War Tax MTG Card

War Tax enhances board control by adjusting taxes based on your available mana, influencing combat. Multicolored decks may find War Tax’s specific mana cost restrictive for consistent gameplay. Despite similarities to other tax cards, War Tax’s flexibility shines in various tactical situations.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment
Released	1999-10-04
Set symbol
Set name	Mercadian Masques
Set code	MMQ
Number	113
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Greg Hildebrandt & Tim Hildebrandt

Text of card

o Xoo U Creatures can't attack this turn unless their controller pays o X for each attacking creature.

The worst thing about being a depraved pirate is having to work with a bunch of depraved pirates.

Cards like War Tax

War Tax is an intriguing control tool within the Magic: The Gathering universe. It bears resemblance to cards like Propaganda, which also deter aggression by taxing opponents for each attacking creature. However, War Tax is distinct in its flexibility, allowing you to adjust the tax at will and apply it each turn. Propaganda, once on the battlefield, has a fixed cost and lacks this adaptability.

Ghostly Prison follows this pattern as well, proposing an attacking fee for creatures. Its static cost can be restrictive, whereas War Tax can be scaled to the current game state, making it a dynamic force in late-game scenarios. In contrast, cards like Collective Restraint can increase costs based on the number of basic land types you have, potentially creating an even more prohibitive barrier for your opponents.

Ultimately, while there are numerous cards centered around the theme of defensive taxation, War Tax differentiates itself with a variable, repeatable effect that can fit a variety of tactical situations, making it a versatile choice for decks looking to fine-tune their defensive measures in Magic: The Gathering.

Collective Restraint - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to War Tax by color, type and mana cost

Card Pros

Card Advantage: War Tax provides a significant tactical advantage by enabling you to efficiently manage your mana resources while disrupting your opponent’s gameplay strategy. Though it doesn’t directly draw you cards, by limiting your opponent’s actions, you indirectly benefit from a more favorable board state and slower opponent tempo.

Resource Acceleration: While War Tax itself doesn’t ramp your mana, its usage can be seen as a form of resource acceleration in the broader sense. This is due to the fact that it can dictate the pace and flow of the game, allowing you to better utilize your mana in the later stages by keeping your opponent’s threats at bay without needing extra mana to do so.

Instant Speed: The instant speed nature of War Tax is what truly defines its strategic placement within a match. Being able to dictate during your opponent’s upkeep whether to sink mana into the card creates a dynamic exchange. You can efficiently manage your resources and decide how best to control the opponent’s ability to deploy threats, making it an excellent tool for controlling the battlefield without committing to any one line of play too early.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While War Tax does not directly impose a discard requirement on you, its effect may urge players to relinquish cards to create the mana needed for its activation, potentially depleting valuable hand resources.

Specific Mana Cost: War Tax demands a precise combination of generic and blue mana, which can hinder flexibility, predominantly in multicolored decks that may struggle to consistently produce the necessary blue mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its base cost and additional cumulative upkeep, War Tax’s demand on mana investment grows substantially over time. In the fast-paced games, allocating such a growing cost each turn could be less efficient compared to other cards with static or no upkeep costs.

Reasons to Include War Tax in Your Collection

Versatility: War Tax is adept at fitting into various control strategies, providing you with a scalable deterrent that can hinder your opponents’ combat plans. Its ability to adjust its effect based on the mana you sink into it makes it useful at any stage of the game.

Combo Potential: This card pairs effectively with strategies focused on locking down opponents or protecting your life total. It can be combined with cards that tap down or freeze opponent’s creatures to establish a more formidable defense.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta swarming with aggressive creature-based decks, War Tax gains prominence by limiting your opponents’ ability to commit to full-attack phases, thus preserving your board state and tipping the scales in your favor over prolonged matches.

How to beat

War Tax is an intriguing blue enchantment that allows you to delay or potentially deter combat by making it more costly for your opponent to attack. This card can be quite a nuisance, reminiscent of Ghostly Prison in its ability to impact combat decisions significantly. However, it does come with its own unique approach: a scalable tax effect that requires only blue mana.

One efficient strategy to overcome War Tax is to employ spells or abilities that can remove enchantments from the battlefield. Cards such as Disenchant or Naturalize are perfect responses, offering a straightforward solution to the tax dilemma. Alternatively, you could shift your focus onto non-combat strategies like direct damage spells or planeswalker abilities that can bypass the taxing effect entirely, chipping away at your opponent’s life without having to declare attackers.

In essence, while War Tax can influence the pace and approach of the game, particularly in multiplayer formats, it isn’t insurmountable. With careful deck construction and strategic planning, its impact can be mitigated, allowing your strategic plan to unfold without undue disturbance.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase War Tax MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques, 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 War Tax and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where War Tax has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2004-10-04	The ability only applies to attackers declared after it resolves. It will not add costs to any attackers already announced.
2004-10-04	You can choose X=0. This doesn’t have an effect most of the time, but it does mean that creatures can’t attack unless the controller chooses to pay the cost (a cost of zero is not automatically paid, so the controller can choose to not pay).
2007-02-01	In the Two-Headed Giant format, you still only have to pay once per creature.