Hostage Taker
Hostage Taker: Creature - Human Pirate, Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander. MTG card printings, market prices, rulings, and format legality on Mana Grove.
- Mana cost
- {2}{U}{B}
- Mana value
- 4
- Type
- Creature - Human Pirate
- Colour identity
- Blue and black (UB)
- Power / toughness
- 2/3
- Rarity
- Rare
- Set
- Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander (OTC)
- Released
- 2024-04-19
- Collector number
- 231
- Artist
- Wayne Reynolds
Build around this card with Grover
About Hostage Taker
Hostage Taker is a Magic: The Gathering card, a rare blue and black creature from Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander (OTC), a Commander product released in April 2024. It is collector number 231 in that set, with art by Wayne Reynolds. It costs {2}{U}{B} (two generic, one blue and one black mana) to cast, for a mana value of 4. It is a 2/3 creature. Its colour identity is blue and black. It is legal in Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Commander, Duel Commander, Oathbreaker, Brawl, Historic, Timeless, Gladiator and Penny Dreadful. It has been printed in 9 sets, from Ixalan (2017) to Mystery Booster 2 (2024). The latest aggregated market price for this printing is $0.35 (normal finish, as of 2026-10-23).
Card text
When this creature enters, exile another target creature or artifact until this creature leaves the battlefield. You may cast that card for as long as it remains exiled, and mana of any type can be spent to cast that spell.
Market price
Latest aggregated market price for the normal finish of this printing: $0.35 (as of 2026-10-23).
The figure covers this printing only; other printings carry their own price on their own page.
Format legality
Legality of Hostage Taker by format. Formats in which it is not legal are not listed.
| Pioneer | Legal |
|---|---|
| Modern | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Duel Commander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Penny Dreadful | Legal |
Other printings of Hostage Taker
Hostage Taker has been printed in 9 sets. The other printings are listed newest first, with the rarity and release year of each.
| Printing | Rarity | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Mystery Booster 2 (MB2) #137 | Rare | 2024 |
| The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC) #271 | Rare | 2023 |
| Tales of Middle-earth Commander (LTC) #268 | Rare | 2023 |
| Double Masters 2022 (2X2) #227 | Rare | 2022 |
| Double Masters 2022 (2X2) #505 | Rare | 2022 |
| Forgotten Realms Commander (AFC) #186 | Rare | 2021 |
| Magic Online Promos (PRM) #69987 | Rare | 2018 |
| Ixalan Promos (PXLN) #223s | Rare | 2017 |
| Ixalan (XLN) #223 | Rare | 2017 |
Official rulings
The 8 most recent official rulings for Hostage Taker, newest first.
- In a multiplayer game, if a player leaves the game, all cards that player owns leave as well. If you leave the game, any spell or permanent cards you control from Hostage Taker's ability are exiled.
- In a multiplayer game, if Hostage Taker's owner leaves the game while the card is still exiled and another player owns that card, the exiled card will return to the battlefield under its owner's control. Because the one-shot effect that returns the card isn't an ability that goes on the stack, it won't cease to exist along with the leaving player's spells and abilities on the stack.
- If it's still in exile, the exiled card returns to the battlefield immediately after Hostage Taker leaves the battlefield. Nothing happens between the two events, including state-based actions.
- If Hostage Taker leaves the battlefield before its triggered ability resolves, the target permanent won't be exiled.
- Hostage Taker has received errata to prevent it from targeting itself. The correct Oracle wording appears above.
- If a token is exiled this way, it will cease to exist and won't return to the battlefield. You can't cast it.
- Once you begin to cast the exiled card, it's considered a new object. You'll control that spell and the permanent that spell becomes even if Hostage Taker leaves the battlefield.
- Auras attached to the exiled permanent will be put into their owners' graveyards. Any Equipment will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled permanent will cease to exist.
Similar cards
Other creature cards with a blue and black colour identity, ranked by how often they appear in Commander decks.