Graceblade Artisan MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Human Monk
Released	2015-03-27
Set symbol
Set name	Dragons of Tarkir
Set code	DTK
Power	2
Toughness	3
Number	20
Frame	2015
Layout	normal
Border	black
Illustred by	Magali Villeneuve

Key Takeaways

Combines well with aura-based strategies, enhancing power/toughness for each enchantment equipped.
Thrives in decks that utilize instant-speed Auras and combat tricks to surprise opponents.
Limited flexibility due to specific mana requirements and risk of card disadvantage.

Text of card

Graceblade Artisan gets +2/+2 for each Aura attached to it.

"Can you catch a snowflake on the edge of your blade? Her sword has snagged an entire blizzard." —Zogye, Ojutai mystic

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Graceblade Artisan itself doesn’t directly enable card draw, it can potentially create indirect card advantage when paired with enchantments that allow card draw upon entering the battlefield or when targeted by spells.

Resource Acceleration: This card’s synergy with Auras can ramp up your battlefield presence quickly. The power/toughness boost it gets for each Aura attached translates to more formidable attacks earlier in the game, effectively speeding up your win condition.

Instant Speed: While Graceblade Artisan operates at sorcery speed, it synergizes well with instant-speed Auras and combat tricks. This interaction can surprise opponents during combat, allowing you to modify the power dynamics in play significantly without warning.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Graceblade Artisan does not inherently demand a discard, its optimal use often involves auras, which can lead to a precarious position if those supporting cards are forced out of play, effectively leaving you a card short.

Specific Mana Cost: Graceblade Artisan’s mana cost is distinctly color-weighted, requiring two Plains in its casting cost. This factor confines it primarily to white or two-color decks, potentially excluding it from a wider range of deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For three mana, Graceblade Artisan’s base stats are unimpressive without enchantment augmentation. When considering the pace of the game and what other creatures or effects you might cast at this same threshold, Graceblade Artisan can seem less cost-effective, particularly in aggressive or highly competitive formats.

Reasons to Include Graceblade Artisan in Your Collection

Versatility: Graceblade Artisan is a unique addition to decks centered around auras, fitting seamlessly into enchantment-based strategies across various formats.

Combo Potential: This card excels in synergizing with aura enchantments, potentially unlocking powerful combinations that can dramatically increase its power and toughness, making it an unexpected threat on the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta teeming with aggressive strategies, the Graceblade Artisan can serve as a resilient creature that scales in power, posing a flexible challenge to opponents who might underestimate its growing potential.

How to beat

Graceblade Artisan presents a challenge due to its ability to become more powerful with each aura attached to it. To effectively overcome this creature, removing the auras is key. Options like Disenchant or Naturalize can strip away its enhancements, significantly diminishing its threat level. Moreover, spells that bypass the creature’s power and toughness, such as Path to Exile or Fatal Push, provide clean, efficient answers regardless of how many auras are attached.

Another strategy in handling Graceblade Artisan involves preventing auras from landing in the first place. Cards like Thoughtseize or Negate can disrupt your opponent’s plans by targeting aura spells in hand or on the stack. Additionally, utilizing creatures with the ability to block multiple creatures like Guardian of the Multiverse creates a robust defense that can stymie your opponent’s aggressive aura-based strategy.

The key is to recognize the potential for exponential growth posed by Graceblade Artisan and to maintain pressure with removal, discard, or counterspells. By keeping the battlefield clear of enchantments and deploying strategic defenses, you can mitigate the Artisan’s impact and maintain control of the game.

Cards like Graceblade Artisan

Graceblade Artisan holds its own unique place in the repository of white creatures in Magic: The Gathering. It brushes with cards like Ethercaste Knight that also capitalizes on an affinity for enchantments, growing stronger alongside them. However, the Artisan has the potential for soaring power levels, gaining a significant boost for each aura attached. This differs from the Knight, who gains a static bonus irrespective of the number of enchantments.

Crucially, we can look to creatures like Kor Spiritdancer in the comparison. This creature similarly draws cards and gains strength from auras, but it does so passively, necessitating the casting of aura spells directly. Graceblade Artisan, on the other hand, benefits from any and all auras present, regardless of their method of arrival to the battlefield. There’s also the renowned Hero of Iroas, a creature that doesn’t directly gain power from auras but rather reduces their casting cost, enabling a swift buildup of enchantments.

In summing up, Graceblade Artisan offers a compelling choice within the realm of aura-matters strategies in Magic: The Gathering. Its capacity to potentially turn each enchantment into sheer offensive power makes it a viable component in decks that focus on aura synergies.

Kor Spiritdancer - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)

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

Pianna, Nomad Captain - MTG Card versions

Regal Unicorn - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)

Sanctum Prelate - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Kitsune Palliator - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Graceblade Artisan MTG card by a specific set like Dragons of Tarkir, 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 Graceblade Artisan and other MTG cards: