Living Artifact MTG Card
1993-08-05 - Number 208
1993-10-04 - Number 209
1993-12-01 - Number 209
1993-12-10 - Number 209
1993-12-10 - Number 209
1994-04-01 - Number 209
1994-04-01 - Number 209
1994-06-21 - Number 209
1995-04-01 - Number 259
1995-04-01 - Number 259
1997-03-24 - Number 311
2022-11-28 - Number 501
2022-11-28 - Number 204
| Card sets | Released in 13 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Enchantment — Aura |
| Abilities | Enchant |
Text of card
Put a counter on target artifact for each life you lose. During upkeep you may trade one counter for one life, but you can only trade in one counter each turn.
Cards like Living Artifact
Living Artifact is a unique enchantment in Magic: The Gathering that has carved out a niche for itself among the myriad of cards. It holds a semblance to cards like Crystalline Crawler, which, akin to Living Artifact, grants value over time. Though Living Artifact doesn’t tap for mana directly, it accumulates life-giving counters each upkeep, a steady boon to your life total that can prove vital in protracted battles.
In comparison, there’s Sun Droplet, another card that passively boosts your life total. It recuperates life every time you’re dealt damage, whereas Living Artifact relies on time and counter accumulation, emphasizing a strategy of endurance. Conversely, Dragon Blood is another artifact that utilizes counters, but it focuses on empowering creatures rather than fortifying your life.
Ultimately, in the vast pool of MTG, Living Artifact stands out due to its slow, yet consistent, life-gain ability. Its closest counterparts offer different advantages, from immediate mana access to responsive life gain, making Living Artifact a distinct choice for decks favoring a methodical path to victory.
Cards similar to Living Artifact by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: In the realm of MTG, Living Artifact isn’t just a showpiece; it also offers a compelling tactical edge by allowing for life gain that translates into card advantage over time. A savvy player can exploit these incremental gains to outlast opponents and steadily pull ahead in resource accumulation.
Resource Acceleration: The ability to transform life gain into future resources, Living Artifact provides a unique form of resource acceleration. As you rack up life points, this enchantment begins to amass counters, potentially turning into a formidable asset that can sway the tides of battle in your favor.
Instant Speed: While the Living Artifact itself doesn’t function at instant speed, it interacts splendidly with effects that do. This means you can effectively mitigate incoming damage or profit from surprise life-gain triggers during your opponent’s turn, enhancing the card’s utility and its role in your strategic ensemble.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Living Artifact requires that you discard a card to activate certain abilities. This could potentially deplete your hand, leaving you with fewer options during critical turns.
Specific Mana Cost: This card necessitates a precise arrangement of mana, including at least one green, making it less flexible and harder to cast outside of mono-green or two-color decks.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The initial investment for Living Artifact can be steep compared to other options. Other cards at a lower mana cost might bring similar or even better benefits, which could compromise the card’s playability in fast-paced metagames.
Reasons to Include Living Artifact in Your Collection
Versatility: Living Artifact offers a unique blend of life gain and artifact synergy, making it a versatile pick for decks focused on increasing longevity while utilizing the artifact trait. It’s a classic option that can find a place in many green-based decks.
Combo Potential: This card can be part of intricate combos, accumulating life as the game progresses. Pair it with cards that manipulate counters or benefit from life gain to unlock its full potential in your deck-building strategies.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment where games are drawn out or chip damage is prevalent, Living Artifact gains value. It can act as a subtle yet consistent source of life, tipping the scales in your favor over the course of a match.
How to beat
Confronting Living Artifact in MTG requires a strategic approach due to its unique mechanics that bolster your opponents’ defenses. To effecively counteract this card, consider incorporating artifact removal or direct damage spells into your deck. Artifact removal options, such as Naturalize or Shatter, can directly target and eliminate Living Artifact, preventing any life gain for your adversary. Offering relentless pressure can also overwhelm players relying on Living Artifact, as direct damage spells like Lightning Bolt can swiftly deteriorate their life total, regardless of the incremental life gain the card provides.
Moreover, it’s vital to anticipate the enhanced longevity that Living Artifact grants. Playing aggressively and focusing on reducing your opponent’s life points early in the game can mitigate the benefits of Living Artifact, minimizing its impact on the match. Keep in mind that while Living Artifact can be a thorn in your side, it does not have an immediate effect on the board state and requires time to accumulate value, presenting a window of opportunity to assert your offensive.
Overall, understanding the pace of your deck and having the right answers on hand can turn the tide against Living Artifact. By keeping up the pressure and having removal at the ready, you can subvert the card’s advantages and maintain control of the game.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Living Artifact MTG card by a specific set like Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, 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 Living Artifact 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
See MTG Products
Printings
The Living Artifact Magic the Gathering card was released in 12 different sets between 1993-08-05 and 2022-11-28. Illustrated by Anson Maddocks.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1993-08-05 | Limited Edition Alpha | LEA | 208 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Anson Maddocks | |
| 2 | 1993-10-04 | Limited Edition Beta | LEB | 209 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Anson Maddocks | |
| 3 | 1993-12-01 | Unlimited Edition | 2ED | 209 | 1993 | Normal | White | Anson Maddocks | |
| 4 | 1993-12-10 | Intl. Collectors' Edition | CEI | 209 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Anson Maddocks | |
| 5 | 1993-12-10 | Collectors' Edition | CED | 209 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Anson Maddocks | |
| 6 | 1994-04-01 | Revised Edition | 3ED | 209 | 1993 | Normal | White | Anson Maddocks | |
| 7 | 1994-04-01 | Foreign Black Border | FBB | 209 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Anson Maddocks | |
| 8 | 1994-06-21 | Summer Magic / Edgar | SUM | 209 | 1993 | Normal | White | Anson Maddocks | |
| 9 | 1995-04-01 | Fourth Edition | 4ED | 259 | 1993 | Normal | White | Anson Maddocks | |
| 10 | 1995-04-01 | Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border | 4BB | 259 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Anson Maddocks | |
| 11 | 1997-03-24 | Fifth Edition | 5ED | 311 | 1997 | Normal | White | Anson Maddocks | |
| 12 | 2022-11-28 | 30th Anniversary Edition | 30A | 501 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Anson Maddocks | |
| 13 | 2022-11-28 | 30th Anniversary Edition | 30A | 204 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Anson Maddocks |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Living Artifact has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Oldschool | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Living Artifact 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 | Does not trigger on loss of life, just on damage. |
| 2004-10-04 | You can cast it targeting your opponent’s artifacts. The controller of the Aura (not the controller of the artifact) controls the Living Artifact ability. |