Press for Answers MTG Card

Press for Answers - Shadows over Innistrad (SOI)

Shadows over Innistrad (SOI)
2016-04-08 - Number 80

Press for Answers - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)

Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
2022-12-02 - Number 337

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery
Abilities	Investigate

Key Takeaways

Press for Answers provides card draw potential through clue tokens, promoting resource advantage.
Instant speed utility lets you optimize timing for creature control.
Demands strategic deck building due to specific mana requirements and potential hand depletion.

Text of card

Tap target creature. It doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step. Investigate. (Put a colorless Clue artifact token onto the battlefield with ", Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.")

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Press for Answers ensures you stay ahead in the game by granting you the ability to investigate. This ability allows you to later pay two mana to draw a card, thereby maintaining or expanding your hand resources.

Resource Acceleration: Though not directly producing mana or treasure, the clue token generated can lead to accelerated plays in subsequent turns. By drawing into additional resources or key spells, you can effectively quicken your pace in the game.

Instant Speed: The instant speed flexibility of Press for Answers is a tactical asset. It allows you to wait until the most opportune moment during your opponent’s turn to tap their creature and gain a clue token, without having to commit to it on your own turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To activate Press for Answers’s ability, discarding a card is mandatory, which could deplete your hand if you’re already struggling with card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s cost includes blue mana, necessitating a deck that supports blue or a diversified mana base that might affect consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Press for Answers demands two mana for its temporary freezing effect and clue token generation. When considering other control options, you might find more effective spells at a lower cost bracket.

Reasons to Include Press for Answers in Your Collection

Versatility: Press for Answers is a card that brings utility to numerous deck archetypes, offering a way to tap down threatening creatures and draw a card all in one low-cost spell.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with investigate mechanics or decks that capitalize on drawing cards, and it can also enable delirium by putting a Clue token on the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where tempo plays are crucial, Press for Answers allows players to maintain momentum, potentially disrupting opponent strategies while furthering their own card advantage.

How to beat

Press for Answers is a unique utility spell in Magic: The Gathering, known for its investigative gameplay. Its primary strength lies in the ability to tap a creature and render it unable to attack for a turn, while also granting the player a Clue token, which can be sacrificed for card advantage later on. When faced with Press for Answers, it’s essential to understand both the timing of this sorcery and how to mitigate its effects.

One effective strategy is to utilize instant-speed removal or bounce effects in response, clearing the path for your own creatures to attack without hindrance or resetting the target to eliminate the tap effect. Enhancing your deck with hexproof or protection abilities can safeguard your key creatures against such control spells. Additionally, focusing on untapping mechanisms or abilities that grant vigilance can help maintain offensive and defensive capabilities despite the temporary lockdown.

Ultimately, by prioritizing cards that offer versatile responses and maintaining an awareness of your opponent’s potential plays, you can effectively navigate around Press for Answers and sustain your board presence and momentum in the game.

Cards like Press for Answers

Press for Answers distinguishes itself in Magic: The Gathering repertoire of delay tactics. When looking at its peers, we see Frost Breath, which also manipulates the battlefield by freezing assets – in Frost Breath’s case, two creatures. While Frost Breath lacks the clue token generation of Press for Answers, it compensates with immediate, albeit temporary, shutdown of potentially more threats. This encourages strategic plays during the opponent’s crucial attack phases.

Another comparison can be drawn to Blinding Beam, which can halt creatures in their tracks and, with its entwine cost, even deny them the chance to untap next turn. This can be a game-changer in pivotal moments, offering a stark contrast to Press for Answers’ single-target approach and its investigative upside of a clue token. Blind Beam is a multi-faceted card and can sometimes give you the edge of a semi-permanent solution against formidable creatures.

To sum up, Press for Answers finds its niche among Magic: The Gathering stalling strategies, blending the immediate benefit of tapping a problem creature with the long-term value of clue-driven card advantage. It’s this hybrid nature that gives it a unique spot in strategies that favor pacing the game and gathering resources for the decisive moments ahead.

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Press for Answers MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad and Jumpstart 2022, 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 Press for Answers and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Press for Answers Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-04-08 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Steve Prescott.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2016-04-08	Shadows over Innistrad	SOI		80	2015	Normal	Black	Steve Prescott
2	2022-12-02	Jumpstart 2022	J22		337	2015	Normal	Black	Steve Prescott

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Press for Answers has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2016-04-08	If you sacrifice a Clue for another card’s cost or effect, such as that of Angelic Purge or Tamiyo’s Journal, you can’t also pay and sacrifice it to draw a card.
2016-04-08	The token is named Clue and has the artifact subtype Clue. Clue isn’t a creature type.
2016-04-08	The tokens are normal artifacts. For example, they can be sacrificed to cast Angelic Purge or targeted by Root Out.
2016-04-08	You can’t cast a spell without choosing legal targets. If all of those targets become illegal, the spell doesn’t resolve and you won’t investigate.