Hostage Taker MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Human Pirate
Power 2
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Hostage Taker offers both card advantage and resource acceleration, pivotal for control strategies.
  2. Its unique ability to cast exiled cards with any mana type broadens strategic possibilities.
  3. Ideal usage requires strategic timing to maximize its instant speed casting advantage.

Text of card

When Hostage Taker enters the battlefield, exile another target creature or artifact until Hostage Taker leaves the battlefield. You may cast that card for as long as it remains exiled, and mana of any type can be spent to cast it.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Hostage Taker card holds a special place among MTG themes because it allows you to exile an opponent’s creature or artifact, thereby bolstering your own number of cards and diminishing theirs.

Resource Acceleration: Once you exile an opponent’s card, you can cast it using any type of mana. This unique ability provides resource acceleration and gives you the possibility to use an extra creature or artifact earlier than usual.

Instant Speed: With the Hostage Taker card, you also have the flexibility to cast it at the most ideal gameplay moment, thanks to its instant speed. This means you can play it during either your turn or your opponent’s, once you’ve correctly gauged the battlefield scenario and identified the most beneficial time to utilize it.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Hostage Taker Mtg card calls for players to discard a game piece before playing it. This can put you at a decided disadvantage if your pool of resources is dwindling or if power cards form part of your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Hooked into specific mana coloration, the card demands both blue and black mana to be brought into the game. The definitive cost may inhibit its usability, primarily confining it to decks majoring in these respective colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Ordinarily costing four mana to deploy, the Hostage Taker card is observed to be a high-cost option within the game. When measured against other cards that can generate sizeable effects or resources at a markedly lower cost, it can seem dauntingly expensive to integrate into your strategy.


Reasons to Include Hostage Taker in Your Collection

Versatility: Hostage Taker’s ability to exile target artifact or creature until it leaves the battlefield makes it a versatile inclusion in various deck types. It disrupts your opponent’s game plan, providing you with an advantage.

Combo Potential: This card shines in decks focused on manipulating the board state. The creature or artifact you exile can be cast, opening opportunities for unique strategic plays, turning the tide in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: Hostage Taker has a significant impact in a meta-game dominated by strategies reliant on particular artifacts or creatures. Its ability to disrupt and take over those strategies makes it a valuable addition to your collection.


How to beat

Hostage Taker is a unique mtg card known for its exceptional ability to exile a target artifact or creature until it leaves the battlefield. What makes it notably menacing is its cast feature, wherein you get to cast that card for as long as it remains in exile. Nevertheless, defeating it isn’t an impossible feat.

Effective tactics to overpower this card revolve around quick reactivities. Cards with flash are a viable route as they offer swift responses like “Cast Down” or “Assassin’s Trophy.” These instant removal cards can be used just after Hostage Taker hits the field and before its controller gets a chance to cast the card it exiles, ensuring its effect stays neutralized.

Another strategy involves employing hexproof or protection abilities. Cards like “Dive Down” or “Veil of Summer” can provide protection to your creatures, preventing Hostage Taker from gaining targets. These cards essentially shield your board, leaving the opponent’s Hostage Taker pointless.

Hence, by combining rapid counteractions and defensive abilities, one can efficaciously disarm the threat posed by Hostage Taker, turning the battle tide to your favor. Understanding the MTG game’s intricacies only further enhances the strategic play and dealing with imposing cards like the Hostage Taker.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the MTG landscape is a thrilling journey of constant evolution and strategic finesse. Hostage Taker is a card that exemplifies such sophistication, altering the flow of the game in your favor by exiling crucial components of your adversary’s arsenal. Its unique abilities empower you to harness the strengths of your opponent’s resources, pivoting the game towards victory. With insights garnered from examining the Hostage Taker’s capabilities, your deck can become a formidable force within the MTG realm. Dive deeper with us, enriching your knowledge and strategic acumen, as we guide you toward claiming the upper hand in the ever-exciting MTG challenges.


Cards like Hostage Taker

In the diverse collection of Magic: The Gathering cards, Hostage Taker shares similarities with cards like Confiscate, Take Possession, and Ray of Command. An evaluation of their similarities and differences helps throw light on the utility of Hostage Taker.

Confiscate, to start with, shares a common thread with Hostage Taker in controlling opponent’s permanents. However, Hostage Taker trumps this card by allowing exile of opponent’s artifact or creature, a feature unseen in Confiscate. On the other hand, Take Possession, bearing the same mana cost as Hostage Taker, confers permanent control, a benefit not seen in Hostage Taker’s temporary control capacity. Nevertheless, Hostage Taker’s ability to cast the exiled card with any type of mana is an edge over Take Possession’s mana restrictions.

