Customs Depot MTG Card


Customs Depot - Mercadian Masques
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment
Released1999-10-04
Set symbol
Set nameMercadian Masques
Set codeMMQ
Number71
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byScott M. Fischer

Key Takeaways

  1. Customs Depot excels in card drawing, maintaining a varied hand for strategic gameplay flexibility.
  2. Its ramp potential synergizes with cards for enhanced mana efficiency and deck cycling.
  3. Instant speed interaction allows for tactical responses, giving an edge during play.

Text of card

Whenever you play a creature spell, you may pay o1. If you do, draw a card, then discard a card from your hand.

A bribe is always faster than filling out paperwork.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Customs Depot shines by offering consistent card drawing capabilities. Each turn, having the option to draw an additional card ensures that your hand remains full, giving you a greater selection of strategies and responses during gameplay.

Resource Acceleration: This card plays a critical role in ramping up your resources. Not only can it help you cycle through your deck to find the lands you need, but it also synergizes well with cards that benefit from drawing or discarding, enhancing your overall mana efficiency.

Instant Speed: Customs Depot operates at instant speed, which provides tactical flexibility. This means you can respond to your opponent’s moves on their turn, maintaining a sense of unpredictability and readiness that can be the edge needed to win crucial interactions throughout the match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Customs Depot demands that you discard another card from your hand. This could set you back, especially during moments in the game when your hand size is critical for maintaining a competitive edge.

Specific Mana Cost: Customs Depot’s mana cost is particularly color-intensive, requiring both blue and white mana. This requirement can restrict its integration outside of dedicated Azorius or multicolor decks that run these colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value sitting at three, Customs Depot can be considered cost-inefficient compared to other cards that provide similar or better card advantage or deck manipulation at a lower cost.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Customs Depot offers various utility in decks that thrive on artifact synergies, as it easily integrates into any strategy focused on artifact manipulation or exploitation.

Combo Potential: It displays significant combo potential when paired with cards that untap artifacts or draw cards upon artifact entry, thus expanding the breadth of possible powerhouse plays.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where artifact strategies are prevalent or against opponents who utilize artifacts, Customs Depot can serve as a critical asset, leveraging your own artifacts while hindering others.


How to beat

Customs Depot is a unique card that can present a challenge for many players in Magic: The Gathering. When facing this card, the key to emerging victorious lies in understanding its benefits and mechanics. Traditionally, a player uses Customs Depot to gain significant card advantage when artifacts enter the battlefield under their control.

To counteract the benefits that Customs Depot provides, consider implementing strategies that limit the deployment or benefits of artifacts. This could mean employing removal spells that target artifacts, such as Disenchant, to neutralize them before the Depot’s effects can be activated. Additionally, focusing on direct disruption through discard mechanics or counterspells such as Negate or Duress can prevent the Customs Depot from ever hitting the table. As with any strategy in the game, timing and knowledge of your opponent’s deck and potential plays are critical.

Successfully circumventing the advantages offered by Customs Depot demands attention to the pace of the game and preemptive action against artifact synergies. Keep a steady flow of artifact disruption and remain vigilant for opportunities to dismantle your opponent’s tactics, ensuring that the Depot doesn’t become a pivotal point in their strategy.


Cards like Customs Depot

Customs Depot is an intriguing piece in the puzzle of resource acceleration within the Magic: The Gathering universe. As a relative to cards like Smothering Tithe, it too provides an edge by granting additional treasures when certain conditions are met. While Smothering Tithe collects a bounty whenever an opponent draws, Customs Depot narrows its focus on creatures entering the battlefield under an opponent’s control.

Storm the Vault shares some strategic DNA with Customs Depot; it transforms to tap for mana in colors corresponding to the number of artifacts you control. Although Customs Depot doesn’t directly ramp like Storm the Vault, its consistent treasure creation whenever opponents summon creatures can quickly ramp up your mana pool indirectly.

Concluding the comparison, Customs Depot might not have the widespread impact of Smothering Tithe or the direct mana transformation of Storm the Vault, but it shines in creature-heavy match-ups, consistently providing valuable treasures that enhance your play options as the game unfolds.

Smothering Tithe - MTG Card versions
Smothering Tithe - Ravnica Allegiance (RNA)

Cards similar to Customs Depot by color, type and mana cost

Copy Artifact - MTG Card versions
Invisibility - MTG Card versions
Power Leak - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Terrain - MTG Card versions
Creature Bond - MTG Card versions
Stasis - MTG Card versions
Lifetap - MTG Card versions
Power Artifact - MTG Card versions
Psychic Venom - MTG Card versions
Venarian Gold - MTG Card versions
Homarid Spawning Bed - MTG Card versions
Soar - MTG Card versions
Flooded Shoreline - MTG Card versions
Dance of Many - MTG Card versions
Teferi's Veil - MTG Card versions
Legacy's Allure - MTG Card versions
Chill - MTG Card versions
Buoyancy - MTG Card versions
Mana Maze - MTG Card versions
Psionic Gift - MTG Card versions
Copy Artifact - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Invisibility - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Power Leak - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Phantasmal Terrain - Invasion (INV)
Creature Bond - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Stasis - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Lifetap - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Power Artifact - Antiquities (ATQ)
Psychic Venom - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Venarian Gold - Legends (LEG)
Homarid Spawning Bed - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Soar - Mirage (MIR)
Flooded Shoreline - Visions (VIS)
Dance of Many - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Teferi's Veil - Weatherlight (WTH)
Legacy's Allure - Tempest (TMP)
Chill - Tempest (TMP)
Buoyancy - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Mana Maze - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Psionic Gift - Odyssey (ODY)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Customs Depot MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques, 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 Customs Depot and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Customs Depot has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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