Price of Betrayal MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery
Released	2019-05-03
Set symbol
Set name	War of the Spark
Set code	WAR
Number	102
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Ryan Yee

Key Takeaways

Affordable and targeted counter removal option against powerful planeswalkers and creatures.
Narrow application means it might not always impact the game, leading to a potential dead card.
Essential for metagames where counters on permanents or players are prevalent threats.

Text of card

Remove up to five counters from target artifact, creature, planeswalker, or opponent.

The moment Liliana defied Nicol Bolas, her contract was broken, and her life was forfeit. But she was free to choose her fate, and she decided it was worth the price.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Price of Betrayal provides a targeted way to remove up to five counters from a single target – this can include loyalty counters from planeswalkers, giving you an edge against these powerful permanents. It ensures that the opponent’s advantages can be dialed back without having to resort to a full removal spell.

Resource Acceleration: While Price of Betrayal doesn’t directly generate mana or tokens, it’s a single black mana spell which means you have more resources for other spells in your turn. It also enables resource acceleration by paving the way for your threats to remain unchecked as it can remove counters from potential blockers or creatures with +1/+1 counters.

Instant Speed: The ability to play Price of Betrayal at instant speed adds to its strategic depth. Deploy it at the end of your opponent’s turn to surprise them, or during their turn in response to them adding counters to their permanents. This flexibility allows for precise timing and can be a significant tactical move in a closely matched game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While the Price of Betrayal does not directly call for a card discard, its narrow application can be as limiting to your hand as an obligatory discard. This card specifically targets counters, a niche condition which often times won’t align with your current needs in-game, potentially leaving it idle in your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Price of Betrayal requires black mana to play, which restricts its integration exclusively to decks that include black mana sources. This can pose a deckbuilding impediment for those not running black or those attempting to minimize their mana color diversity.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While only costing a single black mana may seem inexpensive, when evaluating the card’s impact on removing counters from a single permanent only, it can be seen as a steep cost. There exist cards that offer more versatile removal or broader effects for a similar, if not the same, mana investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Price of Betrayal offers a range of uses across various deck archetypes by allowing players to remove up to five counters from a single target. This function can disrupt opponents’ strategies significantly and is an asset in any sideboard.

Combo Potential: This card proves to be a game-changer when paired with effects that benefit from the removal of counters. Whether you’re aiming to stall your opponent’s plans or ensure your permanents remain unscathed, its ability to interact with counters offers numerous combo possibilities.

Meta-Relevance: In a playing environment dense with planeswalkers, creatures with +1/+1 counters, or players wracking up poison counters, Price of Betrayal stands out. It’s a one-mana answer to many threats that can appear in different metagames, highlighting its value and relevance in competitive play.

How to beat

Price of Betrayal is a unique removal spell in the vast library of Magic the Gathering. This card presents a focused approach to weakening your opponent’s assets, particularly planeswalkers and creatures with counters. It’s skillful for peeling away layers of strategy, as it removes up to five counters from a target, stifling the opponent’s buildup of a formidable presence on the battlefield.

The trick in overcoming Price of Betrayal lies in its specificity and limitations. First and foremost, diversifying your threats can mitigate the impact of this spell. Instead of relying solely on planeswalkers or creatures that accumulate counters, including a range of assets that function independently of counters can ensure that the setback from Price of Betrayal is minimal. Additionally, spells that provide hexproof can shield your key pieces from being targeted, while instant speed responses can disrupt your opponent’s timing, keeping your strategic advantages intact despite their attempts to dismantle them.

Understanding your deck’s weaknesses is paramount. By maintaining a counterbalance to threats like Price of Betrayal, your deck’s resilience is bolstered. This ensures that a single-target removal spell doesn’t significantly derail your game plan, thus reinforcing your path to victory in the intricate dance of Magic the Gathering.

Cards like Price of Betrayal

Price of Betrayal stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a low-cost option for removing counters. It’s similar in purpose to cards like Vampire Hexmage, which also serves to strip counters from permanents or players. However, Price of Betrayal is able to target any number of counters on a single permanent or player for a single black mana, allowing for a precise hit on problematic planeswalkers or creatures amassing +1/+1 counters.

Analogous cards in this space also include Hex Parasite, which can remove any number of counters, but its flexibility comes at a cost of life and mana per counter removed. Then there’s Thrashing Brontodon, not typically used for counter removal, but can be sacrificed to destroy an artifact or enchantment that might be proliferating counters. While both alternatives offer broader utility, the specificity and cost-efficiency of Price of Betrayal give it a niche for players who need targeted counter control without heavy investment.

In essence, for enthusiasts seeking a straightforward, economical method to counteract the accumulation of counters or neuter the growing threat of a supercharged permanent or opponent, Price of Betrayal is an excellent choice within the MTG universe.

Cards similar to Price of Betrayal by color, type and mana cost

Bloodcurdling Scream - MTG Card versions

Call to the Netherworld - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Price of Betrayal MTG card by a specific set like War of the Spark, 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 Price of Betrayal and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Price of Betrayal 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 Price of Betrayal card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2019-05-03	Players don’t normally have counters, but some cards in other sets say that a player “gets” a counter of a certain kind. Notably, emblems aren’t counters.
2019-05-03	Price of Betrayal has only one target. You may remove different kinds of counters from that one target, and you may also remove multiples of the same kind of counter from that one target.