Defect

About Defect

Defect, Spell, designed by None first released in September 2026 in the set Skybound Odyssey.

Defect fits best in a slow, mana-rich Lyra control/tempo deck that can exploit temporary control changes to flip a crucial expedition, reuse “when I join” effects, or deny an opponent’s key 4-or-less-cost character at the decisive moment; however, at 6 mana and with Fleeting, it is usually too expensive and narrow for competitive play, since it does nothing against larger characters and only affects the current expedition. There is no universally superior direct replacement because stealing a character is unusual, but cheaper interaction—especially bounce, sleep, or removal effects that disrupt any relevant character—will generally be better in most Lyra lists; play Defect only as a niche one-of or meta call when low-hand-cost, high-impact characters are common, rather than as a staple.