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"Find me cards equivalent to: Desertion"

Equivalent cards to Desertion (type: Instant, color: U):

  • Spelljack (also counters any spell and lets you cast it yourself, but higher cost and you cast it, don’t just get it)
  • Gather Specimens (lets you control any creatures that would enter the battlefield that turn)
  • Expropriate (not a counterspell but lets you steal permanents, still blue and control-focused)
  • There are no other exact functional equivalents at instant speed in mono-blue with the same effect, but Desertion is the gold standard for this effect in blue instants.
Found Cards

4 Results

Desertion

Expropriate

Gather Specimens

Spelljack

Desertion #31 Instant

Find Cards Like Desertion

Info

Color:
Identifies:
Cost:
Rarity: Mythic
Converted Cost: 5
Power/Toughness: /
Types:
  • Instant
    • SubTypes:
    Languages:
    Layout:
    Normal
    Rank:
    Saltiness:

    Rules

  • If the spell is not countered (because the spell it targets can't be countered), then this card's ability does not put the card onto the battlefield. The spell continues to resolve as normal.
  • The card is put onto the battlefield, but any effects that check if the original card was "cast from your hand" will not trigger or otherwise consider the card to have been cast from your hand. The card was put onto the battlefield by the effect of Desertion instead.
  • This spell includes a replacement effect. If the target is an artifact or creature spell, it never goes to the graveyard.

    • Prices

    Seller Price
    Manapool 1.35 USD / 4.8 USD
    Cardmarket / 4.75 EUR 2.28 EUR
    Cardkingdom 1.99 USD
    Tcgplayer 2.13 USD / 4.55 USD

    Legalities

    Alchemy Brawl Commander Duel Future Gladiator Historic Legacy Modern Oathbreaker Oldschool Pauper Paupercommander Penny Pioneer Predh Premodern Standard Standardbrawl Timeless Vintage

    Text

    Counter target spell. If an artifact or creature spell is countered this way, put that card onto the battlefield under your control instead of into its owner's graveyard.

    Expropriate #2396 Sorcery

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    Info

    Color:
    Identifies:
    Cost:
    Rarity: Mythic
    Converted Cost: 9
    Power/Toughness: /
    Types:
  • Sorcery
    • SubTypes:
    Languages:
    Layout:
    Normal
    Rank:
    Saltiness:

    Abilities/Keywords

    Rules

  • Because the votes are made in turn order, each player will know the votes of players who voted beforehand.
  • If a creature with an enters-the-battlefield council's dilemma ability leaves the battlefield before that ability resolves, players can still vote for any option that would put +1/+1 counters on that creature, even though—or perhaps especially because—those votes won't generate an effect.
  • No player votes until the spell or ability resolves. Any responses to that spell or ability must be made without knowing the outcome of the vote.
  • Players can't do anything between voting and finishing the resolution of the spell or ability that included the vote.
  • The effects of each council's dilemma ability happen in the stated order. First the vote occurs, then the first effect, and finally the second effect.
  • Unlike the will of the council cards from the original Conspiracy set, where a majority of votes determined what happened, each vote made for a council's dilemma card adds to the ultimate effect.
  • You must vote for one of the available options. You can't abstain.
  • Each player must vote for one of the available options. They can't abstain.
  • No player votes until Expropriate resolves. Any responses to the spell must be made without knowing the outcome of the vote.
  • Votes are cast in turn order, and each player will know the votes of players who voted beforehand.

    • Prices

    Seller Price
    Cardmarket 9.32 EUR
    Cardkingdom 24.99 USD
    Tcgplayer 15.06 USD
    Manapool 15.67 USD

    Legalities

    Alchemy Brawl Commander Duel Future Gladiator Historic Legacy Modern Oathbreaker Oldschool Pauper Paupercommander Penny Pioneer Predh Premodern Standard Standardbrawl Timeless Vintage

    Text

    Council's dilemma — Starting with you, each player votes for time or money. For each time vote, take an extra turn after this one. For each money vote, choose a permanent owned by the voter and gain control of it. Exile Expropriate.

    Gather Specimens #45 Instant

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    Info

    Color:
    Identifies:
    Cost:
    Rarity: Rare
    Converted Cost: 6
    Power/Toughness: /
    Types:
  • Instant
    • SubTypes:
    Languages:
    Layout:
    Normal
    Rank:
    Saltiness:

