Let’s look at some game changers! I’ve got some mixed feelings about WotC’s definition of these powerful cards. They’re staples of the format, and they’re undeniably powerful, but the Game Changer categorisation has the potential to stigmatise their use.
Or does it?
It may well be the case for some groups that by identifying and admitting the power of these cards and defining how many one can include in a deck of a specific tier, it actually gives tacit permission for their use. Go figure.
Whichever way you see it, it’s worth knowing what these cards do. Today, let’s look at Opposition Agent!
In a format where searching your library is almost as common as playing a land, Opposition Agent doesn’t just punish; it steals. Introduced in Commander Legends, this rogue with flash has become a boogeyman at casual tables and a powerhouse in more competitive pods. But what makes it so feared, and is the hate justified?
Let’s remind ourselves of the card text:
Flash
You control your opponents while they’re searching their libraries.
While an opponent is searching their library, they exile each card they find. You may play those cards for as long as they remain exiled, and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast them.
Admittedly, the text might not be the clearest of card descriptions. In short: if your opponent casts a tutor or cracks a fetch land, you can flash in Opposition Agent and search their deck instead, exiling the card they wanted and letting you play it with your own mana.
Okay, that actually is a pretty unique effect! What makes it so good, though?
- It Weaponises Tutors: Cards like Demonic Tutor, Fetch Lands, or Green Sun’s Zenith become liabilities. You don’t just lose tempo; you lose your card entirely.
- It’s a Flash Threat: Because it has flash, it can be held up like a counterspell, forcing opponents to play around it or risk disaster.
- It Locks Down Search Effects: Once it’s on the battlefield, all opponents’ search effects are effectively shut off until it’s removed.
- It Creates Blowouts: Flashing it in response to a tutor can swing the game, especially if you steal a combo piece or ramp spell.
Those are all significant strengths. With those factors in mind, it becomes pretty understandable that many criticise Opposition Agent for being too powerful or unfun to play against. Some common complaints include that this card is:
- Unfun to lose to: Getting your tutor hijacked just feels worse than having it countered.
- Punishing to budget decks: Many rely on tutors and fetches to smooth out gameplay.
- Restrictive for ramp: A lot of ramp, particularly in green, involves searching one’s deck for a land card. Not any more!
- Hard to predict: Unlike stax pieces that sit on the board, Opposition Agent punishes you mid-action, often with no warning.
Yet others argue it’s a necessary check on tutor-heavy metas and a clever piece of interaction that rewards timing and bluffing. I appreciate that a lot.
As with any of these game changers, there’s always scope to play around it. After all, you can’t win a game with a single card. Here are a few options for tackling that pesky Opposition Agent:
- Bait It Out: Do you suspect it’s sitting in your opponent’s hand? Use a less important tutor to draw it out before casting your key spell.
- Avoid Searching: Lean on draw spells or effects that don’t involve your library.
- Pack Removal: Instant-speed answers like Swords to Plowshares or Abrupt Decay can clear the Agent before it wrecks your plans.
When it comes right down to it, Opposition Agent is a game-changer not because it wins the game outright, but because it redefines how players interact with one of Magic’s most fundamental mechanics. You might love it for its clever disruption or you could very well loathe it for its feel-bad moments, but it’s a card that demands respect. and which and reshapes the table the moment it hits the stack.
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