Ritual of the Machine
Sorcery
As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature.
Gain control of target nonartifact, nonblack creature.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Alliances
- Price
- $7.45
- EDHREC rank
- #17793
Ritual of the Machine steals any nonartifact, non-black creature your opponent controls — permanently, at sorcery speed, for four mana and a sacrifice — making it one of the most efficient permanent theft effects in black. The sacrifice cost is the price of admission, but the payoff is a two-for-one: you remove a threat and gain it.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Ritual of the Machine earns its slot — four-mana unconditional theft hits the enormous creatures that dominate EDH tables, and the sacrifice clause fuels aristocrats and reanimator loops rather than punishing you. The color restriction (no artifacts, no black creatures) matters less in a format where the scariest things on the board are usually green fatties or red dragons. Legacy and Vintage are legal but irrelevant; the sorcery speed and four-mana price tag are disqualifying in formats that end games on turn two or three. Oathbreaker is a reasonable home for the same reasons as Commander — powerful permanents, slower clocks, sacrifice outlets nearby.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Claim the Firstborn and Harness by Force offer cheaper theft at instant speed but give the creature back at end of turn, which is a meaningful downside when Ritual of the Machine keeps it forever. Act of Treason effects cost one to three mana and serve combat-trick roles; if you need the permanent to stay, Ritual of the Machine is doing something categorically different and the budget alternatives don't replicate it cleanly.
Price Context
Current price
$7.45 mid tier
At $7.45, Ritual of the Machine sits in the mid tier — more than a bulk rare but nowhere near format-defining price territory. It holds that price because permanent theft in mono-black is genuinely scarce, not because of casual hype, so the floor is stable as long as black EDH decks keep needing answers to big green creatures.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.