Atarka's Command MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Atarka’s Command enables multiple strategies, providing a competitive edge without depleting hand size.
  2. Its instant speed allows for surprise maneuvers and rapid adaptation to the game’s dynamics.
  3. Despite mana constraints, its versatility makes it a powerful addition to Gruul-themed decks.

Text of card

Choose two — • Your opponents can't gain life this turn. • Atarka's Command deals 3 damage to each opponent. • You may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield. • Creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain reach until end of turn.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Atarka’s Command might not let you draw cards directly, but it contributes to card advantage by enabling multiple strategies with just one card. This can lead to significant strategic gains without losing hand size, effectively outpacing your opponent with the versatile options it provides.

Resource Acceleration: One of its modes can ramp up your mana resources by allowing you to play an additional land this turn. This can be pivotal in casting powerful spells ahead of schedule, catapulting you into a commanding position in the game.

Instant Speed: The instant speed flexibility of Atarka’s Command is a tactical asset, allowing for unexpected plays and the ability to respond swiftly to changing board states. This can disrupt opponent plans while advancing your game position at a critical moment.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Atarka’s Command does not require you to discard cards, it can indirectly cause card disadvantage. Given its instant nature, you may be tempted to hold cards back to maximize its effect, which can slow your hand rotation and reduce your options.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s casting cost necessitates both red and green mana, restricting it to decks that can accommodate this exact combination. Players running monochrome or other color pairs might find it challenging to integrate Atarka’s Command effectively without adjusting their manabase.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Atarka’s Command’s cost is two mana, which is a considerable investment for a non-creature spell. While the effects are powerful, there are situations where the mana could be allocated towards developing your board presence or reserving for other control options.


Reasons to Include Atarka’s Command in Your Collection

Versatility: Atarka’s Command is a flexible addition to numerous deck archetypes in Magic the Gathering. Its ability to grant your creatures extra power, punish opponents for noncreature spell reliance, and prevent life gain provides valuable utility in both aggressive and controlling strategies.

Combo Potential: This card shines in decks that look to maximize damage output quickly. With its land drop effect, it can be combined with landfall abilities to create potent synergy, or it can pump a whole team before a crucial attack phase, delivering a surge of damage that can overwhelm an opponent.

Meta-Relevance: Given its adaptability and strength in creature-based decks, Atarka’s Command remains a significant card in formats where speed and efficiency are of the essence. Its place in the competitive scene is solid, affecting games by accelerating your board state while disrupting your opponent’s game plan.


How to beat

Atarka’s Command is a powerhouse card with multiple modes, allowing players flexibility and potential for substantial burst damage, or ramping capabilities in MTG. This card can serve as a quick game finisher and it’s a threat to be aware of when facing opponents in the Gruul colors.

The key to mitigating Atarka’s Command’s impact is through smart life-total management and removal of creatures. Bolstering your life ahead of time with cards like Essence Warden or Authority of the Consuls can provide cushion against the damage-dealing option of Atarka’s Command. Counter spells also prove to be effective. Cards like Negate or Dovin’s Veto can stop Atarka’s Command in its tracks. Additionally, graveyard disruption tools such as Rest in Peace hamper strategies leveraging Atarka’s Command for formidable graveyard synergies.

Understanding your opponent’s deck and anticipating the use of Atarka’s Command can position you to navigate around it effectively. Keeping countermeasures in hand and maintaining composure while life points are under threat will ensure you’re ready to deal with this versatile command card strategically.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the MTG battlefield involves a fine balance between strategy, speed, and adaptability. Atarka’s Command is a prime example of a card that can turn the tides of battle with its versatile abilities. If you are ready to enhance your Gruul deck’s performance or just looking for a versatile option to keep opponents on their toes, this command might be the spell you’re seeking. Delve deeper with us into strategies that maximize the potential of Atarka’s Command, identify opportunities to outmaneuver your adversaries, and optimize your deck to its fullest capacity. Elevate your gameplay and command your way to victory.


Cards like Atarka's Command

Atarka’s Command is a multi-faceted instant that excels in versatility within Magic: The Gathering. It shares design space with other commands, particularly Dromoka’s Command, which also offers a choice among beneficial modes. However, Atarka’s Command is distinct in supporting aggressive strategies, allowing players to amp up damage and mana efficiency. It uniquely enables your team to avoid life gain by opponents and bolsters your army with a power increase, a strategy not mirrored by Dromoka’s Command.

