Obelisk of Alara MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Obelisk of Alara offers a unique edge in the form of its five different abilities, each tailored to a different need. This MTG artifact provides you with options to draw a card, effectively keeping your hand full and maintaining card superiority on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: With its mana-boosting ability, the Obelisk serves as a ramping tool, giving players the versatility to cast more expensive spells sooner or multiple spells in a single turn. This capability is a game-changer in resource management.

Instant Speed: The instantaneity of its abilities ensures flexibility within gameplay. You’re able to react on the fly, depending on what your opponent is doing, which can be a deciding factor in tight matches. Whether it’s gaining life, dealing damage, or buffing a creature, using these abilities at the right moment can swing the game in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Obelisk of Alara doesn’t necessitate a discard, but its array of abilities hinges on the diverse mana requirement. This means without a well-rounded mana base, some of its potential goes untapped, potentially leading to crucial plays being delayed or forfeited.

Specific Mana Cost: Each of its abilities is tied to one of the five colors of Magic, demanding a sizable commitment to a multicolored mana base. This specificity might deter single or dual-colored deck builders from incorporating it, limiting the card’s adaptability and its inclusion in a variety of strategies. In some cases, it might even remain a mere decorative piece in your hand.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Six mana to cast puts the Obelisk in a range where players are expecting game-changing effects. While its multifaceted nature is enticing, the investment needed to leverage its potential in full can overshadow its benefits. More streamlined cards could potentially deliver similar or better results with less logistical complexity and a leaner mana curve.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Obelisk of Alara offers a myriad of options for any deck that can accommodate its color demands. Its six different abilities provide an outstanding range of tactical choices, from gaining life to dealing damage, which makes it a utility piece in many diverse strategies.

Combo Potential: This card’s broad scope of abilities opens up numerous combo possibilities. For instance, its ability to draw a card might dovetail with strategies that reward drawing, while its life gain option can synergize with effects that benefit from life changes.

Meta-Relevance: Even in ever-evolving metagames, Obelisk of Alara remains relevant by providing answers and options against a variety of decks. Its flexibility can be particularly useful in formats where adapting to opponents’ moves is key to victory.

How to beat

The Obelisk of Alara is a diverse artifact that offers a variety of abilities to its controller in Magic: The Gathering. Its strength lies in its versatility, providing six different effects that can be utilized depending on the situation. To undermine the Obelisk’s power, focus on preemptive measures like artifact destruction or disruption strategies. Cards such as Naturalize or Disenchant are key since they offer a direct way to deal with the artifact before your opponent can capitalize on its potential. On the other hand, countering the Obelisk’s activation cost can also be efficient. Taxing effects, which increase the cost of abilities or spells, can pressure your opponent’s mana resources and render the Obelisk less effective. Cards like Damping Sphere can hinder the utilization of the Obelisk’s abilities, making it an expensive ornament rather than a game-changing tool.

Combining these tactics with an aggressive strategy might force your opponent to divert resources to protect the Obelisk, thereby reducing their ability to defend against your assaults or advance their board state. Thus, while the Obelisk of Alara may appear daunting with its arsenal of capabilities, a well-prepared strategy focused on disruption and tempo can neutralize this powerful artifact.