Top 10 Threaten Effects (Card That Steal Creatures For 1 Turn)

[@bluedestiny2710]

Trivia: the first "Threaten" effect was actually a Blue card called "Ray of Command" which came out it Ice Age. While it had ONE unusual function on it that never existed in any other threaten effects (it taps the creature when it is returned... kinda useless considering it goes back BEFORE your opponent's turn... so they untap it anyway. Its only real effect is that the creature gets tapped if your opponent somehow regains control of the creature before effect of the Ray wears off), it is still functionally a threaten effect.

[@mikeoleary5444]

The best thing about Ray of Command is that it's an instant. Way back when Standard was known as Type II (and the game was slower than it is now) RoC was great for a two-for-one when the opponent attacked by stealing one attacker to block another.

[@kennydarmawan13]

You know something's up when the best card is up there because it's so cheap and the restrictions don't matter much.

[@williamdrum9899]

Mostly because eternal formats gravitate towards cheap threats. Also it's an amazing counter against dark depths turbo

[@dorping_Wolf]

zealous conscript saying "permanent" and not creature makes it even more interesting.

[@rafaelcastro.01]

Exactly, you can ult a planeswalker or even steal a land, enchantment etc. Very good.

[@wyldefyr4116]

I used to like using Fling with my threaten effects....take a creature, attack with it, then fling it to kill it and something else....i once eleminated 2 players from a commander game by stealing a huge hamletback giant, attacking a wide open opponent, then flinging it at another player

[@alilhard]

For Kari Zev's expertise there is also the niche of playing it in a Zada edh deck where it's by far one of the best cards there is if you have something that lets you draw in hand (like Renegade tactics). It's pretty hilarious how you can go from 2 cards in hand with 4 mana to 8 cards in hand and cast spells for a total value of 20

[@Alecations]

“Something that lets you draw cards” say any card in a zada deck

[@Living_End]

Song mad treachery actually is apart of the alternate combo in belcher. After you have made infinite mana and infinite regrowths you can make infinite tokens and then you give them haste with song max and you take all their blockers just for safe keepings.

[@demiurge2501]

What’s the infinite mana loop?

[@sandwichboy1268]

Mob Rule is VERY good in commander, where there's always somebody trying to go wide

[@dark_rit]

Surprised insurrection didn't make the list since at least when I played it was used in commander as a big spell that could win the game. The planeswalker threaten seems so bad and out of place here at least to me because 5 mana walkers are usually bad and too slow.

[@williamdrum9899]

In most cases Mob Rule does the same thing but for 2 less mana.

[@jacksun23]

always satisfying to beat opponents with their own creatures

[@kingoberon]

I feel the need to debate Angrath. The list is titled Top 10 Threaten Effects, not top 10 cards with Threaten effects. As such if his threaten ability was rarely used then he isn't really a great threaten card but rather a good card that had a threaten ability which is not the same.

[@thek838]

Insurrection not even on the list though it's a insta win in pretty much any commander game, that people even rule 0 it out.

[@7Alberto7]

Amazing!!!!

[@angst_]

Are Bribery effects Threaten effects? If so: Shout-out to inevitable betrayal. Just something fun for casual play!

[@gabrote42]

They are not, but I LOVE inevitable betrayal vs Emrakul decks

[@angst_]

@@gabrote42 Me, an Emrakul Deck Player: Yikes! *pulls at collar* Don't remind me!

[@gabrote42]

@@angst_ You brought this upon yourself! MWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHahahaha!!

[@Mlkm97]

Top 10 cards that might get restricted in vintage or banned in legacy?

[@jayredharpstudios9672]

Can you do the top 10 Dredge commanders next?

[@kojiroh30]

Shouldn't Insurrection be on this list as it is capable of ending the game and is heavily played in Commander?

[@Calispeedboi]

You missed the Akron war which sees play in pioneer gruul

[@brandonguffey5959]

The first game of legacy i ever won in the first tournament i ever played in i won by using Ray of Command on an opponents platinum angel. back in i wanna say 2007

[@MB-uu3mu]

You totally forgot BLUE. Mind Flayer and Tempted by the Oriq are crucial Threatens in Blue historic. IMHO, Flayer should be in the middle of that top 10.

[@VulcanGray]

I've won games by threatening my own summon-sick creature to swing for lethal

[@melvinshine9841]

Aside from Counter Spells, I guess, what kind of protection do creatures have from being "stolen"? Are there creatures with targeting protection like in Yugioh?

[@gabrote42]

Go to scryfall and search for card with Hexproof. Or search for cards with Shroud

[@pumkinswift8263]

Yes, there are plenty of creatures with protection from being targeted. That's the main relevant form of protection for threatens

[@williamdrum9899]

Hexproof, shroud, ward, protection from red

[@bluedestiny2710]

To add to what others said, Flicker Effects also work. Flicker is an unofficial term players use for "remove target from the game, then return it into play" effects ... which essentially makes the flickered card a "new" copy of the "original" version... and fizzle the spell that was targeting it because it no longer sees the 1st target and wont redirect its target the "new" creature without outside help (i.e a spell like Deflection)

[@gabrote42]

@@bluedestiny2710 Very true. Also Blinking (the same but returns into play at the end of turn) and phasing permanents out (they stop existing until your next untap step)

[@Crescendobro]

Out of curiosity cuz I’ve never played Magic with physical cards how do modal cards work? Like do you just know you’re going to draw it and your opponent just sees it in your hand since it doesn’t have a generic back on the card?

[@JelloPiranha]

When they first introduced modal cards, they also printed marker cards, I believe they were called. They were basically blank proxy cards that had normal card backs. So you'd just write which card it was standing in for, and then when you played the card, you'd grab the real version that you kept off to the side. Nowadays it's basically a rule that all your cards have to be sleeved so you can't tell which card is which based on frays or bends or other significant visual differences. So you just remove the double-faced card from its sleeve and flip it over if you wanna play the back side. I wanna say card sleeves were much less common when they first printed modal cards.

[@Crescendobro]

@@JelloPiranha ah cool, I figured it was something like having a copy of the card with a proper back then side boarding the flippable one but I wasn’t sure

[@ReederMG]

Top 10 Elves

[@Whatevermancer]

Grab the Reins is literally the best of them all and it's not in your video. Conscripts is #2.

[@dark_rit]

Why would it be? It's a mana above the normal threaten rate and to have upside as a burn + removal spell it costs 7. For a single mana more you can get insurrection, which can just win the game on the spot.

[@fernandobanda5734]

"Monsters"

[@ExtraVictory]

The best threaten effect is me to the families of people that say MTG is better than Yu-Gi-Oh

[@qwerty62201]

"monsters" please keep that cringe term to Yu-Gi-Oh thanks

[@machina5]

I'm convinced these are written by Ai They're so redundant and formulaic

[@dark_rit]

There really isn't much of a difference between the two terms and gets the point across.

[@williamdrum9899]

He did yugioh lists for years before he made his mtg channel