Gemstone Array MTG Card

Enables effective mana conversion and storage, vital for multicolor or mana-intensive MTG decks. Can be activated at instant speed, providing strategic flexibility during any phase of play. Demands careful deck building with its specific costs, which may impact hand resources.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact
Released	2004-06-04
Set symbol
Set name	Fifth Dawn
Set code	5DN
Number	124
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Ittoku

Text of card

: Put a charge counter on Gemstone Array. Remove a charge counter from Gemstone Array: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.

Outside, it reflects the suns' light. Inside, it harvests the suns' power.

Cards like Gemstone Array

Gemstone Array adds a dynamic layer of mana manipulation to Magic: The Gathering players’ toolkits. This artifact resembles others like Mana Cylix, which also provides flexibility in mana generation. However, Gemstone Array offers the unique ability to store unused mana across turns, setting it apart from the single-use Mana Cylix. You can compare this feature to Prismatic Omen which allows for immediate color fixing but doesn’t have the capacity for mana storage.

Surveying the landscape of mana fixers, Astral Cornucopia enters the conversation as well. It scales with your investment, becoming more potent as the game progresses much like Gemstone Array, though it lacks the versatility of instant mana generation. Conversely, Gilded Lotus delivers three mana of one color unconditionally every turn but misses the mark on versatility due to its limitation to your main phase and its lack of storage capabilities.

Aligning these options side by side, Gemstone Array stands out among mana fixers for its unique reserve feature, providing players with a strategic edge and the ability to adapt to complex mana demands throughout different phases of the game.

Cards similar to Gemstone Array by color, type and mana cost

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Gemstone Array presents a unique approach to managing your card flow. It doesn’t directly allow you to draw, but it provides a mechanism to convert any type of mana into charge counters that can be removed to generate one color of your choice, effectively allowing you to leverage your resources better and maintain card advantage by freeing up your mana usage.

Resource Acceleration: With its ability to store mana and convert it into any color, Gemstone Array gives players significant resource acceleration. This is especially valuable in decks that generate a lot of mana or need specific color combinations to play multi-color spells efficiently.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of Gemstone Array is enhanced by its activation at instant speed. This means you can invest mana into it whenever it’s convenient, possibly in response to an opponent’s actions or at the end of their turn, keeping your options open during each round.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Gemstone Array requires you to discard cards to utilize its charge counter mechanic, potentially depleting your hand and affecting your strategic options.

Specific Mana Cost: While flexible, Gemstone Array demands two mana of any color for activation, necessitating consideration within mana curves when deck building.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an activation cost of two and the need to invest additional mana to store charge counters, Gemstone Array can be viewed as costly compared to other mana filters or storage options available in the game.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Gemstone Array offers a flexible mana filtering tool which can easily be included in decks that produce large amounts of colorless mana, allowing for a smooth conversion into any color a player may need at a particular moment in the game.

Combo Potential: With its ability to store charges and release them as different colors of mana, this card holds the potential to be a key component in intricate combo setups, particularly those that require diverse mana at critical turns.

Meta-Relevance: In game environments where mana fixing is essential, Gemstone Array proves to be a relevant card. It’s particularly useful when dealing with multicolored decks that rely on a consistent and diverse mana base to execute their strategy effectively.

How to beat

Gemstone Array stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a unique mana storage artifact, providing players with the ability to convert and store mana across turns. Its flexibility lies in the fact that it can take one color of mana and store it as a charge counter, allowing you to release it as any color when needed. This ability is reminiscent of the versatility offered by other mana fixing solutions, such as the signet artifacts, which provide specific color combinations.

Victory against a player using Gemstone Array often requires disrupting their mana strategy. Artifacts such as Stony Silence or Null Rod can significantly hinder their ability to utilize the Gemstone Array’s mana storing function. Disenchant effects or targeted artifact removal like Naturalize also make quick work of the Array, setting back your opponent’s mana storage plans. It’s essential to leverage these disruption tactics proactively, ensuring you maintain the advantage and prevent your opponent from capitalizing on the versatility of Gemstone Array.

Ultimately, proactive strategy and specific artifact disruption hold the key to reigning victorious when facing the versatile mana potential that Gemstone Array introduces to the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gemstone Array MTG card by a specific set like Fifth Dawn, 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 Gemstone Array and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Gemstone Array has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal