Entangling Trap MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Enchantment |
| Released | 2007-10-12 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Lorwyn |
| Set code | LRW |
| Number | 13 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Warren Mahy |
Key Takeaways
- Entangling Trap offers card advantage by disrupting opponents, aiding in field superiority and strategic planning.
- It accelerates resources indirectly, allowing you to invest mana in crucial plays, enhancing deck efficiency.
- The instant nature of Entangling Trap adds surprise to your tactics, potentially swinging the game in your favor.
Text of card
Whenever you clash, tap target creature an opponent controls. If you won, that creature doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step. (This ability triggers after the clash ends.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Entangling Trap is designed to disrupt your opponent’s strategy by essentially forcing a pause on their major threats. By utilizing this card, you can create openings to establish card superiority on the field or simply buy time to draw into your game-changing spells.
Resource Acceleration: Although Entangling Trap doesn’t directly provide mana or tokens, it contributes to resource acceleration by saving your mana for more significant plays. As an enchantment with a lasting board presence, it allows you to navigate around using mana on creature spells and prioritize other growth-centric actions.
Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Entangling Trap at instant speed grants you the finesse to respond to your adversary’s actions on their turn. This unpredictability could provide a strategic upper hand, as you can decide the most opportune moment to stymie your opponent’s attack or pivotal creature abilities, shaking the momentum of the game in your favor.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Entangling Trap necessitates discarding another card, potentially placing a strain on your hand, especially if you’re aiming to maintain card advantage over your opponent.
Specific Mana Cost: This card’s demand for specific colors in its mana cost can be restrictive, meaning you’ll need a well-tuned mana base to consistently cast it on curve.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment for Entangling Trap is significant when compared to other control options in the game, leaving players to weigh its cost against its overall utility in a match.
Reasons to Include Entangling Trap in Your Collection
Versatility: Entangling Trap can be included in a variety of deck types due to its ability to manage the battlefield. It can delay aggressive opponents as well as create advantageous scenarios during your turn.
Combo Potential: This card can synergize with strategies revolving around tap effects or creatures that benefit from the opponents being tapped out. It works well within control or tempo decks, enhancing their existing mechanics.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature-based combat is prevalent, Entangling Trap provides a means to swing the tempo in your favor. It can disrupt opponent’s attack plans, making it a card worth considering for your sideboard or even your main deck, depending on the current trends.
How to beat
Entangling Trap is known for its ability to disrupt the battlefield, effectively freezing a targeted opponent’s creature’s ability to go on the offensive. In the landscape of Magic: The Gathering, this type of control card requires a strategic approach to overcome. The key to countering this trap is to prioritize the use of instant removal spells or abilities that can either protect your creatures from being targeted or remove the enchantment directly.
Hexproof is a powerful mechanic that can provide immunity to such control spells, guaranteeing that your key creatures remain untrapped. Additionally, green’s natural affinity for enchantment removal presents a straightforward solution with spells like Naturalize or Back to Nature. Moreover, employing an aggressive strategy that pressures the opponent before they can set up their defensive cards can also be an effective workaround.
Considering these aspects, the flexibility to adapt and protect your board or quickly deal with the trap plays an essential role. Understanding your deck’s strengths and incorporating elements that can either bypass or dismantle enchantments will significantly improve your chances against Entangling Trap in your MTG confrontations.
Cards like Entangling Trap
In the strategic world of Magic: The Gathering, cards like Entangling Trap offer unique ways to disrupt an opponent’s game. This can be compared to cards like Arrest, which also prevent targeted creatures from attacking or blocking. Entangling Trap, however, adds an additional layer by potentially tapping multiple creatures. It’s distinct from single-target solutions and offers a broader control over the battlefield dynamics.
Another close relative is Frost Lynx, which upon entering the battlefield, taps a creature an opponent controls. It’s quite similar in its immediate impact, though Entangling Trap holds the advantage of affecting more than one creature and doesn’t require a creature to be in play to function. Then there is Sleep, which taps all creatures an opponent controls and doesn’t allow them to untap during the next untap step, offering a more comprehensive control for that duration but lacking the permanence of Entangling Trap.
In summary, while there are various options for controlling opponents’ creatures in Magic: The Gathering, Entangling Trap’s ability to consistently impact multiple targets gives players a significant tool in managing the battlefield, especially in situations where swarms of creatures are pitted against you.
Cards similar to Entangling Trap by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Entangling Trap MTG card by a specific set like Lorwyn, 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 Entangling Trap and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Entangling Trap has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Entangling Trap card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2013-09-20 | If you clash because of a spell or ability an opponent controls, the ability will still trigger. Likewise, you can still win the clash even if you weren’t the player to initiate it. |
