Star Compass MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeArtifact

Key Takeaways

  1. Star Compass offers indirect card advantage by smoothing mana availability for consistent game pacing.
  2. Its mana acceleration is dependent on your lands’ colors, potentially limiting flexibility.
  3. Despite some constraints, it remains a valuable asset for artifact synergy and mana fixing.

Text of card

Star Compass comes into play tapped. oc T: Add to your mana pool one mana of any color a basic land you control could produce.

It doesn't point north. It points home.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Star Compass, while not directly providing card draw, ensures consistent land drops. This provides a form of indirect card advantage by smoothing out mana availability, allowing a player to deploy more cards from their hand without being constrained by land draws.

Resource Acceleration: Star Compass acts as a mana rock, effectively ramping up your available resources. It taps for one mana of any color that a land you control could produce, thereby accelerating your gameplay and enabling casting of more demanding spells ahead of curve.

Instant Speed: Although Star Compass doesn’t operate at instant speed, its presence on the board is a silent enabler for more dynamic plays at instant speed later. By having additional mana open, players can respond to opponents’ actions with instant-speed spells, without sacrificing the development of their own board.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike other artifacts that may enhance your mana resources with no strings attached, Star Compass has a dependency on your land’s existing mana characteristics. This can lead to uncomfortable scenarios where your mana setup may not align perfectly with your deck’s spectrum of spell costs.

Specific Mana Cost: Being an artifact that requires an initial mana investment, it’s imperative to factor in the two generic mana cost of Star Compass. For some decks, especially those trying to maintain a fast curve, this immediate investment may delay crucial early-game board presence or tempo plays.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When placed side by side with other two-cost mana rocks or land fetch spells, Star Compass may fall short by only providing access to mana types already available through your lands. Mana rocks that tap for any color or those that come with additional benefits might offer greater versatility and economic value over the course of a game.


Reasons to Include Star Compass in Your Collection

Versatility: Star Compass is an artifact that offers mana fixing and acceleration. Its ability to tap for any color a basic land you control can produce makes it a flexible addition to multicolored decks, ensuring you’re not left unable to cast key spells.

Combo Potential: This card can be a crucial piece in decks that thrive on artifact synergies. It slots perfectly into strategies involving artifact untapping or cost-reduction effects, which can lead to explosive plays and game-winning combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that’s heavy on nonbasic lands or where games tend to go longer, having a reliable mana source that can adjust to various color requirements is particularly useful. The low casting cost of Star Compass also means it can be played early, setting up your board for more impactful moves in later turns.


How to Beat Star Compass

Star Compass is an artifact that taps into the mana producing capabilities of lands you already control. While it doesn’t produce mana on its own, it reflects the colors of your land base. Key to overcoming this card is disrupting your opponent’s mana stability. Employing land destruction or artifact removal spells can hinder the advantage gained from Star Compass. Cards like Ghost Quarter can dismantle the land synergy, while straightforward artifact removal such as Naturalize removes Star Compass directly from the battlefield.

Another strategy to outpace Star Compass is through aggressive plays that don’t give your opponent the chance to maximize its utility. Speedy creatures and spells that put early pressure on the opponent can divert their plans, making the Compass less impactful. Preferably, demanding an answer early on might force mana to be spent elsewhere rather than on the optimal use of Star Compass. In essence, maintaining pressure or disrupting your opponent’s resources are effective ways to diminish the card’s effectiveness in any MTG game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the delicacies of different MTG cards such as Star Compass can be the linchpin in developing a powerful deck. It’s a card that could potentially streamline your mana, accelerate your plays, and fit seamlessly into artifact-centric combos. However, its dependency on your existing land colors and its rigid mana production capability are considerations that shouldn’t be taken lightly. If you are looking to enhance your deck with a reliable mana source or just appreciate the intricate dynamics of mana rocks, Star Compass can be a noteworthy choice. Dive deeper into our resources for strategic insights and tips to harness the full potential of your MTG collection with Star Compass.


Cards like Star Compass

Star Compass occupies a niche in Magic: The Gathering’s manifold mana acceleration options. Akin to the widely-utilized Mind Stone, it offers the flexibility of mana fixing. Unlike Mind Stone, Star Compass doesn’t provide a means to draw a card, but it shines in multicolored decks, masquerading as a two-mana rock that can potentially tap for any color in your commander’s identity.

When looking at other mana rocks, we can draw parallels with the likes of Fellwar Stone which also bases its mana production on other lands in play, making it incredibly adaptive in games with multiple opponents. Yet, Star Compass is inherently more predictable in single-color or two-color decks, ensuring the mana you need is always within reach. On the contrary, Prismatic Lens, while comparable in cost and color fixing ability, gives unfiltered access to any color of mana, although for an additional cost.

Diligent examination of these cards reveals that Star Compass is a solid choice for players who rely heavily on their commanders’ color identities and need steadfast mana support without splurging on pricier artifacts.

Mind Stone - MTG Card versions
Fellwar Stone - MTG Card versions
Prismatic Lens - MTG Card versions
Mind Stone - Weatherlight (WTH)
Fellwar Stone - The Dark (DRK)
Prismatic Lens - Time Spiral (TSP)

Cards similar to Star Compass by color, type and mana cost

Chaos Orb - MTG Card versions
Winter Orb - MTG Card versions
Amulet of Kroog - MTG Card versions
Nacre Talisman - MTG Card versions
Howling Mine - MTG Card versions
Essence Bottle - MTG Card versions
Emerald Medallion - MTG Card versions
Scrying Glass - MTG Card versions
Cursed Totem - MTG Card versions
Tsabo's Web - MTG Card versions
Millikin - MTG Card versions
Ark of Blight - MTG Card versions
Surestrike Trident - MTG Card versions
Energy Chamber - MTG Card versions
Water Gun Balloon Game - MTG Card versions
Angel's Feather - MTG Card versions
Demon's Horn - MTG Card versions
Steel Overseer - MTG Card versions
Wurm's Tooth - MTG Card versions
Liquimetal Coating - MTG Card versions
Chaos Orb - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Winter Orb - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Amulet of Kroog - Rinascimento (RIN)
Nacre Talisman - Ice Age (ICE)
Howling Mine - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Essence Bottle - Tempest (TMP)
Emerald Medallion - Commander Anthology (CMA)
Scrying Glass - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Cursed Totem - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Tsabo's Web - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Millikin - Odyssey (ODY)
Ark of Blight - Scourge (SCG)
Surestrike Trident - Darksteel (DST)
Energy Chamber - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Water Gun Balloon Game - Unhinged (UNH)
Angel's Feather - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Demon's Horn - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Steel Overseer - Magic 2011 (M11)
Wurm's Tooth - Magic 2011 (M11)
Liquimetal Coating - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Star Compass MTG card by a specific set like Planeshift and Eighth Edition, 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 Star Compass and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Star Compass Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2001-02-05 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12001-02-05PlaneshiftPLS 1341997normalblackDonato Giancola
22003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 3152003normalwhiteDonato Giancola
32003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 315★2003normalblackDonato Giancola
42017-11-17Iconic MastersIMA 2292015normalblackDonato Giancola
52023-11-17Special GuestsSPG 182015normalborderlessAlix Branwyn

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Star Compass has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2017-11-17 If a basic land you control gains another basic land type or gains another ability that lets it produce mana, consider those effects when determining what colors of mana that land can produce.
2017-11-17 The colors of mana are white, blue, black, red, and green. Colorless is a type but not a color.

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