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Countering Wrenn's Resolve: Practical MTG Tactics
Wrenn's Resolve is a nimble red sorcery from March of the Machine that trades speed for threats by exiling the top two cards of your library and granting you permission to play them until the end of your next turn. On the surface, it looks like a cheeky tempo play from a common red card, but the tempo swing can quickly snowball into real advantage for the caster if left unchecked. The card's mana cost is modest at {1}{R}, and its ability to grant play permission from exile adds a twist that can complicate a game plan—especially in formats where both players have a robust toolbox of reactive options. 🧙♂️🔥
What makes this spell tick
Exile the top two cards of your library. Until the end of your next turn, you may play those cards.
Understanding the exact arc of Wrenn's Resolve helps you decide how to counter or survive it. Since the effect exiles cards instead of drawing them, it can deprive an opponent of their next draw step while accelerating their access to two potentially volatile plays. The timing matters: if your opponent resolves it early, you’re looking at a window where they can pressure you with constructed options you didn’t anticipate. In contrast, if you can counter it on the stack, you deny those two exiled cards a chance to enter play entirely. The flavor text—“Even as she burned, Wrenn bent Realmbreaker to her will”—hints at the ruthlessness of tempo in this MOM-era era, where the wheel of risk and reward keeps turning. ⚔️🎨
Direct counterplay: hitting the spell on the stack
The most straightforward way to neutralize Wrenn's Resolve is to counter it while it’s on the stack. If you’re playing in formats that allow blue countermagic, or if you’ve drafted a blue splash, you can respond with a counterspell that matches your cadence and mana availability. Classic options include blue counterspells that counter noncreature spells, such as Negate or Counterspell itself. For players who want more flexible coverage, cards like Disallow or Dovin’s Veto (white-blue) provide broader protection. The key is to keep mana up or time your counterspell for when your opponent taps to cast Wrenn's Resolve, turning their tempo play into a wasted moment. 🧙♂️💎
- Negate or other generic counterspells that target noncreature spells—cost-efficient insurance against the MOM sorcery.
- Disallow or Counterspell variants for flexibility against multiple threats in a blue-heavy plan.
- Mana Leak as a situational but cost-efficient counter if you expect to be short on mana later in the game.
In formats where blue isn’t a primary color for you, the same principle applies: look for any reliable means to prevent the spell from resolving. If countering isn’t an option, you can pivot to disruption that buys time or pressure that widens the gap between you and your opponent’s plan. The core idea is to deny the spell’s value before those two exiled cards have a chance to impact the battlefield. 🧙♂️⚡
What to do if countering isn’t possible right now
If you don’t have an immediate counterspell available, you still have several strategic levers to pull. Wrenn's Resolve tends to reward players who can stay efficient while preserving resources for a clean answer later in the turn cycle. Here are practical avenues you can pursue:
- Apply pressure and go wide: If you’re playing a creature-heavy deck, pressuring quickly can force the Resolve user into a defensive posture. If they’re forced to resolve it anyway, you’ll be well-positioned to answer the next exiled pair with a direct line of playtime and a plan to close the game.
- Preserve your own card advantage: Wrenn's Resolve accelerates two exiled cards for your opponent. Counterbalancing that with your own draw engines and reliable removal helps you stay in the race. Keep dynamic options available—don’t let yourself stall behind a single plan.
- Reserve flexible removal: If you suspect a Resolve sits behind a broader red tempo shell, bring in answers that handle a variety of threats—artifacts, enchantments, and other aggressive plays—so your opponent can’t safely chain spells without risk.
- Force the tempo back: In a race, you want to move in a sequence that makes their exiled cards less impactful. If you can keep the pressure up and threaten a faster clock, they may misstep or overcommit, letting you stabilize and step ahead. 🧙♀️🔥
Deck-building and sideboard angles
When you know Wrenn's Resolve has a seat at the table, your sideboard can adapt to reduce its bite. Here are practical considerations across formats:
- Blue-backed control shells gain access to supplemental counterspells that can target MOM’s cast and broader threats. A well-timed counterspell is often the cleanest deny, especially in formats like Modern or Historic where you expect a lot of instant speed disruption.
- Tempo tools that enhance your own draw tempo or force opponents to spend mana on irrelevant threats can blunt the tempo swing from Resolve. Think draw-disruption and early-game pressure that makes your opponent’s best line less effective.
- Graveyard and recycling motifs are sometimes less relevant here since Wrenn's Resolve exiles, not sends to the graveyard. However, engines that reassemble threats from exile or reuse resources can still shape outcomes later in the game, so plan accordingly.
For players exploring a broader MOM feel, the card’s lore and art—by Viko Menezes—remind us how the Realmbreaker saga fractures and reforms in the flashpoint of a single decision. The tension between risk and reward feels native to red’s wheelhouse, even as thoughtful players reach for a counterspell or a well-timed interaction. The design choice to exile top cards rather than simply draw them preserves a distinct rhythm of play that keeps everybody on their toes. 🎲⚔️
Casual and competitive angles with the MOM environment
In casual Commander or Modern leagues, you’ll see Wrenn's Resolve used as a surgical tempo play that punishes underprepared draws. The card’s color identity—red—means it often shows up in aggressive strategies or in multi-color shells where a quick L-turn tempo swing can decide the game. If you’re building a counterplay plan, it pays to tailor your deck to your local meta: prioritize cheap counter magic, inexpensive countermagic, and a mix of removal that handles not just this spell but the broader set of threats you’re likely to face. And if you happen to be sipping from nostalgia, you’ll appreciate how March of the Machine continues to spark conversations about risk, reward, and the ever-present tug-of-war between drawing and exile. 🧙♂️💎
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