Call In a Professional MTG Card

Provides card advantage by eliminating threats and potentially offering multiple benefits from a single play. Grants instant-speed flexibility, enabling strategic plays and maintaining control over the game state. Prompts strategic deck building due to color specificity and potential hand size reduction.

Call In a Professional - Streets of New Capenna

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Released	2022-04-29
Set symbol
Set name	Streets of New Capenna
Set code	SNC
Number	103
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Filip Burburan

Text of card

Players can't gain life this turn. Damage can't be prevented this turn. Call In a Professional deals 3 damage to any target. (Shield counters don't prevent this damage as they're removed.)

For the next week, Park Heights smelled of burnt oil paint and brimstone.

Cards like Call In a Professional

Call In a Professional is a noteworthy spell known for its adept removal capabilities within the realm of Magic: The Gathering. It shares a common purpose with Murder, a card well-regarded for its straightforward approach to removing creatures from the game with no restrictions. Call In a Professional differentiates itself by allowing you to surveil if the target has a bounty counter. This additional benefit can provide a tactical advantage, despite Murder’s unconditional destruction.

Within the same sphere, you may find Deadly Rollick, offering creature removal with the potential for zero mana cost given that you command your commander. While this card does not surveil, the tempo advantage it could provide in the commander format is significant. Moreover, Go for the Throat serves as an efficient alternative, capable of destroying non-artifact creatures at instant speed, although this leaves certain artifacts creatures immune to its effect.

When analyzing removal spells that are part of Magic: The Gathering’s strategic depth, Call In a Professional not only holds its own through efficiency and flexibility but also offers the added depth of surveilling, refining it as a valuable choice for players who need to manage both their board and their deck.

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Call In a Professional. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#	Name	Format	Archetype	Event
	Boros Aggro	Standard	Boros Aggro	NRG Series $5,000 Showdown - Chicagoland, Illinois (Standard)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Call In a Professional offers players the strategic upper hand by targeting and dispatching a creature, thus converting one card into potential multiple benefits. This is instrumental in tilting the balance of card economy in your favor, paving the way for you to outpace your opponent’s resources over the long game.

Resource Acceleration: In the dynamic world of MTG, getting ahead in resources spells the difference between victory and defeat. Call In a Professional does not directly offer traditional resource acceleration like mana ramping. However, removing key threats efficiently can indirectly accelerate your game plan by saving your mana and resources for more critical turns.

Instant Speed: Flexibility during gameplay cannot be overstated, and being able to cast Call In a Professional at instant speed is a significant asset. This timing allows players to react to threats on the fly or at the most advantageous moment, such as during the combat phase or in response to an opponent’s spell, thus maintaining strategic control of the game state.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The card stipulates discarding another card from your hand, which can compromise your hand size and resource availability, particularly if you’re already facing a hand-size pressure.

Specific Mana Cost: Call In a Professional necessitates a split mana investment, meaning decks without the exact color combination will struggle to cast it effectively, reducing its versatility across various deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Bearing a noteworthy cost to bring a creature into play, its efficiency is overshadowed when pitted against cards with lower cost for similar effects, potentially making it a less optimal option during crucial game turns.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Call In a Professional offers a unique addition to decks that thrive on managing threats directly. Its ability to dispatch a creature with a bounty counter covers a broad spectrum of situations, adapting to various game states with ease.

Combo Potential: The interaction with bounty counters makes this card a great piece in synergistic strategies. It aligns with other cards that benefit from, or contribute to, placing and exploiting counters on creatures across the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: Given the shifting landscape of the game, adaptability to remove key creatures can be pivotal. Call In a Professional resonates with this adaptability, providing a practical tool in a meta teeming with creature-centric decks. It’s a strategic inclusion that can tip the scales when facing an array of opponents.

How to beat

Call In a Professional is one of those unique cards in Magic: The Gathering that adds flavor and strategic depth to gameplay. Its ability to exile a creature targeted by a spell you control provides not just creature removal, but also a secondary benefit by creating a Blood token. This multifaceted approach offers both board control and resource advantage, which can be quite challenging to overcome.

To effectively counteract Call In a Professional, players should consider strategies that minimize the opportunities for opponents to capitalize on the card’s strengths. This might involve holding back on casting creatures until you can protect them or utilizing hexproof to prevent them from becoming valid targets. Another stratagem would be to employ instant-speed removals or board wipes, which can disrupt the timing and efficacy of this card, ensuring your vital creatures remain in play, and ultimately turning the tide of the game.

Understanding the dynamics and tactical nuances Call In a Professional introduces to Magic: The Gathering enables players to craft a more resilient and calculated game plan. With the right strategy, you can navigate around its potential impact and maintain a commanding presence on the battlefield.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Call In a Professional MTG card by a specific set like Streets of New Capenna, 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 Call In a Professional and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Call In a Professional has restrictions

Format	Legality
Standard	Legal
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Future	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Call In a Professional card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2022-04-29	If Call In a Professional deals damage to a creature with a shield counter on it, that damage will not be prevented, but a shield counter will still be removed. If that damage is enough to be lethal damage, the creature will be destroyed, even if it still has more shield counters on it.