Soul Ransom is one of the newest "Magic: The Gathering" cards spoiled today Jan. 15, 2013 from Wizards of the Coast's upcoming expert expansion set "Gatecrash." Revealed in an article by Gavin Verhey on MagicTheGathering.com, Soul Ransom forces your opponent to choose between giving you their best creature or an overwhelming amount of card advantage.
Soul Ransom - 2UB
Enchantment - Aura (Rare)
Enchant Creature
You control enchanted creature.
Discard two cards: Soul Ransom's controller sacrifices it, then draws two cards. Only any opponent may activate this ability.
Although Beguiler of Wills and Nicol Bolas provide a more permanent effect, Soul Ransom can steal a threat a turn earlier than Mind Control. This Control Magic variant isn't quite that reliable, however that's OK though because if an opponent does decide negotiate back your hostage you'll receive a four card advantage.
Verhey points out that Soul Ransom can be particularly nasty against green mages who trade card advantage for tempo by running Farseek to ramp into a large creature like Thragtusk. That's because unless they're running Garruk Primal Hunter or splashing blue for Urban Evolution or another way to draw cards like Sphinx's Revelation there's a high chance they won't be able to pay the ransom or recover from it if they do.
Even if an opponent decides to bargain for their creature, Soul Ransom will help you draw into a removal spell like Ultimate Price or board sweeper such as Mutilate.
Although Soul Ransom may look like sheer value no matter how it plays out, it can't always be used as an effective removal tool. Don't plan on using the creature you steal as a blocker. An opponent can discard two dead lands they're holding during your end step in order to clear their path to victory. Unless you draw a Murder it may be game over.
How will you use Soul Ransom?
Related: "Gatecrash" spoiler card list and "Gatecrash" card reviews
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