the graveyard or to create Pest tokens, another unique feature that can steadily populate the battlefield.

By effectively comparing these attributes, we can appreciate Pestilent Cauldron’s unique role within Magic: The Gathering. While similar in some respects to cards like Ghoulcaller’s Bell and Trading Post, its exclusive combination of graveyard manipulation, life gain, and token generation sets it apart.

Ghoulcaller's Bell - MTG Card versions
Trading Post - MTG Card versions
Crucible of Worlds - MTG Card versions
Ghoulcaller's Bell - MTG Card versions
Trading Post - MTG Card versions
Crucible of Worlds - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Pestilent Cauldron offers multiple ways to maximize your hand. By discarding a card, you can create a Pest token that can later be used defensively or aggressively. Additionally, one of its abilities lets you draw a card for each opponent who has eight or more cards in their graveyard, which is a powerful way to refill your hand especially in multiplayer or Commander formats.

Resource Acceleration: This card also plays a significant role in resource acceleration. By tapping and sacrificing creatures you control, you can add an amount of black mana equivalent to the sacrificed creature’s power. This boost to your mana pool can be crucial for playing high-cost spells earlier in the game or activating key abilities at pivotal moments.

Instant Speed: Although Pestilent Cauldron itself is an artifact and not an instant, its ability to convert cards into life points can be activated at instant speed. This provides the flexibility to respond to your opponents’ actions, using it to gain life when most needed or maximally advantageous, thus catching opponents off-guard and ensuring your survival in tight situations.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Pestilent Cauldron demands that you discard a card to activate one of its abilities. While discarding can sometimes be beneficial in certain strategies, it can also deplete your hand and leave you at a disadvantage if you’re not holding the right cards to discard or are low on cards.

Specific Mana Cost: Pestilent Cauldron requires a specific combination of mana to cast, including black mana. This means it may not fit seamlessly into every deck archetype, potentially limiting its flexibility and necessitating a mana base that can reliably produce both colorless and black mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment to get Pestilent Cauldron on the battlefield is not insignificant. With a requirement of three mana, including one black, it competes with other impactful three-drops. Its activated abilities also have mana requirements, which could hinder your ability to optimally use your mana in a turn.


Reasons to Include Pestilent Cauldron in Your Collection

Versatility: The Pestilent Cauldron offers multiple options, ensuring a multifaceted approach to gameplay. It allows for discard to help manage your hand, milling to fill the graveyard, and finally, life gain and card advantage to maintain momentum against opponents.

Combo Potential: This card is a boon for strategies centered around graveyard synergy. It can help enable powerful combos by filling the graveyard with cards that interact from beyond the battlefield, such as creatures with flashback or other abilities that function when cards are in the graveyard.

Meta-Relevance: Considering the dynamic nature of the meta, the Pestilent Cauldron can be a critical card in strategies that need to disrupt opponent’s game plans. Its versatility in managing both the player’s and opponent’s graveyards makes it a valuable addition to any collection, prepared to face various decks.


How to beat

Pestilent Cauldron presents a multi-faceted challenge on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. The versatility of this artifact allows it to serve as both a discard outlet and a means to convert cards into life points or creatures. Its secondary ability, to exile four target cards from a single graveyard and create a 1/1 black and green Pest creature token with “When this creature dies, you gain 1 life,” further complicates matters for opponents.

Defeating the Cauldron hinges on a couple of strategies. Applying enchantment removal like Disenchant or targeted artifact destruction such as Abrade can effectively neutralize it. Moreover, graveyard management is key — cards such as Relic of Progenitus or Tormod’s Crypt can sweep away the resources it relies on. Sideboard options like Grafdigger’s Cage can stifle the Cauldron’s pesky token generation by preventing creatures from entering the battlefield from graveyards or libraries.

It’s prudent to remember that limiting the number of cards in your own graveyard is just as crucial. By being mindful of discarding and spell usage, one can diminish the Cauldron’s capacity to affect the game. Overall, smart deck construction with answers to artifacts and graveyard strategies will consistently give you the upper hand against the Pestilent Cauldron.


BurnMana Recommendations

With Pestilent Cauldron’s multifaceted abilities enhancing both offensive and defensive strategies, it’s clear this card is a must-have for players aiming for a competitive edge. Its versatile nature allows for dynamic plays and unexpected turns, keeping your opponents guessing. If you’re looking to advance your MTG prowess, refining your strategy around this card can be highly advantageous. Dive deeper into deck-building techniques, optimize your mana curve, and explore interactions that could turn the tide of the game. Power up your play and uncover the full potential of Pestilent Cauldron by joining the passionate community at BurnMana.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Pestilent Cauldron // Restorative Burst 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 Pestilent Cauldron // Restorative Burst and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Pestilent Cauldron // Restorative Burst Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-04-23 and 2021-04-23. Illustrated by Dan Scott.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 902322015Modal DFCBlackDan Scott
22021-04-23Strixhaven: School of MagesSTX 1542015Modal DFCBlackDan Scott
32021-04-23Strixhaven: School of MagesSTX 3272015Modal DFCBlackDan Scott

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Pestilent Cauldron // Restorative Burst 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 Pestilent Cauldron // Restorative Burst 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 Pestilent Cauldron’s second ability counts the total amount of life gained without considering any life you lost during that turn. For example, if you lost 2 life and gained 2 life earlier in the turn, your opponents will mill two cards.
2021-04-16 You may cast Restorative Burst with no targets. If you do, each player will gain 4 life and you’ll exile Restorative Burst. However, if you choose one or two target cards, and each of those cards is an illegal target as Restorative Burst tries to resolve (usually because something else moved them in response), Restorative Burst won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen. No one will gain life, and Restorative Burst won’t be exiled.
2021-04-16 You must be able to target four cards in a single graveyard in order to activate Pestilent Cauldron’s last ability.