Kari Zev's Expertise MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Kari Zev’s Expertise facilitates card advantage and resource acceleration, pivotal for maintaining game tempo.
  2. Despite its strengths, the expertise demands strategic planning due to its discard requirement and specific mana cost.
  3. It offers versatility and combo potential, making it a formidable card in the shifting landscape of MTG.

Text of card

Gain control of target creature or Vehicle until end of turn. Untap it. It gains haste until end of turn. You may cast a spell with mana value 2 or less from your hand without paying its mana cost.

"I was made for this!"


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Kari Zev’s Expertise not only allows you to gain control of an opponent’s creature for a turn, but it also provides the added benefit of casting a card with a converted mana cost of 2 or less from your hand without paying its mana cost. This can effectively give you a two-for-one advantage, disrupting your opponent’s board while developing your own.

Resource Acceleration: While Kari Zev’s Expertise itself does not directly produce mana or treasure tokens, the ability to cast an additional card without paying its mana cost effectively acts as resource acceleration. This can dramatically shift the tempo of the game in your favor by utilizing your resources more efficiently.

Instant Speed: Kari Zev’s Expertise is actually a sorcery, so it doesn’t benefit from instant speed flexibility. However, its capacity to seize a crucial moment during your turn can be just as impactful. It allows you to create a significant swing in board presence and momentum, which, when timed correctly, can be a game-changing move.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Kari Zev’s Expertise demands you to forfeit another card in hand, which can be a strategic setback especially when your hand is already dwindling in options.

Specific Mana Cost: Its casting cost is quite rigid, requiring both red and generic mana which might not seamlessly integrate into multicolored or non-red centric decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost on the steeper side, you may find that Kari Zev’s Expertise competes with other cards at the three mana mark, potentially offering a less favorable trade-off between impact and resource expenditure.


Reasons to Include Kari Zev’s Expertise in Your Collection

Versatility: Kari Zev’s Expertise offers a unique blend of board control and play acceleration. It allows you to seize an opponent’s creature for a turn, which can be a game-changer in many situations. Additionally, the free cast of a card with converted mana cost 2 or less can seamlessly fit into numerous deck archetypes, from aggro to combo.

Combo Potential: The ability to cast another spell for free opens up numerous combo possibilities. It can be used to execute a powerful sequence of plays without spending extra mana, potentially turning the tide in your favor by taking advantage of surprise elements and synergies within your deck.

Meta-Relevance: As the game environment fluctuates, having cards that can deal with a variety of threats is crucial. Kari Zev’s Expertise remains relevant as it can temporarily remove blockers or key pieces of your opponent’s strategy, making it a smart addition for maintaining competitiveness in an evolving meta.


How to beat Kari Zev’s Expertise

Kari Zev’s Expertise stands out as a potent card in Magic: The Gathering, largely due to its ability to temporarily steal an opponent’s creature and also cast a card with converted mana cost 2 or less from your hand without paying its mana cost. This dual-action can turn the tide of a game if not addressed promptly. To effectively neutralize this card, a thoughtful approach is critical.

Counterspells like Negate or Dispel are direct methods to prevent Kari Zev’s Expertise from resolving, thereby preserving your board state. Alternatively, playing creatures with hexproof or shroud ensures they remain out of reach. Additionally, cards like Krosan Grip with split-second don’t allow opponents to utilize the casting of a low-cost card Kari Zev’s Expertise grants them, effectively limiting their advantage. Moreover, keeping the number of creatures on your battlefield to a minimum can lessen the impact of this expertise when it does resolve.

Overall, while Kari Zev’s Expertise can be a game-changer, preemptive defense strategies and reactive solutions together form a shield against its potential havoc on the battlefield, maintaining equilibrium in your game plan against such power plays.


BurnMana Recommendations

The battlefield of MTG is a dynamic arena where strategy and opportunity collide. With the insight from our exploration of Kari Zev’s Expertise, it’s clear this card offers both board control leverage and a chance to accelerate your gameplay without extra resource costs. Deliberating on its pros and cons, as well as its comparison to similar cards, we understand the deeper layers of its utility. We encourage advancing your collection to not only prepare for the current meta but also to adapt with agility as the game evolves. Dive deeper with us and refine your deck with Kari Zev’s Expertise to unlock new, potent tactics in your MTG endeavors.


