Alhammarret, High Arbiter MTG Card
2015-07-17 - Number 43
2015-07-17 - Number 43
2015-07-17 - Number 43s
2002-06-24 - Number 57588
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 7 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Sphinx |
| Abilities | Flying |
| Power | 5 |
| Toughness | 5 |
Key Takeaways
- Alhammarret’s ability to restrict opponents’ card usage provides a significant tactical edge during matches.
- The knowledge of opponents’ hands aids in planning plays and efficiently allocating resources.
- Though powerful, its high mana cost and specific color requirements may limit its versatility.
Text of card
Flying As Alhammarret, High Arbiter enters the battlefield, each opponent reveals his or her hand. You choose the name of a nonland card revealed this way. Your opponents can't cast spells with the chosen name (as long as this creature is on the battlefield).
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Alhammarret, High Arbiter brings an impressive ability to peek into an opponent’s hand and choose a nonland card that they won’t be able to play for as long as Alhammarret is on the battlefield. This disrupts your opponent’s plans while informing your own strategic decisions, effectively offering a significant advantage.
Resource Acceleration: While Alhammarret itself doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, the knowledge gained from your opponent’s hand can be invaluable. By knowing what threats or answers your opponent is holding, you can better plan your plays and utilize your resources more efficiently, leading to a form of virtual acceleration.
Instant Speed: Although Alhammarret’s ability is not at instant speed, it triggers upon entering the battlefield. This means that if you can flash Alhammarret into play using other cards that allow casting creatures as though they had flash, you can respond to your opponent’s actions with this powerful ability, gaining a sudden and possibly game-changing advantage.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Alhammarret, High Arbiter necessitates the selection and reveal of a card from your opponent’s hand, which can be less impactful if your opponent has multiple copies of the revealed card or if the chosen card is not immediately relevant to the current board state.
Specific Mana Cost: The flying sphinx demands a specific blend of mana, including two islands and three plains, which might require a carefully crafted mana base to cast consistently, potentially limiting deck building options.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a seven mana value to bring Alhammarret into play, there can be situations where speed is crucial, and the cost may prove too steep especially when competing options might offer a more immediate impact on gameplay.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Alhammarret, High Arbiter offers a unique role as both a control element and informational asset in Commander and other high-synergy formats. Its ability to peruse an opponent’s hand and restrict a card’s use is adaptable to various strategies, managing threats before they hit the board.
Combo Potential: With Alhammarret in play, you can sculpt the perfect scenario for your combos by neutralizing counterspells or disruption. This ensures your key plays go off without a hitch, integral for combo decks aiming for a decisive victory.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta that leans heavily on non-creature spells, Alhammarret gains significance by dictating the flow of spellcasting. As players often rely on specific spells to anchor their strategy, preemptively neutralizing those can give you a substantial advantage.
How to beat
Alhammarret, High Arbiter is a unique challenge among MTG cards, presenting a formidable obstacle with formidable flying power and an ability that can disrupt your strategies. Upon entering the battlefield, this sphinx allows its controller to look at an opponent’s hand and name a card, effectively locking you out from playing that named card as long as Alhammarret is in play.
To successfully navigate this tactical hindrance, consider strategies that don’t rely on single key cards or have alternative routes to victory. Removal spells that can target creatures irrespective of their name, such as board wipes or versatile spot removal, can efficiently handle Alhammarret. Moreover, instant-speed interaction is crucial since Alhammarret’s ability only works while it’s on the battlefield, so removing it before your turn can free your hand from its grasp. Utilizing creatures with abilities that trigger upon entering the battlefield or spells that can’t be countered also circumvent Alhammarret’s ability to control the game.
Overall, while the presence of Alhammarret, High Arbiter can indeed warp the fabric of the game, with the right planning and adaptive gameplay, you can ensure that this sphinx’s judgments do not become your endgame.
Cards like Alhammarret, High Arbiter
Alhammarret, High Arbiter plays a unique dual role in Magic: The Gathering as both an imposing flyer and a preemptive disruption tool against opponents. Likened to cards like Sphinx of the Final Word, Alhammarret offers a formidable air presence coupled with spells that can’t be countered. However, Alhammarret’s entrance into the battlefield allows you to peek into an opponent’s hand and exile a card until Alhammarret leaves the battlefield, a tactical advantage not provided by the Sphinx.
Conversely, Meddling Mage shares Alhammarret’s preventative approach, locking out an opponent’s card upon its arrival on the field. While Meddling Mage can disrupt an opponent’s strategies earlier, it lacks the flying ability that grants Alhammarret a clear battlefield dominance. Furthermore, casting Chancellor of the Annex provides a similar, yet more expansive, control effect, countering spells unless your opponent pays additional mana, but without the targeted precision of Alhammarret’s ability.
These elements position Alhammarret, High Arbiter uniquely within the game, offering players defensive strategies and air superiority, establishing it as a card with a specialized role in control decks looking to dominate the late game.
Cards similar to Alhammarret, High Arbiter by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Alhammarret, High Arbiter MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Magic Origins, 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 Alhammarret, High Arbiter 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 Magic products
Printings
The Alhammarret, High Arbiter Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2015-07-17 and 2015-07-17. Illustrated by Richard Wright.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 57588 | 2015 | normal | black | Richard Wright | ||
| 2 | 2015-07-17 | Magic Origins | ORI | 43 | 2015 | normal | black | Richard Wright | |
| 3 | 2015-07-17 | Magic Origins Promos | PORI | 43 | 2015 | normal | black | Richard Wright | |
| 4 | 2015-07-17 | Magic Origins Promos | PORI | 43s | 2015 | normal | black | Richard Wright |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Alhammarret, High Arbiter has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Alhammarret, High Arbiter card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2015-06-22 | Alhammarret’s second ability happens as Alhammarret enters the battlefield. No one can cast spells or activate abilities between the time a card is named and the time that Alhammarret’s last ability starts to work. |
| 2015-06-22 | Although spells with the chosen name can’t be cast, permanent cards with that name can still be put onto the battlefield by a spell or ability. |
| 2015-06-22 | If your opponents have no nonland cards in their hands, you can’t choose a card name. Alhammarret’s last ability won’t stop any spells from being cast in that case. |
| 2015-06-22 | You choose one card name, not one name per opponent. |
| 2015-06-22 | Your opponents can still cast a card with the chosen name face down if it has a morph ability. A card with the chosen name can also be manifested. |
