Steel Sabotage
A counterspell for artifacts that works even
after the artifact has hit play. If it's already
in play, bounce it, and if it's being cast,
counter it. I'd like it even more if it could
somehow recur itself, that way I could bounce an
artifact and counter it on the way back down,
but as it stands I'd need two copies of Steel
Sabotage for that. Even so, this does make a
great answer to artifacts for any blue deck that
can't splash red, green, or white. I expect to
see it in the sideboards, and maybe even the
maindecks, of just about every blue/black deck
to hit the tournament scene in Standard for as
long as it remains in the format.
Anybody who says they don't print powerful blue
spells any more hasn't been reading the new blue
spells' rules text. One mana to counter a
Sundering Titan and evade the sundering effect?
One mana to put a Blightsteel Colossus in a
place it probably didn't come from and might not
be able to come back from? One mana to wreck the
opponent who just went all-in on an Arcbound
Ravager or a cranial-plated Ornithopter with
double-digit power? You bet.
Today's card of the day is Steel Sabotage which
at a cost of a single mana works both
offensively and defensively to control the field
for a Blue mage playing with or against an
artifact deck. It can counter them when
cast, bounce one in play to stall an opponent's
play, be used in response to removal, or to
reset a card with a comes into play effect.
Overall this is a real bargain for the cost when
playing artifacts and worth sideboarding if
facing artifacts as it can counter for less than
other options plus has additional versatility.
In Limited it is assured that every opponent you
will face is using artifacts and that they will
also comprise a healthy portion of your own
deck. If you play Blue the low cost of
this and plentiful uses make this a card that
will almost always have a use that can change
the course of the game and it should be drafted
as removal with high priority.
Welcome to another
Card of the Day review here at Pojo.com! Today
we take a look at Steel Sabotage from Mirrodin
Besieged. Steel Sabotage costs only one blue
mana and has a choice, either you counter target
artifact card, or return target artifact card to
its owners hand.
This is easily one of the best cards out of the new
set, and sure to be a dangerous card for
standard for some time now. The ability to keep
one blue mana and keep a player at bay from
playing some really good cards is just good
strategy. Not many player’s will want to risk so
much mana on a good spell, only to lose it to
Steel Sabotage. Take for instance attempting to
cast Wurmcoil Engine, six mana down the drain at
the cost of only one. And then there is the flip
side of the coin, bouncing an artifact back to
its owners hand, only to possibly set it up to
be countered.
Such a versatile card and it is only common. This card
is sure to be a staple in any standard blue
decks.
