Elemental Augury MTG Card

Ice Age (ICE)
1995-06-03 - Number 286

Elemental Augury - Masters Edition II (ME2)

Masters Edition II (ME2)
2008-09-22 - Number 193

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Rare
Type	Enchantment

Key Takeaways

Elemental Augury enhances draw quality, advancing strategic gameplay through top-deck manipulation.
The card’s instant speed casting offers reactive play opportunities in a dynamic game state.
Mana cost and discard requirements may limit Elemental Augury’s versatility across various decks.

Text of card

o3: Look at the top three cards of target player's library. Put them on the top of that player's library in any order.

"It is the changing of perception that is important." —Gerda Äagesdotter, Archmage of the Unseen

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Elemental Augury offers strategic top-deck manipulation, letting you sift through the top three cards of your library. This ability provides you with valuable foresight and control over your upcoming draws, thereby securing a better flow of resources as you craft your path to victory.

Resource Acceleration: While Elemental Augury itself doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, it vastly improves the quality of your draws. This effectively speeds up your access to vital lands and spells by filtering away less useful options, optimizing your gameplay and resource usage.

Instant Speed: The adaptability of casting Elemental Augury at instant speed cannot be overstated. This allows you to respond with precision to the evolving game state, waiting until the most opportune moment to peek at what the future holds and adjust your strategy accordingly, all without sacrificing the initiative on your own turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Elemental Augury requires the player to discard another card to activate its ability. This demand can be a setback, particularly when your hand is already thinning, diminishing potential future plays and forcing tough decision-making on which cards to keep.

Specific Mana Cost: Tailored for a multicolored deck, Elemental Augury has a mana cost that necessitates a mix of blue, red, and black mana. This particular requirement can be restrictive and may not seamlessly fit into all deck types, possibly complicating its incorporation into a cohesive strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a somewhat steep casting cost for its offered effect, this card competes with other options in your deck that may provide more immediate or impactful results. Players might find its mana requirement a bit too ambitious when considering the balance and tempo of their game.

Reasons to Include Elemental Augury in Your Collection

Versatility: Elemental Augury can slip seamlessly into a variety of decks, particularly those that thrive on manipulating the top cards of the library or that are built around multicolor strategies. The card’s ability to sift through the top three cards each turn ensures ongoing deck optimization.

Combo Potential: This enchantment offers synergies with shuffle effects or cards that care about the top card of the library, such as forecast or miracle mechanics. The setup it provides can be a solid foundation for powerful plays and unexpected combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a game that shifts with new expansions and evolving strategies, being one step ahead of the competition is key. Elemental Augury keeps your strategies adaptable, allowing for tactical reactions to the shifting landscape of competitive play.

How to beat

Elemental Augury is a unique enchantment card that can be a thorn in the side of many MTG players, providing a consistent peek into the upcoming plays. Its ability to look at the top three cards of a player’s library and rearrange them offers substantial control over the flow of the game. Overcoming this advantage requires strategic counters and disruption tactics.

One of the most effective strategies involves employing instant-speed spells that shuffle the opponent’s library. By doing this, you negate the benefit of Elemental Augury’s arrangement. Additionally, cards like Thoughtseize can force your opponent to discard key pieces they may have been setting up through Elemental Augury’s effect, hindering their planned sequence of plays. Moreover, utilizing aggressive decks that put pressure on the opponent can force them to use mana defensively, limiting their available resources to take full advantage of Elemental Augury’s potential.

Direct enchantment removal is also critical when facing Elemental Augury. By curbing its influence immediately, you stop your opponent’s ability to set up their draws, which is a cornerstone of their strategy. Armed with the right tools and a proactive approach, you can level the playing field against the foresight provided by Elemental Augury.

Cards like Elemental Augury

Elemental Augury is a unique card within the realm of Magic: The Gathering, blending aspects of both deck manipulation and card advantage. When paralleled with Crystal Ball, the similarities in scrying ability are clear. Crystal Ball allows you to look at the top card of your library at will, though it doesn’t provide the same level of control over the next three cards like Elemental Augury.

Another comparable card is Thassa, God of the Sea, which also offers a glimpse into the future with its scry ability. However, Thassa brings additional versatility to the battlefield as an indestructible enchantment creature that can also make your creatures unblockable, unlike the solely predictive nature of Elemental Augury. Conversely, Soothsaying expands on the idea by offering unlimited scrying provided you have the mana, which can be more powerful but also requires a greater investment than Elemental Augury’s fixed three-card arrangement.

In the grand tapestry of strategic tools, Elemental Augury holds its own by offering the player insight into future draws, a crucial advantage in any game. It finds its niche among those who value the foresight to organize their next moves without the larger mana commitment some similar cards might demand.

Thassa, God of the Sea - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Elemental Augury by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Elemental Augury MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Masters Edition II, 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 Elemental Augury and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Elemental Augury Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 2008-09-22. Illustrated by Anthony S. Waters.