Graven Lore MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeSnow Instant
Abilities Scry

Key Takeaways

  1. High snow mana investment with Graven Lore results in substantial card selection, followed by a strong card draw.
  2. Playing at instant speed grants mastery over the game’s pace, leaving opponents uncertain about your next move.
  3. Requires a dedicated snow land base to unlock its full potential, restricting its utility in diverse mana decks.

Text of card

Scry X, where X is the amount of {S} spent to cast this spell, then draw three cards. ({S} is mana from a snow source.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Graven Lore shines by offering significant card advantage. When you cast this spell, you get to scry X, where X is the amount of snow mana spent to cast it, followed by drawing three cards. The ability to filter through your deck before drawing ensures you get the most useful cards to maintain or extend your lead.

Resource Acceleration: Although Graven Lore itself doesn’t directly provide resource acceleration, the card selection it provides can quickly lead you to the necessary spells or lands that do. This makes it an indirect but potent contributor to ramping up your resources in a match.

Instant Speed: As an instant, Graven Lore offers strategic flexibility. You have the liberty to wait until the most opportune moment within a turn to cast it. This could be the end of your opponent’s turn or in response to an action, keeping them guessing about your hand and available mana.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: A key drawback to Graven Lore’s utility is the reliance on having snow mana to fuel its card drawing power. If you’re unable to tap enough snow sources, you won’t capitalize on its full potential, leaving you in a tight spot if your hand needs replenishing.

Specific Mana Cost: The inclusion of three generic mana and two snow mana in Graven Lore’s casting cost demands a deck tailored with snow lands. This specialization can deter the card’s integration into multicolored decks that require a diverse mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an investment of five mana for a scrying and drawing combination, Graven Lore faces stiff competition from other cards in the same mana bracket. While it does offer both effects, the card may still be considered at a costly end, especially when alternatives could provide more immediate board impact or versatility.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Graven Lore is flexible, sliding into various deck archetypes that capitalize on instant-speed card draw. It functions well in control decks or any strategy that thrives on maintaining card advantage over opponents.

Combo Potential: Since scrying is a robust mechanism for setting up your deck, this card can work wonders in combination with top-deck manipulation or strategies that benefit from knowledge of upcoming draws.

Meta-Relevance: Within a meta that leans heavily on precise deck piloting and strategic planning, Graven Lore’s ability to refuel the hand while sculpting future turns is a significant asset. It holds its weight in scenarios where longer games tend to be the norm.


How to beat

Graven Lore is a powerful snow sorcery that has made its mark in MTG. Not only does it allow for significant card draw based on the number of snow mana used, but it also provides scrying capabilities to set up future plays. To overcome the advantage Graven Lore provides, players should consider the timing of their disruptive spells. Counterspells like Negate or Mystical Dispute are effective tools to prevent Graven Lore from resolving. In the event it does resolve, hand disruption through cards like Thoughtseize can weaken the benefits by forcing the discard of key cards drawn.

Additionally, removing snow lands from your opponent’s control can reduce Graven Lore’s impact, making land destruction or land-bouncing spells a practical part of your strategy. Remember that Graven Lore is most threatening in decks that maximize snow mana sources. If you apply pressure early and maintain control of the board state, you can mitigate the card advantage Graven Lore offers and maintain the upper hand in the match.

Conclusively, to nullify Graven Lore’s influence in MTG, a combination of counterspells, hand disruption, and land interference forms a potent counter-strategy that enables players to keep pace with and outmaneuver opponents relying on this potent draw card.


BurnMana Recommendations

As an MTG enthusiast, understanding the spells that offer a strategic edge can be the difference between victory and defeat. Graven Lore’s potential to sway the tide of a match is undeniable, with its card drawing strength tied to snow mana and the foresight offered through scrying. Whether you’re new to the game or honing your skills, this spell’s capability to bolster your hand while meticulously plotting your steps ahead can’t be overstressed. Discover how Graven Lore can enhance your deck by visiting us. Dive into the depth of strategy it unfolds and embrace the advantage it can provide in your next MTG challenge.


Cards like Graven Lore

The intricate design of Graven Lore reflects the depth of card advantage tactics in Magic: The Gathering. This spell reminds avid players of the popular card-drawing sorcery, Behold the Multiverse, which also allows you to scry before you draw. The difference lies in Graven Lore’s snow synergy – as you cast it, you can potentially scry more, depending on the amount of snow mana used.

