Metallic Rebuke MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Improvise

Key Takeaways

  1. Efficiently countering spells, Metallic Rebuke can significantly tip the scales of card advantage in your favor.
  2. Instant speed casting adds flexibility and crucial response timing to disrupt opponents during their turn.
  3. Despite benefits, tapping required artifacts and a specific blue mana cost can limit deck integration.

Text of card

Improvise (Your artifacts can help cast this spell. Each artifact you tap after you're done activating mana abilities pays for .) Counter target spell unless its controller pays .

"Too little, too late. The machine is in motion." —Tezzeret


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Metallic Rebuke can significantly influence card advantage by allowing you to efficiently counter an opponent’s key spell without spending many resources. This can lead to a pivotal shift in momentum, as you effectively negate an opponent’s play with minimal cost.

Resource Acceleration: Thanks to its affinity for artifacts, Metallic Rebuke synergizes well with decks that utilize numerous artifacts, potentially reducing its cost. This can lead to quicker and more efficient plays, as less mana is needed to cast it, thereby accelerating your in-game resources.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Metallic Rebuke at instant speed gives you the flexibility to respond decisively during your opponent’s turn. This can be crucial when preserving your strategy or protecting your board state from unexpected threats.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Metallic Rebuke doesn’t require you to literally discard a card, its improvise ability necessitates that you tap an artifact you control as an additional casting cost. This can be an unexpected setback if you are relying on that artifact’s abilities or if it limits your strategic plays for the turn.

Specific Mana Cost: Although Metallic Rebuke has the improvise mechanic which can make it easier to cast by tapping artifacts, it still requires at least one blue mana. This requisite confines it predominantly to decks that generate blue mana, potentially hindering its inclusion in multi-color decks that aren’t artifact-centric or blue-heavy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For three mana, Metallic Rebuke may seem affordable, but in decks not optimized with numerous artifacts, its full cost can be taxing. Other counter spells in the game offer similar effects for less mana, granting opponents less opportunity to respond or prepare.


Reasons to Include Metallic Rebuke in Your Collection

Versatility: Metallic Rebuke is a standout card due to its flexibility in various deck builds. Its low mana cost coupled with the improvise mechanic allows players to utilize untapped artifacts to cast it, seamlessly integrating into artifact-heavy strategies or decks that churn out a lot of artifacts.

Combo Potential: The synergistic nature of Metallic Rebuke with artifact decks can lead to powerful combinations. The card can easily slide into combos, enabling a counter while developing your board with artifacts, all without setting you back on your mana curve.

Meta-Relevance: Given a meta where instant-speed interaction is crucial, Metallic Rebuke shines by providing an inexpensive and efficient countermeasure against key spells, allowing you to keep pace with opponents while advancing your game plan.


How to Beat

Metallic Rebuke is a widely used counter spell in the MTG world, renowned for its Improvise ability, allowing you to tap artifacts rather than pay its mana cost. It’s a versatile card that fits seamlessly into artifact-centric decks, and players often find it a challenge to overcome. To effectively beat Metallic Rebuke, one needs to anticipate it and play around it. Holding back critical spells when your opponent has open mana and several artifacts could be the key.

Dealing with Metallic Rebuke effectively involves baiting out the counter early. By strategically casting less essential spells first, you may lure your opponent into using their Rebuke prematurely, clearing the way for your more impactful cards. Additionally, playing instant-speed removal or threat spells at the end of your opponent’s turn can stress their mana and artifact resources, making it harder for them to leverage Metallic Rebuke to its full potential. Always be aware of the game state, and with the right timing and sequencing, you can neutralize the advantage Metallic Rebuke provides.

Proper deck construction is also crucial—incorporating cards that cannot be countered or spells that grant your own spells uncounterable status can mitigate the effect of a well-timed Metallic Rebuke. Keeping these strategies in mind will increase your resilience against this formidable counter spell, allowing you to untangle the metal grip it might have on the game.


Cards like Metallic Rebuke

Metallic Rebuke stands out in the realm of counter spells in Magic: The Gathering, thanks to its affinity for artifacts. This instant compares favorably with mana-efficient classic counter spells like Mana Leak, which similarly requires the opponent to pay three mana to avoid their spell being countered. What differentiates Metallic Rebuke is its affinity mechanism, allowing for a potentially lower casting cost if you control artifacts.

