Shrine

Shrine
Enchantment Type
(Subtype for enchantment cards)
Statistics	17 cards 17.6% 17.6% 17.6% 17.6% 23.5% 5.9% as of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
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type:"Shrine"

"Sanctum" redirects here. For the city of Sanctum, see Averru.

Shrine (Japanese: 祭 (さい) 殿 (でん) ; rōmaji: saiden) is an enchantment type.

Description

Shrine has no inherent rules meaning, but each Shrine gets better and better as you control more and more Shrines. Shrines encourage multicolor decks, because they are all legendary. The Hondens do something during your upkeep for each shrine you control, while two Sanctums have activated abilities and three trigger on the precombat main phase, and the Go-Shintai can be activated during your end step.

History

Shrines were introduced in Champions of Kamigawa. There were five shrines printed in as an uncommon cycle of Hondens. The name of each Honden corresponds to the name of a legendary spirit—Myojin—in the set, as well as being mentioned in the flavor text of the same-colored Zubera.

Many years later, Core Set 2021 featured six new Shrines named Sanctums. These were also depicted on Kamigawa.

Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty featured a cycle of Shrines in the form of enchantment creatures named Go-Shintai. They all require paying at the beginning of your end step to activate their effects. An additional Shrine features Shrine tribal support, being able to create Shrine tokens.

Honden cycle

• Honden of Cleansing Fire () — Gain two life for each shrine you control.
• Honden of Seeing Winds () — Draw a card for each shrine you control.
• Honden of Night's Reach () — Target opponent discards a card for each shrine you control.
• Honden of Infinite Rage () — Deal damage to target creature or player equal to the number of shrines you control.
• Honden of Life's Web () — Put a 1/1 colorless Spirit token into play for each shrine you control.

Sanctum cycle

• Sanctum of Tranquil Light () — : Tap target creature. This costs less for each Shrine you control.
• Sanctum of Calm Waters () — May draw a card for each shrine you control, then discard a card if you did.
• Sanctum of Stone Fangs () — Each opponent loses life and you gain life equal to the number of shrines you control.
• Sanctum of Shattered Heights () — , Discard a land or Shrine card: Deals damage to target creature or planeswalker equal to the number of shrines you control.
• Sanctum of Fruitful Harvest () — Add mana of any one color equal to the number of shrines you control
• Sanctum of All () — Searches Shrines and puts them onto the battlefield. It doubles Shrine triggers if you control six or more.

Neon Dynasty cycle

• Go-Shintai of Shared Purpose () — Pay at beginning of your endstep to put Spirit tokens for each shrine you control.
• Go-Shintai of Lost Wisdom () — Pay at the beginning of your endstep to mill target player one card for each shrine you control.
• Go-Shintai of Hidden Cruelty () — Pay at beginning of your endstep to destroy target creature with toughness equal or less than the number of Shrines you control.
• Go-Shintai of Ancient Wars () — Pay at beginning of your endstep to deal damage to a player or planeswalker equal to the number of shrines you control.
• Go-Shintai of Boundless Vigor () — Pay at beginning of your endstep to put +1/+1 counters equal to the number of shrines you control on a shrine.
• Go-Shintai of Life's Origin () with a () ability to put enchantments from the graveyard onto the battlefield and create 1/1 Shrine enchantment creature tokens when nontoken Shrines enter (including itself).

Rules

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

• 205.3h Enchantments have their own unique set of subtypes; these subtypes are called enchantment types. The enchantment types are Aura (see rule 303.4), Background, Cartouche, Case (see rule 719), Class (see rule 716), Curse, Role (see rule 303.7), Rune, Saga (see rule 714), Shard, and Shrine.

Rulings

• Each Shrine has an ability that counts the number of Shrines you control. These abilities include the Shrine they're printed on.
• Shrines count only enchantments with the subtype Shrine. Other cards with "shrine" in their name (such as Jungle Shrine, Luxa River Shrine, and Nantuko Shrine) don't count.

Trivia

• Each of the mono-colored Sanctums has flavor text formatted and written as a Haiku.
• A honden is actually the inner part of the shrine to a kami, while a shintai is a physical object in which a kami resides. The "go-" prefix indicates that it is honored and sacred.