Azorius Ploy MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Azorius Ploy enhances your hand by revealing the top card of your deck each time you cast a noncreature spell, maintaining a steady flow of resources and keeping you ahead in the game.

Resource Acceleration: This card can untap all lands you control when you play it. This essentially refunds your mana, giving you the opportunity to cast additional spells or hold up defenses without missing a beat.

Instant Speed: Azorius Ploy can be activated at lightning speed, offering the flexibility to respond to an opponent’s actions or to surprise them with unanticipated plays, which is invaluable in complex board states.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the downsides of Azorius Ploy is the necessity to discard another nonland card from your hand to play it. This precondition can put you at a disadvantage, especially if your hand is already running low on options, potentially diminishing your ability to respond to future threats and challenges on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: With Azorius Ploy, players face the limitation of having to meet a precisely defined mana requirement for casting — specifically requiring both white and blue mana. This can be restrictive and makes the card less versatile as it’s inherently designed to cater primarily to Azorius or multicolored decks that can accommodate such mana needs.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Azorius Ploy offers beneficial strategic plays, it comes at a relatively steep cost – demanding a total of four mana including both white and blue. This makes it a costlier investment compared to other available options within the format that might provide similar or superior effects at a lower mana commitment; thus, it may not be the optimal choice in situations where mana efficiency is crucial.

Reasons to Include Azorius Ploy in Your Collection

Versatility: Azorius Ploy is a tactical card that can slot into various control and tempo decks. Its ability to manipulate both the stack and the battlefield makes it a great fit for strategies aiming to keep opponents off-balance while advancing your own game plan.

Combo Potential: This card interacts well with spells that thrive on casting during an opponent’s turn, or those that benefit from cards opponents play. Its flexibility can become a linchpin for decks that seek to capitalize on every action taken in a game.

Meta-Relevance: Given how often competitive play sees control archetypes at the top, Azorius Ploy can be an important tool to disrupt opponents’ tactics while providing you with incremental advantages, keeping you relevant in a shifting meta-game landscape.

How to beat Azorius Ploy

Azorius Ploy stands as an intriguing challenge for MTG players, with its ability to complicate combat calculations by detaining target creatures. This can disrupt an opponent’s strategy, effectively stalling them from attacking or blocking when it counts the most. To effectively counter this card, consider using instant-speed removal spells to eliminate your opponent’s creatures before they have the chance to become detained. Additionally, employing counter magic of your own can prevent Azorius Ploy from resolving, maintaining your board advantage and momentum.

Furthermore, incorporating cards that grant your creatures hexproof or indestructible provides them with resilience against such control strategies, ensuring they remain active and able to participate in combat despite your opponent’s attempts to suppress them. Alternatively, leveraging the versatility of creatures with the flash ability allows you to wait until after Azorius Ploy has been cast before playing your threats, significantly reducing the impact of your opponent’s play. By anticipating and planning for such scenarios, you can effectively neutralize Azorius Ploy and turn the tides of the game in your favor.