Another card worth comparing is Boros Charm. Both these instants hail from multicolored sets, providing four distinct modes or effects. While Boros Charm is revered for its indestructibility and double-strike capabilities, Atarka’s Command’s land play acceleration and damage increase make it invaluable in landfall and burn decks. Kolaghan’s Command is likewise a contender with its graveyard recursion and disruption abilities but it leans towards control rather than Atarka’s aggressive tempo.

Assessing the tactical edge of these cards, Atarka’s Command stands out in the MTG realm for its potential to swiftly tilt the scales in fast-paced, combat-centric matches, underpinning its unique placement among the command cycle.

Dromoka's Command - MTG Card versions
Boros Charm - MTG Card versions
Kolaghan's Command - MTG Card versions
Dromoka's Command - Dragons of Tarkir (DTK)
Boros Charm - Gatecrash (GTC)
Kolaghan's Command - Dragons of Tarkir (DTK)

Cards similar to Atarka's Command by color, type and mana cost

Surge of Strength - MTG Card versions
Simoon - MTG Card versions
Artifact Mutation - MTG Card versions
Ancient Grudge - MTG Card versions
Manamorphose - MTG Card versions
Colossal Might - MTG Card versions
Signal the Clans - MTG Card versions
Gruul Charm - MTG Card versions
Pit Fight - MTG Card versions
Destructive Revelry - MTG Card versions
Colossal Growth - MTG Card versions
Friendly Rivalry - MTG Card versions
Questing Druid // Seek the Beast - MTG Card versions
Surge of Strength - Hobby Japan Promos (PHJ)
Simoon - World Championship Decks 2002 (WC02)
Artifact Mutation - New Capenna Commander (NCC)
Ancient Grudge - Historic Anthology 5 (HA5)
Manamorphose - The List (PLST)
Colossal Might - Commander 2011 (CMD)
Signal the Clans - Gatecrash (GTC)
Gruul Charm - Explorer Anthology 3 (EA3)
Pit Fight - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Destructive Revelry - Theros (THS)
Colossal Growth - Dominaria United (DMU)
Friendly Rivalry - The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR)
Questing Druid // Seek the Beast - Wilds of Eldraine (WOE)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Atarka's Command MTG card by a specific set like Dragons of Tarkir and Dragons of Tarkir Promos, 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 Atarka's Command and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Atarka's Command Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2015-03-27 and 2022-07-08. Illustrated by Chris Rahn.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12015-03-27Dragons of TarkirDTK 2132015normalblackChris Rahn
22015-03-28Dragons of Tarkir PromosPDTK 213s2015normalblackChris Rahn
32021-05-27Historic Anthology 5HA5 212015normalblackChris Rahn
42022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 4752015normalblackChris Rahn
52022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 1762015normalblackChris Rahn

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Atarka's Command has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
BrawlLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2015-02-25 As the spell resolves, follow the instructions of the modes you chose in the order they are printed on the card. For example, if you chose the second and fourth modes of Ojutai’s Command, you would gain 4 life and then draw a card. (The order won’t matter in most cases.)
2015-02-25 If a Command is copied, the effect that creates the copy will usually allow you to choose new targets for the copy, but you can’t choose new modes.
2015-02-25 If all targets for the chosen modes become illegal before the Command resolves, the spell won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen. If at least one target is still legal, the spell will resolve but will have no effect on any illegal targets.
2015-02-25 If you choose the third mode and put a land card onto the battlefield, that doesn’t count as playing a land. For example, you can both play a land and put a land onto the battlefield this way during your turn.
2015-02-25 The first mode won’t affect life that was gained earlier in the turn.
2015-02-25 You can choose a mode only if you can choose legal targets for that mode. Ignore the targeting requirements for modes that aren’t chosen. For example, you can cast Ojutai’s Command without targeting a creature spell provided you don’t choose the third mode.
2015-02-25 You choose the two modes as you cast the spell. You must choose two different modes. Once modes are chosen, they can’t be changed.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks