Repay in Kind MTG Card


Leveraging Repay in Kind necessitates strategic mana management and opportune playing moments. This card shows potential for game-altering combos, especially with life manipulation strategies. Played wisely, it can disrupt opponents, serving as a turnaround or finisher move.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost7
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Text of card

Each player's life total becomes the lowest life total among all players.

Sorin has gathered grudges for centuries, patiently awaiting the day he can exact the perfect vengeance.


Cards like Repay in Kind

Repay in Kind is an intriguing card that stands out in the field of life-total manipulation in Magic: The Gathering. This spell echoes the mechanics of cards like Soul Conduit or Axis of Mortality, which also focus on creating unexpected shifts in players’ life totals. Repay in Kind differentiates itself by setting everyone’s life total to the lowest present among players, a move that can drastically alter the game’s landscape instantly.

Mirroring its dramatic impact is Magister Sphinx, which sets a single player’s life total to 10. While the Sphinx offers targeted precision, it lacks Repay in Kind’s potentially game-wide reset capability. Phyrexian Unlife is another comparator, guarding a player from losing the game for having zero or less life. It operates on a different axis compared to Repay in Kind but still plays in the life-total danger zone. Lastly, Hex Parasite allows for life total reduction at a highly controlled and granular level, yet it doesn’t have Repay in Kind’s sweeping potential to even the playing field in one fell swoop.

Evaluating the various strategic applications, Repay in Kind remains a compelling choice for players looking to capitalize on life-total parity in Magic: The Gathering, offering a unique opportunity for comebacks or securing a win under the right conditions.

Soul Conduit - MTG Card versions
Axis of Mortality - MTG Card versions
Magister Sphinx - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Unlife - MTG Card versions
Hex Parasite - MTG Card versions
Soul Conduit - MTG Card versions
Axis of Mortality - MTG Card versions
Magister Sphinx - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Unlife - MTG Card versions
Hex Parasite - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The unique effect of Repay in Kind levels the playing field by setting each player’s life total to the lowest in the game. This can decimate opponents when used strategically, providing a massive swing in your favor without directly drawing cards.

Resource Acceleration: While Repay in Kind itself doesn’t generate resources, playing it smartly accelerates your path to victory. By adjusting life totals, you effectively accelerate the game’s conclusion, especially when combined with life-draining spells or effects.

Instant Speed: While Repay in Kind is a sorcery, its impact on the game can be as sudden and decisive as that of an instant. It allows you to wait for the opportune moment when an opponent has taken damage but before they can recover, reshaping the game dramatically in a single turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Though Repay in Kind doesn’t require an actual discard to play, its steep mana prerequisites can force players to deplete their hand rapidly to ensure its timely deployment, potentially leaving them vulnerable if they’ve stockpiled their field with expensive permanents or if they’ve built a strategy around a full grip.

Specific Mana Cost: The card demands a precise mana arrangement: three black mana is a considerable commitment, especially for multi-colored decks that may struggle to produce the necessary mana or prioritize other spells with similarly intensive color requirements.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Sitting at seven mana overall, Repay in Kind’s casting cost can be prohibitive. While its effect – equalizing life totals – can turn the tides of a game, it’s often seen as situational. With alternative, lower-cost cards aiming to manipulate life totals or provide board control, considering its place in a deck requires careful strategy.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Repay in Kind fits into a diverse array of decks that revolve around life total manipulation. It provides an equalizing effect that can turn the tides when paired with strategies that lower your life intentionally for a greater benefit.

Combo Potential: This card has the ability to form powerful synergies with cards that alter life totals. Pairing it with effects that grant you life as your opponents lose theirs can set up game-winning combos, making it a potential linchpin in life-based strategies.

Meta-Relevance: Repay in Kind thrives in a meta where players are racing to high life totals or often finding themselves at a stalemate, awaiting the perfect moment to claim victory. In such environments, its ability to equal everyone’s life total to the lowest player’s can be a dramatic and effective play.


How to beat

Repay in Kind stands out in MTG as a powerful card that can turn the tide of a match by setting each player’s life total to the lowest life total among them. To tackle this card effectively, the key is to maintain a robust life total or control the board so that your life is not the lowest when Repay in Kind is played. Cards like life gain spells, damage prevention, and life-link creatures are particularly useful for keeping your life total high, mitigating the impact of Repay in Kind on your game strategy.

Another effective method is to employ counter spells that can interrupt and prevent Repay in Kind from resolving. Instant-speed interaction becomes critical since Repay in Kind can be dangerous if combined with spells or abilities that lower life totals just before it resolves. Strategic planning and timely intervention will ensure that you’re not caught off guard, thus protecting your standing and maintaining control over the game’s outcome.

Being mindful of your opponent’s mana and potential to cast Repay in Kind can also inform your play style; playing conservatively or aggressively when appropriate can significantly influence the effectiveness of this card against you. By staying vigilant and proactive, you can neutralize this game-changer and keep the advantage on your side of the battlefield.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the depths of MTG brings you to strategic cards like Repay in Kind that can completely redefine the state of play. With its ability to level life totals, it holds the potential for dramatic turnarounds and unexpected victories. If you’ve been intrigued by the tactical analysis provided here, we invite you to dive deeper. Our insights can elevate your deck-building skills and sharpen your gameplay. Repay in Kind may just be the edge you need when facing diverse opponents. Ready to expertly wield this card’s power and outmaneuver your opponents? Join us for more advanced strategies and tips to master your MTG journey.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Repay in Kind MTG card by a specific set like Rise of the Eldrazi and The List, 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 Repay in Kind and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Repay in Kind Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2010-04-23 and 2010-04-23. Illustrated by Vance Kovacs.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-04-23Rise of the EldraziROE 1252003NormalBlackVance Kovacs
22020-09-26The ListPLST ROE-1252003NormalBlackVance Kovacs

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Repay in Kind has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2010-06-15 For a player’s life total to become a certain number that’s lower than their current life total, what actually happens is that the player loses the appropriate amount of life. For example, if the lowest life total in the game is 5 and another player has 12 life, Repay in Kind will cause that player to lose 7 life. Abilities that interact with life loss will interact with this effect accordingly.
2010-06-15 In a Two-Headed Giant game, anything that cares about a player’s life total checks the life total of that player’s team. In addition, if an effect would cause the life total of each member of a team to become a certain number, that team chooses one of its members. On that team, only that player is affected, then the life total change is applied to the entire team. For example, if one team has 13 life and another team has 21 life, the team with the higher life total chooses one of its members and Repay in Kind causes that player to lose 8 life, thus causing that team’s life total to also be 13.