Neurok Familiar MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Bird
Abilities	Flying
Released	2003-10-02
Set symbol
Set name	Mirrodin
Set code	MRD
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	43
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Edward P. Beard, Jr.

Key Takeaways

Neurok Familiar provides deck filtering and resource acceleration crucial in artifact-rich strategies.
However, its playability can be hindered by specific mana costs and its discard requirement.
Its utility and combo potential make it a worthy card for certain metagames and collections.

Text of card

Flying When Neurok Familiar comes into play, reveal the top card of your library. If it's an artifact card, put it into your hand. Otherwise, put it into your graveyard.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Neurok Familiar aids in sifting through your deck to find key pieces, offering a draw then discard effect upon its entry to the battlefield. This mechanic supports a player in controlling the flow of their game by filtering their draws and improving the quality of their hand over time.

Resource Acceleration: This card interacts beneficially with artifacts, which is pivotal in artifact-centric decks that thrive on synergistic plays. If you happen to control an artifact as it enters the arena, it allows for an immediate draw, subtly boosting your resources and giving you an edge in resource acceleration.

Instant Speed: While Neurok Familiar itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, it complements decks that leverage instant speed spells. Its impact is immediately felt the moment it hits the battlefield, aligning well with strategies that look to optimize mana usage and respond to threats or opportunities at a moment’s notice.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Neurok Familiar’s playability hinges on a discard requirement, necessitating players to pitch another card from their hand which could deplete their hand more than desired.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s mana cost includes blue mana, restricting its use primarily to decks that can produce that color, potentially excluding a range of other strategic builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment for Neurok Familiar is considerable when compared to alternative creatures or utility cards of similar or lower mana costs. This can slow down tempo, especially in formats where speed is crucial.

Reasons to Include Neurok Familiar in Your Collection

Versatility: Neurok Familiar’s ability to filter through the top few cards of your library makes it a flexible addition to decks that are focused on finding key components or enhancing draw quality. Its artifact creature type also meshes well with strategies that capitalize on such synergies.

Combo Potential: This card’s aptitude for uncovering crucial artifacts means it can seamlessly tie into combo builds. It serves as an engine to draw into combo pieces or can be used as a chump blocker — preserving your life as you assemble the winning conditions.

Meta-Relevance: Given a metagame that’s heavy on artifact interactions or where ensuring consistent draws is paramount, Neurok Familiar could prove to be a valuable tech choice. It can help maintain card advantage and provide a measure of board presence against aggressive early plays.

How to beat

The Neurok Familiar poses an interesting challenge in Magic the Gathering. As a card that enables players to filter through their library and enhance artifact synergies, it can be a subtle yet potent tool in the right deck. To effectively counter this card, it’s a strategic necessity to undercut its value. Start by limiting the card’s ability to interact with artifacts. Artifact removal spells can hinder the Neurok Familiar’s utility, severing the crucial ties it forms with other pieces on the board.

Moreover, employing counterspells when the Neurok Familiar tries to enter the battlefield denies your opponent the chance to use its effects altogether. Instant speed interaction is key here, as it allows players to react efficiently and on their terms. Additionally, board wipes serve as a more sweeping solution against creature-centric strategies that might rely on the card’s influence.

When dissecting the card’s capabilities and laying out potential strategies, remember that the game’s flexibility offers you numerous paths to disrupt your opponent’s plans. The goal is to anticipate the Neurok Familiar and interfere with the strategic advantages it seeks to provide before they can become a noticeable threat to your position.

Cards like Neurok Familiar

Neurok Familiar is a part of the intriguing group of creature cards in Magic: The Gathering that grant card advantage upon entering the battlefield. Comparable to cards like Sage Owl, which allows a player to look at the top four cards of their library and reorder them, Neurok Familiar adds the nuance of revealing the top card and potentially drawing it if it’s an artifact. The Familiar’s conditionality for drawing cards sets it apart from the unconditional rearrangement offered by Sage Owl.

Augury Owl is another creature card in the same league, sporting a similar ‘peek and rearrange’ ability upon hitting the field. It costs the same but does not possess the added benefit of possibly drawing a card. Silver Myr fits into this comparison as well, being in the neurok creature lineage. While it doesn’t provide card advantage directly, it accelerates mana production with its ability to tap for mana, which in turn could draw into more cards sooner in the game.

Assessing the trio, Neurok Familiar might strike a fine balance for players looking for both a creature presence and a chance at card advantage, particularly for those running artifact-heavy decks in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Neurok Familiar by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Neurok Familiar MTG card by a specific set like Mirrodin, 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 Neurok Familiar and other MTG cards: