Aplan Mortarium MTG Card
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Plane — Alfava Metraxis |
| Abilities | Byzantium Radiation, Vigilance |
| Released | 2023-10-13 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Doctor Who |
| Set code | WHO |
| Number | 568 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Planar |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Helge C. Balzer |
Text of card
Byzantium Radiation — At the beginning of your upkeep, put an exposure counter on Aplan Mortarium. Then you lose life equal to the number of exposure counters on it. Whenever chaos ensues, create two 2/2 black Alien Angel artifact creature tokens with first strike, vigilance, and "Whenever an opponent casts a creature spell, this permanent isn't a creature until end of turn."
Cards like Aplan Mortarium
Aplan Mortarium enters the enchanting world of Magic the Gathering as a unique artifact, paralleled by other intriguing pieces like Mimic Vat. With Mimic Vat, players can exile a creature and create its token copy, whereas Aplan Mortarium leans toward providing an ongoing advantage by allowing the retrieval of permanents from the graveyard to the hand, albeit at a slower pace and with additional cost.
Another comparable item is Elixir of Immortality, which provides graveyard shuffling into a player’s library paired with a nominal increase in life. While it doesn’t grant the direct return of a card like Aplan Mortarium, it does offer a reset for the player’s deck. On the artifact curve, there’s also Skullclamp, offering a different utility by trading creatures’ lives for card draw. Rather than reusing cards from the graveyard, Skullclamp facilitates a more aggressive draw strategy.
Ultimately, Aplan Mortarium captures a niche by offering gradual yet targeted retrieval of key cards, enhancing strategies based around specific permanents. It doesn’t replicate the immediate impact of Mimic Vat or Skullclamp or the full-deck refresh of Elixir of Immortality, but it guarantees a certain card return, pivotal for long-term strategic plays in Magic the Gathering.
Cards similar to Aplan Mortarium by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Aplan Mortarium card offers you the capability to manipulate the battlefield to your advantage. By providing selective drawing options, you maintain a strategic upper hand, ensuring you’re never without resources or options.
Resource Acceleration: This formidable card serves as an engine for resource acceleration. By refining your mana pool and providing access to essential spells when you need them most, Aplan Mortarium helps you outpace your opponents with ease.
Instant Speed: The power to act at instant speed with Aplan Mortarium can be a gamechanger. This trait allows you to adapt to the evolving game state, surprise adversaries, and optimize your plays without skipping a beat during crucial moments.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Aplan Mortarium card presents a challenge by requiring players to discard another card as part of its activation cost. This act can sometimes backfire, especially when the player’s hand is depleting, and every card holds crucial value for upcoming strategies or defenses.
Specific Mana Cost: Designed with a particular mana combination to cast, Aplan Mortarium may not fit seamlessly into every deck archetype. Decks that don’t run its requisite colors will find this card irrelevant, thus restricting its versatility across different types of play styles and deck builds.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Given its mana requirements, Aplan Mortarium sits at a higher point on the mana curve. When evaluating the card’s potential impact against its casting cost, players might hesitate, realizing that there are alternative cards which could either offer more value or demand less resource investment for a similar or even better effect.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Aplan Mortarium offers flexible deck integration, being a prime choice for decks that capitalize on graveyard manipulation or sacrifice mechanics, as it allows for a seamless flow of the game strategy.
Combo Potential: This card can serve as a vital cog in unlocking powerful synergies, particularly with other cards that thrive on the act of sacrificing creatures or artifacts, thereby escalating its value in combo-oriented decks.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where adaptability can significantly sway the tides, Aplan Mortarium’s relevance grows as it provides an ample response to decks that rely heavily on their graveyard resources, thus positioning it as a strategic sideboard choice or even a mainboard staple depending on the current meta.
How to beat
Aplan Mortarium is a unique card that has been making waves among MTG players. This potent tool can impact the board significantly by shuffling creatures back into the library. So, how do you gain the upper hand against such a card? The key lies in flexibility and foresight. Adapt your strategy by utilizing instant speed spells that can save your important creatures before they get caught in the Mortarium’s shuffle.
Counterplay can also be a powerful strategy against Aplan Mortarium. Holding onto counterspells like Negate or Dovin’s Veto can be effective to prevent Aplan Mortarium from being played in the first place. Additionally, graveyard-based strategies can benefit you by giving your creatures a place to thrive away from the threat of being returned to your library.
Ultimately, it’s about understanding Aplan Mortarium’s timing and finding the best moments to deploy your responses. Keeping the pressure on the opponent by consistently presenting threats can also divert their attention, and resources, away from utilizing Aplan Mortarium’s ability, granting you more control over the game state.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Aplan Mortarium MTG card by a specific set like Doctor Who, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.
For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.
Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.
Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Aplan Mortarium and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Aplan Mortarium card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2023-10-13 | As the triggered ability of the Alien Angel token resolves, it continues to be an artifact but will stop being both an Alien and an Angel until it becomes a creature again. |
| 2023-10-13 | If an opponent casts a creature spell with flash while the token is attacking or blocking, the token is removed from combat because it stops being a creature. However, any creatures that it was blocking are still considered blocked. |
Guide to Vigilance card ability
In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.