Steel Sabotage MTG Card
2011-02-04 - Number 33
2020-08-07 - Number 70
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Instant |
Text of card
Choose one — Counter target artifact spell; or return target artifact to its owner's hand.
"You are hopelessly obsolete, my brothers. Come and join the Great Work." —Rhmir, Hand of the Augur
Cards like Steel Sabotage
Steel Sabotage stands proud in the landscape of counter and bounce spells in Magic: The Gathering. It’s akin to cards like Annul or Dispel which provide targeted disruption against spells or abilities. Yet, Steel Sabotage offers versatile utility by allowing players to bounce an artifact already on the battlefield or counter one as it’s cast. While Annul might catch a wider range of enchantments and artifacts in the casting process, it does not offer the reactive ability to remove an artifact from play.
Further down this path, we meet Ceremonious Rejection which shares the same elegance in disrupting opponents’ artifacts, with an expanded horizon that includes colorless spells, not only artifacts, at the cost of a mere single blue mana. However, Ceremonious Rejection cannot target artifacts that have already slipped onto the battlefield. There’s also Hurkyl’s Recall, another classic, providing a sweeping effect that returns all artifacts a single player owns to their hand. Though broader in effect, the need for double the mana of Steel Sabotage could be a deciding factor during gameplay.
Diving into details and functional nuances, Steel Sabotage secures a firm position within Magic: The Gathering’s array of artifact-focused interactions, balancing cost-efficiency with the tactical choice of when and how to deploy its effect.
Cards similar to Steel Sabotage by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Steel Sabotage. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Grixis Tinker | Vintage | Blue Tinker | Vintage Preliminary 2024-02-23 |
| Esper Control | Vintage | Blue Tinker | 2023 Asia Vintage Championship |
| Grixis Shops | Vintage | Blue Tinker | 2023 Asia Vintage Championship |
| Grixis Combo | Vintage | Blue Tinker | 2023 Asia Vintage Championship |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Steel Sabotage offers a strategic advantage by bouncing an artifact back to the opponent’s hand, effectively negating their previous play and putting you a step ahead in the resource game. This can disrupt your opponent’s tempo and provide you with a tactical edge.
Resource Acceleration: While Steel Sabotage doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, it can indirectly do so by setting back your opponent’s board development. By delaying their plans, you may gain the necessary time to further develop your board and access more mana or other resources.
Instant Speed: The instant-speed nature of Steel Sabotage means you have the flexibility to respond to your opponent’s actions on their turn, making it hard for them to anticipate and plan around. This allows for surprise interactions and can protect your strategy from being preemptively countered.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Steel Sabotage doesn’t require a discard, its narrow focus means it can sit in your hand unusable if artifacts aren’t present on the field, effectively reducing hand advantage.
Specific Mana Cost: Steel Sabotage requires blue mana, which may not seamlessly fit into all decks, potentially limiting its versatility across different playstyles that are not heavily invested in blue.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Even with its low cost, in a fast-paced game where tempo is crucial, holding up one mana for a reactive card like Steel Sabotage could slow down your own board development, particularly if the artifact threat doesn’t materialize.
Reasons to Include Steel Sabotage in Your Collection
Versatility: Steel Sabotage offers dual utility in any deck, allowing players to counter an opponent’s artifact spell or bounce an artifact already on the battlefield back to their hand.
Combo Potential: It can be a strategic addition to decks focusing on artifact synergy. This spell can disrupt opponents or save your key pieces from removal at a crucial moment.
Meta-Relevance: In environments heavy with artifacts, this instant becomes a pivotal tool, providing an answer to commonly played artifact threats at a low mana cost, keeping your deck effcient against the prevailing trends.
How to beat
Steel Sabotage is an essential tool in the vast repertoire of blue spells within Magic: The Gathering, offering a flexible response to artifacts. A player utilizing Steel Sabotage can either counter an artifact spell as it’s being cast or return an artifact already in play to its owner’s hand. Its low cost and instant speed make it a potent surprise against artifact-heavy decks.
To effectively navigate around this setback, considering alternative strategies is key. One approach is to bait out the sabotage with a less crucial artifact, ensuring your vital artifacts are safe for deployment. Diversifying your threats also dilutes the impact Steel Sabotage can impose. Incorporating non-artifact sources of power in your deck reduces dependency on artifacts and lessens the blow from a successful sabotage.
Ultimately, understanding when to commit your artifacts and recognizing the potential presence of countermagic like Steel Sabotage will elevate your strategic plays. It’s about outsmarting the blue spell slingers, anticipating their moves, and adapting to the challenge they present with your own calculated tactics.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Steel Sabotage MTG card by a specific set like Mirrodin Besieged and Double Masters, 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 Steel Sabotage and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Printings
The Steel Sabotage Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2011-02-04 and 2020-08-07. Illustrated by Daarken.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2011-02-04 | Mirrodin Besieged | MBS | 33 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Daarken | |
| 2 | 2020-08-07 | Double Masters | 2XM | 70 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Daarken |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Steel Sabotage has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Steel Sabotage card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2011-06-01 | An artifact spell exists only on the stack. An artifact exists only on the battlefield. |