Cogwork Tracker MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact Creature — Dog Construct
Released	2014-06-06
Set symbol
Set name	Conspiracy
Set code	CNS
Power	4
Toughness	4
Number	60
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Alex Horley-Orlandelli

Key Takeaways

Cogwork Tracker’s ability to consistently target opponents can disrupt their strategy and resource management.
Demands trade-offs with its discard and specific mana requirements, which may limit its deck compatibility.
Despite high mana cost, its potential to control battle dynamics makes it a tactical addition to decks.

Text of card

Reveal Cogwork Tracker as you draft it and note the player who passed it to you. Cogwork Tracker attacks each turn if able. Cogwork Tracker attacks a player you noted for cards named Cogwork Tracker each turn if able.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Cogwork Tracker enters the battlefield, it cuts through the clutter by honing in on one target opponent and offering the potential for repeated attacks each turn. This relentless focus provides a built-in strategy for diminishing an opponent’s resources while bolstering your offensive stance.

Resource Acceleration: This card is a perfect fit for artifact-centric decks that benefit from the synergies with other gearworks. It’s not just about the initial deployment; its presence can accelerate your resource control by applying consistent pressure, forcing your rival to divert resources to deal with it, potentially giving you an indirect upper hand.

Instant Speed: While Cogwork Tracker doesn’t operate at instant speed, the way it interacts with the battlefield can create openings for your instant speed spells. As your opponent becomes preoccupied with an aggressive construct like the Tracker, you’re more likely to find that perfect moment to cast those pivotal instants unimpeded.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Cogwork Tracker demands a discard from your hand to unleash its potential on the battlefield. This requirement might leave you in a pinch if your hand is already running on empty, limiting your strategic options.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of Cogwork Tracker is particular, requiring a combination of generic and red mana. This cost structure may not align well with multicolored or colorless decks, narrowing its utility across various deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its cost set on the higher side of the mana curve, Cogwork Tracker can place a significant demand on your resources. For the mana invested, you might find other cards in your arsenal that provide similar or better functions without such a steep investment, making it a less favorable choice in a tight game.

Reasons to Include Cogwork Tracker in Your Collection

Versatility: Cogwork Tracker provides a reliable means of pinpointing and dealing with key threats on the board, making it a suitable addition for multiple formats where pinpoint removal is crucial.

Combo Potential: Its unique pursuit ability allows it to synergize with mechanisms that manipulate opponents’ creature control, integrating well into decks that capitalize on the chase.

Meta-Relevance: In environments teeming with vital legendary creatures, Cogwork Tracker can become a consistent answer to opponents’ strategies and an unexpected game-changer.

How to beat Cogwork Tracker

Cogwork Tracker is a unique creature in the MTG universe that presents a challenge to overcome due to its relentless tracking ability. This artifact creature can become quite a thorn in the side of players who frequently shuffle their library, as Cogwork Tracker will relentlessly chase down the player who most recently searched their library. To outmaneuver this formidable adversary, it’s essential to employ strategies that limit your need to shuffle your deck, thus avoiding becoming the object of its focus.

Moreover, making use of creature removal spells that can handle artifacts or utilizing board wipes to reset the playing field can effectively neutralize the threat of Cogwork Tracker. Counterspells are also a relevant tool, allowing you to prevent Cogwork Tracker from hitting the battlefield in the first place. By staying one step ahead in terms of strategy and being prepared for artifacts with versatile removal options, you can ensure that Cogwork Tracker doesn’t lock onto you, keeping your game plan intact and your creatures safe.

Understanding the dynamics of when and how to engage with creatures like Cogwork Tracker is key to maintaining control of the game and eventually leading you to victory. With the right tactics and timely responses, you can turn this automaton’s unyielding determination into an obstacle that is easily overcome.

Cards like Cogwork Tracker

Cogwork Tracker has carved out its niche in the intricate tapestry of creature cards available in Magic: The Gathering. Its resemblance to fellow artifact creatures like Silent Arbiter is evident, as both influence combat dynamics considerably. Cogwork Tracker demands immediate attention by forcing combat each turn, a trait not shared by Silent Arbiter, which instead restricts the number of attackers and blockers.

Comparatively, the recently introduced Pursued Whale brings a different flavor to forcing opponents’ tactics, creating an environment where the opponent must attack if able. Cogwork Tracker goes a step further by zeroing in on a single opponent, highlighting its singularity in tactical deployment. Then there’s the compelling Predator, Flagship, a card that also manipulates combat but operates from a different angle, offering control over which creatures must block. It’s more flexible but lacks the recurring, automated targeting Cogwork Tracker exhibits.

Through evaluating the subtle variations and the direct impact on gameplay strategies, Cogwork Tracker confirms its worth as a specialized artifact creature that can disrupt opponents’ plans and dictate the flow of battle in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Cogwork Tracker by color, type and mana cost

Krark-Clan Ironworks - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Cogwork Tracker MTG card by a specific set like Conspiracy, 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 Cogwork Tracker and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Cogwork Tracker 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 Cogwork Tracker card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2014-05-29	If the last ability doesn’t apply, you choose which player or planeswalker Cogwork Tracker attacks.
2014-05-29	If the noted player isn’t in the game, Cogwork Tracker’s last ability won’t do anything, although it must still attack each turn if able. This is also true if there is no noted player because Cogwork Tracker was the first card drafted from a booster pack.
2014-05-29	If there are multiple noted players, perhaps because the players on both your left and right passed a Cogwork Tracker to you, you choose which of those players each Cogwork Tracker attacks. If you control more than one, they can each attack a different noted player.
2014-05-29	If your draft is breaking up into multiple games, you and the noted player(s) aren’t required to be in the same game.
2014-05-29	If, during your declare attackers step, Cogwork Tracker is tapped, is affected by a spell or ability that says it can’t attack, or hasn’t been under your control continuously since the turn began (and doesn’t have haste), then it doesn’t attack. If there’s a cost associated with having a creature attack, you’re not forced to pay that cost, so it doesn’t have to attack in that case either.