Expedition Lookout MTG Card

Expedition Lookout - March of the Machine

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Merfolk Rogue
Abilities	Defender
Released	2023-04-21
Set symbol
Set name	March of the Machine
Set code	MOM
Power	2
Toughness	3
Number	56
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Johan Grenier

Key Takeaways

Expedition Lookout can be a resource accelerator via additional creatures, strengthening board presence quickly.
Instant speed casting allows for adaptive gameplay, responding to opponents on the fly.
Its drawbacks include a specific mana cost, which may restrict deck integration, and a card discard requirement.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Expedition Lookout MTG card by a specific set like March of the Machine, 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 Expedition Lookout and other MTG cards:

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Text of card

Defender As long as an opponent has eight or more cards in their graveyard, Expedition Lookout can attack as though it didn't have defender and it can't be blocked.

Skills honed on perilous treasure hunts helped Zendikar's adventurers stay a crucial step ahead of their Phyrexian foes.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Expedition Lookout offers the potential to draw additional cards, providing a steady stream of new options in hand. This card’s ability to look ahead and potentially reveal an extra card can keep your strategy moving forward.

Resource Acceleration: By supporting your board presence with more creatures, Expedition Lookout can act as a form of resource acceleration. Deploying more creatures quickly can translate into a more formidable force as the game progresses.

Instant Speed: The capacity to cast Expedition Lookout at instant speed gives players the flexibility to respond to their opponents’ actions. Instead of committing to a turn-based plan, you can adapt on the fly and capitalize on the most opportune moment to strengthen your position on the battlefield.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Expedition Lookout demands a card to be discarded upon use. This can deplete your hand quickly, especially detrimental in decks that rely on maintaining card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost for playing Expedition Lookout involves a mix of colors, which can constrain its integration into mono-colored or certain two-colored decks that don’t match its mana requirements.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Cost-wise, Expedition Lookout might not come across as the best investment. There are alternative creatures that can be summoned for a lower cost and potentially provide greater benefits to your battlefield presence.

Reasons to Include Expedition Lookout in Your Collection

Versatility: The utility of Expedition Lookout stretches across various formats due to its capability to add consistent pressure early in the game. It can be slotted into aggro decks needing to maintain momentum or as part of a larger synergy in a pirates-themed build.

Combo Potential: This card’s synergy with other pirate cards can unlock powerful combinations, particularly with cards that benefit from having a certain number of pirates on the battlefield or through triggered abilities each time a pirate deals combat damage to a player.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where early board presence is crucial, Expedition Lookout’s role as an inexpensive creature that can potentially deal unblockable damage makes it a relevant choice for players looking to gain an edge over opponents in the early phases of the matchup.

How to beat

Expedition Lookout joins the roster of utility creatures within Magic: The Gathering, bringing a unique dynamic to gameplay with its ability to grant vigilance to another target creature. This versatile two-drop can be a thorn in an opponent’s side, chiefly when it strengthens defense while maintaining offensive pressure. Subduing this particular card requires a tactical approach.

One effective strategy against Expedition Lookout is the timely use of removal spells. Since it’s a creature with only one toughness, it falls prey easily to direct damage spells such as Shock, or mass removal like Pyroclasm, which can clear multiple threats simultaneously. Another approach is to take advantage of its activation cost. Because it requires tapping to grant vigilance, a player can wait for the opponent to exhaust their resources or to move through combat before taking out the bolstered creature or the Lookout itself.

When considered alongside other utility creatures in Magic: The Gathering, Expedition Lookout presents an obstacle that, while potentially advantageous to an opponent, can be surmounted with thought-out removal or timing. Recognizing the opportune moment to disrupt synergy is crucial in edging out against setups that include this card.

Cards like Expedition Lookout

Expedition Lookout offers a unique spin in the realm of creature cards within Magic: The Gathering. When eyed alongside its counterparts, such as Suntail Hawk, we note similarities like the flying ability which allows them to soar over ground-based defenses. However, Expedition Lookout takes an additional step forward with its vigilance attribute, maintaining a stalwart defense even after attacking. Suntail Hawk, while it shares the evasion, lacks the vigilance that gives Expedition Lookout an edge in maintaining board presence.

Delving into the vigilance trait, we find Concordia Pegasus, standing parallel to Expedition Lookout. Concordia Pegasus, like our featured card, also combines flying with vigilance. Still, the key lies in the environment these cards are played in. In a world where synergy and deck thematics play crucial roles, Expedition Lookout shines in decks centered around exploration and landfall mechanics, providing subtly different strategic opportunities compared to the more generic Pegasus.

Assessing the benefits of vigilance and flying together, Expedition Lookout brings a balanced mix of offensive potential and defensive readiness to the table, crafting its niche within the vast catalog of creatures available to players of Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Expedition Lookout by color, type and mana cost

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Expedition Lookout has restrictions

Format	Legality
Standard	Legal
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Alchemy	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Future	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2023-04-14	Expedition Lookout’s last ability will apply if any opponent has eight or more cards in their graveyard, not necessarily all of them or even the one Expedition Lookout is attacking.
2023-04-14	Once Expedition Lookout has legally attacked, causing its last ability to not apply by removing cards from graveyards won’t cause it to stop attacking. However, if you do so before blockers are declared (and it’s attacking in your direction), you will be able to block it.