Embargo MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Rare
Type	Enchantment
Released	1999-10-04
Set symbol
Set name	Mercadian Masques
Set code	MMQ
Number	77
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Nelson DeCastro

Key Takeaways

Embargo levels the playing field, disrupting opponents who depend heavily on creatures and artifacts.
The mana specificity and higher cost of Embargo may limit its inclusion in diverse decks.
Despite drawbacks, Embargo offers strategic advantages in control-focused decks against certain metas.

Text of card

Nonland permanents don't untap during their controllers' untap steps. At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 2 life.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Embargo helps to even the battlefield by preventing opponents from leveraging their artifacts and creatures to draw cards, effectively slowing down their ability to outpace your resources.

Resource Acceleration: By hindering all players’ use of artifacts and creatures for their intended purposes, Embargo can indirectly accelerate your position if your deck is less reliant on those resources or able to circumvent the restrictions more effectively.

Instant Speed: While Embargo itself is not an instant, its continuous effect can be as disruptive as an instant-speed interaction by inhibiting the untap phase each turn, allowing you to better dictate the pacing and flow of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of the Embargo card is the need to discard a card. In-game situations where your hand resources are already stretched thin, the discard cost can exacerbate the dilemma, forcing you to choose between keeping a potentially critical card or enabling the spell’s effect.

Specific Mana Cost: Embargo demands a specific mana alignment, requiring both blue and generic mana. This can be restrictive as it might not fit seamlessly into a multicolor deck or one that is not primarily blue, thus limiting its versatility across diverse MTG deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that is on the higher side, players might find it challenging to justify including Embargo in their deck over other options. Lower-cost cards might provide similar or better control effects without the significant mana investment that Embargo entails.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Embargo shines in decks that disrupt opponents’ tempo. As a card that affects all players, it can be slipped into control decks or strategies focused on resource denial to gain an edge over the board.

Combo Potential: This card pairs well with strategies that seek to lock down opponents’ resources. Combine it with cards that untap your own artifacts or lands to sidestep its symmetrical effects and maintain your momentum.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where artifact and creature strategies predominate, Embargo can serve as a potent equalizer. It forces opponents to adapt to a slower pace of play, allowing you to dictate the flow of the game.

How to Beat

Navigating your way around Embargo can be like walking through a strategic minefield in MTG. This card disrupts the flow of creature-based strategies with its ability to tap all creatures and prevent them from untapping during their controller’s untap phase. To outmaneuver Embargo, you’ll want to focus on using non-creature strategies such as direct damage spells, enchantments, or planeswalkers that can function independently of the tap restrictions.

Artifact removal spells are also your ally here. Cards like Naturalize or Disenchant can effectively remove Embargo from the battlefield, freeing your creatures to move and attack as usual. It’s also beneficial to employ untap abilities or effects from cards that circumvent the need for the untap phase, ensuring your creatures can pivot from a static defense to an active offense even under an Embargo. Lastly, don’t overlook the importance of alternative win conditions, such as milling your opponent or using cards that deal damage without relying on the combat phase.

Ultimately, beating Embargo demands a flexible deck strategy and a readiness to pivot your usual playstyle. By focusing on diverse tactics and keeping removal spells handy, you can ensure that this controlling enchantment doesn’t bring your game to a standstill.

Cards like Embargo

Embargo is an enchantment card that provides a unique twist to gameplay dynamic in the realm of Magic: The Gathering. It bears some resemblance to cards like Winter Orb, which also plays on the ability to dictate the pace by hindering mana resources. Embargo takes it up a notch by not only freezing untapped lands and creatures during the untap step but also imposing a maintenance cost that can alter strategic plays.

Another kindred spirit in this realm is Static Orb. With a similar disruptiveness, it limits untapping to only two permanents, applying a broad control over the field. Despite the similarity, Embargo stands out by affecting all of a player’s permaments but at a cost—two life during the upkeep can be a significant trade-off over time. Moreover, Kismet, which forces opposing permanents to enter the battlefield tapped, echoes this theme of restriction, though Embargo’s consistent effect each upkeep can be considered more pressing.

Assessing the nuances of these cards reveals Embargo’s special role in controlling the tempo of the game. Although somewhat self-limiting, it requires a tailored strategy to be fully leveraged, making it an intriguing choice for control decks in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Embargo by color, type and mana cost

Collective Restraint - MTG Card versions

Delusions of Mediocrity - MTG Card versions

Thassa, Deep-Dwelling - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Embargo MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques, 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 Embargo and other MTG cards: