Clay Golem MTG Card

Provides card advantage and board presence, potentially improving card draw and strategy execution. Enables resource acceleration, synergizing with instant speed interactions for strategic flexibility. Necessitates careful mana management and may have a high cost relative to impact and versatility.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact Creature — Golem
Abilities	Monstrosity
Released	2021-07-23
Set symbol
Set name	Forgotten Realms Commander
Set code	AFC
Power	4
Toughness	4
Number	58
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Andrey Kuzinskiy

Text of card

, Roll a d8: Monstrosity X, where X is the result. (If this creature isn't monstrous, put X +1/+1 counters on it and it becomes monstrous.) Berserk — When Clay Golem becomes monstrous, destroy target permanent.

Cards like Clay Golem

Clay Golem dives into the rich repository of creature cards in Magic: The Gathering, reminiscent of fellow constructs like Spined Thopter. While Spined Thopter demands a blend of mana including one Phyrexian mana, Clay Golem operates on a purely colorless mana base. This allows for more flexible deck integration, especially in artifact-centered strategies.

Standing alongside is the Myr Enforcer, another artifact creature that benefits from an affinity for artifacts, potentially reducing its casting cost significantly. Clay Golem doesn’t have an affinity but does have its own cost mitigation through reduced damage from enchantments. This can be especially advantageous in metagames where enchantments are commonplace.

Lastly, we see similarities to Guardian Idol, an artifact that morphs into a creature. While Guardian Idol can serve as both mana ramp and creature, Clay Golem strictly remains on the battlefield as a dependable blocker. Given these comparisons, Clay Golem carves its place in MTG as a versatile and sturdy option for players keen on artifacts and defensive strategies.

Cards similar to Clay Golem by color, type and mana cost

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Clay Golem card can potentially offer card advantage through its ability that may allow you to effectively cycle through your deck, thus getting you closer to finding the key cards you need for your strategy. As a creature, it can also contribute to your board presence, maintaining pressure on your opponent while giving you additional value.

Resource Acceleration: With certain MTG interactions, the Clay Golem might enable resource acceleration. This could be through inherent synergies that allow it to untap lands or generate additional resources, letting you cast more spells or larger threats ahead of the standard curve.

Instant Speed: Although the Clay Golem itself is a creature, it can synergize with cards that operate at instant speed. This allows you to remain flexible with your mana and plays, adapting to your opponent’s actions before committing your valuable golem to the battlefield.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Clay Golem card necessitates the discard of another card, an action that could prove detrimental when your hand is depleted or when each card you hold is vital to your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Summoning this creature requires a precise combination of mana colors, which can occasionally be challenging to gather, especially in a multicolor deck that hinges on mana diversity and flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a significant sum of mana needed to bring the Clay Golem into play, it’s often eclipsed by other creatures or spells that offer greater impact or versatility for a similar, if not lower, resource investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Clay Golem is a flexible addition to any deck looking to beef up its creature lineup. Its generic mana cost means it can seamlessly blend into a variety of color schemes, making it a versatile choice for any player.

Combo Potential: With the right enablers and synergy pieces, Clay Golem can become a linchpin in several powerful combos, enabling strategies that capitalize on creature presence or artifact interactions on the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: In a game that is constantly evolving with new decks and strategies, Clay Golem retains its relevance by being a reliable creature that can adapt to different meta shifts, ensuring it’s a steadfast part of your rotating arsenal.

How to beat

Confronting a Clay Golem card in MTG can be quite daunting, given its formidable strength and toughness. This artifact creature often comes with a challenging set of abilities, making it a tough opponent on the battlefield. To effectively triumph over this golem, it’s crucial to employ strategies that circumvent its inherent power.

One viable approach is to leverage spells that exile or force the player to sacrifice the golem, thereby bypassing its toughness. Additionally, enchantments that restrict the golem’s ability to attack or block can significantly diminish its impact, effectively neutralizing the threat. Spot removal spells also serve as an effective countermeasure, particularly those that can destroy artifacts or direct damage exceeding the golem’s toughness.

Overall, while the Clay Golem’s sheer force may seem overwhelming, strategic planning and the right choice of spells can undoubtedly ensure victory. Understanding the golem’s strengths and weaknesses is key to formulating a battle plan that can handle this hefty artifact creature, making your path to victory much clearer in your MTG gameplay.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Clay Golem MTG card by a specific set like Forgotten Realms 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 Clay Golem and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Clay Golem has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2021-07-23	An ability that tells you to roll a die will also specify what to do with the result of that roll. Most often, this is in the form of a “results table” in the card text.
2021-07-23	An ability that triggers when a creature becomes monstrous won't trigger if that creature isn't on the battlefield when its monstrosity ability resolves.
2021-07-23	An effect that says “choose a target, then roll a d20” or similar still uses the normal process of putting an ability on the stack and resolving it. Choosing targets is part of putting the ability on the stack and rolling the d20 happens later, as the ability resolves.
2021-07-23	Dice are identified by the number of faces each one has. For example, a d20 is a twenty-sided die.
2021-07-23	Dice used must have equally likely outcomes and the roll must be fair. Although physical dice are recommended, digital substitutes are allowed, provided they have the same number of equally likely outcomes as specified in the original roll instruction.
2021-07-23	Monstrous isn't an ability that a creature has. It's just something true about that creature. If the creature stops being a creature or loses its abilities, it will continue to be monstrous.
2021-07-23	Once a creature becomes monstrous, it can't become monstrous again. If the creature is already monstrous when the monstrosity ability resolves, nothing happens. However, because rolling the d8 is part of the cost of activating the ability, if you don't like what you rolled and have another handy, you can respond to the ability by activating the ability again. Good luck!
2021-07-23	Some abilities, like that of Pixie Guide and Barbarian Class, replace rolling a die with rolling extra dice and ignoring the lowest roll. The ignored rolls are not considered for the effect that instructed you to roll a die, and do not cause abilities to trigger. For all intents and purposes, once you determine which dice count, any extra dice were never rolled.
2021-07-23	Some effects instruct you to roll again. This uses the same number and type of dice as the original roll, and that roll will use the same set of possible outcomes.
2021-07-23	Some effects may modify the result of a die roll. This may be part of the instruction to roll a die or it may come from other cards. Anything that references the “result” of a die roll is looking for the result after these modifications. Anything that is looking for the “natural result” is looking for the number shown on the face of the die before these modifications.
2021-07-23	The instruction to roll a die and the effect that occurs because of the result are all part of the same ability. Players do not get the chance to respond to the ability after knowing the result of the roll.
2021-07-23	Tournament events have more specific rules regarding dice and die-rolling. For more information, please see the most recent version of the Magic Tournament Rules at https://wpn.wizards.com/en/document/magic-gathering-tournament-rules.
2021-07-23	While playing Planechase, rolling the planar die will cause any ability that triggers whenever a player rolls one or more dice to trigger. However, any effect that refers to a numerical result will ignore the rolling of the planar die.
2021-07-23	You can activate Clay Golem's first ability even after it has become monstrous. It won't become monstrous again and you won't put any counters on it, but you will roll a die to activate the ability, which may cause abilities of other permanents to trigger.