Blitz Automaton MTG Card


Blitz Automaton - The Brothers' War
Mana cost
Converted mana cost7
RarityCommon
TypeArtifact Creature — Construct
Abilities Haste,Prototype
Released2022-11-18
Set symbol
Set nameThe Brothers' War
Set codeBRO
Power 6
Toughness 4
Number158
Frame2015
LayoutPrototype
BorderBlack
Illustred bySimon Dominic

Key Takeaways

  1. Blitz Automaton provides card advantage and can lead to a continuous flow of strategic options.
  2. Its ability to refresh artifacts at instant speed offers unpredictably advantageous plays.
  3. While potent, it requires card discard and specific mana, posing deck-building challenges.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Blitz Automaton MTG card by a specific set like The Brothers' War, 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 Blitz Automaton and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Text of card

Prototype — 3/2 (You may cast this spell with different mana cost, color, and size. It keeps its abilities and types.) Haste

While Urza's machines favored defense, Mishra built his to end the war quickly.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Blitz Automaton is a boon for players seeking card efficiency. By potentially untapping an artifact that generates card draw, it assures a steady flow of options, vital for outmaneuvering opponents.

Resource Acceleration: This clever construct can supercharge your game by refreshing mana rocks or other utility artifacts. It’s like injecting a turbo boost into your resource generation, which can lead to explosive plays and a dominating board presence.

Instant Speed: The true power of Blitz Automaton shines at instant speed, allowing you to adapt on the fly. It can unexpectedly turn the tide during combat or your opponent’s end step, keeping them guessing and you in control.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Blitz Automaton requires you to discard a card which can negatively impact your hand, especially when you are in need of maintaining a variety of options to respond to your opponent’s moves.

Specific Mana Cost: It comes with a stringent mana requirement that makes it less versatile and harder to cast on curve, particularly in multicolor decks that may not consistently produce the necessary mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost that is not insignificant, there are alternative creatures or spells that could potentially provide more value or impact the battlefield at a lower mana investment.


Reasons to Include Blitz Automaton in Your Collection

Versatility: Blitz Automaton offers flexibility in deck building due to its ability to adapt to various game states. This card can be a key player in both aggressive and control-oriented decks with its capacity to serve as both an attacker and defender.

Combo Potential: With its variable power and toughness, Blitz Automaton holds the potential to synergize with numerous MTG mechanics and cards. Deck builders can experiment with ways to modify its attributes and exploit this for powerful interactions.

Meta-Relevance: As meta shifts occur, Blitz Automaton remains a relevant addition. Its ability to function under different conditions makes it a card that can adapt to the evolving competitive landscape, offering strategic depth to your collection.


How to beat

The arrival of Blitz Automaton in the playing field can alter the tide of match-ups. Standing against this artifact creature, one must recognize its strength in versatility and speed. Unlike other artifact creatures that require a sense of buildup, Blitz Automaton presents an immediate threat with its ability to attack as though it had haste if it entered the battlefield this turn.

However, its swiftness can be mitigated. Efficient removal spells are your friend here — consider instant-speed interaction to ensure it never gets a chance to swing. Artifact removal, such as Abrade or Naturalize, can take it off the board before it becomes a bother. In addition, since Blitz Automaton’s strength lies in its on-entry effect, countermagic can be highly effective. Spells like Negate or Essence Scatter can prevent the Automaton from affecting the game state altogether. Plus, don’t overlook the power of board wipes; a well-timed Wrath of God or Damnation cleans the slate, leaving Blitz Automaton as nothing more than a thought.

Ultimately, staying one step ahead ensures that Blitz Automaton’s potential impact is nothing more than a minor hiccup in your strategy. Prompt and precise answers are key to ensure this machine doesn’t blitz its way to victory.


Cards like Blitz Automaton

Blitz Automaton is a unique piece in the vast library of creatures available in Magic: The Gathering. Its mechanized prowess is reminiscent of cards like Arcbound Crusher, which similarly grows more potent as other artifacts come into play. Both creatures share a synergy with artifacts but the Blitz Automaton has the added versatility of being able to redistribute its power counters to other artifacts, leading to more dynamic and potentially game-changing board states.

Another card that echoes the modular theme is Steel Overseer. The Overseer allows players to bolster the strength of their artifact creatures across the board. While Blitz Automaton focuses its resources on individual gains or strategic redistribution, Steel Overseer offers a more harmonious approach to augmentation. The value of these cards shifts depending upon the deck’s strategy and the state of the battlefield, each offering distinct advantages in artifact-centric decks.

When analyzing the Automaton’s place in the myriad of MTG options, its blend of adaptable strength and the counter play provides a compelling choice for players crafting decks around artifacts. It stands out subtly but surely among its metallic peers for its potential explosive turns and tactical flexibility.

Arcbound Crusher - MTG Card versions
Steel Overseer - MTG Card versions
Arcbound Crusher - MTG Card versions
Steel Overseer - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Blitz Automaton by color, type and mana cost

Heavyweight Demolisher - MTG Card versions
Heavyweight Demolisher - MTG Card versions

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Blitz Automaton has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2022-10-14 A prototype card is a colorless card in every zone except the stack or the battlefield, as well as while on the stack or the battlefield if not cast as a prototyped spell. Ignore its alternative characteristics in those cases. For example, while it's in your graveyard, Blitz Automaton is a colorless creature card with mana value 7. It can't be the target of Recommission, a spell that targets an artifact or creature card with mana value 3 or less in your graveyard.
2022-10-14 Casting a prototyped spell isn't the same as casting it for an alternative cost, and an alternative cost may be applied to a spell cast this way. For example, if an effect allows you to cast an artifact card without paying its mana cost, you could either cast Blitz Automaton normally, or as a prototyped spell.
2022-10-14 If an effect copies a prototyped spell, that copy (as well as the token it becomes on the battlefield) will have the same characteristics as the prototyped spell. Similarly, if an effect creates a token that's a copy of a prototyped permanent or causes another permanent to become a copy of it, the copy would have the same characteristics as the prototyped permanent.
2022-10-14 Regardless of how it was cast, a prototype card always has the same name, abilities, types, and so on. Only the mana cost, mana value, color, power, and toughness change depending on whether the card was cast as a prototyped spell.
2022-10-14 The prototype ability functions in any zone that the spell could be cast from. For example, if an effect allows you to cast artifact spells from your graveyard, you could cast a prototyped Blitz Automaton from your graveyard.
2022-10-14 When cast as a prototyped spell, that spell has the mana cost, power, and toughness characteristics shown in its colored, secondary text box rather than the normal values of those characteristics. Its color and mana value are determined by that mana cost. The permanent that spell becomes as it resolves has the same characteristics. If the spell leaves the stack in any other way, or the permanent it becomes leaves the battlefield, it immediately resumes using its normal characteristics.
2022-10-14 When casting a prototyped spell, use only its prototype characteristics to determine whether it's legal to cast it. For example, if Blitz Automaton is exiled with the last ability of Chandra, Dressed to Kill, you would be able to cast it for (because it's a red spell), even though you wouldn't be able to cast it as a colorless spell for its normal cost.