Arm-Mounted Anchor MTG Card

Draws more cards for powerful plays; crucial in long matches. Instant speed use adds flexibility in changing game dynamics. Discard requirement and specific mana cost provide deck-building challenge.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeArtifact — Equipment
Abilities Equip

Text of card

Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has menace. Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, draw two cards. Then discard two cards unless you discard a Pirate card. Equip . This ability costs less to activate if you have one or fewer cards in hand.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Arm-Mounted Anchor card offers a strategic edge by potentially drawing you into more powerful cards and options, crucial for turning the tides in prolonged matches.

Resource Acceleration: This card is designed to ramp up your resources, setting the stage for casting high-impact spells sooner and efficiently utilizing your deck’s potential.

Instant Speed: Its ability to be played at instant speed grants flexibility, allowing you to adapt swiftly to the battlefield’s ever-changing dynamics without sacrificing the momentum of your strategy.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Arm-Mounted Anchor card enforces a discard condition upon use, which can put you at a disadvantage when your hand size is already diminished. This makes strategizing your plays to maintain card advantage more challenging.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s mana cost necessitates a particular blend of colors, limiting its integration to decks that can accommodate such a cost. For players running multi-colored decks not aligned with this mana specification, including this card could disrupt their mana curve and overall deck synergy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that is on the higher side for its effects, players may find that there are alternative options available which perform similar functions at a lower cost. This may deter players from choosing the Arm-Mounted Anchor, especially in formats where mana efficiency is paramount to a deck’s success.

Reasons to Include Arm-Mounted Anchor in Your Collection

Versatility: Arm-Mounted Anchor shines in its utility across a variety of deck builds. It can serve multiple roles – from disrupting opponent’s strategies with its equipment function to being a lynchpin in decks focused on artifacts or voltron strategies.

Combo Potential: This card opens up doors for numerous combo opportunities. Its ability to attach to creatures can activate synergies with cards that benefit from equipment or when creatures become tapped or untapped, making it a powerful tool in the right setting.

Meta-Relevance: Given the ever-shifting landscape of the game, Arm-Mounted Anchor holds its ground by fitting into decks tailored to combat prevalent archetypes. Its flexibility can provide answers to threats or enhance offensive capabilities, making it a solid choice in many environments.

How to beat

The Arm-Mounted Anchor is an artifact that’s been making waves in Magic: The Gathering. Its capability to render a player’s spells uncounterable by sacrificing the artifact can be a game-changer in matches, especially when you’re up against decks heavy on control. Navigating around its effect can be pivotal in securing victory. Ensuring you have ample removal for artifacts, such as Naturalize or Disenchant at the ready, can prevent this anchor from becoming an unassailable advantage.

Timing is critical here, as you’d prefer to dismantle it before your opponent can make crucial plays. Moreover, including versatile counterspells that work on nonspell abilities, like Stifle, offers a way to counteract the anchor’s activation itself. It’s also worth examining strategies that put less emphasis on countering and more on proactive plays that shape the battlefield to your advantage. Agile creatures, efficient removal, or even hand disruption can all pivot focus away from the anchor’s ability to dictate the flow of the game.

By adopting a mix of artifact removal, strategic counterspells, and preemptive actions, you can effectively render the Arm-Mounted Anchor less of a threat and maintain control of the game’s direction and flow.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Arm-Mounted Anchor MTG card by a specific set like The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander and The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander, 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 Arm-Mounted Anchor and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Arm-Mounted Anchor Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2023-11-17 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by Nino Vecia.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12023-11-17The Lost Caverns of Ixalan CommanderLCC 672015NormalBlackNino Vecia
22023-11-17The Lost Caverns of Ixalan CommanderLCC 992015NormalBlackNino Vecia

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Arm-Mounted Anchor has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Arm-Mounted Anchor card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2023-11-10 You can discard either one Pirate card or two cards which may or may not be Pirates. If you really want to, you can discard two Pirate cards. (Admiral Brass will remember this.)