Obelisk of Urd MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeArtifact
Abilities Convoke

Key Takeaways

  1. Obelisk of Urd offers both offensive and defensive enhancements, crucial for establishing board dominance.
  2. Convoke mechanism allows acceleration and strategic flexibility, enabling earlier impactful plays.
  3. The immediate power surge at resolution can decisively shift game dynamics during critical moments.

Text of card

Convoke (Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for or one mana of that creature's color.) As Obelisk of Urd enters the battlefield, choose a creature type. Creatures you control of the chosen type get +2/+2.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Obelisk of Urd grants a significant boost to your creatures, which can quickly swing the game in your favor. By choosing a creature type that you have multiple of on the battlefield, you increase not only your offensive capabilities but also your defensive strength, leading to a more dominant board presence.

Resource Acceleration: The Convoke ability is a form of resource acceleration. It allows you to tap creatures you control to help cast Obelisk of Urd, effectively reducing its mana cost. This can result in a much faster deployment than its initial six mana cost suggests, allowing you to use your creatures as a means of advancing your board state while still developing your mana base.

Instant Speed: While Obelisk of Urd itself is not cast at instant speed, its impact is immediately felt like an instant effect. As soon as it hits the battlefield, all creatures of the chosen type get a significant +2/+2 buff. This instant increase in power and toughness can be crucial during combat or in response to spells and abilities that depend on creature stats, giving you an immediate advantage.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While the Obelisk of Urd doesn’t have a discard requirement, it does compel players to tap creatures for the convoke ability, which can be a tactical setback, leaving you open to attacks.

Specific Mana Cost: To cast Obelisk of Urd, a player needs to spend six mana, which can be challenging for decks that aim to win quickly or those lacking reliable mana acceleration.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Six mana is substantial, and in the fast-paced game environment, committing that much to a non-creature spell could be too slow, especially when other lower-cost options could boost your creatures or advance your game state more efficiently.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Obelisk of Urd offers a high degree of adaptability as it can be a game-changer in any tribal deck. By granting +2/+2 to creatures of the chosen type, it can bolster the power of a wide variety of creature-based decks, making it a valuable addition for players who enjoy tribal synergies.

Combo Potential: This artifact has strong synergy with creatures that have tap abilities or those that benefit from the additional power and toughness. The convoke mechanic also allows you to summon it using creatures as payment, making it particularly potent in token-heavy strategies where summoning it can be more efficient.

Meta-Relevance: Tribal decks have a consistent presence in various MTG formats, which makes the Obelisk of Urd relevant in multiple metas. As it can elevate a seemingly innocuous board of creatures into a threatening army, its impact on game dynamics ensures it’s a formidable choice for competitive play.


How to beat

The Obelisk of Urd is an artifact that can turn a swarm of creatures into an unstoppable force in MTG. It bolsters a specific creature type, offering a significant +2/+2 boost which can quickly shift the battle in your favor. Given this, overcoming an opponent’s Obelisk of Urd hinges on disrupting their synergy and neutralizing their enhanced creatures. Artifacts can be tricky to deal with once on the battlefield, but not invincible.

Spot removal, board wipes, and direct artifact destruction are effective ways to dismantle the advantage provided by the Obelisk of Urd. Counterspells remain a reliable pre-emptive strike, ensuring the artifact never sees play. A swift response and a strong control strategy can mitigate the boosts the Obelisk of Urd grants. Remember, timing is key – take control of the game before the Obelisk can dictate the pace.

In essence, confronting an Obelisk of Urd in MTG demands a strategy that either preempts its arrival or promptly addresses its consequences. Diversify your deck with removals and counters to ensure you’re not at the mercy of this powerful artifact’s influence.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the intricacies of MTG means not only knowing the strengths and weaknesses of individual cards like Obelisk of Urd but also understanding their interplay within the broader game. With its potential to amplify a creature-focused strategy, it’s imperative to consider how it fits into your deck and gameplay. Whether you’re aiming to enhance your tribal tactics or searching for that unique artifact that can tip the scales in battle, knowledge is power. Dive deeper with us to analyze crucial strategies, optimize your deck, and elevate your MTG experience. Walk the planes armed with insight and rise to be a formidable planeswalker.


Cards like Obelisk of Urd

Obelisk of Urd, a formidable artifact in Magic: The Gathering, bolsters similar mechanics found in cards like Door of Destinies and Coat of Arms. Like Obelisk of Urd, Door of Destinies provides a power boost to creatures of a particular type but accumulates counters with each spell cast, offering a more prolonged benefit over time. However, Obelisk of Urd applies its formidable buff immediately upon resolution and favors a wide board state.

