Unstable Obelisk MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Unstable Obelisk offers a unique advantage by eventually enabling you to remove any troublesome permanent. Its ability to convert into a draw spell by destroying a target permanent ensures that you maintain card utility deep into the game.

Resource Acceleration: As a mana rock, this versatile artifact provides an additional mana each turn, helping you to ramp up your resources quickly. This acceleration can be crucial for deploying more significant threats ahead of schedule or for executing pivotal spells with substantial mana costs.

Instant Speed: The power to demolish any permanent is not limited to your own turn. With Unstable Obelisk, you can wait until the most opportune moment, up to and including during your opponent’s turn, to activate its removal ability, providing strategic flexibility and unexpected control.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unstable Obelisk mandates a resource sacrifice, asking players to discard it to exercise its second ability. This action requires careful strategizing, as players need to determine the value of removing a permanent over retaining a mana source on the board.

Specific Mana Cost: Even though Unstable Obelisk provides colorless mana, activating its removal ability requires a considerable mana investment. This locks you into having at least seven mana available, which can be restrictive in fast-paced games or mana-tight situations.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For decks that prioritize speed or have other means of dealing with threats, the seven-mana activation cost of Unstable Obelisk’s secondary ability might be excessive. There are other cards with lower activation thresholds for permanent removal, making the obelisk a less attractive option for streamlined strategies.

Reasons to Include Unstable Obelisk in Your Collection

Versatility: The Unstable Obelisk serves dual purposes, providing both mana acceleration and a way to interact with troublesome permanents. It is a valuable asset in decks that require a ramp to bigger threats or need a spare removal option.

Combo Potential: With its ability to destroy any permanent, Unstable Obelisk can be cunningly combined with cards that take advantage of artifacts being sacrificed, such as those stimulating graveyard strategies or enabling recursion tactics.

Meta-Relevance: Considering the ever-shifting landscape of the competitive environment, having a flexible card like Unstable Obelisk can help players adapt to various opponents by fulfilling the essential roles of both ramp and removal in one card slot.

How to beat

Unstable Obelisk is a versatile mana artifact in the landscape of Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to tap for colorless mana makes it a staple in decks that struggle with mana fixing, especially in Commander format. But what sets it apart is its destruction ability. By investing seven mana and sacrificing the Obelisk, you can take out any permanent, a flexibility that can catch opponents off guard.

To counter the threat of Unstable Obelisk, consider strategies that target artifacts specifically. Cards like Nature’s Claim or Shatterstorm can remove the Obelisk before the owner accumulates enough mana to utilize its full potential. Efficient artifact removal plays a critical role in curbing its power. Alternatively, instant-speed responses such as Counterspell or Negate come in handy the moment an opponent attempts to activate the Obelisk’s secondary ability.

Overall, it’s important to keep a sharp eye on the mana availability of opponents who have Unstable Obelisk on the field. By staying prepared with removal or counter magic, you can neutralize this powerful colorless tool before it dismantles your game plan.

BurnMana Recommendations

If you’ve appreciated the deep dive into Unstable Obelisk, its strengths, and its place within the MTG realm, we’re eager to guide you further. Mastering your deck’s synergies and understanding its dynamics is just the beginning. The journey continues as you refine your collection and tailor your strategy to conquer the board. We invite you to learn more with us, unraveling the layers of gameplay to ensure your deck not only competes but dominates. Let’s embark on this quest together to optimize your arsenal and clinch those decisive victories. Delve deeper into MTG wisdom with us, and harness the full potential of your cards.