"Consulate Crackdown:Stop Gap "

"Consulate Crackdown:Stop Gap "

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

With all the artifacts running wild in standard like Smuggler's Copter , Aetherwork's Marvel and Metalwork Colossus , Consulate Crackdown seems like a great solution to all of your metal woes. However will this card be able to help you in time? Consider the fact that Aetherwork's Marvel has the consistent activations occurring on turn 4 , the Smugglers copter aggressively attacking and reducing your life before it comes online or the Metalwork Colossus coming out before you cast it. 5 mana seems like a big cost for an enchantment board sweeper that could possibly be reversed by a Naturalize. 

And of course after a board sweep there is a big possibility that artifact decks can recover or not be affected at all that much. The enchantment only targets artifacts. While it means that the Metalwork Colossus won't come out as fast because of all the non-creature artifacts that might be gone , if a player casts an Elder Deep fiend in response to the Consulate Crackdown you'd still have to contend with an angry Eldrazi Octopus. With Smuggler's copter decks all of these creatures crewing it on the early turns are still on the battlefield and could then attack you. With Atherwork's Marvel you just have to hope that it hasn't Cast an Ulamog first. 

Of course Consulate Crackdown may not be as fast or as effective in Standard but it will be really welcome in EDH. I mean all of those rocks and other menacing artifacts take out in one turn. I have a friend who has an Arcum EDH Deck that might be dreading this particular card already.