Golem Artisan MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityUncommon
TypeArtifact Creature — Golem
Power 3
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Golem Artisan transforms mana into combat power, providing a significant advantage in creature-focused decks.
  2. Instant speed activation allows for unexpected combat tricks and strategic flexibility during games.
  3. Mana-intensive abilities may constrain resources, thus requiring careful deck construction to optimize use.

Text of card

: Target artifact creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn. : Target artifact creature gains your choice of flying, trample, or haste until end of turn.

Better living through metallurgy.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Golem Artisan offers a unique type of card advantage by directly enhancing your creatures on the battlefield. Instead of drawing additional cards, it gives you the power to beef up your existing golems, turning even the smallest tokens into substantial threats over time.

Resource Acceleration: While the Golem Artisan itself doesn’t produce mana or tokens, it effectively acts as a resource acceleration tool by allowing you to convert excess mana into tangible on-board advantages. This can be a critical asset in the later stages of the game when you have plenty of lands in play.

Instant Speed: The ability to activate Golem Artisan at instant speed means you can adapt to an ever-changing game state, boosting power or granting evasion abilities such as flying or trample at a moment’s notice. This versatility can catch opponents off guard, turning the tide of combat in your favor without warning.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Despite not having a discard requirement itself, Golem Artisan’s abilities demand a steady stream of mana, which could lead to resource depletion, particularly in decks that don’t specialize in mana ramping.

Specific Mana Cost: Golem Artisan’s deployment requires a specific blend of mana—one colorless and two generic—potentially complicating its casting in multicolor decks that may not always have the right mana available at the needed time.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana and additional costs for each ability activation, Golem Artisan may be less appealing when cheaper creatures or artifact synergy cards provide similar benefits without such heavy investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Golem Artisan presents a significant advantage as it allows you to tweak your creatures’ abilities on the fly, bolstering your board’s combat capabilities or shoring up weaknesses as the game unfolds.

Combo Potential: With the ability to give creatures trample or flying, Golem Artisan synergizes flawlessly with deck themes that want to sneak in as much damage as possible or those that capitalize on specific creature abilities.

Meta-Relevance: Given that creatures with multiple abilities can be the linchpin of various strategies, Golem Artisan’s utility becomes especially relevant in games where creature versatility can outmaneuver singular threat-focused decks.


How to beat Golem Artisan

Golem Artisan presents a unique challenge in Magic: The Gathering due to its capacity to enhance creature abilities on the battlefield. Unlike many creatures that bring value upon entry, Golem Artisan’s power lies in its potential to turn the tide during later stages of the game. This becomes evident through its activated abilities, making it comparably advantageous to cards like Steel Overseer that offer similar boosts without the need for additional mana investment.

To counter this, it’s crucial to disrupt Golem Artisan’s effectiveness early on. Artifact removal spells like Naturalize or Disenchant play a pivotal role, acting as a direct answer to neutralize the threat. Additionally, control decks can rely on counterspells such as Negate to prevent it from ever hitting the table. Creature-based strategies should focus on sizeable blockers or use removal spells like Doom Blade to keep the Artisan from utilizing its ability-enhancing attributes. Key is to address it swiftly, as the longer Golem Artisan remains in play, the more formidable its host creatures become.

Overall, while Golem Artisan can be a formidable opponent, strategic removal and timely interference can ensure that this artifact creature doesn’t dominate the match, maintaining a balanced playing field.


Cards like Golem Artisan

Golem Artisan offers a unique twist on creature enhancement in Magic: The Gathering. Among its peers, it stands out with its ability to both pump up power and toughness and grant crucial keyword abilities like flying or trample. For instance, when looking at the likes of Tower of Fortunes, we see a shift in strategy. Tower of Fortunes delivers card advantage rather than direct creature enhancement but requires a hefty mana investment for activation.

Comparatively, Steel Overseer presents a similar ability to bolster creatures, specifically boosting all artifact creatures under your control with a single tap. Its cost efficiency is notable, though it lacks the versatility of Golem Artisan. Another card to consider is Rusted Relic which becomes a powerful creature itself when metalcraft is achieved. While Rusted Relic can provide offensive presence, it does not offer the same level of adaptability found in Golem Artisan’s multiple options.

Upon analyzing the nuances and strengths of these cards, Golem Artisan proves to hold a unique position. Its ability to dish out game-changing abilities on demand makes it a worthwhile asset in any artifact-centric deck in MTG.

Tower of Fortunes - MTG Card versions
Steel Overseer - MTG Card versions
Rusted Relic - MTG Card versions
Tower of Fortunes - Mirrodin (MRD)
Steel Overseer - Magic 2011 (M11)
Rusted Relic - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)

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

Ring of Renewal - MTG Card versions
Clockwork Avian - MTG Card versions
Gauntlets of Chaos - MTG Card versions
Soldevi Steam Beast - MTG Card versions
Sand Golem - MTG Card versions
Pandora's Box - MTG Card versions
Belbe's Portal - MTG Card versions
Crumbling Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Mind's Eye - MTG Card versions
Horizon Stone - MTG Card versions
The Deck of Many Things - MTG Card versions
Clockwork Vorrac - MTG Card versions
Timesifter - MTG Card versions
Leveler - MTG Card versions
Myr Matrix - MTG Card versions
Dross Golem - MTG Card versions
Razormane Masticore - MTG Card versions
Thran Golem - MTG Card versions
Coat of Arms - MTG Card versions
Clockwork Hydra - MTG Card versions
Ring of Renewal - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Clockwork Avian - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Gauntlets of Chaos - Chronicles (CHR)
Soldevi Steam Beast - Alliances (ALL)
Sand Golem - Mirage (MIR)
Pandora's Box - Astral Cards (PAST)
Belbe's Portal - Nemesis (NEM)
Crumbling Sanctuary - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Mind's Eye - The Brothers' War Retro Artifacts (BRR)
Horizon Stone - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
The Deck of Many Things - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Promos (PAFR)
Clockwork Vorrac - Mirrodin (MRD)
Timesifter - Mirrodin (MRD)
Leveler - Mystery Booster Retail Edition Foils (FMB1)
Myr Matrix - Darksteel (DST)
Dross Golem - Darksteel (DST)
Razormane Masticore - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Thran Golem - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Coat of Arms - The List (PLST)
Clockwork Hydra - Time Spiral (TSP)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Golem Artisan MTG card by a specific set like Scars of Mirrodin and Double Masters, 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 Golem Artisan and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Golem Artisan Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2010-10-01 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Nic Klein.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-10-01Scars of MirrodinSOM 1592003normalblackNic Klein
22020-08-07Double Masters2XM 2582015normalblackNic Klein
32020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 3112015normalblackNic Klein
42022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 7702015normalblackNic Klein

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Golem Artisan has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-08-07 Golem Artisan can be the target of its own abilities.
2020-08-07 You don't choose whether the target artifact creature gains flying, trample, or haste until Golem Artisan's second ability resolves.

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