Gisa's Favorite Shovel MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Mythic |
| Type | Legendary Artifact — Equipment |
| Abilities | Equip |
| Released | 2019-12-02 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Secret Lair Drop |
| Set code | SLD |
| Number | 581 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Jason Felix |
Text of card
Equipped creature gets +2/+0 and has menace. Whenever equipped creature attacks, defending player sacrifices a creature. If they do, you create a Walker token. (It's a 2/2 black Zombie creature.) Equip
Cards like Gisa's Favorite Shovel
Gisa’s Favorite Shovel stands out in Magic the Gathering’s suite of graveyard utility options. It echoes traits found in scrappy cards like Salvager of Ruin, which also offers a way to reclaim artifacts or creatures from your graveyard, but without the shovel’s specificity or self-sacrificing loop. The shovel has that irresistible ability to bring itself back from the graveyard much like the undying creatures it’s designed to synergize with. While Salvager of Ruin works in a one-off manner, Gisa’s Favorite Shovel is persistent and thus can shape long-term strategies.
Comparisons could be made with Elixir of Immortality, which also provides a method to recycle your graveyard into your library. The Elixir, while offering a burst of life and a more comprehensive retrieval, lacks the direct creature focus Gisa’s shovel provides. Lastly, Nihil Spellbomb might spring to mind as a graveyard manipulator but its function is more aligned with exile and disruption, diverging from the shovel’s creature-centric recursion theme.
The shovel is a unique blend of recursion and resilience, making it an intriguing card for those looking to wield the power of the graveyard over the course of a game in MTG.
Cards similar to Gisa's Favorite Shovel by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: With Gisa’s Favorite Shovel, you can keep your graveyard stacked with creatures. When you have a creature entering the battlefield from your graveyard, you also get to scry 1. This ensures you have better control over your next draws, increasing your chances to find just the cards you need.
Resource Acceleration: This card ensures that creature cards in your graveyard become an accessible resource. Thanks to the ability to return a creature card to your hand, you expedite your play by reusing valuable creature cards, thus speeding up your gameplay.
Instant Speed: Gisa’s Favorite Shovel acts at sorcery speed, but its last ability where you can sacrifice a creature to draw a card can be activated at any time you could cast an instant. This versatility allows strategic plays during your opponent’s turn, keeping them unsure of your next move while maintaining card flow in your favor.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Gisa’s Favorite Shovel necessitates the discarding of a creature card. This condition potentially reduces hand advantage and can set you back if your hand is already sparse or the creature cards in it hold strategic importance for later turns.
Specific Mana Cost: The artifact demands a precise blend of mana—two generic and one black—to cast from your hand. This cost structure can pose a limitation for decks not consistently producing black mana, thereby making the shovel a less versatile choice across various deck archetypes.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, Gisa’s Favorite Shovel might be seen as a substantial investment, particularly when compared to other graveyard manipulation or creature recursion options available. This could make it a less attractive option, especially in formats where mana efficiency and curve are crucial to a deck’s success.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Gisa’s Favorite Shovel brings flexibility to your arsenal, allowing you to dig through your deck while managing the graveyard. This card easily adapts to graveyard-centric decks or strategies that demand a reliable form of self-mill.
Combo Potential: With the ability to bring back creature cards, this card synergizes with multiple strategies revolving around creature recursion. Pair it with sacrifice outlets or death triggers to maximize its value on the battlefield.
Meta-Relevance: Given the ever-present role of graveyard mechanics in various formats, Gisa’s Favorite Shovel holds a spot in the current meta. Its utility in disrupting opponents’ graveyard strategies while fueling your own cannot be understated, making it a smart addition for anyone looking to stay competitive.
How to beat
Gisa’s Favorite Shovel is an intriguing artifact card in Magic: The Gathering that allows players to bring back creature cards from the graveyard. To counter this, consider using card removal spells that target artifacts, such as Disenchant or Abrade. These spells can effectively remove the Shovel from play, disrupting the synergy your opponent is attempting to create.
Graveyard hate cards like Leyline of the Void or Rest in Peace can also be highly effective since they prevent cards from hitting the graveyard in the first place, thereby nullifying the Shovel’s ability. Additionally, counter spells like Negate can be employed to prevent the Shovel from hitting the battlefield at all, preserving your advantage.
Keeping in mind the importance of timing and the resource commitment your opponent makes to utilise Gisa’s Favorite Shovel, being proactive and ready with an answer can ensure this tool doesn’t dig up trouble for your game plan. Strategies that continuously apply pressure and chip away at your opponent’s resources can also divert their focus from graveyard recursion, thereby limiting the Shovel’s impact on the game.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Gisa's Favorite Shovel MTG card by a specific set like Secret Lair Drop, 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 Gisa's Favorite Shovel and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Gisa's Favorite Shovel has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |