Traitor's Roar MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery
Abilities	Conspire
Released	2008-05-02
Set symbol
Set name	Shadowmoor
Set code	SHM
Number	200
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jim Pavelec

Key Takeaways

Instant speed play offers powerful tactical advantages during critical moments of the game.
Forces opponents to sacrifice creatures, disrupting their battlefield presence and strategy.
Limited by discard requirement and specific mana costs, affecting deck adaptability.

Text of card

Tap target untapped creature. It deals damage equal to its power to its controller. Conspire (As you play this spell, you may tap two untapped creatures you control that share a color with it. When you do, copy it and you may choose a new target for the copy.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Traitor’s Roar can catch an opponent off-guard by forcing them to sacrifice an unexpectedly strong creature, potentially disrupting their game plan and swinging the board in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: While Traitor’s Roar doesn’t directly offer traditional mana acceleration, it can indirectly accelerate your resources by removing key threats, allowing you to more efficiently allocate your mana on subsequent turns.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Traitor’s Roar at instant speed provides significant tactical flexibility. You can respond to enemy spells or abilities, decide the outcome of combats, or simply act at a moment the opponent least expects it, potentially affecting their strategy for the entire round.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Traitor’s Roar obliges players to discard a card to activate its full potential. This can prove to be a strategic setback, especially when your hand is already depleted or each card is vital for your gameplay strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Traitor’s Roar demands a precise mana arrangement to be played. The inclusion of one or more colored mana in its casting cost might not blend well with decks that are not aligned with those colors, thereby restricting its versatility across various deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment required to unleash Traitor’s Roar may be considered steep by some players. When evaluating resources, it’s crucial to consider alternative spells in the same mana range that may offer more immediate or impactful results on the game’s state.

Reasons to Include Traitor’s Roar in Your Collection

Versatility: Traitor’s Roar is a card that can seamlessly adapt to various strategies within MTG. Its ability to potentially control an opponent’s creature for a turn not only disrupts their plans but can also turn their strengths against them.

Combo Potential: The card has great synergy with sacrificing effects or strategies that benefit from temporary creature control. It can create powerful turns when combined with cards that take advantage of enemy creatures tapped or leaving the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: Traitor’s Roar can be highly effective in a meta where large and powerful creatures dominate. Its influence scales with the power of the creatures in play, making it a card with potential to shift the tide in your favor at critical moments.

How to Beat Traitor’s Roar

Traitor’s Roar stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a potent tool for temporarily seizing control of an opponent’s creature. It echoes reminiscent mechanics of cards such as Act of Treason, which have traditionally been used to turn an opponent’s assets against them. Much like these earlier cards, Traitor’s Roar allows you to engage in a form of psychological warfare, using your opponent’s powerful creatures to your advantage.

However, there is a strategy to counteract the impact of Traitor’s Roar. It involves maintaining a conservative approach with your most potent creatures, keeping them in reserve until you can protect them or when you’re sure your opponent lacks the mana or opportunity to utilize such a treacherous spell against you. Instant-speed removal spells can also mitigate the damage by removing the targeted creature from the battlefield before it can switch sides. Utilizing spells that grant hexproof or shroud can effectively shield your creatures from being targeted by such control-altering effects as well.

Adopting a vigilant mindset and prioritizing a solid defense can keep your most valued creatures safe from the deceitful embrace of Traitor’s Roar, allowing you to maintain control of the battlefield and your formidable creatures throughout the game.

Cards like Traitor's Roar

Traitor’s Roar is an intriguing card that can disrupt the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. Its effects can be likened to cards like Act of Treason, which similarly allows a player to gain control of an opponent’s creature for a turn. However, Traitor’s Roar amplifies the mayhem by forcing the usurped creature to fight another target creature under the opponent’s control, potentially removing two threats with one card.

Comparably, Harness by Force also offers the ability to take creatures from your opponent, but it comes with the flexibility to snag multiple creatures at a higher cost. While Traitor’s Roar deals with the creatures then and there, Harness by Force leaves them up for grabs for strategic plays during the combat phase. Following up, there’s Ray of Command, which, despite being an instant, only temporarily borrows a creature without an additional effect, passing up the opportunity to clear out opposing threats.

Each card holds a unique place in the MTG ecosystem with Traitor’s Roar distinguishing itself by combining creature control with direct removal utility. This feature allows players to significantly alter the state of the game, showcasing its potential strength in matchups.

Cards similar to Traitor's Roar by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Traitor's Roar MTG card by a specific set like Shadowmoor, 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 Traitor's Roar and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Traitor's Roar has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2008-05-01	If you use conspire to copy Traitor’s Roar, but you don’t change its target, the copy will resolve just fine but the original doesn’t resolve. That’s because the copy will resolve first, and as part of its resolution, it will tap the targeted creature. Then, when the original Traitor’s Roar tries to resolve, it will have an illegal target (since it must target an untapped creature).