Monologue Tax MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment
Abilities Treasure

Key Takeaways

  1. Monologue Tax benefits resource management by converting spells into treasure tokens, furthering card and mana advantage.
  2. This enchantment offers strategic flexibility, reacting quickly to opponents’ actions and enhancing gameplay pacing.
  3. Challenges include a discard cost, specific mana requirements, and managing its three-mana investment compared to other cards.

Text of card

Whenever an opponent casts their second spell each turn, you create a Treasure token.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Monologue Tax’s ability to amass treasure tokens equates to drawing into additional resources, subtly tipping the scales of card advantage in your favor. As your opponent casts multiple spells, the tokens you accumulate can be cashed in for essential card draws.

Resource Acceleration: This card thrives on the principle of resource acceleration. Each tax counter transforms into a treasure token, offering a quick boost in mana. This mana can be pivotal for casting high-impact spells ahead of schedule, giving you a significant edge in pacing the game.

Instant Speed: Monologue Tax showcases its flexibility with instant speed. This enables reactive play patterns, allowing you to deploy the enchantment at the end of your opponent’s turn or in response to their spell-heavy strategies. This timing can catch opponents off-guard and maximize the taxation effect when it’s most impactful.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Monologue Tax demands a card to be discarded whenever casting it, depleting your hand and potentially impacting your strategy if cards in hand are scarce.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s necessity for both white and generic mana hinders its inclusion in decks that don’t run white or have a less consistent mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Sporting a three-mana value, Monologue Tax could be considered a steep investment when weighed against other cards with similar or greater impact for a lower or equivalent mana cost.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Monologue Tax works seamlessly across a variety of deck archetypes that focus on casting multiple spells. Its design allows it to complement strategies centered on tax effects or incremental advantage, making it a solid inclusion in various builds.

Combo Potential: This card shines in setups where you can leverage the creation of Treasure tokens to advance your game plan. It pairs excellently with mechanics that key off of artifact creation or additional mana sources, ramping you towards game-winning combos.

Meta-Relevance: In game formats where opponents are likely to cast several spells per turn, Monologue Tax gains incremental value. This card can be particularly impactful, effectively keeping pace with more spell-heavy opponents and tipping the scales in your favor.


How to beat

Monologue Tax’s presence on the battlefield can subtly shift the dynamics of Magic: The Gathering games, demanding a strategic re-evaluation from opponents. As a card that punishes opponents for not casting multiple spells per turn, it can gradually accrue value, putting a slow but steady pressure. Its unique ability to generate Treasure tokens as opponents keep casting only single spells in their turns might not seem overwhelming at first but can accumulate a significant advantage over time.

Defeating the utility of Monologue Tax involves a dual approach – ramping up the number of spells you cast per turn or incorporating ways to neutralize enchantments. Aggressive decks are naturally poised to circumvent Monologue Tax, as they frequently deploy numerous low-cost spells in a single turn. Conversely, control or combo decks can include enchantment removal options such as Disenchant or Naturalize to directly address this particular threat. Moreover, exploiting the enchantment’s conditional trigger by reserving spells for a single decisive turn where multiple spells can be cast also mitigates the Tax’s impact.

Understanding the significance of enchantment interaction, tempo control, and strategic spell casting is essential in maintaining an advantage against Monologue Tax in Magic: The Gathering games.


BurnMana Recommendations

Monologue Tax is a nuanced MTG card with the power to tip the balance of resource management in your favor. Its ability to generate treasure tokens as your opponent plays spells can rapidly accelerate your mana pool, setting you up for powerful plays. Whether you’re keen on building a deck with tax effects or enhancing your current one, consider the utility of Monologue Tax. Looking to strengthen your collection or outpace spell-heavy opponents in your next game? Dive deeper with us into strategic deck-building and discover how Monologue Tax could become a game-changer in your MTG arsenal.


Cards like Monologue Tax

Monologue Tax is a unique addition to the suite of taxation effects in Magic: The Gathering. It’s akin to cards like Smothering Tithe which also revolves around the concept of taxing opponents to gain an advantage. Monologue Tax, unlike the former, specifically rewards you when an opponent casts their second spell each turn. Smothering Tithe, on the other hand, has a broader tax net by targeting any draw beyond the first one.

Another relative in the taxation family is Rhystic Study, a powerful card that gives you the option to draw whenever an opponent casts a spell, unless they pay an extra mana. While Monologue Tax doesn’t offer card draw, it adds to your mana pool in the form of Treasure tokens, providing diverse strategic value. Taxing effects also appear in cards like Ghostly Prison, preventing attacks unless a toll is paid. However, it’s strictly defensive, unlike Monologue Tax which can affect multiple aspects of the game from resources to spell casting.

To summarize, Monologue Tax stands out with its unique trigger condition and Treasure token generation, making it a strategic choice for players seeking to capitalize on their opponents’ actions while fortifying their own resources.

Smothering Tithe - MTG Card versions
Rhystic Study - MTG Card versions
Ghostly Prison - MTG Card versions
Smothering Tithe - Ravnica Allegiance (RNA)
Rhystic Study - Prophecy (PCY)
Ghostly Prison - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)

Cards similar to Monologue Tax by color, type and mana cost

Damping Field - MTG Card versions
Farmstead - MTG Card versions
Cooperation - MTG Card versions
Noble Steeds - MTG Card versions
Aura of Silence - MTG Card versions
Empyrial Armor - MTG Card versions
Pariah - MTG Card versions
Cessation - MTG Card versions
Arrest - MTG Card versions
Glorious Anthem - MTG Card versions
Samite Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Tattoo Ward - MTG Card versions
Sparring Regimen - MTG Card versions
Shielded by Faith - MTG Card versions
The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration - MTG Card versions
Oblivion Ring - MTG Card versions
Cage of Hands - MTG Card versions
Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant // Rune-Tail's Essence - MTG Card versions
Guardian's Magemark - MTG Card versions
Celestial Dawn - MTG Card versions
Damping Field - Antiquities (ATQ)
Farmstead - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Cooperation - Ice Age (ICE)
Noble Steeds - Alliances (ALL)
Aura of Silence - The List (PLST)
Empyrial Armor - Weatherlight (WTH)
Pariah - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Cessation - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Arrest - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Glorious Anthem - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Samite Sanctuary - Prophecy (PCY)
Tattoo Ward - Odyssey (ODY)
Sparring Regimen - Strixhaven: School of Mages Promos (PSTX)
Shielded by Faith - Signature Spellbook: Gideon (SS2)
The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)
Oblivion Ring - Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)
Cage of Hands - Commander Legends (CMR)
Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant // Rune-Tail's Essence - The List (PLST)
Guardian's Magemark - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Celestial Dawn - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Monologue Tax MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and The List, 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 Monologue Tax and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Monologue Tax Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2021-04-23 and 2021-04-23. Illustrated by Justine Cruz.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 900062015normalblackJustine Cruz
22020-09-26The ListPLST C21-192015normalblackJustine Cruz
32021-04-23Commander 2021C21 3462015normalblackJustine Cruz
42021-04-23Commander 2021C21 192015normalblackJustine Cruz

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Monologue Tax has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-04-16 It doesn’t matter if Monologue Tax was on the battlefield for the first spell. It also doesn’t matter if that first spell resolved or not.
2021-04-16 Nothing special happens on the third spell, fourth spell, and so on.
2021-04-16 The ability can trigger once each turn for each opponent.

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