    Rules

  • Gather Specimens affects both token creatures and nontoken creatures. It affects creatures that would enter by any means. This includes, of course, creature spells that resolve. It also includes creatures put onto the battlefield as a result of a resolving spell (such as Call of the Herd or Zombify), resolving ability (such as Verdant Force's ability or Doomed Necromancer's ability), cost (such as Varchild's War-Riders's cumulative upkeep cost), replacement effect (such as the one created by Words of Wilding), or any other means.
  • Gather Specimens isn't targeted. It affects creatures that would enter under any opponent's control.
  • Gather Specimens won't retroactively change the control of creatures that have already entered that turn.
  • If a creature spell controlled by an opponent would resolve, it resolves, but the creature enters under your control instead of the opponent's control. Choices made when casting that spell (such as whether it was kicked or the value of X in the spell's cost) are remembered. Any "enters" triggered abilities will trigger after the creature is on the battlefield under your control.
  • If the effect that puts a creature onto the battlefield also creates a delayed triggered ability, Gather Specimens doesn't change who controls that ability. In the unearth example above, your opponent controls the ability that exiles the creature at the beginning of the end step. On the other hand, if the effect that puts a creature onto the battlefield grants a triggered ability to the creature (with "gains" or "has"), the player who controls the creature at the time the ability triggers will be the player who controls that ability. For example, if your opponent casts Makeshift Mannequin and you cast Gather Specimens in response, the creature will return to the battlefield under your control with a mannequin counter and it will have the ability "When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it." If the ability triggers, you'll control it, so you'll have to sacrifice the creature.
  • If two or more players have each cast Gather Specimens during the same turn and a creature would enter, the creature's would-be controller (the controller of the creature spell, for example) chooses one of the applicable Gather Specimens to apply. Then the new would-be controller of the creature repeats this process among the remaining Gather Specimens, and so on, until there are no more possible Gather Specimens effects to apply.
  • Some effects that put creatures onto the battlefield continue to affect those creatures later on. Although Gather Specimens changes whose control the creature enters under, the rest of the effect works as normal. For example, if your opponent activates a creature card's unearth ability and you cast Gather Specimens, that creature enters under your control, but the rest of the unearth ability is unchanged. The creature has haste. It's exiled at the beginning of the end step. If it would leave the battlefield, it's exiled instead of being put anywhere else.
  • The Gather Specimens replacement effect is applied before any other replacement effects that would also modify how the creature enters. These are usually worded "as [this creature] enters" or "[this creature] enters with." For example, if your Gather Specimens has resolved, then the following things are true: -- If a creature with devour would enter under an opponent's control, you choose and sacrifice your creatures as it enters under your control. -- If Voice of All would enter under an opponent's control, you choose a color as it enters under your control. -- If Clone would enter under an opponent's control, you choose which creature it copies as it enters under your control. -- If a Wizard would enter under an opponent's control and that player controls Sage of Fables, the Wizard will not enter with a +1/+1 counter on it as it enters under your control. -- If a Wizard would enter under an opponent's control and you control Sage of Fables, the Wizard will enter with a +1/+1 counter on it as it enters under your control.
  • The above procedure means that if two opposing players have each cast Gather Specimens during the same turn and a creature would enter under the control of one of them, it really will enter under that player's control. (The creature would enter under player A's control, so player B's Gather Specimens affects it. Now that creature would enter under player B's control, so player A's Gather Specimens affects it. Each replacement effect has now been used, so the creature will enter under player A's control.)

    • Prices

    Seller Price
    Cardkingdom 1.49 USD / 2.99 USD
    Manapool / 2.66 USD 0.88 USD
    Cardmarket / 2.82 EUR 0.59 EUR
    Tcgplayer / 4.33 USD 1.54 USD

    Legalities

    Alchemy Brawl Commander Duel Future Gladiator Historic Legacy Modern Oathbreaker Oldschool Pauper Paupercommander Penny Pioneer Predh Premodern Standard Standardbrawl Timeless Vintage

    Text

    If a creature would enter the battlefield under an opponent's control this turn, it enters under your control instead.

    Spelljack #51 Instant

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    Info

    Color:
    Identifies:
    Cost:
    Rarity: Rare
    Converted Cost: 6
    Power/Toughness: /
    Types:
  • Instant
    • SubTypes:
    Languages:
    Layout:
    Normal
    Rank:
    Saltiness:

    Rules

  • If you cast an instant or sorcery, it goes to its owner’s graveyard when it resolves.
  • This spell can be used on a spell cast using Flashback.
  • If you use this on an opponent’s spell which has Buyback, you may pay the Buyback cost as you cast it. If you do so, the card will go to its owner’s hand upon resolution. It will not go to your hand, nor to any player’s graveyard.

    • Prices

    Seller Price
    Cardmarket / 11.01 EUR 1.03 EUR
    Manapool 0.96 USD / 5.72 USD
    Tcgplayer / 10.44 USD 1.57 USD
    Cardkingdom / 10.99 USD 2.49 USD

    Legalities

    Alchemy Brawl Commander Duel Future Gladiator Historic Legacy Modern Oathbreaker Oldschool Pauper Paupercommander Penny Pioneer Predh Premodern Standard Standardbrawl Timeless Vintage

    Text

    Counter target spell. If that spell is countered this way, exile it instead of putting it into its owner's graveyard. You may play it without paying its mana cost for as long as it remains exiled. (If it has X in its mana cost, X is 0.)