Steely Resolve MTG Card


Steely Resolve - Onslaught
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment
Released2002-10-07
Set symbol
Set nameOnslaught
Set codeONS
Number286
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byGreg Staples

Key Takeaways

  1. Steely Resolve offers creatures protection, leading to indirect card advantage and prolonged board presence.
  2. Maintaining strategy execution with untouchable creatures accelerates resource utilization and effectiveness.
  3. The enchantment’s immediate effect post-casting provides instant battlefield impact, similar to instant-speed spells.

Text of card

As Steely Resolve comes into play, choose a creature type. Creatures of the chosen type can't be the targets of spells or abilities.

No one in Wirewood understands what is happening. They just know it's unnatural—and coming from Krosa.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Steely Resolve shields your creatures from being targeted, essentially adding a layer of protection that can deter opponents from trying to diminish your on-board resources. This can lead to gaining indirect card advantage as your creatures remain untouched and effective for a longer period.

Resource Acceleration: Although Steely Resolve doesn’t directly accelerate resources in terms of mana, it can be instrumental in maintaining your board presence. Safeguarded creatures can continuously attack, block, or utilize tap abilities without the fear of targeted spells, which in turn can speed up your strategy execution.

Instant Speed: Despite Steely Resolve being an enchantment that’s not cast at instant speed, its immediate impact upon entering the battlefield can be likened to the effect that instant speed spells have during critical moments of play. Once resolved, it can instantly alter the playing field, giving your creatures a robust defense against targeted spells or abilities from your adversaries.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Steely Resolve doesn’t directly require discarding, it may force players to offload other cards to comply with its shroud granting ability, leading to a tighter grip on valuable hand assets.

Specific Mana Cost: Steely Resolve necessitates a precise mana arrangement with one green and one generic mana, which can occasionally disrupt the curve in non-green centric decks looking for similar protection effects.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Even though two mana isn’t the steepest of costs, in highly competitive formats, deploying Steely Resolve could be less efficient than other one-mana protection spells, potentially slowing down the pace of your strategy.


Reasons to Include Steely Resolve in Your Collection

Versatility: Steely Resolve offers a unique form of protection for creature types of your choice, making it adaptable to various tribal decks across multiple formats. Its ability to shield valuable creatures from targeted spells is a powerful tool in any player’s arsenal.

Combo Potential: In strategies that revolve around creatures with key roles or combo pieces, Steely Resolve can safeguard those essential components, ensuring your game plan goes uninterrupted. Its presence can be a linchpin in executing combo finishes confidently.

Meta-Relevance: As the game evolves, Steely Resolve remains relevant in environments where targeted removal is prevalent. Its ability to outmaneuver point removal spells and abilities ensures your crucial creatures can survive and thrive in competitive scenes.


How to beat

Confronting a Steely Resolve on the battlefield can be a significant hurdle in Magic: The Gathering, signaling a strategic shift for anyone facing this enchantment. With its straightforward but robust effect of granting shroud to each creature of a chosen type, Steely Resolve can throw a wrench into targeted removal plans. To effectively navigate around this obstacle, one must consider alternative removal strategies that do not target individual creatures.

Board wipes become particularly valuable in such scenarios. Cards like Wrath of God or Damnation can bypass Steely Resolve’s protection by not targeting creatures individually. Moreover, exploiting abilities or spells that force the opponent to sacrifice creatures can circumvent the shroud granted by Steely Resolve. Edict effects from cards like Diabolic Edict or Liliana of the Veil can be an effective response, obliging your opponent to sacrifice the shielded creature.

Ultimately, the key to dismantling the protection offered by Steely Resolve lies in employing global or non-targeted strategies that render the shroud effect irrelevant. Understanding and adapting to the presence of this card can mean the difference between victory and defeat in the intricate dance of Magic: The Gathering strategy.


BurnMana Recommendations

If your MTG deck thrives on synergy and tribal connections, Steely Resolve could be a game-changer for you. Given its power to grant shrouded status to specific creature types, this card is a must-have for safeguarding your key players against targeted mayhem. Whether you’re pressing the advantage with your untargetable creature army or ensuring that your beloved commander dodges an untimely end, mastering Steely Resolve can significantly enhance your in-game strategy. Keen to discover other ways this card can protect and serve your deck’s grand design? We’ve got insights and in-depth analysis waiting for you. Deepen your MTG prowess and march towards victory with Steely Resolve as your stalwart ally.


Cards like Steely Resolve

Steely Resolve holds its prestige in the protective enchantments category of MTG, offering a shield with its unique ability to grant creatures of a chosen type shroud. This is somewhat akin to cards like Asceticism, which also confers protection, but with the twist of granting regenerative abilities alongside hexproof. However, Asceticism impacts all creatures you control, without the type specification, and has a greater mana cost.

Diving into other relatives, we come across Unquestioned Authority, granting protection to a single creature along with a card draw. Steely Resolve may not include the card draw benefit, but it compensates with widespread immunity to targeted spells and abilities for a whole creature type. Then there’s Privileged Position. It provides a broader safety net by extending hexproof to all permanents you control, not just creatures. Unlike Steely Resolve, its scope isn’t restricted to a creature type, yet it demands a heftier investment of both green and white mana.

Assessing these parallels, Steely Resolve undoubtedly takes a prominent spot for tribal decks specifically, as it furnishes an affordable and steadfast barrier against targeted interference, critical for swarm strategies within the world of MTG.

Asceticism - MTG Card versions
Unquestioned Authority - MTG Card versions
Privileged Position - MTG Card versions
Asceticism - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Unquestioned Authority - Judgment (JUD)
Privileged Position - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)

Cards similar to Steely Resolve by color, type and mana cost

Aspect of Wolf - MTG Card versions
Regeneration - MTG Card versions
Lifeforce - MTG Card versions
Gaea's Touch - MTG Card versions
Night Soil - MTG Card versions
Sylvan Library - MTG Card versions
Primal Rage - MTG Card versions
Survival of the Fittest - MTG Card versions
Crosswinds - MTG Card versions
Fortitude - MTG Card versions
Tranquil Grove - MTG Card versions
Treetop Bracers - MTG Card versions
Root Cage - MTG Card versions
Elfhame Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Compost - MTG Card versions
Thoughtleech - MTG Card versions
Weaver of Harmony - MTG Card versions
Shigeki, Jukai Visionary - MTG Card versions
Fertile Ground - MTG Card versions
Quiet Disrepair - MTG Card versions
Aspect of Wolf - Treasure Chest (PZ2)
Regeneration - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Lifeforce - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Gaea's Touch - The Dark (DRK)
Night Soil - Commander 2013 (C13)
Sylvan Library - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Primal Rage - Stronghold (STH)
Survival of the Fittest - Vintage Masters (VMA)
Crosswinds - Urza's Saga (USG)
Fortitude - Urza's Saga (USG)
Tranquil Grove - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Treetop Bracers - Tenth Edition (10E)
Root Cage - Prophecy (PCY)
Elfhame Sanctuary - Invasion (INV)
Compost - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Thoughtleech - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Weaver of Harmony - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Promos (PNEO)
Shigeki, Jukai Visionary - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Fertile Ground - Wilds of Eldraine Commander (WOC)
Quiet Disrepair - Future Sight (FUT)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Steely Resolve MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught, 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 Steely Resolve and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Steely Resolve has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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