Great Desert Prospector MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Human Artificer |
| Released | 2022-11-18 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | The Brothers' War |
| Set code | BRO |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 2 |
| Number | 7 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Nestor Ossandon Leal |
Key Takeaways
- The Prospector offers card advantage by filtering through the deck for critical resources at instant speed.
- Playing it demands mana precision and can influence deck diversity due to its specific red mana requirement.
- Despite higher mana costs, its utility and interaction with land and artifact dynamics make it a valuable asset.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Great Desert Prospector MTG card by a specific set like The Brothers' War, 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 Great Desert Prospector 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
See MTG Products
Text of card
When Great Desert Prospector enters the battlefield, create a tapped Powerstone token for each other creature you control. (The tokens are artifacts with ": Add . This mana can't be spent to cast a nonartifact spell.")
"Hello, beautiful."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Great Desert Prospector can uncover valuable artifacts or lands from the top of your deck, effectively sifting through your cards for key resources while also paving the way to potentially thicken your hand with more options.
Resource Acceleration: As the Great Desert Prospector digs into your deck, it may allow you to put crucial lands into play faster, ramping up your available mana and giving you the upper hand to cast game-changing spells ahead of schedule.
Instant Speed: The rapid excavation this card offers at instant speed means you can end your opponent’s turn by deploying this prospector, maintaining the element of surprise and optimizing your mana usage even if you enter your turn without having used up your resources.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Great Desert Prospector card stipulates that a player must discard another card as part of its activation cost. This can pose a strategic hurdle, especially when a player’s hand size is critical to maintaining their momentum in the game.
Specific Mana Cost: Requiring a combination of generic and red mana to play, this card demands a dedicated mana base. It necessitates the inclusion of red sources in a deck which could limit deck-building options and reduce the card’s versatility in multi-color decks.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that is higher than some similar effects, players must consider if the potential benefits outweigh the initial investment. Faster decks may bypass it for more immediate impact cards, while control-oriented decks might prefer options that offer better board control or card advantage.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Great Desert Prospector is a solid addition to any MTG deck looking for flexible utility. Its ability to sift through the deck enhances consistency, finding key pieces when most needed.
Combo Potential: This card slots seamlessly into artifact or landfall synergies. Its ability to put lands on the battlefield or into your hand can be critical for triggering powerful land-based combos or accelerating your game plan.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where adapting to evolving strategies is vital, Great Desert Prospector remains relevant. It allows players to keep pace with resource-heavy opponents and maintains its effectiveness across various metagames.
How to Beat Great Desert Prospector
The Great Desert Prospector offers a unique take on resource acceleration in Magic: The Gathering. This card allows players to potentially dig deep for artifacts, reminiscent of the classic mechanic seen in cards like Tutors or Goblin Welder. However, while it stands out for its thematic flavor and combo potential, there are effective ways to counter it.
Control strategies using counter spells can prevent the Great Desert Prospector from hitting the board in the first place. On the other hand, removals that target activated abilities or exile effects, such as Disallow or Path to Exile, can handle the Prospector after it’s been played. Players might also consider using graveyard hate cards like Rest in Peace or Scavenging Ooze to inhibit the utility of the Prospector’s artifact retrieving capabilities.
One must also not overlook the value of aggressive strategies. Pressuring an opponent who relies on such setup-intensive cards can often disrupt their gameplay rhythm, allowing you to get ahead before the Prospector’s benefits can turn the tides. Ultimately, while the Great Desert Prospector might be a tempting build-around card, it leaves the player open to direct and efficient disruption.
Cards like Great Desert Prospector
The Great Desert Prospector offers a unique twist on creature-based card advantages in Magic: The Gathering, providing a niche role in decks that look to utilize the graveyard. With abilities akin to Squee, Goblin Nabob in terms of graveyard interaction, this card allows players to draw in the late game when creatures are discarded from the hand. Yet, unlike Squee which bounces back to your hand, the Prospector needs a successful discard to trigger the draw.
Comparable to cards like Merfolk Looter, which also grants card filtering by drawing and then discarding cards, the Prospector differs by being a mandatory act for each turn. Embodiment of Spring is another card with a land-centric role, but where the Embodiment focuses on mana ramping, our Prospector is all about the card draw. Then considering Seasoned Pyromancer, while they share the aspect of card filtering and graveyard interplay, the Pyromancer’s strength lies in creating tokens and offering immediate board presence, as opposed to the focused draw engine the Prospector provides.
Ultimately, the Great Desert Prospector stands out for its consistent graveyard play and card draw ability, making it a potentially valuable asset for decks built around these mechanics in Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Great Desert Prospector by color, type and mana cost
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Great Desert Prospector has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Alchemy | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Great Desert Prospector card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2022-10-14 | Although all the cards in The Brothers' War that create Powerstone tokens create a tapped Powerstone token, entering the battlefield tapped isn't part of the token's definition. Notably, if you create a token that is a copy of a Powerstone token, the token copy won't enter the battlefield tapped. |
| 2022-10-14 | Powerstone tokens are a kind of predefined token. Each one has the artifact subtype "Powerstone" and the ability ": Add . This mana can't be spent to cast a nonartifact spell." |
| 2022-10-14 | You can use the added by a Powerstone token on anything that isn't a nonartifact spell. This includes paying costs to activate abilities of both artifact and nonartifact permanents, paying ward costs, and so on. |