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Moxonomy

Trial // Error

Instant // InstantWhite manaBlue manaBlue manaBlack mana

Each half answers a different problem, and the split is built so neither side is dead weight in a deck wanting all three of its colors. Trial is a combat blowout that reads at instant speed: cast it after blocks are declared and every creature tangling with one target bounces to hand, undoing a multi-creature gang block or freeing an attacker that has been chump-blocked, with the bonus of returning committed creatures their owner has to recast and re-cost. The effect is single-target by design; it untangles one creature's combat, not the whole board, which keeps the tempo swing surgical rather than sweeping. Error is the counterspell that narrows its target on purpose: it stops only multicolored spells, a deliberate restriction that turns the card into a hate piece pointed at gold-heavy decks rather than a generic answer. The pairing is the idea worth studying: the Azorius front tilts toward tempo and combat manipulation while the Dimir reverse tilts toward disruption, and the spread across white, blue, and black is the cost of carrying both tools in one slot. Error's drawback is its precision; against a deck packing no multicolored spells it is a blank, which is exactly the trade the design asks you to weigh when you decide whether two narrow instants beat one card that always does something.

Trial // Error (c16)
C16 · #239uncommon
Pricing
Normal: $0.16
Foil:
Oracle Text

Rules text

Return all creatures blocking or blocked by target creature to their owner's hand. // Counter target multicolored spell.
Legalities

Format Status

Standard
N/A
Pioneer
N/A
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
Legal
Pauper Commander
N/A
Oathbreaker
Legal
Gladiator
N/A
Penny Dreadful
Legal
Duel Commander
Legal
Future Standard
N/A
COMPETITIVEBRAWL
N/A
TLR
Legal
Printings elsewhere

Other printings

1 set
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