Detainment Spell MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant

Key Takeaways

  1. Detainment Spell’s instant speed and utility can swing games by disrupting opponent strategies effectively.
  2. Requires careful hand management and specific mana colors, potentially limiting its use in varied decks.
  3. Though powerful, its high mana cost and temporary effect may encourage looking at more permanent solutions.

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature's activated abilities can't be activated. : Attach Detainment Spell to target creature.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Detainment Spell MTG card offers exceptional utility by potentially removing problematic creatures or planeswalkers from the equation temporarily. This disruption can lead to imbalanced situations in your favor, creating opportunities to outmaneuver opponents and maintain or enhance card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or acceleration, the Detainment Spell allows you to effectively bypass the need to deal with certain threats immediately. This can free up your resources for more proactive plays or setting up your board while controlling the pace of the game.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Detainment Spell at instant speed provides significant strategic advantages. You can navigate complex combat phases, interfere with combo plays, or simply respond to unexpected threats as they arise, without needing to commit mana during your own turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Casting Detainment Spell necessitates relinquishing a grip on your hand, potentially depleting crucial cards needed for subsequent plays. This can be particularly detrimental in scenarios where maintaining card advantage is key to outmaneuvering your opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: Detainment Spell’s effectiveness is dictated by the precise colors in its mana cost, which could impede its integration into multicolored decks. Players may find themselves color-locked, unable to cast it when most needed due to a mana base that doesn’t align with the stringent requirements.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment for Detainment Spell might be viewed as excessive when juxtaposed with other options. For a spell primarily focused on temporary disruption, savvy players might gravitate towards alternatives that offer more permanent solutions or additional benefits for a similar or reduced cost.


Reasons to Include Detainment Spell in Your Collection

Versatility: Detainment Spell offers a flexible control option, capable of neutralizing a wide range of threats from creatures to key artifacts. This adaptability makes it a useful tool in various deck archetypes.

Combo Potential: The card’s ability to repeatedly lock down permanents without destroying them can be combined with other tap and untap mechanics, giving you opportunities to exploit synergy within your deck.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta filled with high-value targets for detention, Detainment Spell can significantly disrupt opponent strategies. Its presence can be particularly impactful in games where tempo plays a crucial role.


How to beat

Detainment Spell is an intriguing Magic: The Gathering card designed to neutralize threats on the battlefield. Its ability to target and effectively ‘freeze’ a creature or equipment makes it a thorn in the side of opponents relying heavily on specific permanents. To bypass the constraints of Detainment Spell, one strategy is to deploy a diverse array of threats, diluting its impact. Additionally, consider running cards that can remove enchantments or grant your permanents hexproof or protection from spells. This can prevent the Detainment Spell from latching onto its intended target in the first place or remove it after it has attached.

Another effective tactic is to use instant-speed interaction to respond to the casting of Detainment Spell. Counterspells are particularly useful in this scenario as they prevent the Detainment Spell from ever reaching the battlefield. Moreover, permanents with the ability to sacrifice themselves for an effect can circumvent the ‘freezing’ aspect, allowing you to derive value from the card before it becomes locked down. In summary, by diversifying your approaches and including ways to protect or sacrifice your assets, you can overpower the limitations imposed by Detainment Spell and maintain command over the game’s flow.


Cards like Detainment Spell

Detainment Spell stands out in the realm of temporary removal effects in Magic: The Gathering as a unique enchantment card. When comparing it to cards like Arrest, we notice that both serve to neutralize threats without permanently removing them from the battlefield. However, Detainment Spell offers added versatility by allowing players to move it to a new target by spending mana, a feature Arrest lacks.

Another comparable card is Bound in Gold, which also prevents activated abilities and attacking or blocking, but, unlike Detainment Spell, binds a card until it leaves the battlefield, offering no flexibility to switch targets. On the other end, Pacifism provides a similar effect at a lower mana cost, but it restricts only the combat capabilities of creatures, leaving their activated abilities free to disrupt the game.

Thus, while each of these cards shares the core idea of limiting opponents’ options, Detainment Spell’s unique transferable capability gives players continuous control over the flow of the game, adapting to changing threats and making it a versatile tool in Magic: The Gathering strategies.

Arrest - MTG Card versions
Bound in Gold - MTG Card versions
Pacifism - MTG Card versions
Arrest - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Bound in Gold - Kaldheim (KHM)
Pacifism - Mirage (MIR)

Cards similar to Detainment Spell by color, type and mana cost

White Ward - MTG Card versions
Green Ward - MTG Card versions
Holy Strength - MTG Card versions
Lance - MTG Card versions
Consecrate Land - MTG Card versions
Animate Wall - MTG Card versions
Black Ward - MTG Card versions
Blue Ward - MTG Card versions
Holy Armor - MTG Card versions
Red Ward - MTG Card versions
Land Tax - MTG Card versions
Brainwash - MTG Card versions
Green Scarab - MTG Card versions
Blue Scarab - MTG Card versions
Spirit Link - MTG Card versions
Armor of Faith - MTG Card versions
Kithkin Armor - MTG Card versions
Flickering Ward - MTG Card versions
Limited Resources - MTG Card versions
Mask of Law and Grace - MTG Card versions
White Ward - Revised Edition (3ED)
Green Ward - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Holy Strength - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Lance - Revised Edition (3ED)
Consecrate Land - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Animate Wall - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Black Ward - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
Blue Ward - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Holy Armor - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Red Ward - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Land Tax - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Brainwash - The Dark (DRK)
Green Scarab - Ice Age (ICE)
Blue Scarab - Ice Age (ICE)
Spirit Link - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Armor of Faith - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Kithkin Armor - Weatherlight (WTH)
Flickering Ward - Tempest (TMP)
Limited Resources - Exodus (EXO)
Mask of Law and Grace - Urza's Destiny (UDS)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Detainment Spell MTG card by a specific set like Salvat 2005 and Time Spiral, 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 Detainment Spell and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Detainment Spell Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2005-08-22 and 2006-10-06. Illustrated by Darrell Riche.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12005-08-22Salvat 2005PSAL J322003normalwhiteDarrell Riche
22006-10-06Time SpiralTSP 122003normalblackDarrell Riche

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Detainment Spell has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2006-09-25 Detainment Spell prevents mana abilities of the enchanted creature from being activated.
2006-09-25 Morph isn’t an activated ability, so Detainment Spell doesn’t prevent face-down creatures from being able to turn face up.
2006-09-25 Responding to a creature’s activated ability being activated by moving Detainment Spell onto that creature won’t affect the ability that was just activated.

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