Assembly-Worker MTG Card
2006-10-06 - Number 248
2018-03-16 - Number 221
2021-03-19 - Number 14
2022-12-02 - Number 755
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Artifact Creature — Assembly-Worker |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Text of card
: Target Assembly-Worker gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
With their factories long destroyed, some of Mishra's creations still toil in remote areas, endlessly performing and reperforming their last orders.
Cards like Assembly-Worker
When players think of utility creatures in Magic: The Gathering, Assembly-Worker strikes a figure as both practical and synergistic. This card echoes the characteristics of cards like Myr Sire, which provides additional board presence upon departure. Assembly-Worker offers a consistent yet unique tactical advantage, enabling you to search your deck for any card with the same name, thus maintaining a steady stream of utility on the battlefield.
Let’s bring into focus Self-Assembler, another creature that searches for a copy of itself when it enters the playing field. While it boasts a larger body compared to Assembly-Worker, it lacks the flexibility of fetching any other Assembly-Worker variant from your deck. There’s also Mishra’s Self-Replicator, a card that multiplies itself upon casting historic spells. However, it requires extra mana to activate this effect, unlike the seamless self-replacement Assembly-Worker provides without additional cost.
Assessing these comparisons, Assembly-Worker distinguishes itself with its innate versatility and its role as a linchpin in decks that capitalize on repetition and specific synergies. This seamless integration into the game flow offers strategic flexibility that is valued in the nuanced gameplay of Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Assembly-Worker by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Assembly-Worker cards often enable interaction with other cards that share its type or theme, efficiently cycling through the deck to find necessary components for your strategy, thus providing a nuanced form of card advantage.
Resource Acceleration: Certain variants of Assembly-Worker cards have synergistic relationships with artifacts, contributing to a steady buildup of resources that may surpass the traditional one land per turn limit, allowing for quicker deployment of more significant threats or answers.
Instant Speed: While Assembly-Worker cards typically operate at sorcery speed due to being creatures, the synergy they enable with instant-speed artifact interactions can be indirectly stapled onto them. This provides a flexible form of gameplay where the cards can impact the board immediately before or after your opponent’s actions.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One notable drawback is the necessity to discard another card from your hand to utilize its abilities fully. This can be particularly taxing when your hand is already depleted, potentially causing a loss in momentum or forcing tough decisions about which resources to sacrifice.
Specific Mana Cost: The Assembly-Worker card demands a precise mana composition for casting. Often requiring colorless mana, its inclusion in a deck can be restrictive, as it necessitates deck-building around specific mana sources, thus limiting its versatility in varied deck archetypes.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Assembly-Worker might offer an interesting synergistic potential with other cards, its mana cost can be viewed as on the higher side for the benefits it confers. In fast-paced games or in environments where efficiency is key, its cost may outweigh its utility, making it a less attractive option compared to cards with lower mana requirements.
Reasons to Include Assembly-Worker Mtg Card in Your Collection
Versatility: Assembly-Worker shines in artifact-centric decks where its ability to boost others of its kind offers a scalable benefit. Its synergy with other cards that utilize similar mechanics allows for inclusion in diverse deck builds.
Combo Potential: This card excels when combined with effects that clone or generate tokens. For instance, coupling it with cards like “Mishra’s Factory” can significantly amplify your field presence, making it a linchpin in some intricate combos.
Meta-Relevance: In metas where artifact strategies dominate, the Assembly-Worker can become an unexpectedly formidable asset. Its contribution to the board state and cohesiveness with other artifacts make it relevant in matches where incremental advantages are key to victory.
How to beat
The Assembly-Worker card presents distinctive synergy options within MTG gameplay, known for its ability to self-replicate and boost the performance of its counterparts. This artifact creature shines in decks focusing on artifact strategies, making it an important piece of the board when successfully deployed. However, to effectively counter this card, one could employ targeted removal such as “Path to Exile” or universal artifact destruction like “Vandalblast.”
Additionally, leveraging graveyard disruption prevents Assembly-Worker from recurring through abilities from cards like “Scrap Trawler,” thus stifling an opponent’s ability to snowball their board presence with these self-replicating units. It’s essential to anticipate and interrupt the synergies early before they become overwhelming. A keen understanding of timing and preemptive action can ensure that the moderate threat posed by an Assembly-Worker doesn’t evolve into a game-ending problem.
By integrating these strategies, along with a mindful watch over your opponent’s artifact activations, one can navigate around and ultimately dismantle the advantages the Assembly-Worker card provides its user, maintaining control over the flow of the game and inhibiting the mechanical uprising of these diligent workers.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Assembly-Worker MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral and Masters 25, 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 Assembly-Worker 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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Printings
The Assembly-Worker Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2006-10-06 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006-10-06 | Time Spiral | TSP | 248 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Chippy | |
| 2 | 2018-03-16 | Masters 25 | A25 | 221 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Chippy | |
| 3 | 2021-03-19 | Time Spiral Remastered | TSR | 14 | 2015 | Token | Black | Mark Tedin | |
| 4 | 2022-12-02 | Jumpstart 2022 | J22 | 755 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Chippy |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Assembly-Worker has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Assembly-Worker card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2018-03-16 | Assembly-Worker’s ability can target any creature with the Assembly-Worker subtype, not only creatures named Assembly-Worker. |