Exile

Keywords · beginner

Exile is both a zone and an action. To exile a card or token is to move it to the exile zone, where it generally can't be interacted with.

How it works

• Exiled cards are face-up by default, visible to all players, unless they're exiled face-down (some cards say so).
• Exile is the most permanent form of "removal" in Magic. Most graveyard recursion can't bring exiled cards back.
• Some cards reference exile -- Snapcaster Mage gives flashback to a graveyard card and exiles it after, Eldrazi Displacer blinks creatures.
• "Exile until X" effects (like Oblivion Ring) put cards in exile temporarily and return them when the source leaves play.

Why it matters

• Indestructible creatures can be exiled (it's not "destroy").
• Commanders that would go to a non-battlefield zone (including exile) can be sent to the command zone instead -- so even Path to Exile doesn't permanently remove a commander.
• Reanimator decks treat exile as a hard answer because the card can't be brought back to the graveyard.

Common interactions

• Exile vs destroy: against indestructible / regeneration / "if would die, return instead" effects, exile is far better.
• Cascade and impulse draw exile and let you cast the cards from there.
• Processors care about cards in exile (Eldrazi mechanic).

Rule reference

[406] (the zone) [701.13] (the action)