Card

Hostage Taker

Mana cost {2}{U}{B}

Creature — Human Pirate 2/3

When this creature enters, exile another target creature or artifact until this creature leaves the battlefield. You may cast that card for as long as it remains exiled, and mana of any type can be spent to cast that spell.

No bracket restriction: playable from bracket 1. Part of 48 known combos. 8 official rulings.

Commander
Legal
Printing
Rare · XLN · #223
Cheapest printing
€0.19
EDHREC salt
0.61
Color identity
Black, Blue

Scryfall · EDHREC

Bracket

  • B1 Exhibition — allowed: No restriction at this bracket
  • B2 Core — allowed: No restriction at this bracket
  • B3 Upgraded — allowed: No restriction at this bracket
  • B4 Optimized — allowed: No restriction beyond the banned list
  • B5 cEDH — allowed: No restriction beyond the banned list

Why

  • No Game Changer, mass land denial, extra turn, tutor or two-card combo

How Lotus Vault estimates a bracket

Bracket: Lotus Vault analysis, with Commander Spellbook flags

Combos

48 known combos.

Combos: Commander Spellbook

Rulings

  • 2017-09-29 · Wizards of the Coast
    In a multiplayer game, if a player leaves the game, all cards that player owns leave as well. If you leave the game, any spell or permanent cards you control from Hostage Taker's ability are exiled.
  • 2017-09-29 · Wizards of the Coast
    In a multiplayer game, if Hostage Taker's owner leaves the game while the card is still exiled and another player owns that card, the exiled card will return to the battlefield under its owner's control. Because the one-shot effect that returns the card isn't an ability that goes on the stack, it won't cease to exist along with the leaving player's spells and abilities on the stack.
  • 2017-09-29 · Wizards of the Coast
    If it's still in exile, the exiled card returns to the battlefield immediately after Hostage Taker leaves the battlefield. Nothing happens between the two events, including state-based actions.
  • 2017-09-29 · Wizards of the Coast
    If Hostage Taker leaves the battlefield before its triggered ability resolves, the target permanent won't be exiled.
  • 2017-09-29 · Wizards of the Coast
    Hostage Taker has received errata to prevent it from targeting itself. The correct Oracle wording appears above.
  • 2017-09-29 · Wizards of the Coast
    If a token is exiled this way, it will cease to exist and won't return to the battlefield. You can't cast it.
  • 2017-09-29 · Wizards of the Coast
    Once you begin to cast the exiled card, it's considered a new object. You'll control that spell and the permanent that spell becomes even if Hostage Taker leaves the battlefield.
  • 2017-09-29 · Wizards of the Coast
    Auras attached to the exiled permanent will be put into their owners' graveyards. Any Equipment will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled permanent will cease to exist.

Rulings: Scryfall · Wizards of the Coast

Similar cards

Cards with the same role that fit in the same deck.