Elkin Bottle MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeArtifact

Key Takeaways

  1. Elkin Bottle provides card advantage, allowing for accumulation and access to more resources during gameplay.
  2. By casting stored spells without mana costs, Elkin Bottle can significantly accelerate your board position.
  3. A strategically used Elkin Bottle can catch opponents off guard, offering surprise plays at key moments.

Text of card

o3,oc T: Take the top card from your library and place it face up in front of you. You may play that card as though it were in your hand; if you do not play it by your next upkeep, remove it from the game.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Elkin Bottle offers a unique form of card advantage by allowing you to store cards from your library underneath it. This can lead to a significant gain in resources as you’re able to access a pool of additional cards over time, which could be pivotal in outpacing opponents.

Resource Acceleration: Once you choose to open the bottle, you can cast one of the stored spells without paying its mana cost. This can radically speed up your play by allowing you to deploy a potentially game-changing spell earlier than normal, effectively bypassing the traditional resource curve.

Instant Speed: While the Elkin Bottle itself does not work at instant speed, the ability to cast the stored spell without paying its mana cost does provide a form of instant speed utility. This allows for unexpected plays and can catch an adversary off guard – a powerful tool in any MTG player’s arsenal.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Elkin Bottle demands a card discard to activate its effect. This trade-off can put players with fewer cards at hand at a strategic disadvantage, depriving them of potentially valuable resources needed later in the game.

Specific Mana Cost: Activating Elkin Bottle’s ability requires a colorless and two generic mana, which can be restrictive. Ensuring the necessary mana types are available may dictate the pacing and strategy of your deck construction, sometimes to a fault.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Elkin Bottle has a casting cost of four, which is a significant investment, especially when compared to other artifacts or spells that offer more immediate or impactful advantages. This high demand on mana resources for a delayed potential benefit may not align well with more aggressively paced decks seeking to maximize every turn.


Reasons to Include Elkin Bottle in Your Collection

Versatility: Elkin Bottle offers a distinctive edge in games where unpredictability can work to a player’s favor. Due to its ability to exile the top card of your library and play that card, it can provide access to cards that may otherwise be out of reach during a game.

Combo Potential: This card has a unique synergy with decks that manipulate the top of the library, where it can serve as a powerful engine to access key combo pieces or unexpectedly ramp up your resources at crucial moments.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where long games and grindy matchups are common, Elkin Bottle can provide that unforeseen element that shifts the tides in your favor, making it a worthy inclusion for players looking to add some spice to their deck and outmaneuver their opponents.


How to beat

Elkin Bottle may not be the flashiest artifact in the MTG universe, but understanding its rhythm can be the key to overcoming it. This unique card requires nuance to address, as it allows its controller to exile the top card of their library and play that card until the end of turn every time the bottle is tapped. Disrupting the timing can be fundamental. If you’re seeking to nullify the Elkin Bottle’s advantage, consider focusing on artifact removal or denial strategies. Cards like Abrade or Naturalize can swiftly handle the bottle, or a card like Pithing Needle can prevent it from being activated altogether. Consider the tempo of your opponent’s playstyle too. If they rely on the bottle’s effect for card advantage, deploy your removal at the point just before they’d gain the most benefit. By limiting their extra plays with the Elkin Bottle, you outmaneuver your opponent and neutralize their strategies, leaving them with fewer options and a more predictable play pattern.

In essence, preemptive action and keen timing are your allies against Elkin Bottle. It’s less about overpowering and more about strategic dismantling. Don’t let the bottle’s simple appearance fool you; your ability to anticipate and counter your opponent’s moves will often determine the outcome of the game.


Cards like Elkin Bottle

Elkin Bottle is a unique artifact in the realm of Magic: The Gathering with its distinct ability to tuck away spells for later use. When looking at similar cards, we can consider those that manipulate the top of the library or provide a delayed magic effect. For example, the card Elixir of Immortality offers a different form of deck and game longevity by shuffling the graveyard back into the library, but lacks Elkin Bottle’s immediate and strategic impact on the board state.

