The SavantHow it works & interactions with other cards

A Master Class in Control

The Savant features an activated ability that costs no mana but requires you to exile the card itself. Upon activation, it taps every creature currently controlled by your opponents. Furthermore, it applies a continuous effect that prevents those specific creatures from untapping during their controllers' next untap steps, effectively locking them out of combat and activated abilities that require tapping.

Step-by-Step Resolution

First, you announce the activation and exile The Savant as the cost. The ability then goes on the stack. When it resolves, it checks which creatures your opponents control at that exact moment. All those creatures are tapped simultaneously. The 'freeze' effect—preventing them from untapping—is locked to those specific permanents. If a creature enters the battlefield after this ability has resolved, it will not be affected.

Strategic Considerations

A common mistake is forgetting that this ability only affects creatures controlled by opponents at the time of resolution. If an opponent plays a new creature with Haste later in the turn, that creature will still be able to attack. Additionally, because exiling is part of the cost, opponents cannot respond by destroying The Savant to stop the ability from reaching the stack.

When to Activate

The best time to use The Savant is usually during an opponent's beginning of combat step or at the end of the turn of the player acting immediately before you. This ensures you have a clear path to attack on your own turn while leaving your opponents unable to block or use their creatures for their own offensive maneuvers.

Interaction examples

Setting Up the Mana Base

Command TowerSol Ring

While The Savant does not require mana to exile, you can use Command Tower and Sol Ring to ensure you have the resources to cast other spells during the turn you tap down your opponents' boards. Tapping Command Tower for mana and Sol Ring for two colorless mana allows you to deploy threats while your opponents' creatures are frozen by The Savant.

Protecting Your Assets

Sol Ring

If an opponent attempts to use a creature's ability to destroy your Sol Ring, you can respond by exiling The Savant. This will tap all their creatures, and while it might not stop an ability already on the stack, it prevents them from using any other creatures with tap abilities for the remainder of their turn and the next.