Farmstead Gleaner MTG Card
2019-06-14 - Number 222
2019-11-07 - Number 1581
2020-09-26 - Number MH1-222
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Artifact Creature — Scarecrow |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Key Takeaways
- Farmstead Gleaner excels in card quality enhancement via consistent Scry, informing strategic deck decisions.
- Self-augmenting capabilities of this artifact creature afford continuous board presence without extra mana costs.
- Pairing with instant-speed spells creates pressure, strategically forcing opponents to act at inopportune times.
Text of card
Farmstead Gleaner doesn't untap during your untap step. , {Q}: Put a +1/+1 counter on Farmstead Gleaner. ({Q} is the untap symbol.)
When it finishes the harvest, you'll have nowhere to hide.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Farmstead Gleaner provides consistent access to Scry, enabling you to filter through your deck for needed cards and bolster your card quality over the course of the game.
Resource Acceleration: As a self-upgrading artifact, Farmstead Gleaner leads to a resource acceleration in terms of power and toughness, becoming a more formidable creature without any additional mana investment.
Instant Speed: Although Farmstead Gleaner itself does not operate at instant speed, it pairs well with instant-speed spells by pressuring the opponent during your turn and forcing them to act, potentially on suboptimal timing.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Farmstead Gleaner doesn’t have a discard requirement itself, its optimal use often necessitates a discard strategy to consistently untap it, which can deplete your hand quickly if not managed properly.
Specific Mana Cost: Farmstead Gleaner’s cost is exclusively colorless, which can be challenging to meet early in the game for decks that rely heavily on colored mana sources.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three colorless mana, Farmstead Gleaner may compete for a slot in your deck with lower-cost creatures or cards with more immediate board impact. This can be especially pertinent in aggressive decks that value a fast tempo.
Reasons to Include Farmstead Gleaner in Your Collection
Versatility: Farmstead Gleaner is a unique artifact creature that can seamlessly adapt to various deck archetypes. Its base stats make it a solid early or mid-game presence, while its ability to become unblockable allows for tactical aggressive plays or consistent chip damage.
Combo Potential: The inherent synergy Farmstead Gleaner has with +1/+1 counter strategies opens it to a myriad of combo possibilities. Slotting it into a proliferate deck or coupling with abilities that double counters can quickly transform it into a formidable threat.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where board presence is key, Farmstead Gleaner maintains relevance. Its resiliency against sorcery-speed removal and ability to press an advantage or hold the line makes it a worthy consideration for decks aiming to stay competitive in the shifting meta landscape.
How to beat
Farmstead Gleaner from Magic: The Gathering can be challenging to deal with, thanks to its immunity to traditional sorcery-speed removal when it’s untapped. This artifact creature gets stronger over time, as it progressively accumulates +1/+1 counters whenever it attacks. To effectively handle it, instant-speed removal such as Fatal Push or Path to Exile are key, as they can target and eliminate the Gleaner before it has the chance to grow out of control.
Another tactic is to utilize creature abilities that don’t rely on the creature being tapped or untapped. Cards with deathtouch, for instance, can threaten Farmstead Gleaner regardless of its state, thereby deterring attacks. Additionally, board wipes that don’t discriminate between tapped and untapped creatures can clear the path, with Supreme Verdict and Damnation being prime examples. It’s crucial to have a strategy in place for when the Gleaner hits the field as it represents a growing threat that can, if left unchecked, become a major obstacle to your victory.
Board presence and pressure are also effective, as applying constant threats can force the Gleaner to stay on defense, preventing it from attacking and gaining those vital counters. In any match-up featuring Farmstead Gleaner, one must balance the need to develop their own board while keeping instant-speed interaction ready, ensuring that the Gleaner’s presence is only fleeting.
Cards like Farmstead Gleaner
Farmstead Gleaner, a unique card in Magic: The Gathering, stands out for its inflexible but potentially rewarding mechanism. It resembles other creatures that evolve or improve over time, such as Arcbound Slith. Each time Arcbound Slith deals combat damage to a player, it gathers a +1/+1 counter, a similar yet more flexible advancement compared to the fixed growth of Farmstead Gleaner on your upkeep.
Contrasting Farmstead Gleaner to Workhorse exemplifies differences in resourcefulness. Workhorse offers four energy counters that can be converted to mana, giving immediate utility on the board. This diverges from the Gleaner whose strength lies in its potential to become a formidable unblockable force over several turns. Lastly, consider Managorger Hydra, which rapidly grows with each spell cast by any player. This can outpace Farmstead Gleaner’s linear growth, but lacks the unblockable feature.
When examining cards that incrementally increase their power, Farmstead Gleaner’s assured growth and evasion present it as a reliable option for players looking to steadily build a threatening board presence in MTG.
Cards similar to Farmstead Gleaner by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Farmstead Gleaner MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons and Mystery Booster, 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 Farmstead Gleaner 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 MTG Products
Printings
The Farmstead Gleaner Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2019-06-14 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Josh Hass.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019-06-14 | Modern Horizons | MH1 | 222 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Josh Hass | |
| 2 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 1581 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Josh Hass | |
| 3 | The List | PLST | MH1-222 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Josh Hass |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Farmstead Gleaner has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Farmstead Gleaner card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2019-06-14 | The untap symbol, {Q}, functions the same as the tap symbol, only mirrored. You can’t pay the {Q} cost if Farmstead Gleaner is already untapped, and you must have controlled the creature continuously since your most recent turn began in order to pay {Q}. |
| 2019-06-14 | Untapping an attacking creature doesn’t remove it from combat. |
