Pointed Discussion

I love it! Exile two a/e and then don't play any significant artifacts or enchantments yourself to hopefully make your opponents lives a bit more difficult. What's not to like.

Well, the only downside is that it's sorcery speed. Apart from that it's pretty neat and has an interesting mechanic. Probably best with Brooding Saurian.

I was about to ask if this is in the same precon as Homeward Path, then I realized it doesn't matter that much since the path only leads home creatures, but not acts of autority represented as enchantments - much to the rejoice of Melvin and the dismay of Johnny.

First thought: so it exiles two artifacts or enchantments before you hand it off to someone else? it's okay i guess.

Second thought: OH MY GLOB! ZEDRUU!

Playing not many artifacts or enchantments in your deck seems to me the least fun way to use the card. This card actually both offers you an advantage (lets you kill 2 for everyone else's 1) and offers you a mini-game of Hot-Potato to play. Think carefully before you decide to completely kill it. It might be fun for you let your own deck be totally vulnerable to this spell, but try to outrace people anyway at destroying more cards than them.

Just saying, if you're plan is to cast this and then keep people from ever targeting you with it, both with how you build your deck and with what you want to do....like, either Tranquility or Merciless Eviction are better.

I think this good for a half-net decked EDH deck

supposedly, 'every deck needs'

1. Sol Ring
2. Lightning Greaves
3. Maybe Whispersilk Cloak or Swords of X and Y.
4. Akroma's Memorial or Darksteel Forge

that's a good number of artifacts that should be in 'every deck'.

Well designed. It's card advantage and political; while being pretty nice for casual or a possibly legacy sideboard

Is it possible to respond to the transfer of control trigger by flickering it? or is the exile effect paired with the transfer of control as one whole trigger?

I initially misunderstood this card. It read like an oblivion ring that can keep removing, but then I realized that there is no clause to give the cards back.

Sweet!

And I like that wizards knows that in commander, you should really REMOVE cards, not just destroy them.

at the very least, you can exile one thing. at the very most, your opponents play hot potato with it, tearing each other down without you having to do anything.

One of the most powerful things about this card is the politics. Once you play it, everyone at the table knows that if they play a big target it will get removed on your upkeep. But its balanced enough where you also can't just freely play your things behind it unless you don't want to give it around at all.

I have heard it said that this is strictly worse than Revoke Existence. Magic players overuse the term strictly worse, and often use it incorrectly; if this truly were strictly worse than another removal spell, then in nearly all instances it would be better to run that other spell. Yet this card has political implications many players like, that most removal does not. Act of Authority can also potentially remove multiple threats, unlike Revoke Existence, as it plays well with recursion (e.g., Replenish) and flickering (e.g., Flickerwisp, Sudden Disappearance). And if you can somehow flicker this in response to its second trigger, it will come back, the first ability will trigger and let you exile something again, then the second ability will resolve but not donate this away because the Act of Authority in play is considered a different object in the game from the one whose trigger is attempting to change who controls it. So much more fun to be had with this card than most other removal available; so definitely not "strictly worse" than pretty much any removal spell, even if you don't fancy the political parts of it, since that is optional.

Please be advised that giving it to someone who doesn't like it may lead them to making it exile itself. On a similar note, watch out for Willbender.