Prohibit MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Kicker

Key Takeaways

  1. Prohibit excels at countering key spells, ensuring card efficiency and crucial play disruption.
  2. It’s optimally costed, allowing for resource allocation elsewhere—accelerating deck performance.
  3. With instant speed, Prohibit keeps opponents guessing, offering surprise plays and strategic dominance.

Text of card

Kicker (You may pay an additional as you play this spell.) Counter target spell if its converted mana cost is 2 or less. If you paid the kicker cost, counter that spell if its converted mana cost is 4 or less instead.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The strategic utility of Prohibit is in its ability to counter key spells that can turn the tide of a game. It grants significant power by potentially stopping opponents from developing their board or executing crucial combos, ensuring that you stay ahead in card efficiency and impact.

Resource Acceleration: What sets Prohibit apart is that it doesn’t demand heavy resource investment. With a low casting cost, it permits allocation of resources to other game aspects, thus accelerating your deck’s performance and versatility without the typical trade-off of sacrificing pace for control.

Instant Speed: The instant speed of Prohibit allows you to adapt to the unfolding game with deftness. You can navigate your turns without commitment, keeping mana available for a well-timed counter when your opponent least expects it, thereby preserving the element of surprise and maintaining strategic control of the match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Prohibit demands that you toss another card into the graveyard to cast it. This stipulation can be a costly trade-off, particularly when your hand is already dwindling, and you’re counting on every spell in your arsenal.

Specific Mana Cost: Tailored to fit into white mana-heavy decks, Prohibit’s specific color need can be restrictive. This can prevent the card from easily slotting into multicolor decks looking for versatile counterspells without compromising their mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the card can counteract spells of a certain caliber, the comparative mana investment is substantial. In the highly competitive landscape of MTG, where efficiency is key, there may be alternative counterspells that provide more bang for the buck, leaving Prohibit on the sidelines for decks that value nimbleness and lower-cost interactions.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Prohibit offers flexibility as a countermeasure within any blue-based deck. Its scaling ability to counter spells of various mana costs makes it adaptable to a wide array of situations, ensuring its value in both early and late-game scenarios.

Combo Potential: This card can be synergistic with setups that aim to limit opponents’ actions while setting the stage for your own win conditions. It can serve as a protective element for combos by ensuring key pieces are not disrupted by opposing spells.

Meta-Relevance: Considering the pace and evolving nature of competitive play, Prohibit can be a pragmatic inclusion to thwart central strategies that rely on pivotal spells. It provides a strategic edge especially in environments where low to medium-cost spells dominate the scene.


How to beat

Prohibit is a well-known card for countering key spells during pivotal moments in a Magic: The Gathering match. It’s this flexibility and the kicker cost that allows it to scale up and target more expensive spells that make Prohibit a staple in many decks. Navigating around Prohibit requires strategic planning. Firstly, keeping an eye on available mana can signal whether Prohibit is a possible threat in your opponent’s hand. Often, it’s beneficial to bait out Prohibit with less critical spells or play multiple threats in a single turn, stretching the counterspell thin.

Another tactic is to overload your opponent with spells whose cost exceeds the capabilities of Prohibit even when kicked. This makes your more potent spells impervious to Prohibit’s canceling ability. Cards like Cavern of Souls can also be invaluable as they allow your creatures to be uncounterable, completely bypassing Prohibit’s defensive measures. Lastly, using spells that provide uncounterable options or those that replace themselves in your hand can maintain card parity while still advancing your board state.

It is about picking your battles wisely and understanding when to apply pressure. By doing so, Prohibit’s impact is greatly diminished, and its effectiveness as a control tool in your opponent’s arsenal is reduced.


Cards like Prohibit

Prohibit is a versatile counter spell in the Magic: The Gathering arsenal, known for its scalability with additional mana through its Kicker ability. It’s often weighed against similar counter spells such as Mana Leak, which can disrupt any spell if the opponent does not pay additional mana. While Mana Leak can be effective in the early to mid-game, Prohibit holds an advantage as it can be more relevant in the late game when players have more mana available.

In terms of another comparable card, we have Counterspell, the classic two-mana counter that can deal with any spell regardless of its mana cost. Prohibit’s strength lies in its flexibility; it can be cheaper to cast without its Kicker effect or can be scaled up to counter more potent spells. Lastly, Negate also stands as a contender, strictly countering noncreature spells at the same cost as Prohibit without Kicker. Prohibit’s main draw is its ability to adapt to different stages of the game, offering a strategic edge in various situations.

Considering these points, Prohibit shines in its unique ability to fit into multiple game scenarios, making it a valuable asset in Magic: The Gathering for controlling the flow of the game and adapting to the mana curve of the match.

Mana Leak - MTG Card versions
Counterspell - MTG Card versions
Negate - MTG Card versions
Mana Leak - Stronghold (STH)
Counterspell - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Negate - Morningtide (MOR)

Cards similar to Prohibit by color, type and mana cost

Counterspell - MTG Card versions
Hurkyl's Recall - MTG Card versions
Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - MTG Card versions
Lat-Nam's Legacy - MTG Card versions
Flash - MTG Card versions
Boomerang - MTG Card versions
Rebound - MTG Card versions
Memory Lapse - MTG Card versions
Hoodwink - MTG Card versions
Tidal Bore - MTG Card versions
Accumulated Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Impulse - MTG Card versions
Cyclonic Rift - MTG Card versions
Thassa's Intervention - MTG Card versions
Metamorphose - MTG Card versions
Echoing Truth - MTG Card versions
Early Frost - MTG Card versions
Mana Leak - MTG Card versions
Remand - MTG Card versions
Vision Skeins - MTG Card versions
Counterspell - Commander Masters (CMM)
Hurkyl's Recall - Antiquities (ATQ)
Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Lat-Nam's Legacy - Alliances (ALL)
Flash - Mirage (MIR)
Boomerang - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Rebound - Stronghold (STH)
Memory Lapse - Strixhaven Mystical Archive (STA)
Hoodwink - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Tidal Bore - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Accumulated Knowledge - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Impulse - Game Night: Free-for-All (GN3)
Cyclonic Rift - Commander Masters (CMM)
Thassa's Intervention - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Metamorphose - Scourge (SCG)
Echoing Truth - Modern Masters (MMA)
Early Frost - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Mana Leak - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Remand - Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska (DDM)
Vision Skeins - Commander 2013 (C13)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Prohibit MTG card by a specific set like Invasion and Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska, 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 Prohibit and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Prohibit Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2000-10-02 and 2019-06-14. Illustrated by Adam Rex.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12000-10-02InvasionINV 671997normalblackAdam Rex
22014-03-14Duel Decks: Jace vs. VraskaDDM 252003normalblackAdam Rex
32019-06-14Modern HorizonsMH1 642015normalblackAdam Rex

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Prohibit has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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