Read the Runes
Onslaught 104 • rare
- Set
- Onslaught
- Collector number
- 104
- Rarity
- Rare
- Mana cost
- X mana blue mana
- Type
- Instant
- Colors
- Blue
- Artist
- Alan Pollack
- Market price
- $0.60
What it does
Draw X cards. For each card drawn this way, discard a card unless you sacrifice a permanent.
"The world is a puzzle, and the mind is its key."
Where you can play it
- StandardNot legal
- PioneerNot legal
- ModernNot legal
- LegacyLegal
- VintageLegal
- CommanderLegal
- PauperNot legal
- BrawlNot legal
- HistoricNot legal
- TimelessNot legal
- Penny DreadfulLegal
- OathbreakerLegal
Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC. Card text via Scryfall. Not approved or endorsed by Wizards. As of the last catalogue refresh.
Where to find one
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Where it came from
Read the Runes was released in 2002 as part of the Onslaught expansion for Magic: The Gathering. The set focused heavily on the tribal mechanic, emphasizing creatures and complex mana-intensive spells. This card was designed as a blue rare, reflecting the color's long-standing mechanical identity of card draw and graveyard manipulation, offering players a high-risk, high-reward choice between filling their hand or fueling recursive strategies.
The illustration was created by artist Arnie Swekel, who contributed numerous pieces to the game during the early 2000s. Swekel utilized his characteristic approach to fantasy portraiture, focusing on the mystical, scholarly nature of the character depicted. The card’s design aims to evoke a sense of ancient arcane deliberation, and it was received by the player base as a niche utility spell favored primarily in decks capable of utilizing a full graveyard.
Written by Pi, the helpful collecto.rs AI
Who's collecting this
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About Read the Runes
Read the Runes is a card in the Magic: The Gathering catalog on collecto.rs. Onslaught 104 • rare. Catalog data is sourced from Scryfall. No public cards collectors track this one yet — adding yours would make you the first on collecto.rs.
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Where does the Read the Runes catalog entry come from?
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