Scholar of the Ages MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost7
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human Wizard
Power 3
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Triggers card advantage by returning up to two instant and/or sorcery cards upon entering the battlefield.
  2. Enables powerful combos and synergy, making it a linchpin in spell recursion strategies.
  3. Demands specific mana costs and careful deckbuilding to minimize potential drawbacks.

Text of card

When Scholar of the Ages enters the battlefield, return up to two target instant and/or sorcery cards from your graveyard to your hand.

"I study the past to find hope for the future."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Scholar of the Ages shines as a beacon of card advantage. When this creature enters the battlefield, you have the opportunity to return up to two instant and/or sorcery cards from your graveyard to your hand. This allows you to reuse powerful spells, potentially turning the tide of the game in your favor by rebuilding your hand with options.

Resource Acceleration: While Scholar of the Ages itself does not directly produce mana or tokens, its ability to retrieve key spells can lead to a form of indirect resource acceleration. By reclaiming ramp spells or other effects that increase your resource pool, you set the stage for more impactful turns and a quicker path to victory.

Instant Speed: Even though Scholar of the Ages is not an instant, it encourages a strategy that makes excellent use of instant speed interactions. By recycling instants from your graveyard, you can hold back mana and play a reactive game, keeping your opponents guessing and responding aptly to their moves. The mere presence of this card in your deck may cause opponents to play more cautiously, knowing that you have the capability to bring back and cast devastating spells at critical moments.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Scholar of the Ages in your deck means you must be prepared to navigate around its functionality that requires an often considerable exchange. While the card offers the advantage of retrieving instants and sorceries from your graveyard, fulfilling its cost demands you to potentially discard other valuable cards, which can be a significant setback especially when your hand is dwindling.

Specific Mana Cost: Scholar of the Ages demands a specific triple blue mana cost within its overall seven mana cost for casting. This strict color requirement can strain the mana base of multicolored decks, making it more challenging to play outside mono-blue or heavily blue-focused decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of seven mana, Scholar of the Ages can be demanding on your resources. In the current gameplay environment where speed and efficiency are paramount, the mana investment for this card could delay critical plays, giving your opponents an opportunity to capitalize on the tempo loss. For players seeking immediate impact on the game state, there might be alternative cards that provide more cost-effective ways to achieve similar effects.


Reasons to Include Scholar of the Ages in Your Collection

Versatility: Scholar of the Ages is a card with a unique capability to return instant or sorcery cards from your graveyard to your hand. This versatility means it’s useful in various strategies that rely on spell recurrence, enhancing decks that leverage casting from the graveyard.

Combo Potential: This card shines when paired with spells that can be played repeatedly. These combos can give players a significant advantage and create powerful turns where multiple spells are cast, leading to game-changing plays.

Meta-Relevance: In a game that’s flush with graveyard-centric play, Scholar of the Ages has a place as a value engine. It’s also beneficial in metas where long games are prevalent, allowing you to outlast opponents with an unending stream of resources.


How to beat

Scholar of the Ages is a powerful utility card in MTG, famous for its ability to return instant and sorcery cards from the graveyard to the player’s hand. Its strength lies in the sheer card advantage it can generate by retrieving valuable spells. But, like every card in the game, there are strategies to minimize its impact.

To effectively counter this card, prioritizing graveyard disruption is key. Employing cards that exile cards from the graveyard, such as Scavenging Ooze or Bojuka Bog, can prevent your opponent from leveraging the Scholar’s ability. Alternatively, removing the Scholar before its ability triggers, using instant-speed removal like Murder or Path to Exile, can be just as effective.

Tempo is also critical. Deploying aggressive creatures early on, can pressure an opponent, making it hard for them to spare seven mana to cast the Scholar. In essence, disrupting graveyard synergies, timely removal, and maintaining a fast-paced game can neutralize the Scholar of the Ages and keep your opponent’s strategy in check.


BurnMana Recommendations

Gleaning the full potential of Scholar of the Ages requires finesse and an aptitude for strategic deck building in MTG. Its ability to fetch spells from the graveyard can be a gamechanger, forging paths to victory through smart recycling of resources. If you’ve been intrigued by the card’s dynamic utility, or seek ways to enhance its performance, our in-depth insights can shine a light on advanced strategies and synergistic pairings. Enhance your MTG experience and ensure your deck is not just a compilation of cards but a well-oiled machine capable of decisive wins. Dive deeper with us and refine your MTG prowess.


Cards like Scholar of the Ages

A deep dive into the blue spells in Magic: The Gathering reveals that Scholar of the Ages stands as an impactful card for retrieving instant and sorcery cards from the graveyard. It invites comparison with Mnemonic Wall, which also allows the return of an instant or sorcery card to its owner’s hand when it enters the battlefield. However, Scholar of the Ages steps ahead by returning up to two such cards, offering a more significant advantage at the cost of a higher mana investment.

Archaeomancer follows suit in this category with a similar ability to Mnemonic Wall, retrieving a single instant or sorcery card upon entry to the battlefield. It distinguishes itself with a lower cost and a creature type that benefits from wizard synergy. In contrast, the cost-to-benefit ratio of Scholar of the Ages is higher, but it shines in decks that utilize graveyard strategies and need a strong late-game presence.

Comparatively, Scholar of the Ages shines in decks that aim to capitalize on spell recursion, providing a valuable engine for reusing powerful spells multiple times. The ability to return two spells makes it particularly compatible with strategies that aim to draw, control, and create late-game value.

Mnemonic Wall - MTG Card versions
Archaeomancer - MTG Card versions
Mnemonic Wall - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Archaeomancer - Magic 2013 (M13)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Scholar of the Ages MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2020 and Commander Legends, 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 Scholar of the Ages and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Scholar of the Ages Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-07-12 and 2020-11-20. Illustrated by Micah Epstein.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-07-12Core Set 2020M20 742015normalblackMicah Epstein
22020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 932015normalblackMicah Epstein

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Scholar of the Ages has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-11-10 The triggered ability of Scholar of the Ages can return at most two cards, not two instant cards plus two sorcery cards.

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