Act of Authority MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Act of Authority offers a unique approach to managing the battlefield by allowing players to continually exile artifacts or enchantments. Its initial removal upon entering the battlefield, followed by the potential to remove threats each upkeep, ensures ongoing control and a means to shift the game’s balance in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Although Act of Authority doesn’t directly generate mana or other resources, its ability to disrupt opponents’ strategies by removing key pieces can indirectly accelerate your game plan. By staving off imminent threats or eliminating value-generating artifacts and enchantments, it keeps you firmly in the race.

Instant Speed: While Act of Authority itself is not an instant, its triggered ability during your upkeep offers a semblance of the flexibility you’d find at instant speed. This means every turn, you will have the option to remove another problematic artifact or enchantment, allowing you to respond adaptively to your opponents’ moves and maintain a semblance of control over the board.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Act of Authority doesn’t make you discard cards, but it does ask you to pass it to an opponent after use, which can feel like a disadvantage. You spend the mana to cast it, only to give control to another player which can potentially turn the tide against you.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of this card requires both white and colorless mana, making it a card that fits strictly into white-inclusive or multicolor decks, potentially limiting its universality in a player’s strategic arsenal.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, this enchantment enters the battlefield with a considerable investment for an effect that is conditional and only available once per turn. Especially considering that there are other, more efficient forms of permanent removal or suppression at a similar, if not lower, mana cost.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Act of Authority provides an adaptable removal tool for any deck looking to manage artifacts and enchantments. Its ability to exile upon entry or during your upkeep makes it a dynamic addition, useful in disrupting opponents’ strategies at critical moments.

Combo Potential: With the ability to pass control of Act of Authority to another player, savvy players can construct deals or alliances in multiplayer formats. Plus, its interaction with flicker or bounce effects can lead to repeatable removal, giving it a unique space in decks that exploit such synergies.

Meta-Relevance: In a landscape where powerful artifacts and enchantments are ever-present, having an answer to these threats is essential. Act of Authority allows you to address these pivotal cards head-on, ensuring that your collection is prepped to handle a diverse array of decks with poise.

How to Beat Act of Authority

Act of Authority is an intriguing Commander staple in Magic: The Gathering, capable of disrupting opponents by exiling artifacts and enchantments. Understanding the timing and the resource investment it requires is key to countering its effect. Its entrance on the battlefield is a one-time opportunity to target potential threats, yet it also grants its controller a repeating ability to exile at the beginning of their upkeep at a cost: passing the authority to opponents.

This card demands a strategic approach, focusing on lessening its impact. Prioritize playing low-threat artifacts and enchantments when Act of Authority is in possible range, baiting its activation on less crucial cards. Alternatively, reserve your instant-speed interaction to remove it before the trigger resolves on your turn, for example, with Naturalize or a similar effect. Remember too that if Act of Authority changes hands, the new controller might be hesitant to use its second ability, knowing it would then pass to another opponent, so consider the political angle in multiplayer games.

Ultimately, while Act of Authority can be a formidable control piece, its conditional power and reliance on being passed between players can be leveraged to dilute its effectiveness, ensuring minimal disruption to your game plan.

BurnMana Recommendations

If controlling the board is your strategy, Act of Authority is a card that deserves your attention. An excellent tool for dealing with artifacts and enchantments, its recurrent exile ability can sway the tides of your games. Recognizing its potential and limitations, consider incorporating this versatile card as a tactical asset in your collection. Insightful MTG players know the importance of such nuanced tools in their decks. Curious about integrating Act of Authority effectively, or seeking similar game-changing abilities? Dive deeper with us for strategic tips, synergies, and ways to optimize your deck’s performance.