Arrester's Admonition MTG Card

Arrester's Admonition - Ravnica Allegiance

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Abilities	Addendum
Released	2019-01-25
Set symbol
Set name	Ravnica Allegiance
Set code	RNA
Number	31
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Lucas Graciano

Key Takeaways

Arrester’s Admonition disrupts opponents, with main phase play granting a card draw.
Instant speed allows strategic responses and flexible mana usage during games.
Competitive edge in providing tempo plays coupled with card advantage for players.

Text of card

Return target creature to its owner's hand. Addendum — If you cast this spell during your main phase, draw a card.

Law is the voice of reason.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Arrester’s Admonition allows a player to return a target creature to its owner’s hand, potentially disrupting an opponent’s strategy and gaining an advantage. Additionally, if cast during your main phase, you draw a card, which can contribute to outpacing your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: While Arrester’s Admonition doesn’t directly produce mana or tokens, the card-advantage and the temporary resource denial by bouncing an opponent’s creature back to hand can indirectly accelerate your board presence by giving you more time to develop your resources unimpeded.

Instant Speed: This spell’s instant speed offers flexibility, allowing you to respond to threats at the most opportune time or maximize mana usage efficiency during your opponent’s end step, keeping your options open during your turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Arrester’s Admonition doesn’t ask you to discard, but it may leave you a card short if played for its alternate cost. Ensuring card advantage is key in MTG, and playing without getting a card back can set you at a disadvantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Arrester’s Admonition requires both blue mana and generic mana, making it less flexible for decks not heavily invested in blue. This can be a barrier in multi-color or colorless decks and may lead to it being a less desirable choice.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, this card competes with other utility spells that may offer more immediate or impactful board presence. In a fast-paced game, efficiently using your mana is crucial, and there might be better options for tempo plays.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Arrester’s Admonition adds a multi-functional tool to any blue deck, giving you the ability to manage the battlefield by returning an opponent’s creature to their hand. This opens up different avenues for both aggressive and defensive strategies.

Combo Potential: This card works beautifully in combination with cards that capitalize on casting spells or targeting, setting off a chain of advantageous events. It’s a perfect fit for decks that thrive on disrupting the opponent’s tempo.

Meta-Relevance: Given the fast pace of many competitive formats, Arrester’s Admonition can be a game-changer by bouncing key pieces of an opponent’s strategy at crucial moments, making it a relevant addition to your arsenal in a variety of metagames.

How to beat

Arrester’s Admonition can be a tactical play in Magic: The Gathering matches, providing players with both board control and card draw. This instant allows you to return a nonland permanent to its owner’s hand while potentially drawing a card if you cast it during your main phase. To effectively counter this card, consider adopting strategies that minimize the impact of having your creatures bounced.

One effective approach is to play cards with enter-the-battlefield effects, so even if they are returned to your hand, you still reap some benefit. Alternatively, low-cost, high-impact creatures can mitigate the tempo loss since they can be quickly redeployed. Another strategy involves cards like instant-speed counterspells or hexproof-granting spells, which can protect your important permanents from being targeted in the first place. Lastly, maintaining a diverse and resilient board state can dampen the effectiveness of Arrester’s Admonition, ensuring that a single bounce won’t significantly set back your game plan.

Ultimately, while Arrester’s Admonition can be disruptive, clever deck building and strategic play can easily overcome the challenges it presents. Maintaining composure and anticipating its possible use will keep you one step ahead in the game.

Cards like Arrester's Admonition

Arrester’s Admonition is a noteworthy instant within the realm of bounce spells in Magic: The Gathering. It bears similarity to cards like Unsummon, which traditionally allows players to return a creature to its owner’s hand at a lower cost of just one blue mana. While Unsummon is both straightforward and efficient, Arrester’s Admonition provides an additional bonus — the ability to draw a card if it was cast during your main phase.

Comparatively, Into the Roil is another kindred spell that returns nonland permanents to their owner’s hand. It has a kicker cost that, if paid, also lets the caster draw a card, mirroring the card advantage offered by Arrester’s Admonition. The main distinction lies in the flexibility of Into the Roil to target all nonland permanents, whereas Arrester’s Admonition is restricted to creatures.

To summarize, while each of these bounce spells has its own niche, Arrester’s Admonition holds a competitive edge for those seeking to combine tempo plays with card advantage, proving to be a valuable tool in any MTG player’s arsenal especially during their main phase.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Arrester's Admonition MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica Allegiance, 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 Arrester's Admonition and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Arrester's Admonition has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2019-01-25	Addendum abilities of instant spells apply while the spell is resolving, not immediately after casting it. If the spell is countered, you don’t get the addendum bonus. For example, if you cast Sphinx’s Insight during your main phase, you gain 2 life during its resolution, after you draw two cards.
2019-01-25	If a spell with an addendum ability is copied, the copy won’t give you the addendum bonus. This is because the copy wasn’t cast at all.
2019-01-25	If the target creature is an illegal target by the time Arrester’s Admonition tries to resolve, the spell doesn’t resolve. You don’t draw a card if you cast it during your main phase.