Act of Treason MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 18 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Gaining temporary control of enemies’ creatures can dramatically alter the game’s momentum.
  2. Act of Treason’s effect is most effective when used in strategic timings during your turn.
  3. Understanding and applying counterplay techniques are key to defending against Act of Treason’s impact.

Text of card

Gain control of target creature until end of turn. Untap that creature. It gains haste until end of turn. (It can attack and this turn.)

"Rage courses in every heart, yearning to betray its rational prison." —Sarkhan Vol


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Act of Treason shines by temporarily seizing control of your opponent’s creature, effectively giving you an additional attacker or blocker for the turn. This can swing the tide of a match, providing the advantage of using your opponent’s resources against them without expending your own creatures.

Resource Acceleration: Though Act of Treason doesn’t directly generate mana or tokens, it does accelerate your game plan by temporarily giving you access to one of your opponent’s creatures. This can help you utilize that creature’s abilities or simply benefit from its power and toughness without the need to invest mana in casting a creature of your own.

Instant Speed: While Act of Treason is a sorcery, its effect can be as impactful as an instant by creating sudden and unexpected shifts in board state during your turn. Timing the casting of this spell can dramatically leverage the battlefield in your favor, allowing for decisive plays that can lead to game-winning scenarios.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Though Act of Treason doesn’t have a discard requirement itself, leveraging its temporary control effect often requires additional cards in your hand to fully utilize the stolen creature within a single turn. This could pressure players into depleting valuable hand resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Act of Treason has a specific mana cost that includes red mana. This limits its flexibility as it can only be included in decks that run red mana sources. Players running multi-color decks may find the red mana requirement restrictive.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, including two generic and one red, some players might find Act of Treason pricey for a single-turn effect. Other MTG cards may offer more permanent control solutions or additional benefits for a similar or lower mana investment.


Reasons to Include Act of Treason in Your Collection

Versatility: Act of Treason offers a flexible approach to gameplay, capable of swinging the tide in various deck archetypes. It can turn your opponent’s strongest creature against them temporarily, opening a window of opportunity for direct attacks or advantageous sacrifices.

Combo Potential: When paired with sacrifice outlets, Act of Treason can become part of a devastating combo, allowing you to not only remove key creatures from your opponent’s side but also reap additional benefits. This could mean extra life, damage or even drawing cards, contributing to a wide array of strategies.

Meta-Relevance: This card shines in environments where control decks and creature-heavy strategies prevail. Being able to temporarily seize control of top-tier threats in the current meta can disrupt your opponent’s plans and offer a significant tempo boost in your favor.


How to beat

Act of Treason is a dynamic card known for temporarily seizing control of an opponent’s creature, often turning the tides of a game in Magic: The Gathering. This temporary theft can be devastating, especially when used to claim a powerful creature and use it against its original owner. To effectively counter Act of Treason, players should prioritize keeping mana available for instant-speed removal spells to eliminate their own creature in response, thus preventing the opponent from benefiting from the theft.

Another strategy involves utilizing creatures with hexproof or shroud, making them ineligible targets for Act of Treason. Additionally, cards that grant your creatures indestructible for a turn can protect them from being sacrificed if an opponent tries to exploit an Act of Treason and a sacrifice outlet combo. Lastly, tapping or otherwise using your creatures’ abilities before they can be taken is wise, ensuring they do not sit idle and become easy targets for your opponent’s Act of Treason. Keeping these tactics in mind will help preserve your board state and mitigate the surprise factor and potential impact of this treacherous card.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the art of control in Magic: The Gathering can decisively enhance your gameplay, and Act of Treason exemplifies this strategy with its creature commandeering abilities. Understanding its pros and cons, as well as recognizing similar cards, is pivotal for any MTG enthusiast aiming to optimize their deck. Whether employing resource acceleration tactics, exploiting combo potentials, or tackling meta-relevant challenges, Act of Treason has a rightful place in your collection under the right circumstances. Craft your decks wisely, considering this spell’s capabilities to disrupt and dictate the flow of battle. Visit us for deeper insights on incorporating cards like Act of Treason effectively into your game plan and advancing your MTG expertise. Embrace the tactical advantage and let your strategy evolve.


Cards like Act of Treason

Act of Treason holds a unique position in the realm of creature control cards in Magic: The Gathering. It shares its core functionality with cards like Hijack and Wrangle, which also temporarily seize control of opponents’ creatures. Act of Treason distinguishes itself by focusing solely on creature commandeering for a single turn, which enables a distinctly aggressive playstyle.

