Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists MTG Card
2023-11-17 - Number 35
2023-11-17 - Number 10
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Human Scientist |
| Abilities | Discover |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 5 |
Key Takeaways
- Ellie and Alan provide card advantage, speed up mana, and offer instant speed reactions in gameplay.
- They require card discarding, specific mana colors, and present a high casting cost.
- The card’s versatility, combo potential, and meta-relevance make it a worthy addition to any collection.
Text of card
, Exile a creature card from your graveyard: Discover X, where X is the mana value of the exiled card. Activate only as a sorcery. (Exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card with that mana value or less. Cast it without paying its mana cost or put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom in a random order.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Diving into the prehistoric depths of your deck, Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists help unearth additional resources. Their ability to potentially fetch creatures from your library directly into your hand is an invaluable tactic, setting you up for future turns and outmaneuvering opponents through a rich reserve of options.
Resource Acceleration: These paleontologist partners dig up more than just fossils; their synergy accelerates your mana resources. This can kick your game plan into high gear earlier than expected, allowing you to deploy threats and answers ahead of schedule and keep the pressure on your adversary.
Instant Speed: The ability to react at instant speed lends a tactical edge, providing flexibility to respond to unfolding threats or opportunities. Ellie and Alan’s ability can be activated when most advantageous, keeping opponents guessing and allowing you to maximize the timing of your plays without sacrificing momentum.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists necessitate that you discard a card to leverage their abilities. This condition can pose a problem when your hand is running low, potentially setting you back when it comes to maintaining card advantage.
Specific Mana Cost: To cast this card, a precise combination of mana colors is needed, which could restrict its integration into various decks. If your deck doesn’t support these colors, you might find this card less accessible during gameplay.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana cost to get Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists on the field is significant. With this cost in mind, players must consider other cards within the same mana range that might offer similar or more potent effects with less stringent requirements.
Reasons to Include Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists in Your Collection
Versatility: Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists is a card that provides a dynamic edge to a multitude of deck builds. Its ability to fetch creature cards and play into dinosaur-themed synergies makes it incredibly flexible for players looking to adapt to diverse play styles or game scenarios.
Combo Potential: With its ability to set up your deck with the right creatures, this card holds the potential to enable powerful combos, particularly in decks that capitalize on creature-based strategies. Its utility in enhancing creature plays can significantly amplify your strategy.
Meta-Relevance: In an evolving gameplay environment, having a card that contributes to your adaptive strategy can be key. Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists find relevance in its capacity to support a deck’s resilience against various metagame shifts, maintaining a competitive edge.
How to beat
Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists, presents a fascinating dynamic to Magic: The Gathering’s array of creature cards. With its ability to excavate powerful dinosaur cards and place them directly onto the battlefield, overcoming this card poses a unique challenge. Players facing Ellie and Alan should prioritize removal spells that can target multiple creatures or that can exile. Spells like Wrath of God or Extinction Event can be highly effective against the wide array of dinosaurs this card is capable of deploying.
Moreover, countering Ellie and Alan before they hit the table is another effective strategy, and blue players would do well to keep a Mana Leak or Negate at the ready. Alternatively, should Ellie and Alan take the field, enchantments such as Imprisoned in the Moon or Darksteel Mutation can neutralize them without triggering death effects that may benefit the opponent.
In summary, while Ellie and Alan boast a formidable presence in MTG, players can keep the upper hand by employing strategic removals, timely counterspells, and clever enchantments.
Cards like Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists
Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists introduce an intriguing dynamic to creature-based decks in the game. They remind experienced players of cards like Mina and Denn, Wildborn, which also offer the ability to play additional lands. Yet, Ellie and Alan stand out with their unique fossil-hunting ability, providing a seasoned strategy by retrieving powerful dinosaur cards from the deck.
Similarly, Tatyova, Benthic Druid accentuates the value of land play by offering life gain and card draw, elevating your strategic depth. While she doesn’t specifically cater to dinosaur aficionados, the constant card advantage she provides can be quite substantial. On the other end, Radha, Heart of Keld permits players to look at the top card of their library and play lands from the top, a different take on land management with less focus on creature types but with direct top-deck interaction.
Overall, when evaluating similar card abilities and game impact, Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists mark their territory with a specialized niche for dinosaur deck builders, enhancing both playability and thematic enjoyment for dedicated decks within the rich lore of Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists MTG card by a specific set like Jurassic World Collection and Jurassic World Collection, 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 Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists 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
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Printings
The Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2023-11-17 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by Zoltan Boros.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023-11-17 | Jurassic World Collection | REX | 35 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Zoltan Boros | |
| 2 | 2023-11-17 | Jurassic World Collection | REX | 10 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Zoltan Boros |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2023-11-10 | "Discover N" means "Exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card with mana value N or less. That card is the "discovered" card. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost if the resulting spell's mana value is less than or equal to N. If you don't cast it, put that card into your hand. Put the remaining exiled cards on the bottom of your library in a random order." |
| 2023-11-10 | A spell's mana value is determined only by its mana cost. Ignore any alternative costs, additional costs, cost increases, or cost reductions. |
| 2023-11-10 | If the discovered card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost. |
| 2023-11-10 | If the exiled card has in its mana cost, X is 0. |
| 2023-11-10 | If you can't cast the discovered card (perhaps because there are no legal targets for the spell), you'll put it into your hand. |
| 2023-11-10 | If you cast a spell "without paying its mana cost", you can't choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the spell has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those to cast it. |
| 2023-11-10 | If you discover an adventurer card, split card, or modal double-faced card, you might be able to cast that card with either set of characteristics depending on the effect's discover value. For example, if you discover 4 and reveal Galvanic Giant (an adventurer card from Wilds of Eldraine with a mana value of 4), you could cast Galvanic Giant, but not Storm Reading (its Adventure, which has a mana value of 7). If you discover 7 and reveal Galvanic Giant, you could cast either Galvanic Giant or Storm Reading. |
| 2023-11-10 | Some spells and abilities that cause you to discover may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve and you won't discover. |
| 2023-11-10 | The mana value of a split card is determined by the combined mana cost of its two halves. If discover allows you to cast a split card, you may cast either half (as long as its mana value is less than or equal to the effect's discover value) but not both halves. |
| 2023-11-10 | When you discover, you must exile cards. The only optional part of the ability is whether you cast the exiled card or put it into your hand. |
| 2023-11-10 | You exile the cards face up. All players will be able to see them. |