Eccentric Apprentice MTG Card

Apprentice provides card advantage through scrying at upkeep, optimizing upcoming draws for a better game plan. Transforms into a mana accelerator, aiding in resource smoothing and enhancing deck performance. Complements instant spells by applying aerial pressure and maintaining clear skies for strategic plays.

Eccentric Apprentice - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Tiefling Wizard
Abilities	Flying,Venture into the dungeon
Released	2021-07-23
Set symbol
Set name	Adventures in the Forgotten Realms
Set code	AFR
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	57
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Campbell White

Text of card

Flying When Eccentric Apprentice enters the battlefield, venture into the dungeon. (Enter the first room or advance to the next room.) At the beginning of combat on your turn, if you've completed a dungeon, up to one target creature becomes a Bird with base power and toughness 1/1 and flying until end of turn.

Cards like Eccentric Apprentice

Eccentric Apprentice presents an intriguing dynamic to the suite of flying creatures in Magic: The Gathering. It bears a resemblance to other flyers like Skyknight Vanguard, which has an attack-triggered ability to create a 1/1 white Soldier creature token with lifelink. However, Eccentric Apprentice offers a unique combination of flying and a scry ability upon it becoming a day or night-bound card. Unlike Skyknight Vanguard, which supports token generation, the Apprentice caters to deck manipulation and predictability of play.

Comparatively, Mistral Singer is another card with an ability tied to the casting of spells that shares the flying trait. While the Singer gains prowess, increasing its power temporarily upon casting noncreature spells, Eccentric Apprentice’s strength lies in its long-term strategic value through scrying. Another close analog is Faerie Seer, which provides a scry upon entry. Nonetheless, the seer lacks the versatility of changing back and forth between day and night-bound status, making Eccentric Apprentice a more flexible choice in certain deck strategies.

Judging these nuances, Eccentric Apprentice finds its way into many creative MTG flying decks. Its versatility to influence a match at various stages stands out, making it a valuable addition for players who enjoy a more strategic approach to their gameplay.

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Eccentric Apprentice enhances your strategy by allowing you to scry during your upkeep, fine-tuning your draw and providing an edge in getting the exact cards you need for victory.

Resource Acceleration: This card evolves from a simple flier to a potent sorcery-speed accelerator by transforming into an Artifact creature that taps for mana, smoothing out your mana curve and accelerating your gameplay.

Instant Speed: Although not an instant itself, Eccentric Apprentice synergizes well with instant speed spells, as the flying ability helps keep the skies clear, ensuring that your instant interactions are more effective while pressuring your opponent from above.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Being forced to discard a card can be a tricky stipulation, especially for players who are clinging to key cards for their strategy. Eccentric Apprentice can put players in an uncomfortable position, making them choose between advancing their board state or holding onto crucial spells for later turns.

Specific Mana Cost: The Apprentice’s casting cost requires blue mana, which can pose a limitation for multicolored decks that might struggle with color consistency. This makes the card less versatile and may require adjustments in the land base or mana-fixing elements to ensure it can be played on curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its mana cost demanding a somewhat significant investment, players might find it inefficient, particularly when there are alternative creatures or spells that provide similar or better value for less mana. In the fast-paced environment of the game, this can lead to potentially slower starts or missed opportunities for tempo.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Eccentric Apprentice shines in a range of blue-oriented decks, bringing adaptability to both aggressive and control strategies with its flying capability and scry effect.

Combo Potential: This card pairs well with setups that exploit flicker or enter the battlefield effects, allowing you to maximize the scry ability and maintain a superior board state.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where tempo plays a critical role, the Eccentric Apprentice can consistently disrupt opponent plays while fortifying your own position, making it an astute choice for the evolving metagame.

How to beat

Eccentric Apprentice is a card that brings a sense of unpredictability to the board in MTG. With its ability to flip the top card of your library and potentially become a powerful flying creature, it is a card that warrants careful consideration when facing it on the battlefield. Unlike static creatures, its dynamic nature can quickly change the tides of a game, making it a card to handle with strategic foresight.

One effective method of countering Eccentric Apprentice is to maintain control over when the card flips. Disruption tactics such as instant-speed removal can be crucial. Cards like Shock or Fatal Push offer a cost-effective means of eliminating the Apprentice before getting too much value. If the Apprentice has already transformed, the best strategy might involve using flying blockers or reach creatures capable of taking it down in combat without having to overcommit resources.

Additionally, it is essential to keep pressure on your opponent’s library manipulation by employing hand disruption or counterspells. Inhibiting your opponent’s ability to set up their library for a successful flip or halting the Apprentice’s initial cast can prevent them from gaining the upper hand and help secure your position in the game.

BurnMana Recommendations

Delving into the nuances of Eccentric Apprentice can augment your MTG gameplay with clever deck manipulation and a touch of mana acceleration. While tuning your strategy and staying a step ahead, it’s critical to weigh the potential discard trade-offs and integrate color consistency for optimal performance. Harnessing the Apprentice’s capabilities requires a careful blend of foresight and adaptability. Want to elevate your command over the skies and refine your approach to the ever-changing metagame? Embark on a journey with us to uncover deeper strategies, exploit the card’s full potential, and seamlessly integrate it into your arsenal for a rewarding MTG experience.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Eccentric Apprentice MTG card by a specific set like Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, 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 Eccentric Apprentice and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Eccentric Apprentice has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2021-07-23	A creature that becomes a Bird this way loses all other creature types but does not lose any of its abilities.
2021-07-23	A player may only have one dungeon in the command zone at a time.
2021-07-23	Choosing the dungeon or room to venture into is part of resolving the venture into the dungeon keyword action. Once that choice is made, players may not respond until after the appropriate room ability has triggered.
2021-07-23	Dungeon cards are not part of a player's deck or sideboard. In both constructed and limited formats, players can use any dungeon card when they venture into the dungeon.
2021-07-23	Dungeons are removed from the game as a state-based action.
2021-07-23	Eccentric Apprentice's last ability works even if it wasn't on the battlefield when you completed a dungeon and even if the dungeon was completed on a previous turn.
2021-07-23	If you somehow venture into the dungeon while a room's ability is on the stack, you will continue on in the dungeon. If you're already in the last room, complete that dungeon and start a new one.
2021-07-23	Moving into a dungeon room will cause its room ability to trigger.
2021-07-23	Once you resolve the last room ability of a dungeon, that dungeon is now completed and is removed from the game.
2021-07-23	The last ability will overwrite any previous effects that set the creature's power and toughness to specific numbers. Effects that otherwise modify the target creature's power and toughness will still apply no matter when they took effect. The same is true for +1/+1 counters.
2021-07-23	The player venturing into the dungeon chooses which dungeon they will venture into. They may choose a dungeon that they have already completed this game.
2021-07-23	To venture into the dungeon, a player moves their venture marker into the next room of the dungeon they are currently in. If they aren't currently in a dungeon, that player instead chooses a dungeon card from outside the game, puts it into the command zone, and moves their venture marker onto the first room.
2021-07-23	You can only move forward (well, downward) in a dungeon, never backwards or sideways.