Comparatively, Kari Zev’s Expertise not only allows you to gain control of a creature for a turn but also enables you to cast a spell with a converted mana cost of two or less from your hand without paying its mana cost. This dual advantage can swing the momentum of the game swiftly in your favor. Conversely, Ray of Command provides instant speed interaction, offering similar control effects as Act of Treason but allowing for more reactive plays during your opponent’s turn.

It’s evident that while Act of Treason is a straightforward and cost-effective means to temporarily gain control of enemy forces, each alternative card brings its own strategic twist to the table. Players must therefore weigh these options against their specific deck’s game plan and the likely scenarios they will encounter in a match.

Hijack - MTG Card versions
Wrangle - MTG Card versions
Kari Zev's Expertise - MTG Card versions
Ray of Command - MTG Card versions
Hijack - Kaladesh (KLD)
Wrangle - Aether Revolt (AER)
Kari Zev's Expertise - Aether Revolt Promos (PAER)
Ray of Command - Ice Age (ICE)

Cards similar to Act of Treason by color, type and mana cost

Stone Rain - MTG Card versions
Game of Chaos - MTG Card versions
Evaporate - MTG Card versions
Pillage - MTG Card versions
Goblin War Cry - MTG Card versions
Steam Blast - MTG Card versions
Goblin Offensive - MTG Card versions
Desert Sandstorm - MTG Card versions
Arc Lightning - MTG Card versions
Search for Survivors - MTG Card versions
Searing Rays - MTG Card versions
Rupture - MTG Card versions
Tundra Fumarole - MTG Card versions
Browbeat - MTG Card versions
Anger of the Gods - MTG Card versions
Erratic Explosion - MTG Card versions
Threaten - MTG Card versions
Sizzle - MTG Card versions
Hammer of Bogardan - MTG Card versions
Panic Attack - MTG Card versions
Stone Rain - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Game of Chaos - Ice Age (ICE)
Evaporate - Homelands (HML)
Pillage - Arena League 2000 (PAL00)
Goblin War Cry - Portal Second Age (P02)
Steam Blast - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Goblin Offensive - Urza's Saga (USG)
Desert Sandstorm - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Arc Lightning - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Search for Survivors - Prophecy (PCY)
Searing Rays - Invasion (INV)
Rupture - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Tundra Fumarole - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Browbeat - Masters 25 (A25)
Anger of the Gods - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Erratic Explosion - Planechase 2012 (PC2)
Threaten - Tenth Edition (10E)
Sizzle - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Hammer of Bogardan - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Panic Attack - Ninth Edition (9ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Act of Treason MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2010 and Duels of the Planeswalkers, 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 Act of Treason and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Act of Treason Magic the Gathering card was released in 17 different sets between 2009-07-17 and 2024-01-12. Illustrated by 5 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12009-07-17Magic 2010M10 1242003normalblackEric Deschamps
22010-06-04Duels of the PlaneswalkersDPA 372003normalblackEric Deschamps
32010-07-16Magic 2011M11 1212003normalblackEric Deschamps
42011-07-15Magic 2012M12 1212003normalblackEric Deschamps
52013-02-01GatecrashGTC 852003normalblackMatt Stewart
62013-07-19Magic 2014M14 1252003normalblackEric Deschamps
72014-09-05Duel Decks: Speed vs. CunningDDN 262015normalblackEric Deschamps
82014-09-26Khans of TarkirKTK 952015normalblackMin Yum
92014-09-26Khans of TarkirKTK 95y2015normalblackJosiah "Jo" Cameron
102015-07-17Magic OriginsORI 1292015normalblackEric Deschamps
112018-03-16Masters 25A25 1182015normalblackEric Deschamps
122018-07-13Core Set 2019M19 1272015normalblackEric Deschamps
132019-01-25Ravnica AllegianceRNA 912015normalblackScott Murphy
142019-07-12Core Set 2020M20 1242015normalblackEric Deschamps
152019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 8312015normalblackScott Murphy
162020-07-17JumpstartJMP 2892015normalblackScott Murphy
172020-09-26The ListPLST RNA-912015normalblackScott Murphy
182024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 992015normalblackScott Murphy

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Act of Treason has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-07-12 Act of Treason can target any creature, even one that's untapped or one you already control.
2019-07-12 Gaining control of a creature doesn't cause you to gain control of any Auras or Equipment attached to it.

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