Coat of Arms shares a kinship with Obelisk of Urd, as it too amplifies the strength of creatures based on shared types, with the potential for a more explosive effect in a tribal-heavy deck. Unlike Obelisk of Urd, which requires a one-time setup via its Convoke mechanic, Coat of Arms dynamically adjusts its power depending on all creatures’ types on the battlefield, which can be both advantageous and risky if opponents share creature types.

Comparing these cards underlines the diversity of strategies within the realm of tribal synergy and creature buffs in Magic: The Gathering. Obelisk of Urd stands out with its ability to instantly strengthen an already established clan of creatures, making it a strong contender when designing a deck that plans to swarm the board quickly and efficiently.

Door of Destinies - MTG Card versions
Coat of Arms - MTG Card versions
Door of Destinies - Morningtide (MOR)
Coat of Arms - Exodus (EXO)

Cards similar to Obelisk of Urd by color, type and mana cost

Clockwork Beast - MTG Card versions
Triskelion - MTG Card versions
Armageddon Clock - MTG Card versions
Mirror Universe - MTG Card versions
Sword of the Ages - MTG Card versions
Planar Gate - MTG Card versions
Urza's Avenger - MTG Card versions
Bronze Tablet - MTG Card versions
Shapeshifter - MTG Card versions
Celestial Sword - MTG Card versions
Voodoo Doll - MTG Card versions
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Tetravus - MTG Card versions
Joven's Tools - MTG Card versions
Serpent Generator - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Sculpture - MTG Card versions
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Well of Discovery - MTG Card versions
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Feroz's Ban - MTG Card versions
Clockwork Beast - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Triskelion - March of the Machine Commander (MOC)
Armageddon Clock - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Mirror Universe - Legends (LEG)
Sword of the Ages - Legends (LEG)
Planar Gate - Legends (LEG)
Urza's Avenger - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Bronze Tablet - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Shapeshifter - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Celestial Sword - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Voodoo Doll - Chronicles (CHR)
Book of Rass - The Dark (DRK)
Tetravus - Rinascimento (RIN)
Joven's Tools - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Serpent Generator - Legends (LEG)
Flowstone Sculpture - Tempest (TMP)
Workhorse - The List (PLST)
Well of Discovery - Prophecy (PCY)
Phyrexian Hulk - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Feroz's Ban - Seventh Edition (7ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Obelisk of Urd MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2015 and Zendikar Rising Commander, 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 Obelisk of Urd and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Obelisk of Urd Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2014-07-18 and 2020-09-25. Illustrated by John Severin Brassell.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12014-07-18Magic 2015M15 2222015normalblackJohn Severin Brassell
22020-09-25Zendikar Rising CommanderZNC 1152015normalblackJohn Severin Brassell

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Obelisk of Urd has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2014-07-18 The choice of creature type is made as Obelisk of Urd enters the battlefield. Players can’t respond to this choice. The bonus starts applying immediately.
2014-07-18 You must choose an existing creature type.
2018-10-05 Because convoke isn’t an alternative cost, it can be used in conjunction with alternative costs.
2018-10-05 Convoke doesn’t change a spell’s mana cost or converted mana cost.
2018-10-05 If a creature you control has a mana ability with in the cost, activating that ability while casting a spell with convoke will result in the creature being tapped before you pay the spell’s costs. You won’t be able to tap it again for convoke. Similarly, if you sacrifice a creature to activate a mana ability while casting a spell with convoke, that creature won’t be on the battlefield when you pay the spell’s costs, so you won’t be able to tap it for convoke.
2018-10-05 Tapping a multicolored creature using convoke will pay for or one mana of your choice of any of that creature’s colors.
2018-10-05 When calculating a spell’s total cost, include any alternative costs, additional costs, or anything else that increases or reduces the cost to cast the spell. Convoke applies after the total cost is calculated.
2018-10-05 When using convoke to cast a spell with in its mana cost, first choose the value for X. That choice, plus any cost increases or decreases, will determine the spell’s total cost. Then you can tap creatures you control to help pay that cost. For example, if you cast Worldsoul Colossus (a spell with convoke and mana cost ) and choose X to be 3, the total cost is . If you tap two green creatures and two white creatures, you’ll have to pay .
2018-10-05 You can tap an untapped creature you haven’t controlled continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn to convoke a spell.

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