When you play a card that has great potential, like Ludevic’s Test Subject, it’s sometimes tempting to activate its abilities right away. But remember the saying: “Patience is a virtue.” Or, in Magic terms, “Wait until the latest possible moment before playing anything.” There are a lot of steps and phases that can fly right by players – upkeep, postcombat main phase, end step – but if you recognize that you will receive priority during those times, you can use this to your advantage. While you can activate most abilities at any time during a turn, often the best time to activate an ability is during the opponent’s end step. This is the last step that you normally receive priority before your turn starts and you untap, so if you can produce any mana at this time, it’s good to have a way to spend it – otherwise it’ll go to waste.

During the end step, unlike the main phase, your opponent can’t react to your line of play by casting any sorceries, creatures, artifacts, or enchantments afterward. If you put four counters on Ludevic’s Test Subject during your main phase and pass the turn, then your opponent kills it with Devil’s Play, it can feel terrible to have wasted a turn. But if you put those counters on during the end step, your opponent can’t use Devil’s Play to destroy it before you transform it on your next turn. Your opponent can use Devil’s Play during his or her main phase, but might not want to. If you’ve been keeping your lands untapped waiting to activate the Test Subject, your opponent has to respect the possibility that you might have another possible line of play…like a Dissipate!

Today’s Strategy Tip written by
Jen Wong, Level 1 judge from Irvine, CA