Another relative in this category is Stoic Rebuttal, which also benefits from artifacts on the battlefield. However, while Stoic Rebuttal requires a firm commitment to an artifact-heavy deck to become a Counterspell without the added cost, Metallic Rebuke is more flexible, providing early game interaction even in less dedicated artifact strategies.

Looking at utility, Metallic Rebuke competes well in the sphere of counter spells. It allows players to maintain a board presence with artifacts while keeping mana open to disrupt opponents effectively. This blend of disruption and cost efficiency grants it a strong position within Magic: The Gathering’s interactive spell roster, suitable for decks that seek a balance between a solid defense and the strategic deployment of artifacts.

Mana Leak - MTG Card versions
Stoic Rebuttal - MTG Card versions
Counterspell - MTG Card versions
Mana Leak - Stronghold (STH)
Stoic Rebuttal - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Counterspell - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

Cards similar to Metallic Rebuke by color, type and mana cost

Mana Short - MTG Card versions
Psionic Blast - MTG Card versions
Capsize - MTG Card versions
Intuition - MTG Card versions
Forbid - MTG Card versions
Catalog - MTG Card versions
Frantic Search - MTG Card versions
Exclude - MTG Card versions
Crystal Spray - MTG Card versions
Hibernation - MTG Card versions
Circular Logic - MTG Card versions
Keep Watch - MTG Card versions
Archmage's Charm - MTG Card versions
Commander's Insight - MTG Card versions
Rushing River - MTG Card versions
Ixidor's Will - MTG Card versions
Vex - MTG Card versions
Thirst for Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Murmurs from Beyond - MTG Card versions
Venser's Diffusion - MTG Card versions
Mana Short - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Psionic Blast - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Capsize - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Intuition - Tempest (TMP)
Forbid - Amonkhet Invocations (MP2)
Catalog - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Frantic Search - Wilds of Eldraine Commander (WOC)
Exclude - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Crystal Spray - Invasion (INV)
Hibernation - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Circular Logic - Ultimate Masters (UMA)
Keep Watch - Judgment (JUD)
Archmage's Charm - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Commander's Insight - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Rushing River - World Championship Decks 2002 (WC02)
Ixidor's Will - Onslaught (ONS)
Vex - Darksteel (DST)
Thirst for Knowledge - Modern Masters (MMA)
Murmurs from Beyond - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Venser's Diffusion - Future Sight (FUT)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Metallic Rebuke MTG card by a specific set like Aether Revolt and Mystery Booster, 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 Metallic Rebuke and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Metallic Rebuke Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2017-01-20 and 2020-11-12. Illustrated by Eric Deschamps.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12017-01-20Aether RevoltAER 392015normalblackEric Deschamps
22019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 4282015normalblackEric Deschamps
32020-08-07Double Masters2XM 592015normalblackEric Deschamps
42020-09-26The ListPLST AER-392015normalblackEric Deschamps
52020-11-12Kaladesh RemasteredKLR 562015normalblackEric Deschamps

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Metallic Rebuke has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-08-07 Equipment attached to a creature doesn't become tapped when that creature becomes tapped, and tapping that Equipment doesn't cause the creature to become tapped.
2020-08-07 If an artifact you control has a mana ability with in the cost, activating that ability while casting a spell with improvise will result in the artifact being tapped when you pay the spell's costs. You won't be able to tap it again for improvise. Similarly, if you sacrifice an artifact to activate a mana ability while casting a spell with improvise, that artifact won't be on the battlefield when you pay the spell's costs, so you won't be able to tap it for improvise.
2020-08-07 Improvise can't pay for in Metallic Rebuke's total cost.
2020-08-07 Improvise doesn't change a spell's mana cost or mana value.
2020-08-07 Tapping an artifact won't cause its abilities to stop applying unless those abilities say so.
2020-08-07 When calculating a spell's total cost, include any alternative costs, additional costs, or anything else that increases or reduces the cost to cast the spell. Improvise applies after the total cost is calculated.

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