Ray of Command, another contestant, shares the context of control with Hostage Taker but leans closer to instant-speed mechanics and single-turn control. However, lacking in removal elements, Ray of Command might fall short in face of Hostage Taker’s ability to exile and then cast the controlled card.

To deal the last word, while weighing Hostage Taker against its lookalikes, its exclusiveness lies in its ability to exile and cast opponent’s cards, making it stand out in the MTG universe.

Confiscate - MTG Card versions
Take Possession - MTG Card versions
Ray of Command - MTG Card versions
Confiscate - Urza's Saga (USG)
Take Possession - Future Sight (FUT)
Ray of Command - Ice Age (ICE)

Cards similar to Hostage Taker by color, type and mana cost

Phantasmal Fiend - MTG Card versions
Doomsday Specter - MTG Card versions
Possessed Aven - MTG Card versions
Elusive Tormentor // Insidious Mist - MTG Card versions
Marsh Crocodile - MTG Card versions
Moroii - MTG Card versions
Circu, Dimir Lobotomist - MTG Card versions
Blizzard Specter - MTG Card versions
Wydwen, the Biting Gale - MTG Card versions
Evil Twin - MTG Card versions
Glen Elendra Liege - MTG Card versions
Kathari Remnant - MTG Card versions
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind - MTG Card versions
Ulamog's Nullifier - MTG Card versions
Drunau Corpse Trawler - MTG Card versions
Gisa and Geralf - MTG Card versions
Duskmantle Seer - MTG Card versions
Deadeye Brawler - MTG Card versions
Notion Thief - MTG Card versions
Nightveil Predator - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Fiend - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Doomsday Specter - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Possessed Aven - Torment (TOR)
Elusive Tormentor // Insidious Mist - Shadows over Innistrad (SOI)
Marsh Crocodile - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Moroii - GRN Guild Kit (GK1)
Circu, Dimir Lobotomist - GRN Guild Kit (GK1)
Blizzard Specter - Iconic Masters (IMA)
Wydwen, the Biting Gale - Commander 2020 (C20)
Evil Twin - Innistrad (ISD)
Glen Elendra Liege - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Kathari Remnant - Planechase Anthology (PCA)
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind - GRN Guild Kit (GK1)
Ulamog's Nullifier - Battle for Zendikar (BFZ)
Drunau Corpse Trawler - Shadows over Innistrad Remastered (SIR)
Gisa and Geralf - Shadows over Innistrad Remastered (SIR)
Duskmantle Seer - Commander 2018 (C18)
Deadeye Brawler - Rivals of Ixalan (RIX)
Notion Thief - Tales of Middle-earth Commander (LTC)
Nightveil Predator - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hostage Taker MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Ixalan 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 Hostage Taker and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Hostage Taker Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2017-09-29 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 699872015normalblackWayne Reynolds
22017-09-29Ixalan PromosPXLN 223s2015normalblackWayne Reynolds
32017-09-29IxalanXLN 2232015normalblackWayne Reynolds
42021-07-23Forgotten Realms CommanderAFC 1862015normalblackWayne Reynolds
52022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 5052015normalblackWayne Reynolds
62022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 2272015normalblackWayne Reynolds
72023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 2682015normalblackTorgeir Fjereide
82023-11-17The Lost Caverns of Ixalan CommanderLCC 2712015normalblackWayne Reynolds

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Hostage Taker has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Hostage Taker card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2017-09-29 Auras attached to the exiled permanent will be put into their owners' graveyards. Any Equipment will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled permanent will cease to exist.
2017-09-29 Hostage Taker has received errata to prevent it from targeting itself. The correct Oracle wording appears above.
2017-09-29 If Hostage Taker leaves the battlefield before its triggered ability resolves, the target permanent won't be exiled.
2017-09-29 If a token is exiled this way, it will cease to exist and won't return to the battlefield. You can't cast it.
2017-09-29 If it's still in exile, the exiled card returns to the battlefield immediately after Hostage Taker leaves the battlefield. Nothing happens between the two events, including state-based actions.
2017-09-29 In a multiplayer game, if Hostage Taker's owner leaves the game while the card is still exiled and another player owns that card, the exiled card will return to the battlefield under its owner's control. Because the one-shot effect that returns the card isn't an ability that goes on the stack, it won't cease to exist along with the leaving player's spells and abilities on the stack.
2017-09-29 In a multiplayer game, if a player leaves the game, all cards that player owns leave as well. If you leave the game, any spell or permanent cards you control from Hostage Taker's ability are exiled.
2017-09-29 Once you begin to cast the exiled card, it's considered a new object. You'll control that spell and the permanent that spell becomes even if Hostage Taker leaves the battlefield.

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