Eidolon of Obstruction MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment Creature — Spirit
Abilities First strike
Power 2
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. It forces careful play, with opponent’s loyalty abilities costing more and affecting strategy.
  2. While non-accelerating, it interrupts opposing resource usage, influencing game tempo.
  3. Eidolon offers tactical interference against planeswalkers, challenging instant-speed abilities.

Text of card

First strike Loyalty abilities of planeswalkers your opponents control cost more to activate.

Death turned admirable conviction into pointless intransigence.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Eidolon of Obstruction encourages strategic play that can lead to indirect card advantage. By taxing your opponent’s loyalty abilities, you force them to make tough decisions, which can lead to a more favorable board state for you, ultimately offering a subtle edge in the duel.

Resource Acceleration: While Eidolon of Obstruction doesn’t directly accelerate resources, it disrupts your opponent’s resource utilization when it comes to planeswalker abilities. This delay can grant you extra time to build your mana base and control the tempo of the match.

Instant Speed: Although this card isn’t an instant itself, its ability to interfere with planeswalkers can effectively counteract instant-speed loyalty abilities that some planeswalkers possess. By having Eidolon of Obstruction on the battlefield, you hold a form of instant-speed interference that can deter your opponent from optimizing their planeswalker plays on your turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Eidolon of Obstruction doesn’t directly require discarding cards, but in a broader sense, it may compel players to discard their strategy around low-cost planeswalkers due to its taxing ability on loyalty abilities, potentially discarding a line of play from your game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: It has a specific mana requirement of one white and one generic mana, which could limit its insertion in multicolored decks that might not consistently produce the required white mana, especially in early game scenarios.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While its mana cost isn’t high on an absolute scale, compared to other two-mana creatures, Eidolon of Obstruction may present a higher cost for its effect that strictly targets planeswalkers, which may not always be present or relevant in every match, potentially reducing its overall cost efficiency.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Eidolon of Obstruction fits seamlessly into a variety of white decks, providing a valuable early defensive option while also posing a tax on opponents’ planeswalker abilities. Its ability to influence the game early makes it a practical choice for decks that aim to disrupt opponents’ strategies.

Combo Potential: This creature offers synergy with cards that benefit from tax effects or enchantments, enhancing strategies that focus on hindering opponent plays. It works well in enchantment-centric decks, potentially serving as a piece in a larger puzzle that limits opponent interactions.

Meta-Relevance: Given the presence of planeswalker-heavy decks in the current meta, Eidolon of Obstruction can become a key sideboard card, making it costlier for opponents to utilize their planeswalker’s loyalty abilities, thereby giving you an upper hand in controlling the pace.


How to beat

Eidolon of Obstruction is a niche, yet potent card designed to disrupt planeswalker strategies in MTG. With its 2/1 body and first strike, it stands as a sentry against planeswalker abilities by imposing an additional tax. However, overcoming this obstacle requires tactical play. Removal spells are the most straightforward way to deal with the Eidolon. Considering its modest toughness, low-cost removal like Shock or Fatal Push can easily clear the way. Alternatively, larger creatures can challenge the Eidolon directly in combat.

Moreover, playing around the Eidolon’s tax effect is feasible. Deploying your planeswalkers when you have extra mana can ensure their abilities remain accessible. Additionally, prioritizing the removal of Eidolon before casting key planeswalkers can save resources in the long run. Evaluating your strategy to reduce reliance on planeswalker abilities when facing potential Eidolon of Obstruction also proves fruitful. In summary, while the Eidolon presents a unique hurdle, players can adapt their strategies to minimize its impact and maintain the flow of their gameplay.


Cards like Eidolon of Obstruction

Eidolon of Obstruction is a unique piece in the vast library of creatures available to Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts. With its distinct ability to tax planeswalkers’ loyalty abilities, it draws parallels to cards such as Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, which similarly increases the cost of spells and abilities for the opponent. However, Thalia affects a broader range of noncreature spells, showcasing a more general approach to taxing opponents.

On a narrower scope, look at cards like Damping Sphere. While not a creature, this artifact is adept at interfering with strategies that rely on casting multiple spells per turn or utilizing lands that produce more than one mana. Eidolon of Obstruction, specifically targeting planeswalker strategies, occupies a more specialized niche compared to Damping Sphere’s wider implications.

Assessing Eidolon of Obstruction in the context of these counterparts, one appreciates its specialized role in hindering planeswalker heavy decks. It stands out as a tactical pick in formats where planeswalkers are prevalent, offering a creature-based solution to an often spell-centric problem.

Thalia, Guardian of Thraben - MTG Card versions
Damping Sphere - MTG Card versions
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben - Dark Ascension (DKA)
Damping Sphere - Dominaria (DOM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Eidolon of Obstruction MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Theros Beyond Death, 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 Eidolon of Obstruction and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Eidolon of Obstruction Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2020-01-24 and 2020-01-24. Illustrated by Jason Rainville.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 799552015normalblackJason Rainville
22020-01-24Theros Beyond DeathTHB 122015normalblackJason Rainville
32020-01-24Theros Beyond DeathTHB 2992015normalblackJason Rainville
42020-01-24Theros Beyond Death PromosPTHB 12p2015normalblackJason Rainville
52020-01-24Theros Beyond Death PromosPTHB 12s2015normalblackJason Rainville

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Eidolon of Obstruction has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-01-24 Eidolon of Obstruction doesn’t replace the loyalty cost of activating a loyalty ability or cause it to cost more loyalty to activate. It just adds a mana component to the ability’s activation cost.
2020-01-24 Loyalty abilities cost just more to activate, no matter how much loyalty they cost to activate.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks