Journeyer's Kite MTG Card
2004-10-01 - Number 257
2012-03-30 - Number 65
2022-11-18 - Number 25
2022-11-18 - Number 88
2022-11-18 - Number 88z
| Card sets | Released in 5 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Artifact |
Key Takeaways
- Ensures steady land drops, vital for gameplay stability and executing long-term strategies effectively.
- Smoothens your mana curve, supporting a range of deck types, and enhancing strategic depth.
- Useful in landfall decks and combos, making it a versatile tool for various playstyles.
Text of card
, : Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
"From the clouds, you can see as far as the distant horizon. It's a reminder of the infinite possibilities of everyday life." —Noboru, master kitemaker
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Journeyer’s Kite offers a consistent way to land drops every turn, ensuring you won’t miss crucial plays due to lack of mana. This makes it an excellent tool for keeping up with opponents in the long game.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly putting lands onto the battlefield, Journeyer’s Kite guarantees land draws. This smoothens your mana curve and helps play your strategies without interruption, a subtle yet powerful form of resource acceleration.
Instant Speed: Although Journeyer’s Kite’s activation is not at instant speed, its ability to fetch a land can be used at the end of your opponent’s turn, optimizing your mana usage and keeping options open during your own turns.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Journeyer’s Kite demands a constant supply of cards in hand to activate its ability, which can become burdensome if your hand size is dwindling.
Specific Mana Cost: This artifact requires two generic mana for the initial cast and an additional two to activate its ability, making it less flexible when you’re managing a tight mana curve.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although the Kite offers consistent land drops, the cumulative cost of activation can be taxing, potentially hindering your ability to play more impactful cards in the mid to late game.
Reasons to Include Journeyer’s Kite Mtg Card in Your Collection
Versatility: Journeyer’s Kite offers an invaluable ability to search your library for basic land cards turn after turn. This capacity for consistent mana access is crucial in decks aiming to use high-cost spells or activate abilities with hefty mana requirements.
Combo Potential: With this card, you can thin out your deck, improving the chances of drawing into game-changing combos. Additionally, it synergizes well with landfall abilities and strategies that benefit from having a certain number of lands on the field or in hand.
Meta-Relevance: In formats where games tend to go long and resource management is key, Journeyer’s Kite keeps your land drops consistent. This makes it particularly relevant in games where being mana-screwed or flooded can mean the difference between victory and defeat.
How to beat Journeyer’s Kite
Journeyer’s Kite is an artifact that stands out in Magic: The Gathering for its ability to provide consistent land drops and ensure you hit your land plays every turn. This can be a subtle yet powerful advantage, particularly in longer games. It grants deck thinning, which subtly increases the chance of drawing non-land cards later in the game. But how can one counter this mechanic effectively?
One strategy is to focus on card disruption. Using artifact removal like Naturalize or even counter spells such as Negate can prevent Journeyer’s Kite from taking flight. Targeted spells that destroy or exile artifacts are critical here, and every deck that worries about artifacts should have a few such options. If your opponent isn’t able to activate Journeyer’s Kite due to your disruption, the item will be nothing more than a lifeless relic on the battlefield.
Alternatively, one could outpace the slow value engine of Journeyer’s Kite by applying pressure with an aggressive deck. If you can muster a fast-paced assault, your opponent may not have the time to leverage the Kite’s ability effectively. The goal here is to win swiftly before your opponent can utilize their mana advantage, making Journeyer’s Kite less impactful on the game’s outcome.
Cards like Journeyer's Kite
Journeyer’s Kite offers a consistent method for mana fixing and land advantage in Magic: The Gathering. In the realm of utility artifacts, it’s often compared to Thaumatic Compass, which also guarantees land drops and eventually transforms into the land Spires of Orazca, offering protection as well. While Journeyer’s Kite doesn’t transform, the ability to search your library for a basic land card every turn without requiring a tap provides an uninterrupted land flow.
Sword of the Animist is another artifact that shares the trait of land ramp, but it requires a creature to attack to trigger its ability. This makes Journeyer’s Kite superior in decks that may not be as combat-focused. Then there’s Armillary Sphere, gathering two basic lands into your hand rather than putting one on the battlefield, creating a different type of resource extension which focuses on hand accessibility rather than direct land placement.
Assessing the cost and benefits, Journeyer’s Kite stands out for those seeking a more controlled and predictable approach to land development, ensuring smoother mana acceleration compared to its counterparts. Its application in various deck strategies can be a testament to its utility and place in Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Journeyer's Kite by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Journeyer's Kite MTG card by a specific set like Champions of Kamigawa and Duel Decks: Venser vs. Koth, 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 Journeyer's Kite and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Journeyer's Kite Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2004-10-01 and 2022-11-18. Illustrated by Hiro Izawa.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2004-10-01 | Champions of Kamigawa | CHK | 257 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Hiro Izawa | |
| 2 | 2012-03-30 | Duel Decks: Venser vs. Koth | DDI | 65 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Hiro Izawa | |
| 3 | 2022-11-18 | The Brothers' War Retro Artifacts | BRR | 25 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Hiro Izawa | |
| 4 | 2022-11-18 | The Brothers' War Retro Artifacts | BRR | 88 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Hiro Izawa | |
| 5 | 2022-11-18 | The Brothers' War Retro Artifacts | BRR | 88z | 1997 | Normal | Black | Hiro Izawa |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Journeyer's Kite has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
