Squelch MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Released	2004-10-01
Set symbol
Set name	Champions of Kamigawa
Set code	CHK
Number	92
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Matt Cavotta

Key Takeaways

Card advantage is key, as Squelch counters and draws a card, aiding your hand and disrupting opponents.
Resource acceleration is achieved by hindering opponent’s ramp, swinging the resource balance in your favor.
Instant speed allows Squelch to be played at critical moments, keeping opponents on their toes.

Text of card

Counter target activated ability. (Mana abilities can't be targeted.) Draw a card.

Oku-Doku had gone through all the motions: the same akki cursewords, the same ingredients with their horrid stink, the same rude gestures. Yet not a person died.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When playing Squelch, you can counter a targeted activated ability, a move that impedes an opponent’s strategy while you draw a card. This can tip the scales in your favor during a tight match by giving you one more asset to work with.

Resource Acceleration: Squelch may not directly produce mana or tokens, but by stifling an opponent’s abilities that ramp or utilize resources, it effectively accelerates your relative resource advantage. By keeping your opponent’s resources in check, you further cement your standing on the battlefield.

Instant Speed: The instant speed quality of Squelch provides a tactical edge by allowing you to react to threats immediately. You can pass the turn with mana open, giving you the flexibility to counter critical threats during your opponent’s turn and maintain the element of surprise.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Squelch offers the useful ability to counter activated abilities, it comes with a hidden cost. Using Squelch effectively necessitates timing and possibly holding mana open, which results in less mana available for other plays. This restraint can prevent you from optimizing the pace of your game and capitalizing on other opportunities.

Specific Mana Cost: Squelch requires a blue mana to cast, making it exclusive to blue or multicolored decks. If your deck doesn’t support blue mana, this card would not fit into your strategy. This aspect of Squelch limits its versatility across the diverse range of available deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The card’s converted mana cost places it at a spot on the curve where players are starting to cast impactful creatures or game-changing spells. As a result, using Squelch might not always align with the most efficient use of your mana resources in a turn, especially when considering its narrow effect compared to other cards with similar mana costs that might provide broader utility or more impactful outcomes.

Reasons to Include Squelch in Your Collection

Versatility: Squelch is known for its utilitarian role across various decks. It can counter an activated ability that could turn the tide of the game and replaces itself in your hand by drawing a card.

Combo Potential: This card pairs well with strategies aiming to disrupt opponents by interfering with combo pieces or preventing pivotal abilities from resolving, thereby seamlessly integrating with control setups.

Meta-Relevance: In metas heavy on activated abilities, such as planeswalker abilities or fetch lands, Squelch shines by denying opponents those key actions while maintaining card parity – a subtle yet powerful swing in your favor.

How to Beat

Squelch is a unique card in the Magic: The Gathering arsenal, often creating a palpable shift in the strategic landscape. This blue instant is known for its ability to counter activated abilities, which can include anything from the mighty planeswalker activated powers to the tap abilities of key creatures. It stands out because it also draws a card upon resolution, making it both a reactive and a proactive resource.

When facing Squelch, it’s essential to recognize its limitations. Although powerful, it cannot interfere with mana abilities, as these do not use the stack. A sound strategy against Squelch involves baiting it out with a less critical ability or holding onto pivotal activated powers until the opponent is tapped out or lacks the necessary blue mana to cast Squelch. Moreover, conserving cards that can counter Squelch itself or cards that can strip it from an opponent’s hand before it’s an issue can also nullify its threat.

Ultimately, beating Squelch boils down to smart resource management and timing, keeping in mind that while it can disrupt your game plan, it cannot stop every move you make. Keeping pressure on a Squelch-wielding opponent can force them to use their resources inefficiently, tipping the scales in your favor.

Cards like Squelch

Squelch is an intriguing tool for players looking to disrupt their opponents’ strategies in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to counter activated abilities sets it apart in a way that simple counterspells like Cancel or Negate do not since they focus on countering spells. With Squelch, not only do you thwart an opponent’s plan by negating a potentially game-altering activated ability, but you also draw a card, adding to your hand without losing tempo.

Looking at cards like Stifle, the resemblance is clear as both stymie abilities, but Squelch comes with the added advantage of drawing a card, which Stifle lacks. Then there’s Disallow, which offers more flexibility by countering a spell, an activated ability or a triggered ability, making it a more versatile choice, but with a higher cost. Trickbind is another alternative that stops abilities and ensures they can’t be activated again that turn, yet it doesn’t provide the card draw that makes Squelch appealing.

When comparing options for control decks, Squelch holds a solid slot for its combo disruption and cantrip feature, providing players with a unique method for gaining an upper hand in matches within the vast array of choices available in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Squelch by color, type and mana cost

Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - MTG Card versions

Accumulated Knowledge - MTG Card versions

Thassa's Intervention - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Squelch MTG card by a specific set like Champions of Kamigawa, 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 Squelch and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Squelch has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2004-12-01	Squelch can’t target a mana ability because mana abilities don’t use the stack.
2016-06-08	Activated abilities contain a colon. They’re generally written “ -ost: -ffect].” Some keywords are activated abilities and will have colons in their reminder text.