Dowsing Dagger // Lost Vale MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeArtifact — Equipment
Abilities Equip,Transform

Key Takeaways

  1. Dowsing Dagger can flip into Lost Vale, providing a significant mana boost and card advantage.
  2. Equipping at instant speed offers flexibility and a strategic edge in battles.
  3. The requirement to attack for transformation may complicate its effectiveness against defensive decks.

Text of card

When Dowsing Dagger enters the battlefield, target opponent creates two 0/2 green Plant creature tokens with defender. Equipped creature gets +2/+1. Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, you may transform Dowsing Dagger. Equip


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dowsing Dagger is a versatile tool that has the potential to flip into a land, providing not just a mana boost but also steady access to resources. This can be crucial in games where outdrawing your opponent dictates the pace and flow of the match.

Resource Acceleration: Once transformed, the Dowsing Dagger becomes Lost Vale, a land capable of tapping for three mana of any one color. Such a significant jump in resources can rapidly accelerate your game plan, allowing you to deploy threats or answers ahead of schedule.

Instant Speed: Although Dowsing Dagger itself is not an instant, it can be equipped at instant speed, making it a formidable surprise during combat or at the end of your opponent’s turn. The flexibility it offers in terms of timing can set up unexpected victories or turn the tides when least expected.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike other mana-generating treasures, Dowsing Dagger requires you to connect with an opponent’s player in combat to transform it, which can be challenging against decks with a robust defensive lineup.

Specific Mana Cost: Dowsing Dagger has a unique mana cost that encourages inclusion in multicolored decks; however, it can potentially strain mana bases that aren’t well-tuned to accommodate such fixing requirements.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although two mana isn’t the steepest investment for an artifact, the necessity to attack and then transform it into Lost Vale for it to become a land that provides colorless mana could be seen as a slow investment compared to more immediate mana accelerants in the game.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Dowsing Dagger offers adaptable gameplay, suitable for decks that need both ramp and power boosts. Its ability to transform into a land ensures that it fits smoothly into a variety of deck archetypes.

Combo Potential: With its transformation into Lost Vale, the card creates an impressive mana acceleration that can be pivotal for setting up game-winning combos, especially in decks that capitalize on substantial mana resources.

Meta-Relevance: Given its potential to rapidly advance your board state, Dowsing Dagger holds significant value in metagames that are tempo-driven or heavily reliant on establishing early game advantages through ramping.


How to Beat

Dowsing Dagger, when unleashed onto the battlefield, becomes an intriguing challenge for Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts. This particular artifact equips creatures and transforms into a land that taps for a hefty amount of mana, making it a precious tool for accelerating gameplay. To effectively counteract Dowsing Dagger, it’s essential to disrupt the opponent’s creature-based strategies. Removal spells readily dispose of equipped creatures, preventing the transformation into the powerful Lost Vale. Popular choices include Fatal Push and Path to Exile, which serve as precise and cost-effective methods of creature control.

Alternatively, artifact destruction spells like Abrade or Nature’s Claim can directly target Dowsing Dagger before it converts. Awaiting the perfect moment to cast such spells is key, as preemptive moves can force the opponent into an unfavorable position, obstructing their plans. It is also worth considering enchantments like Stony Silence that nullify the abilities of artifacts, thereby restraining Dowsing Dagger’s potential even if it does transform.

Controlling the board state and remaining vigilant for opportunities to disrupt your opponent’s strategy will provide a solid defense against Dowsing Dagger. This preemptive mindset secures an advantage, ensuring that Dowsing Dagger does not tip the scales in favor of the opposition, maintaining control over the match.


BurnMana Recommendations

Embracing the complexity and potential of Dowsing Dagger can be a game-changer for MTG players. With its clever design, this card promises a boon of resources when wielded smartly. If you’re looking to enhance your deck’s agility and resource handling, understanding and integrating Dowsing Dagger could be vital. It’s not just about whittling down your opponent; it’s harnessing the very essence of resourcefulness and timing. For those eager to dive deeper into the strategic benefits of this transformative card and to discover efficient ways to incorporate such advantages into your gameplay, we welcome you to further explore its depths. Let’s unlock the secrets that set apart the adepts from the novices. Learn more with us and enrich your MTG experience.


