Trip Noose MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact
Released	2008-05-02
Set symbol
Set name	Shadowmoor
Set code	SHM
Number	266
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Randy Gallegos

Key Takeaways

Trip Noose provides strategic creature control, tapping adversaries and shaping the battlefield in your favor.
The artifact demands careful resource management but rewards players with powerful board-presence tactics.
Its instant-speed activation offers surprise plays, disrupting opponents and protecting your game plan.

Text of card

, : Tap target creature.

A taut slipknot trigger is the only thing standing between you and standing.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Trip Noose can strategically deny your opponent vital combat phases, indirectly contributing to card advantage by mitigating the effectiveness of your opponent’s creature-based strategies.

Resource Acceleration: While Trip Noose itself does not directly contribute to resource acceleration, the control it provides can maintain your board presence. This allows for your resources to be allocated elsewhere, effectively stretching your mana further as you manage threats.

Instant Speed: The ability to activate Trip Noose at instant speed gives you the flexibility to respond to your opponent’s actions during their turn, keeping them guessing and allowing you to make the most informed decisions with your mana each round.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Trip Noose necessitates a steep discard cost or additional resource to activate its effect. This can be detrimental in gameplay where maintaining card advantage is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: This artifact has an activation cost that requires one generic and one white mana, potentially restricting it to decks that can reliably produce both types of mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Trip Noose provides a unique utility, its cumulative mana cost for both casting and activation could be considered high when compared to other control options available within the game.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Trip Noose offers a unique control aspect for decks that aim to manipulate the battlefield. Its ability to tap a creature can prove invaluable, not only during your turn but also at critical moments during your opponent’s turn.

Combo Potential: As an artifact, Trip Noose can seamlessly integrate into artifact synergy decks, enabling various combos with cards that care about artifacts being tapped or untapped. This can evolve into powerful lockdown strategies that will keep opposing creatures at bay.

Meta-Relevance: In environments that are dominated by creature-based decks, Trip Noose gains significant value. By restricting your opponent’s most dangerous creatures, you can level the playing field and turn the tide in games where board control is essential to victory.

How to beat

Trip Noose stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a nifty artifact that gives players the power to tap a creature for a modest investment of mana. This utility provides strategic control, allowing for the temporary neutralization of potential threats on the battlefield. The versatility of Trip Noose can be a significant obstacle, especially when it locks down key creatures that your strategy depends upon.

To effectively navigate around Trip Noose, one could employ artifact removal spells that are abundant in the sets across MTG. For instance, options such as Naturalize or Disenchant allow players to directly dismantle the Noose, freeing up their creatures for unhampered combat. Another strategy is to overflow the board with numerous creatures, diluting the impact of Trip Noose’s ability to target only one creature at a time. Alternatively, utilizing untap abilities or cards that grant your creatures protection or hexproof can also diminish the controlling grip of Trip Noose.

The key to overcoming the constriction of Trip Noose lies in preparedness and adaptation. Keeping your deck versatile and ready to respond to artifacts ensures that a single Trip Noose won’t snarl up your winning strategy.

Cards like Trip Noose

Trip Noose, a versatile control artifact in Magic: The Gathering, offers players the ability to tap target creatures. It provides a tactical advantage, akin to cards like Icy Manipulator. The Manipulator boasts the same tapping utility, albeit with the flexibility to target any artifact, creature, or land. Nonetheless, Trip Noose distinguishes itself with a lower activation cost, allowing for repeated use without the heavy mana investment.

Another comparable utility is that of Blinding Powder, which, despite not tapping, does prevent creatures from attacking. Blinding Powder requires an equipped creature and a nominal mana payment to dissuade attackers. Trip Noose doesn’t demand a creature to function and has the benefit of being able to prevent multiple threats over time. Marble Statue stands as an option too, with the ability to become tapped itself to disable a potential attacker or blocker. However, it doesn’t provide the same degree of control since it can only affect one creature at a time and requires reactivation each turn.

Each of these cards brings its own strengths to the battlefield, but Trip Noose shines with its straightforward, low-cost utility in managing opponents’ creatures and preserving the tempo of the game.

Cards similar to Trip Noose by color, type and mana cost

Water Gun Balloon Game - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Trip Noose 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 Trip Noose and other MTG cards: