Call to Arms MTG Card
1995-06-03 - Number 10
2009-09-07 - Number 4
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Enchantment |
Key Takeaways
- Call to Arms provides tactical advantage through instant speed deployment and resource acceleration via soldier tokens.
- Its requirements include card discard and specific mana, potentially restricting its inclusion in diverse decks.
- Versatile and meta-relevant, Call to Arms can be a pivotal component in creature-focused strategies.
Text of card
Choose a color. As long as target opponent controls more cards of that color than any other color, all white creatures get +1/+1. If at any time that opponent does not control more cards of that color than any other color, bury Call to Arms.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Call to Arms excels at bolstering your hand by drawing multiple soldiers onto the battlefield. This influx of troops not only bolsters your defenses but also puts you ahead in the game by increasing your board presence.
Resource Acceleration: As it brings creatures onto the field, Call to Arms can act as a form of resource acceleration. Each new soldier under your command is a potential boost in your offensive and defensive strategies, representing additional power without dipping into your mana reserves for the turn.
Instant Speed: One of Call to Arms’ strong suits is its ability to be cast at instant speed. This agility allows you to wait for the opportune moment to surprise an opponent, be it during their attack phase to disrupt their plans or at the end of their turn to ensure you’re making the most efficient use of your mana every round.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Engaging with Call to Arms entails a prerequisite to discard another card. This can be burdensome, particularly in the late game when each card in hand is a precious commodity potentially pivotal to claiming victory.
Specific Mana Cost: To summon this card’s magic, a precise blend of mana is essential, constraining its utility largely to a narrow band of decks. Such a stringent requirement can impede your strategic diversity and adaptability against a swath of adversaries.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Commanding a notably substantial mana commitment, Call to Arms might strain your resources compared to other cards of similar function. Savvy players will weigh this cost against potential alternatives that could potentially offer similar tactical advantages at a lesser expenditure of mana.
Reasons to Include Call to Arms in Your Collection
Versatility: Call to Arms is a card that adeptly adjusts to varying gameplay scenarios. Its ability to boost your creatures’ strength makes it a fitting addition to any deck focused on creature-based strategies.
Combo Potential: With Call to Arms, you can seamlessly integrate this card into a combo that multiplies the efficacy of creature abilities, particularly ones that activate when creatures get tapped or untapped.
Meta-Relevance: As the competitive scene ebbs and flows, a card like Call to Arms can gain prominence, especially against decks that struggle to deal with sudden surges in creature power across the board.
How to beat
Call to Arms is a versatile card that can boost your creatures’ attacking capabilities in Magic: The Gathering. When faced with Call to Arms, timing is critical. Disrupt the enchantment before the attack phase; use instant-speed removal spells to eliminate the card and leave your opponent with a void in their strategy. Countermeasures such as Naturalize or Disenchant can dismantle the enchantment, swinging the momentum in your favor. Furthermore, employing creatures with Flash allows you to adapt during your opponent’s turn and reassert control. Above all, maximizing mana efficiency and keeping mana open for responses when you suspect Call to Arms can turn the tide, dismantling your opponent’s preparations and leaving their forces unenhanced.
Remember, enchantments like Call to Arms thrive in a stable battlefield. Thus, consider cards that can shake up the status quo. Board wipe spells would indiscriminately clear the field, neutralizing any benefits gained from Call to Arms. Providing yourself with versatile options to react to such boosting enchantments will enhance your defensive and strategic stature in any game where Call to Arms is a potential threat.
By keeping these strategies in mind, you’ll fortify your position against this card and maintain a competitive edge in your battles within MTG.
Cards like Call to Arms
Call to Arms is an intriguing tactical play in Magic: The Gathering, drawing parallels with cards like Mobilize. Both offer the ability to untap all creatures, providing players with the flexibility to attack or block in unexpected ways. Call to Arms, however, adds a layer of complexity with an upkeep cost that may either be a boon or a burden, depending on the battlefield stance and mana availability.
Comparably, creatures such as Crashing Drawbridge grant similar functionality, allowing creatures to untap the very turn they’re played. Call to Arms stands out with its broader scope affecting all creatures, albeit at a higher mana cost and with an ongoing commitment. There’s also Rally the Forces, a quick instant granting untapping benefits and a power boost; it’s limited to one use but can be a game-changer during a crucial combat phase.
Choosing the right card requires balancing immediate needs against long-term strategy. Call to Arms potentially equips a player with recurring utility, if they can maintain its upkeep, situating it as a potent piece within the Magic: The Gathering universe for those looking to maintain readiness at all times.
Cards similar to Call to Arms by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Call to Arms MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Masters Edition III, 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 Call to Arms 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
Printings
The Call to Arms Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 2009-09-07. Illustrated by Randy Gallegos.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1995-06-03 | Ice Age | ICE | 10 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Randy Gallegos | |
| 2 | 2009-09-07 | Masters Edition III | ME3 | 4 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Randy Gallegos |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Call to Arms has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Call to Arms card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | You can’t choose “colorless” as a color. |
| 2009-10-01 | Call to Arms affects all white creatures, not just white creatures you control. |
| 2009-10-01 | Call to Arms’s third ability is a “state trigger.” Once a state trigger triggers, it won’t trigger again as long as the ability is on the stack. If the ability is countered and the trigger condition is still true, it will immediately trigger again. |
| 2009-10-01 | If Call to Arms changes controllers, it will continue to check the nontoken permanents controlled by the player chosen as it entered the battlefield, even if that player isn’t an opponent of its current controller. |
| 2009-10-01 | The game continually counts the number of nontoken permanents of each color the chosen player controls. Multicolored ones are counted for each of their colors; colorless ones are ignored. The moment the number of nontoken permanents of the chosen color that player controls is less than or equal to the number of permanents of one of the other colors that player controls, Call to Arms’s second ability stops giving white creatures +1/+1 and its third ability triggers. Call to Arms will be sacrificed when the third ability resolves, even if those numbers have changed by then. |
