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Moxonomy

Martial Law

Enchantment2 generic manaWhite manaWhite mana

Most disabling enchantments commit to a single body and never let go: Pacifism, Arrest, and Faith's Fetters each pin one creature for as long as they stay on the battlefield. This one works the opposite way. It binds nothing permanently, instead choosing a fresh victim on each of your upkeeps, so the shackle migrates to whatever has become the most dangerous thing on the other side of the table. That makes it a soft removal spell that never actually removes anything: the targeted creature stays alive, technically present, but can't attack, block, or activate its abilities for a full rotation, and next turn the trigger can pick someone else entirely. Its ceiling is set by the single-target restriction. It only ever neutralizes one creature, and only one your opponent controls, so a developed board strolls past it and a new threat each turn outruns the lone upkeep trigger. Point it at a deck leaning on one expensive finisher or a key mana creature, though, and it becomes a recurring tax the opponent can't pay off without diversifying the board. The keyword it carries was designed to make tempo behave like attrition, handing the controlling player a turn of safety per use; anchoring that one-shot effect to a permanent's upkeep turns a single beat of breathing room into an indefinite one, a controlling white piece that wins by keeping the opponent's best asset asleep indefinitely.

Martial Law (rtr)
RTR · #14rare
Pricing
Normal: $0.16
Foil: $0.32
Oracle Text

Rules text

At the beginning of your upkeep, detain target creature an opponent controls. (Until your next turn, that creature can't attack or block and its activated abilities can't be activated.)
Legalities

Format Status

Standard
N/A
Pioneer
Legal
Modern
Legal
Legacy
Legal
Vintage
Legal
Commander
Legal
Pauper
N/A
Brawl
N/A
Historic
N/A
Alchemy
N/A
Timeless
N/A
Standard Brawl
N/A
More formats
Old School
N/A
Premodern
N/A
PreDH
N/A
Pauper Commander
N/A
Oathbreaker
Legal
Gladiator
N/A
Penny Dreadful
Legal
Duel Commander
Legal
Future Standard
N/A
COMPETITIVEBRAWL
N/A
TLR
N/A
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