Trading Post MTG Card
2012-07-13 - Number 220
2013-07-19 - Number 225
2014-11-07 - Number 279
2016-11-11 - Number 278
2018-06-08 - Number 225
2019-11-07 - Number 1644
2022-11-18 - Number 169
2023-06-23 - Number 288
2020-09-26 - Number CM2-225
| Card sets | Released in 9 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Artifact |
Key Takeaways
- Trading Post ensures a steady flow of resources, bolstering card advantage.
- Its ability to create tokens and gain life enhances your strategic plays.
- Flexibility makes it a resilient card, relevant in evolving metagames.
Text of card
, , Discard a card: You gain 4 life. , , Pay 1 life: Put a 0/1 white Goat creature token onto the battlefield. , , Sacrifice a creature: Return target artifact card from your graveyard to your hand. , , Sacrifice an artifact: Draw a card.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Trading Post card provides a versatile utility by allowing you to exchange resources, such as gaining a card for a spare artifact, keeping your hand filled with options.
Resource Acceleration: It can act as a resource engine, generating Goat tokens which may be converted into life or other assets, effectively accelerating your resource development.
Instant Speed: Although Trading Post itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, it gives you the flexibility to make key moves at the end of your opponent’s turn, similar to instant speed interactions, maintaining tempo and maximising strategic plays.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Trading Post card comes with a stipulation that necessitates discarding a card to activate one of its key abilities. For players who might already be dealing with an empty hand or a critical card lineup, this additional cost can put a dent in their plans, possibly forcing them to lose valuable resources just to gain an advantage.
Specific Mana Cost: The Trading Post demands an exact mana combination for its activation, including one of any color and three colorless. This specific cost requires players to have a diverse mana base readily available, which may not always align with their deck’s strategy or mana curve, hindering its immediate use in certain game scenarios.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a deployment cost that stands at four mana, the Trading Post falls in the category of cards with a higher than average mana demand. Within this mana range, players have access to a broad spectrum of alternatives that may provide more direct impact or versatility, potentially making the Trading Post a less efficient choice in fast-paced or aggressive game formats.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Trading Post serves as a multi-faceted tool, catering to various strategic needs in almost any deck. Whether you’re in need of artifact recycling, creature revival, life gain, or token generation, this card can adapt to suit your game plan.
Combo Potential: This card excels at fostering combinations with numerous other cards, turning otherwise passive artifacts and creatures into key components of potentially game-winning synergies.
Meta-Relevance: As the metagame shifts and artifact strategies ebb and flow in popularity, the Trading Post maintains its relevance by offering a robust set of options that can be tailored to counteract prevailing deck types.
How to beat
The Trading Post is a versatile artifact card in Magic: The Gathering, acting as a utility belt for seasoned players. Its ability to recycle creatures, gain life, create token creatures, and return artifacts from the graveyard makes it a tough nut to crack in long-term matches. Nonetheless, overcoming this card can be straightforward with the right strategy.
Focusing on artifact destruction is a clear-cut method to disable the Trading Post. Cards like Naturalize or Shatter can swiftly dismantle the Trading Post’s operations, cutting off its various functions. Moreover, aggressive strategies can outpace the Post’s gradual value gain. Running a deck that applies constant pressure and demands immediate answers can force Trading Post players on the defensive, leaving them unable to capitalize on their artifact’s benefits. In essence, speed and targeted removal are your best allies to nullify the advantages brought by the Trading Post, ensuring it does not become the linchpin of your opponent’s strategy.
Effectively, while the Trading Post may appear daunting with its array of options, a tailored approach that emphasizes quick plays and focuses on artifact disruption can successfully undermine this multi-faceted threat in your MTG battles.
Cards like Trading Post
Trading Post is a versatile tool in the Magic: The Gathering arsenal, known for its ability to affect multiple aspects of gameplay. Comparable to cards like Phyrexian Furnace, both provide repeatable utility and a degree of artifact synergy. However, Trading Post offers greater versatility with its four different options, ranging from creating creature tokens to resurrecting artifacts from the graveyard, unlike the Furnace’s singular focus on graveyard manipulation.
Another akin device in the MTG realm is Moriok Replica, which shares the life-gain and card-drawing capabilities, yet Trading Post offers these benefits with more consistency and control over the board state. While both beneficial in similar strategies, Trading Post’s array of choices often makes it a more dynamic addition to a player’s game plan. It’s worth noting that Staff of Nin also lends itself to trading card draw and direct damage, yet the Post stands out in its ability to work under various circumstances.
Assessing these utility cards reveals that while there are others that mimic certain facets of Trading Post’s functionality, its unique blend of flexibility and repeatable actions places it high in regard to utility and strategic depth in Magic: The Gathering decks that favor reactive and adaptive playstyles.
Cards similar to Trading Post by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Trading Post MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2013 and Magic 2014, 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 Trading Post 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 Magic products
Printings
The Trading Post Magic the Gathering card was released in 9 different sets between 2012-07-13 and 2023-06-23. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2012-07-13 | Magic 2013 | M13 | 220 | 2003 | normal | black | Adam Paquette | |
| 2 | 2013-07-19 | Magic 2014 | M14 | 225 | 2003 | normal | black | Adam Paquette | |
| 3 | 2014-11-07 | Commander 2014 | C14 | 279 | 2015 | normal | black | Adam Paquette | |
| 4 | 2016-11-11 | Commander 2016 | C16 | 278 | 2015 | normal | black | Adam Paquette | |
| 5 | 2018-06-08 | Commander Anthology Volume II | CM2 | 225 | 2015 | normal | black | Adam Paquette | |
| 6 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 1644 | 2015 | normal | black | Adam Paquette | |
| 7 | The List | PLST | CM2-225 | 2015 | normal | black | Adam Paquette | ||
| 8 | 2022-11-18 | The Brothers' War Commander | BRC | 169 | 1997 | normal | black | Adam Paquette | |
| 9 | 2023-06-23 | Tales of Middle-earth Commander | LTC | 288 | 2015 | normal | black | Josu Solano |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Trading Post has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