Analogously, there’s Crystal Ball, an artifact that excels at controlling upcoming draws by scrying. It shares the aspect of influencing the top of the deck, however, Elkin Bottle distinctly allows the casting of the tucked card, potentially unleashing a powerful spell at a crucial moment. Conversely, Jalum Tome offers draw manipulation by turning cards in hand into fresh draws, but again, without the suspenseful set-up and surprise that comes with Elkin Bottle’s preserved spell.

Despite each having its strategic uses, Elkin Bottle occupies a niche space in enabling players to plan ahead in a unique way. It holds a spell in stasis until the ideal moment, which creates a dynamic that few, if any, MTG cards can replicate.

Elixir of Immortality - MTG Card versions
Crystal Ball - MTG Card versions
Jalum Tome - MTG Card versions
Elixir of Immortality - Magic 2011 (M11)
Crystal Ball - Magic 2011 (M11)
Jalum Tome - Antiquities (ATQ)

Cards similar to Elkin Bottle by color, type and mana cost

Celestial Prism - MTG Card versions
Runed Arch - MTG Card versions
Clay Pigeon - MTG Card versions
Ashnod's Altar - MTG Card versions
Jalum Tome - MTG Card versions
Patchwork Gnomes - MTG Card versions
The Stasis Coffin - MTG Card versions
Captain's Hook - MTG Card versions
Spellweaver Helix - MTG Card versions
Scale of Chiss-Goria - MTG Card versions
Lightning Coils - MTG Card versions
Loxodon Warhammer - MTG Card versions
Sword of Feast and Famine - MTG Card versions
Training Drone - MTG Card versions
Pristine Talisman - MTG Card versions
Alloy Myr - MTG Card versions
Guardians of Meletis - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Shackles - MTG Card versions
Herald's Horn - MTG Card versions
Manalith - MTG Card versions
Celestial Prism - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Runed Arch - Ice Age (ICE)
Clay Pigeon - Unglued (UGL)
Ashnod's Altar - The Brothers' War Retro Artifacts (BRR)
Jalum Tome - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Patchwork Gnomes - Odyssey (ODY)
The Stasis Coffin - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Captain's Hook - Rivals of Ixalan Promos (PRIX)
Spellweaver Helix - Mirrodin (MRD)
Scale of Chiss-Goria - Mirrodin (MRD)
Lightning Coils - Mirrodin (MRD)
Loxodon Warhammer - Commander Legends (CMR)
Sword of Feast and Famine - Judge Gift Cards 2014 (J14)
Training Drone - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Pristine Talisman - New Phyrexia Promos (PNPH)
Alloy Myr - Jumpstart (JMP)
Guardians of Meletis - Magic Origins (ORI)
Vedalken Shackles - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Herald's Horn - Treasure Chest (PZ2)
Manalith - Hour of Devastation (HOU)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Elkin Bottle MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Pro Tour Collector Set, 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 Elkin Bottle and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Elkin Bottle Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 2008-09-22. Illustrated by Quinton Hoover.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11995-06-03Ice AgeICE 3171993normalblackQuinton Hoover
21996-05-02Pro Tour Collector SetPTC mj3171993normalgoldQuinton Hoover
31997-03-24Fifth Edition5ED 3671997normalwhiteQuinton Hoover
42001-12-01DeckmastersDKM 351997normalwhiteQuinton Hoover
52008-09-22Masters Edition IIME2 2071997normalblackQuinton Hoover

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Elkin Bottle has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 If the Bottle leaves the battlefield or your control, the cards remain waiting until played or until the beginning of your next upkeep. The card is in the “Exile” zone.
2004-10-04 The card is not part of your hand in any way. You can’t be forced to discard it due to a discard from hand effect, and you can’t discard it to pay a cost.
2004-10-04 This is not considered to be drawing a card.
2004-10-04 To “play a card” is to either cast a spell or to put a land onto the battlefield using the main phase special action.
2008-08-01 If you do not play the card before your next upkeep, it remains exiled; you just lose the ability to play it.
2008-10-01 The exiled card is played using the normal timing rules for its card type, as well as any other applicable restrictions such as “Cast
-his card] only during combat.” For example, you can’t play the card during an opponent’s turn unless it’s an instant or has flash. Similarly, if the exiled card is a land, you can’t play it if you’ve already played a land that turn. If it’s a nonland card, you’ll have to pay its mana cost. The only thing that’s different is you’re playing it from the Exile zone.

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