Convergence with Frost Augur is apparent, another piece utilizing snow permanents to potentially reveal additional cards from the top of your library. However, Frost Augur is creature-based and more restricting, since it only features cards with snow mana in their costs. Still, its ability to repeatedly activate each turn offers a consistent card advantage.

Moving on, there is the harmonious counterpart, Into the North. It delves into land acceleration by searching for a snow land card. Although it doesn’t directly draw cards, it ensures mana growth which could lead to an earlier arrival for Graven Lore or other impactful spells in a snow-themed deck. When examining their roles within the deck’s schema, Graven Lore serves as a monumental draw engine that can drastically change the tides of gameplay, thanks to its high potential to sift through and obtain key pieces from your deck.

Behold the Multiverse - MTG Card versions
Frost Augur - MTG Card versions
Into the North - MTG Card versions
Behold the Multiverse - Kaldheim (KHM)
Frost Augur - Kaldheim (KHM)
Into the North - Coldsnap (CSP)

Cards similar to Graven Lore by color, type and mana cost

Desertion - MTG Card versions
Force of Will - MTG Card versions
Evacuation - MTG Card versions
Double Take - MTG Card versions
Sunder - MTG Card versions
Submerge - MTG Card versions
Misdirection - MTG Card versions
Gush - MTG Card versions
Perplexing Test - MTG Card versions
Access Denied - MTG Card versions
Counterbore - MTG Card versions
Traumatic Visions - MTG Card versions
Whiplash Trap - MTG Card versions
Archive Trap - MTG Card versions
Mysteries of the Deep - MTG Card versions
Jace's Ingenuity - MTG Card versions
Quicksilver Geyser - MTG Card versions
Lost in the Mist - MTG Card versions
Psychic Spiral - MTG Card versions
Totally Lost - MTG Card versions
Desertion - Conspiracy: Take the Crown (CN2)
Force of Will - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Evacuation - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC)
Double Take - Unglued (UGL)
Sunder - The List (PLST)
Submerge - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Misdirection - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Gush - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Perplexing Test - Wilds of Eldraine Commander (WOC)
Access Denied - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Counterbore - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Traumatic Visions - Conflux (CON)
Whiplash Trap - Commander 2020 (C20)
Archive Trap - The List (PLST)
Mysteries of the Deep - Worldwake (WWK)
Jace's Ingenuity - Magic 2015 (M15)
Quicksilver Geyser - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Lost in the Mist - Innistrad (ISD)
Psychic Spiral - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Totally Lost - Mystery Booster (MB1)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Graven Lore MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Kaldheim, 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 Graven Lore and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Graven Lore Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2021-02-05 and 2021-02-06. Illustrated by Svetlin Velinov.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 882562015normalblackSvetlin Velinov
22021-02-05KaldheimKHM 3442015normalblackSvetlin Velinov
32021-02-05KaldheimKHM 612015normalblackSvetlin Velinov
42021-02-06Kaldheim PromosPKHM 61s2015normalblackSvetlin Velinov
52021-02-06Kaldheim PromosPKHM 61p2015normalblackSvetlin Velinov

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Graven Lore has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-02-05 If Graven Lore is copied, no mana was spent to cast the copy, so you’ll just draw three cards.
2021-02-05 If you cast Graven Lore without spending snow mana, you’ll just draw three cards.
2021-02-05 Snow is a supertype, not a card type. It has no rules meaning or function by itself, but spells and abilities may refer to it.
2021-02-05 Snow isn’t a type of mana. If an effect says you may spend mana as though it were any type, you can’t pay for {S} using mana that wasn’t produced by a snow source.
2021-02-05 Some cards have additional effects for each {S} spent to cast them. You can cast these spells even if you don’t spend any snow mana to cast them; their additional effects simply won’t do anything.
2021-02-05 The Kaldheim set doesn’t have any cards with mana costs that include {S}, but some previous sets do. If an effect says such a spell costs less to cast, that reduction doesn’t apply to any {S} costs. This is also true for activated abilities that include {S} in their activation costs and effects that reduce those costs.
2021-02-05 The {S} symbol is a generic mana symbol. It represents a cost that can be paid by one mana that was produced by a snow source. That mana can be any color or colorless.

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