Edifice of Authority

The first activation is a single-target Fog stapled to a counter: spend a mana, tap the artifact, and one attacker sits out this turn. The brick counter is the wrinkle that turns a repeatable speed bump into an engine. Every use leaves a brick behind, and at three the second mode unlocks: a much harder lock that pins one creature off attack and block and shuts off its activated abilities until your next turn. This is a charge-up artifact wearing the clothes of a defensive utility piece, and the design problem it resolves is how to price a recurring control effect that escalates. You pay the early turns in tempo (one creature neutralized at a time) to earn a stronger, longer-lasting answer later. Because the second ability reads "until your next turn," it covers the opponent's whole upcoming turn rather than just the immediate combat step, which is what justifies gating it behind three bricks. It rewards a patient, grinding board where you have time to stack counters before the game is decided, and it does nothing wasted if the game ends first. The catch is exactly its strength: this is a recurring artifact-based lockdown, so the moment it starts mattering it becomes a prime target for any artifact removal in the room. The engine is only as durable as your ability to keep the artifact on the battlefield long enough for the bricks to add up.