Cards like Kari Zev's Expertise

Kari Zev’s Expertise is a dynamic spell that showcases the versatility of Magic: The Gathering’s ‘Expertise’ series. It resonates with the characteristics of cards like Wrangle and Act of Treason, which also allow players to gain control of creatures temporarily. Nonetheless, Kari Zev’s Expertise shines with its added value – the ability to cast a card with converted mana cost 2 or less from your hand without paying its mana cost after gaining control of a creature.

Examining Hijack, another card with a similar creature control ability, it’s evident that it allows for the temporary commandeering of not only creatures but artifacts as well. However, it lacks the free cast of an additional spell that gives Kari Zev’s Expertise an edge in maximizing a turn’s potential. Captivating Crew extends the creature control theme by creating repeatable effects every turn, offering continued control versus the one-off nature of Kari Zev’s Expertise, yet at the cost of repeated mana investment.

Ultimately, Kari Zev’s Expertise offers a rare blend of creature control and value, making it a distinctive choice among MTG’s temporary creature commandeering spells, marking its place in various strategies that favor immediate impact and cost-efficient plays.

Wrangle - MTG Card versions
Act of Treason - MTG Card versions
Hijack - MTG Card versions
Captivating Crew - MTG Card versions
Wrangle - Aether Revolt (AER)
Act of Treason - Magic 2010 (M10)
Hijack - Kaladesh (KLD)
Captivating Crew - Ixalan Promos (PXLN)

Cards similar to Kari Zev's Expertise by color, type and mana cost

Stone Rain - MTG Card versions
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Stone Rain - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Game of Chaos - Ice Age (ICE)
Evaporate - Homelands (HML)
Pillage - Arena League 2000 (PAL00)
Goblin War Cry - Portal Second Age (P02)
Steam Blast - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Goblin Offensive - Urza's Saga (USG)
Desert Sandstorm - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Arc Lightning - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Search for Survivors - Prophecy (PCY)
Searing Rays - Invasion (INV)
Rupture - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Tundra Fumarole - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Browbeat - Masters 25 (A25)
Anger of the Gods - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Erratic Explosion - Planechase 2012 (PC2)
Threaten - Tenth Edition (10E)
Sizzle - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Hammer of Bogardan - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Panic Attack - Ninth Edition (9ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Kari Zev's Expertise MTG card by a specific set like Aether Revolt Promos and Aether Revolt, 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 Kari Zev's Expertise and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Kari Zev's Expertise Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2017-01-20 and 2020-11-12. Illustrated by Jason Rainville.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12017-01-20Aether Revolt PromosPAER 88s2015normalblackJason Rainville
22017-01-20Aether RevoltAER 882015normalblackJason Rainville
32020-11-12Kaladesh RemasteredKLR 1342015normalblackJason Rainville

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Kari Zev's Expertise has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2017-02-09 A card’s converted mana cost is determined solely by the mana symbols printed in its upper right corner. The converted mana cost is the total amount of mana in that cost, regardless of color. For example, a card with mana cost has converted mana cost 3. Ignore any alternative costs, additional costs, cost increases, or cost reductions that could apply to it. A card with no mana cost has a converted mana cost of 0.
2017-02-09 Any triggered abilities that trigger while performing the Expertise spell’s first effect won’t be put onto the stack until after you’re done casting your free spell. They’re put onto the stack at the same time as any abilities that triggered while casting that spell regardless of the order in which those abilities triggered.
2017-02-09 Effects that allow you to “cast” a card don’t allow you to play a land card.
2017-02-09 If the Expertise spell you cast has any targets, and those targets become illegal before the spell resolves, the spell doesn’t resolve and none of its effects happen. You won’t get to cast a free spell.
2017-02-09 If the card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.
2017-02-09 If you cast a card “without paying its mana cost,” you can’t choose to cast it for any alternative costs, such as emerge costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, such as that of Cathartic Reunion, you must pay those to cast the card.
2017-02-09 Kari Zev’s Expertise can target any creature or Vehicle, even one that you already control or that is already untapped.
2017-02-09 While you’re casting your free spell, the Expertise spell is still on the stack. It will be put into its owner’s graveyard after the free spell is cast. The free spell can’t target the Expertise card in your graveyard. It can target the Expertise spell on the stack, but the Expertise spell will become an illegal target before the free spell resolves.
2017-04-18 The converted mana cost of a split card is determined by the combined mana cost of its two halves. If an expertise spell allows you to cast a split card, you may cast either half or, if that split card has fuse, both halves.

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