Brilliant Ultimatum
~$1.35 low · ~$8.56 high
Multicolor. Sorcery
Shards of Alara #159 · Illustrated by Anthony Francisco
Shards of Alara #159 · Illustrated by Anthony FranciscoWhat is Brilliant Ultimatum worth?
TCGplayer, eBay and Amazon links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you buy.
TCGplayer market prices in USD, updated October 14, 2026. Each price is for one printing and one finish.
Oracle text
Exile the top five cards of your library. An opponent separates those cards into two piles. You may play lands and cast spells from one of those piles. If you cast a spell this way, you cast it without paying its mana cost.
Revealing the truth only deepened Tezzeret's curiosity for the secrets still buried.
Format legality
The only printing of Brilliant Ultimatum
| Printing | Rarity | Non-foil | Foil | Cardmarket (EUR) | My collection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Shards of Alara ala #159· 2008rare· Cardmarket €0.85 · €2.29 foil | rare | $1.35 | $8.56 | €0.85€2.29 foil |
Prices are TCGplayer market prices in USD for each printing and finish, via Scryfall. They are a guide, not an appraisal.
Where to buy Brilliant Ultimatum
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. We also take part in the TCGplayer (via Impact) and eBay Partner Network affiliate programs. Links to TCGplayer, eBay and Amazon are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Cardmarket links are not affiliate links.
Card details
- First printed
- 2008
- Printings
- 1
- Mana value
- 7
- EDHREC rank
- #12,588 on EDHREC (Commander popularity)
- Artist
- Anthony Francisco
What the codes mean
The small print at the bottom of the Shards of Alara card (#159).
159
- 159Collector number: this card's place in the set list. Main-set cards print it over the set's card count.
Cards from 1998 to mid-2014 print the collector number over the set's card count (like 90/383) next to the copyright line. They have no rarity letter, set code or language code: the set symbol and its colour show the set and rarity.
How to read a Magic card: every part and code, on real cards.
Card breakdown
The parts of Brilliant Ultimatum, read from the Shards of Alara printing. How to read any Magic card.
- Name
- Brilliant Ultimatum. Rules use the English name in every language.
- Mana cost
- Mana value 7: the total mana in the cost, colors ignored.
- Type line
- Sorcery is the card type.
- Text box
- What the card does.
- Flavor text
- Italic story text below the rules. It has no effect on the game, and it can differ between printings.
- Illustration
- By Anthony Francisco. The art has no effect on the game.
- Set symbol
- Shards of Alara. Gold means rare.
- Collector number
- 159 = collector number: this card's place in the set list. Main-set cards print it over the set's card count.
- Artist
- Anthony Francisco, after the paintbrush.
- Copyright
- Wizards of the Coast's copyright notice, with the year.
Rulings (6)
2008-10-01
The cards are exiled face up.
2008-10-01
The cards in the pile that wasn’t chosen remain exiled. Likewise, any cards in the chosen pile that you can’t play or you choose not to play remain exiled.
2008-10-01
If you cast a card “without paying its mana cost,” you can’t pay any alternative costs. You can pay additional costs, such as conspire costs and kicker costs.
2008-10-01
You can play a land card from the chosen pile only if it’s your turn (which it probably is, since Brilliant Ultimatum is a sorcery) and you haven’t yet played a land this turn. That means that if there are two lands in the chosen pile, you’ll be able to play a maximum of one of them.
2008-10-01
You play cards from the chosen pile as part of the resolution of Brilliant Ultimatum. You may play them in any order. Timing restrictions based on the card’s type (such as creature or sorcery) are ignored. Other play restrictions are not (such as “Cast [this card] only during combat”). You play all of the cards you like, putting land onto the battlefield and spells on the stack, then Brilliant Ultimatum finishes resolving and is put into your graveyard. The spells you cast this way will then resolve as normal, one at a time, in the opposite order that they were put on the stack.
2008-10-01
One of the piles may have zero cards in it if the opponent wishes.
Browse more: Shards of Alara · all sets · search cards