Biblioplex Assistant MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Artifact Creature — Gargoyle |
| Abilities | Flying |
| Released | 2021-04-23 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Strixhaven: School of Mages |
| Set code | STX |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 1 |
| Number | 251 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Raoul Vitale |
Text of card
Flying When Biblioplex Assistant enters the battlefield, put up to one target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard on top of your library.
"I appreciate the help, and honestly, it's very entertaining." —Isabough of the Biblioplex
Cards like Biblioplex Assistant
Biblioplex Assistant carves its niche in the realm of artifact creatures within Magic: The Gathering. It elicits comparisons with card-filtering artifacts like Millikin, which shares the ability to manipulate the library while generating mana, albeit at the cost of exiling the top card of your library. While Biblioplex Assistant does not provide mana, it offers the advantage of recursion, fetching a card from the graveyard to the top of the library, a strategic boon for setting up subsequent draws.
In the sphere of creature-based library manipulation, there’s also Arcanis the Omnipotent. While this legendary creature doesn’t impact the library directly like Biblioplex Assistant, it acts as a formidable draw engine, capable of drawing you three cards with its activated ability. Arcanis, however, demands a greater mana investment and leaves less room for immediate board influence compared to the prompt library set-up afforded by Biblioplex Assistant upon entering the battlefield.
Thus, while other cards may excel in raw card draw or mana generation, Biblioplex Assistant offers a unique flexibility for players seeking to sculpt their draws and reclaim key cards from their graveyard. Its presence in a deck ensures strategic depth, shaping the course of the game with careful graveyard management and library manipulation.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Biblioplex Assistant plays a crucial role in library manipulation and deck efficiency. By enabling you to look at the top three cards of your library and put one into your hand, it effectively sifts through your deck to impart a strategic edge. This action not only serves to provide you with options but also aligns future draws with your tactical needs, offering a solid boost in card advantage that can define the pace of the game.
Resource Acceleration: Its ability to also drop off two cards into your graveyard is a hidden gem for strategies looking to capitalize on graveyard resources. In environments where casting spells from the graveyard or benefiting from graveyard synergies play a part, the Biblioplex Assistant serves as a versatile enabler, subtly accelerating your resource availability and expanding your strategic plays without demanding additional mana costs or complex setups.
Instant Speed: The capacity to perform this action at instant speed is a substantial boon for players. With this aspect of functionality, the Biblioplex Assistant becomes a utility tool for reactive playstyles. It empowers you to maximize your mana each turn, keeping opponents guessing while you’re equipped to adapt swiftly to their moves. Whether used during the end step of your opponent’s turn or in response to an action, it ensures your resources are optimally allocated and your strategy unfurling effectively as the game progresses.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Biblioplex Assistant asks players to discard a card in order to activate its ability. When you’re strapped for cards in hand, this cost can feel steep, as each card represents valuable potential in the game of Magic.
Specific Mana Cost: Casting this spell requires both blue and colorless mana, which restricts its integration exclusively to decks that can comfortably support a blue mana base. This necessity limits deck-building flexibility and may require extensive mana fixing to accommodate.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that is on the higher side for its effect, there are alternative spells or creatures that might provide similar utility for a lower investment. This can be especially pertinent in faster-paced games where efficiency is key to outpacing opponents.
Reasons to Include Biblioplex Assistant in Your Collection
Versatility: Biblioplex Assistant offers a unique blend of library manipulation and recursion, making it a suitable addition to various deck archetypes. Its ability to reorder the top of the library is beneficial for strategies that rely on deck stacking or setting up the next draw.
Combo Potential: With its artifact synergies, this card can slot seamlessly into artifact-centric combos, reusing enter-the-battlefield effects or recurring key pieces from the graveyard to the battlefield, thus enabling repeatable interactions.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where control decks may dictate the pace, Biblioplex Assistant shines by providing players the ability to fetch answers or threats that can turn the tide. It becomes a tactical tool for maintaining relevance against ever-evolving competitive decks.
How to beat
Biblioplex Assistant is a unique component for deck builders in the realm of Magic: The Gathering who are looking to delve into their libraries for answers. As a creature with a knack for fetching sorcery and instant spells from the graveyard, it stands as a tricky adversary to face. Getting past this card requires a strategy that mitigates its usefulness in recurring valuable spells.
One effective strategy is to implement graveyard disruption. Cards like Tormod’s Crypt or Bojuka Bog, which exile a player’s graveyard, can render the Biblioplex Assistant’s ability redundant by removing the target spells it aims to recover. Another tactic is to use creature removal before the Biblioplex Assistant can activate its ability. Quick removal spells like Fatal Push or Path to Exile ensure that the Assistant doesn’t stick around long enough to provide any value.
Overall, countering Biblioplex Assistant is about timing and maintaining control over the graveyard. By preventing the opponent from fully utilizing the Assistant’s capabilities, you can effectively neutralize its impact on the game and maintain dominance on the battlefield.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Biblioplex Assistant MTG card by a specific set like Strixhaven: School of Mages, 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 Biblioplex Assistant 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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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Biblioplex Assistant has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |