Library of Alexandria MTG Card
1993-12-17 - Number 76
2003-01-01 - Number 2020B
2011-01-10 - Number 245
2014-06-16 - Number 303
2002-06-24 - Number 46940
| Card sets | Released in 5 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Land |
Text of card
Tap to add 1 colorless mana to your mana pool or draw a card from your library; you may use the card-drawing ability only if you have exactly seven cards in your hand.
Cards like Library of Alexandria
The storied Library of Alexandria holds a coveted place among collectors and players alike, not just for its rarity but also for its powerful ability to enhance card advantage. This land card allows players to draw if they have exactly seven cards in hand, which aligns it with other cards that excel in hand manipulation. Compare this to its contemporary, Ancestral Recall—a card that allows a player to draw three cards at an incredibly low cost, setting the standard for card advantage efficiency. While Ancestral Recall offers an instant boost in hand size, Library of Alexandria provides a more sustained approach to maintaining card parity.
Another card that offers a direct comparison is Jayemdae Tome, which also gives players the ability to draw but at the cost of both mana and the card’s activation. The Tome requires a four mana investment for each draw, making it less efficient than the mana-free draw of the Library. Despite the seeming advantage, Library of Alexandria has the unique requirement of balancing hand size, adding a layer of strategic depth. Both cards compel their users to meticulously plan their plays to optimize their benefits.
In essence, while other powerful draw cards exist, the Library of Alexandria stands out for its capacity to fit seamlessly into any game stage, offering continued resource advantage without additional mana investment—a prized feature in the world of Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Library of Alexandria by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Library of Alexandria. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Jeff | Free form | Canadian Highlander for Duals - Underground Sea Guaranteed - Proxies Allowed | |
 | Decklist | Free form | Canadian Highlander for Duals - Underground Sea Guaranteed - Proxies Allowed | |
 | Lurrus Saga | Vintage | Lurrus Saga | Vintage League 2024-03-20 |
 | Esper Tinker | Vintage | Blue Tinker | Vintage Challenge 32 2024-01-28 |
| U | Vintage | Vintage Preliminary 2024-01-26 | |
| RUG Control | Vintage | RUG Control | Vintage League 2023-12-29 |
| Azorius Standstill | Vintage | Standstill | Vintage Challenge 2023-11-04 |
| Grixis Underworld Breach | Vintage | Underworld Breach | Vintage Challenge 32 2023-12-09 (1) |
| Paradoxical Outcome | Vintage | Paradoxical Outcome | Vintage Challenge 2023-11-04 |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Library of Alexandria offers a consistent method to draw an additional card each turn, provided your hand is at the ideal size. This can be powerfully leveraged to outpace your opponent by having more options available as the game progresses.
Resource Acceleration: While it doesn’t generate mana directly, the ability to potentially draw an extra card each turn effectively accelerates your resource pool. Over several turns, this advantage accumulates, allowing for more strategic flexibility and the potential to play multiple spells in a shorter time frame.
Instant Speed: The beauty of this card lies in its ability to draw at instant speed. This lets players adapt to the changing game state and make informed decisions at the end of the opponent’s turn, ensuring maximum efficiency and strategic depth in their plays.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One of the downsides of Library of Alexandria is that it necessitates an exact count of seven cards in hand to activate its ability. This requirement can be quite limiting because it forces players to carefully manage their hand size, often resulting in the need to discard valuable cards to meet the card activation conditions.
Specific Mana Cost: Library of Alexandria demands a specific mana investment to harness its ability – one untapped mana of any color. While this doesn’t seem restrictive on the surface, it can be intricate when playing a deck with a tight mana curve or one that operates on intricate mana requirements for various spells.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although not requiring mana to play, the land’s power lies in its tapping ability, which indirectly competes with mana production for other spells. In high-speed games or against aggressive decks, utilizing Library of Alexandria for card draw may come at the cost of losing the tempo to more immediate on-the-board threats due to the opportunity cost of not having that one mana available for other uses.
Reasons to Include [THEME] in Your Collection
Versatility: Library of Alexandria is a powerful land card that can slot into virtually any deck, offering both mana fixing and card advantage. This makes it an exceptional choice for players who want flexibility and efficiency in their game plan.
Combo Potential: This iconic card can be a keystone in combos that revolve around hand size or draw capabilities. Its ability to tap for drawing a card when your hand has exactly seven cards enables various synergistic plays and can feed into strategies that exploit card quantity for even greater effects.
Meta-Relevance: Given the land’s strength in providing card advantage without costing a spell slot, it holds significant value in numerous meta environments. Its place in eternal formats showcases its consistent relevance where games can often be won or lost based on incremental advantages.
How to Beat
The Library of Alexandria is a highly respected and sought-after card in Magic: The Gathering, particularly for its powerful ability to draw additional cards, ensuring the player has a steady flow of options at their disposal. Standing up to this iconic card requires strategic adjustments and considering disruption tools. A successful approach often involves targeting the Library with land destruction effects or utilizing discard tactics to limit your opponent’s hand size, both of which are key to stifling the card advantage the Library can provide.
It’s also beneficial to apply pressure early in the game, forcing the Library’s controller to choose between using its ability and playing out their hand to defend against threats. Artifact removal spells can shut down artifacts like Relic of Progenitus or Scavenger Grounds which might be used to remove cards from the graveyard, indirectly benefiting the Library user’s strategy. Recognizing the pivotal role the Library of Alexandria plays in an opponent’s game plan and implementing a targeted strategy to either disable its effects or mitigate its advantages is crucial to overcoming this legendary card.
In essence, countering the value that the Library of Alexandria brings to the table demands an aggressive strategy, focused disruption, and an awareness of the ebb and flow of hand sizes during the match. Keeping these principles in mind puts you in a more advantageous position to conquer the challenges posed by this formidable MTG card.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Library of Alexandria MTG card by a specific set like Arabian Nights and Magic Online Promos, 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 Library of Alexandria 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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Printings
The Library of Alexandria Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 1993-12-17 and 2014-06-16. Illustrated by 3 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1993-12-17 | Arabian Nights | ARN | 76 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Mark Poole | |
| 2 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 46940 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Drew Baker | ||
| 3 | 2003-01-01 | Vintage Championship | OVNT | 2020B | 2015 | Normal | Black | Volkan Baǵa | |
| 4 | 2011-01-10 | Masters Edition IV | ME4 | 245 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Mark Poole | |
| 5 | 2014-06-16 | Vintage Masters | VMA | 303 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Drew Baker |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Library of Alexandria has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Oldschool | Restricted |
| Commander | Banned |
| Legacy | Banned |
| Oathbreaker | Banned |
| Vintage | Restricted |
| Duel | Banned |
| Predh | Banned |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Library of Alexandria card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | You may tap multiples of these in response to each other because the requirement for 7 cards is checked only at the time the ability is announced and not again when it resolves. |