Cards like Dowsing Dagger // Lost Vale

Dowsing Dagger stands out for its ability to transform into a powerful land in Magic: The Gathering. Comparable to Sword of the Animist, Dowsing Dagger initially confers a smaller boost of +2/+1 and, unlike the Sword, grants land cards only after transformation. The Sword provides consistent land ramp but lacks Dowsing Dagger’s potential to become a land that taps for three mana of any color.

Another similar equipment is Explorer’s Scope, which also focuses on a land-interaction mechanic. However, Explorer’s Scope is less consistent as it relies on the top card of your library being a land to gain a benefit, whereas Dowsing Dagger guarantees extra land after it transforms. Additionally, Explorer’s Scope misses out on providing a power increase to creatures.

To round up the comparison, we can look at Prying Blade as an interesting alternative. While it shares Dowsing Dagger’s ability to produce additional resources by creating Treasure tokens, it falls short in the long game due to its inability to transform into a more valuable permanent.

When evaluating equipment cards that interact with lands and resources, Dowsing Dagger presents a unique versatility. It poses an initial challenge to trigger its transformation, but the payoff is substantial, securing its place as a valuable inclusion in decks that can leverage its full potential.

Sword of the Animist - MTG Card versions
Explorer's Scope - MTG Card versions
Prying Blade - MTG Card versions
Sword of the Animist - Magic Origins (ORI)
Explorer's Scope - Zendikar (ZEN)
Prying Blade - Ixalan (XLN)

Cards similar to Dowsing Dagger // Lost Vale by color, type and mana cost

Chaos Orb - MTG Card versions
Winter Orb - MTG Card versions
Ankh of Mishra - MTG Card versions
Amulet of Kroog - MTG Card versions
Nacre Talisman - MTG Card versions
Howling Mine - MTG Card versions
Essence Bottle - MTG Card versions
Emerald Medallion - MTG Card versions
Scrying Glass - MTG Card versions
Cursed Totem - MTG Card versions
Tsabo's Web - MTG Card versions
Millikin - MTG Card versions
Swiftfoot Boots - MTG Card versions
Ark of Blight - MTG Card versions
Surestrike Trident - MTG Card versions
Energy Chamber - MTG Card versions
Water Gun Balloon Game - MTG Card versions
Angel's Feather - MTG Card versions
Demon's Horn - MTG Card versions
Elsewhere Flask - MTG Card versions
Chaos Orb - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Winter Orb - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Ankh of Mishra - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Amulet of Kroog - Rinascimento (RIN)
Nacre Talisman - Ice Age (ICE)
Howling Mine - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Essence Bottle - Tempest (TMP)
Emerald Medallion - Commander Anthology (CMA)
Scrying Glass - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Cursed Totem - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Tsabo's Web - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Millikin - Odyssey (ODY)
Swiftfoot Boots - The Brothers' War Retro Artifacts (BRR)
Ark of Blight - Scourge (SCG)
Surestrike Trident - Darksteel (DST)
Energy Chamber - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Water Gun Balloon Game - Unhinged (UNH)
Angel's Feather - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Demon's Horn - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Elsewhere Flask - Shadowmoor (SHM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dowsing Dagger // Lost Vale MTG card by a specific set like Ixalan Promos and Ixalan, 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 Dowsing Dagger // Lost Vale and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dowsing Dagger // Lost Vale Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2017-09-29 and 2023-05-08. Illustrated by Florian de Gesincourt.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12017-09-29Ixalan PromosPXLN 235s2015transformblackFlorian de Gesincourt
22017-09-29IxalanXLN 2352015transformblackFlorian de Gesincourt
32023-05-08From Cute to BrutePCTB 532015transformblackFlorian de Gesincourt

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dowsing Dagger // Lost Vale has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2017-09-29 Attacking with an equipped creature doesn’t cause Equipment attached to it to become tapped. Dowsing Dagger will normally be untapped when it transforms into Lost Vale.
2018-01-19 For more information on double-faced cards, see the Ixalan mechanics article (http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/ixalan-mechanics).

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