Detection Tower MTG Card
2018-07-13 - Number 249
2018-07-13 - Number 249s
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Land |
Key Takeaways
- Counter hexproof to direct spells at elusive creatures, affecting combat outcomes or pre-spell preparation phases.
- Enhances mana efficiency, maximizing the potential of spells and abilities against normally untouchable creatures.
- Flexibility with instant speed activation grants strategic advantage, allowing on-the-fly adaptability in battles.
Text of card
: Add . , : Until end of turn, your opponents and creatures your opponents control with hexproof can be the targets of spells and abilities you control as though they didn't have hexproof.
Its light exposes enemies and lays secrets bare.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Detection Tower can be an ace up your sleeve in tight situations where identifying hidden threats is crucial. With its ability to remove hexproof from your opponent’s creatures for the turn, specifically during combat or before you cast your spells, it ensures you have direct access to any elusive targets, potentially maintaining or swinging the card advantage in your favor.
Resource Acceleration: While Detection Tower doesn’t directly accelerate your resources in the way a mana dork or rock would, its ability becomes a form of indirect resource acceleration. It efficiently uses the mana you have already invested into the turn, freeing up your other spells and abilities to deal with previously untouchable creatures. This maximizes the value and reach of your existing gameplay resources.
Instant Speed: Detection Tower’s ability can be activated at instant speed, providing incredible flexibility. You can navigate the main phases of your turn with a full arsenal of options, safe in the knowledge that you can respond to the development of the battlefield instantaneously, stripping hexproof away at the most opportunistic moment without requiring any preparation time.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Detection Tower offers a unique ability to target creatures with hexproof for a turn, it doesn’t provide card advantage. Operating without any self-replenishing mechanism, it might leave you down a card after ensuring your spells hit their marks.
Specific Mana Cost: Detection Tower demands a colorless mana to activate its ability. This can be restrictive as it must fit into a mana base that can consistently offer colorless sources, potentially limiting the types of decks that can efficiently utilize it.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Allocating mana to use Detection Tower’s ability can be costly in the realm of tempo. With a competitive format that includes low-cost removal or protection spells, utilizing the tower’s ability might set you behind, especially in the early game where mana efficiency is crucial.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Detection Tower offers adaptability in decks that aim to tackle problematic creatures with hexproof. By removing hexproof from opponent’s creatures, it ensures your removal spells and abilities aren’t stymied, making it a fine utility land in a variety of situations.
Combo Potential: This card works well in tandem with targeted removal or damage spells. Players can open up combinations by ensuring that no creature is out of reach, further enhancing strategies that aim to control the board or support targeted mechanics.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta ripe with creatures boasting hexproof abilities, Detection Tower gains increased significance. It becomes a critical piece for any deck that needs to neutralize threats consistently, maintaining the pace and control of the game.
How to beat
Detection Tower operates as a unique land within Magic: The Gathering’s diverse landscape of cards. It allows players to pay mana to nullify the hexproof ability of their opponent’s creatures for a turn, potentially exposing them to spells or abilities they would normally be shielded from. This utility can be quite frustrating when trying to protect key creatures in your deck.
Counteracting the effects of Detection Tower relies on strategic play. Deck building with multiple redundancies such as having creatures with shroud, or utilizing counterspells to prevent Detection Tower from being activated can enhance your chances. Removal of nonland permanents that help your opponent’s strategies or countering spells with area effects can also be done before Detection Tower can be used. Additionally, employing instant-speed interaction that can be used in response to the Tower’s activation may help to preserve crucial creatures from being targeted.
Being vigilant of the tower on the battlefield and adjusting strategies accordingly to prioritize the protection of high-value creatures can ensure that Detection Tower’s unique ability doesn’t become a game-changing disadvantage for you.
Cards like Detection Tower
Detection Tower stands out in the landscape of utility lands within Magic: The Gathering. Its distinct ability to allow a player’s spells and abilities to target creatures with hexproof until end of turn compares to the functionality of cards like Arcane Lighthouse. While Arcane Lighthouse similarly removes hexproof and shroud to ensure targetable creatures, Detection Tower does so without requiring any mana to activate this ability.
Bonders’ Enclave is another similar card, granting the ability to draw a card for three mana if a player controls a creature with power 4 or greater. While both operate at land speed, Bonders’ Enclave hinges on the condition of the player’s creature power, whereas Detection Tower focuses on interaction with opponents’ elusive creatures.
In assessing utility lands that impact other creatures and strategies, Detection Tower provides a subtle yet potentially game-altering advantage. It offers a unique form of control without an immediate cost, positioning it as a strategic choice for players who anticipate facing hexproof-heavy decks in Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Detection Tower by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Detection Tower MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2019 and Core Set 2019 Promos, 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 Detection Tower and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
See Magic products
Printings
The Detection Tower Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2018-07-13 and 2018-07-13. Illustrated by Adam Paquette.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2018-07-13 | Core Set 2019 | M19 | 249 | 2015 | normal | black | Adam Paquette | |
| 2 | 2018-07-13 | Core Set 2019 Promos | PM19 | 249s | 2015 | normal | black | Adam Paquette |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Detection Tower has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Detection Tower card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2018-07-13 | Because Detection Tower’s last ability doesn’t change the characteristics of any permanents, the set of creatures affected by it is constantly updated. Creatures that come under your opponents’ control later in the turn can be targeted as though they didn’t have hexproof. |
| 2018-07-13 | Creatures your opponents control with “hexproof from -uality]” abilities can be targeted as though they didn’t have those abilities as well. |
| 2018-07-13 | Your opponents and creatures your opponents control don’t actually lose hexproof, although you will ignore hexproof for purposes of choosing targets of spells and abilities you control. |
