Artful Maneuver MTG Card
2015-03-27 - Number 4
2019-11-07 - Number 28
2020-09-26 - Number DTK-4
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Instant |
| Abilities | Rebound |
Text of card
Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Rebound (If you cast this spell from your hand, exile it as it resolves. At the beginning of your next upkeep, you may cast this card from exile without paying its mana cost.)
Cards like Artful Maneuver
Artful Maneuver is a standout instant in the vast arsenal of combat tricks that Magic: The Gathering offers. It shares its primary feature of temporary creature stat boosting with cards such as Giant Growth, which also provides a sizable increase to a creature’s power and toughness. The crucial difference lies in Artful Maneuver’s rebound effect, which enables a second boost on the subsequent turn without further mana investment. Giant Growth, in contrast, offers a more substantial immediate boost but lacks the rebound feature.
Another parallel can be drawn with cards like Brute Force or Rush of Adrenaline that offer similar instant speed power-ups for creatures. Brute Force brings a heftier stat increase compared to Artful Maneuver, but only serves for a single combat phase. Rush of Adrenaline, while boosting power and adding trample, also misses out on the rebound tactic that distinguishes Artful Maneuver from its peers.
Choosing Artful Maneuver over its counterparts ultimately hinges on one’s strategy to capitalize on its unique rebound effect, allowing for tactical advantages in two consecutive combat rounds that can turn the tides of the game. Its place among combat trick spells is solidified by its nuanced flexibility and potential for clever play.
Cards similar to Artful Maneuver by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While Artful Maneuver doesn’t directly allow you to draw cards, it facilitates card advantage by providing a two-for-one opportunity. It can be cast to save a creature in combat or used to remove an opponent’s creature, effectively dealing with two threats using just one card.
Resource Acceleration: Artful Maneuver doesn’t intrinsically accelerate your resources. However, its low casting cost and rebound ability ensure that your mana is effectively utilized over multiple turns, potentially saving resources for other plays.
Instant Speed: As an instant, Artful Maneuver enables dynamic gameplay, allowing you to surprise opponents during combat or at the end of their turn. This flexibility can result in efficient tempo plays that keep you ahead on the board.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Artful Maneuver doesn’t directly involve discarding cards, but in the broader context of gameplay, it’s important to consider the card advantage impact. Using it as a combat trick can be a two-for-one situation, potentially causing you to lose card advantage if your opponent has a removal or counter.
Specific Mana Cost: Artful Maneuver requires both white mana for its casting cost. This restricts its use significantly, as it can only fit into decks that run white mana—in particular, limiting its utility to players not running a mono-white or compatible multicolored deck.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an initial cost and additional rebound cost for the total effect, some may argue Artful Maneuver’s total mana investment is high relative to the effect provided. There are other instants in MTG that may offer more immediate or long-lasting board presence impacts for a similar or lesser mana investment.
Reasons to Include Artful Maneuver in Your Collection
Versatility: Artful Maneuver is a flexible card that can serve multiple roles within various deck archetypes. Its ability to boost a creature’s power and toughness at instant speed means it can be used both offensively to surprise opponents during combat or defensively to protect key creatures.
Combo Potential: This card excels in combo-centric decks, supporting synergies with prowess and heroic mechanics. Additionally, its rebound effect provides an automatic second cast, enabling further combo interactions on a subsequent turn without requiring an additional card from hand.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where combat tricks and creature-based strategies are prevalent, Artful Maneuver shines. Its potential to outmaneuver opponents and enable two turns of enhancements makes it a solid choice against decks that might not expect instant-speed interaction.
How to beat
Artful Maneuver is a versatile instant card in MTG that can quickly turn the tides of a battle by adding a burst of power and toughness to a creature. It’s often used to surprise opponents during combat or to save a creature from removal. Despite its strengths, there are strategies to effectively counter this card.
A straightforward tactic is to wait for Artful Maneuver to be cast and then respond with a removal spell that can’t be countered, or by using instant-speed removal before the card is rebounded from exile. Control decks that run counterspells also have the upper hand, as countering Artful Maneuver on the initial cast prevents the rebound effect entirely.
It’s also beneficial to manage the battlefield by keeping the opponent’s creature count low, reducing the targets for Artful Maneuver. Players can focus on removal spells that can handle multiple creatures at once, like board wipes, or use effects that restrict enchantment or instant spells. Understanding the pace at which your opponent plays and predicting the moment they might cast Artful Maneuver can help in timing your responses effectively to neutralize its impact.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Artful Maneuver MTG card by a specific set like Dragons of Tarkir and Mystery Booster, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.
For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.
Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.
Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Artful Maneuver and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Printings
The Artful Maneuver Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2015-03-27 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Lars Grant-West.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015-03-27 | Dragons of Tarkir | DTK | 4 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Lars Grant-West | |
| 2 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 28 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Lars Grant-West | |
| 3 | The List | PLST | DTK-4 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Lars Grant-West |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Artful Maneuver has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Artful Maneuver card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2015-02-25 | As long as you cast a spell with rebound from your hand, rebound will work regardless of whether you paid its mana cost or an alternative cost you were permitted to pay. |
| 2015-02-25 | At the beginning of your upkeep, all delayed triggered abilities created by rebound effects trigger. You may handle them in any order. If you want to cast a card this way, you do so as part of the resolution of its delayed triggered ability. Timing restrictions based on the card’s type (if it’s a sorcery) are ignored. Other restrictions, such as “Cast -his spell] only during combat,” must be followed. |
| 2015-02-25 | Casting the card again due to the delayed triggered ability is optional. If you choose not to cast the card, or if you can’t (perhaps because there are no legal targets available), the card will stay exiled. You won’t get another chance to cast it on a future turn. |
| 2015-02-25 | If a replacement effect (such as the one created by Rest in Peace) would cause a spell with rebound that you cast from your hand to be put somewhere other than into your graveyard as it resolves, you can choose whether to apply the rebound effect or the other effect as the spell resolves. |
| 2015-02-25 | If a spell with rebound that you cast from your hand doesn’t resolve for any reason (either because another spell or ability counters it or because all its targets are illegal as it tries to resolve), none of its effects will happen, including rebound. The spell will be put into its owner’s graveyard and you won’t get to cast it again on your next turn. |
| 2015-02-25 | If you cast a card from exile this way, it will go to its owner’s graveyard when it resolves, fails to resolve, or is countered. It won’t go back to exile. |
| 2015-02-25 | If you cast a spell with rebound from any zone other than your hand (including your opponent’s hand), rebound will have no effect. |
| 2015-02-25 | Rebound will have no effect on copies of spells because you don’t cast them from your hand. |