Musician MTG Card

Musician cards can provide card advantage and resource acceleration, enhancing strategic deck construction. Cards may have discard or specific mana cost drawbacks, potentially limiting their versatility in play. Musician cards are valued for their unique interaction with the game’s tempo and strategy.

Ice Age (ICE)
1995-06-03 - Number 85

Masters Edition II (ME2)
2008-09-22 - Number 56

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Human Wizard
Abilities	Cumulative upkeep
Power	1
Toughness	3

Text of card

Cumulative Upkeep: o1 oc T: Put a music counter on target creature. During that creature's controller's upkeep, he or she pays o1 for each music counter on the creature, or destroy the creature.

Cards like Musician

The Musician card brings a unique harmony to the gameplay mechanics of Magic: The Gathering. It shares similarities with cards that demand resource-based actions from players. A notable parallel can be drawn with Tempting Witch, which also involves using resources to manipulate the game – albeit in a different manner. While Tempting Witch requires sacrificing food tokens to affect opponents’ life totals, Musician uses musical counters that change the board’s dynamics by controlling opponents’ actions.

Another card that echoes the tempo set by Musician is Coral Trickster. Similarly, it disrupts opponents’ strategies but does so by tapping or untapping a target permanent. This creates an immediate shift in the game state, which is less subtle than Musician’s accumulating influence. Additionally, the comparison brings to light Avatar of Growth, a card that also influences resource management. It differs from Musician as it focuses on land card distribution and not on controlling the opponents’ play.

When analyzing the nuances and impact on gameplay, Musician stands out for its unique ability to orchestrate players’ moves, a trait that makes it a valuable piece in strategic deck building within the diverse world of Magic: The Gathering.

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Drawing inspiration from the harmonies of the multiverse, the Musician card exemplifies providing players with a symphony of card choices. It could offer the ability to draw additional cards, echoing the creativity and abundance often associated with musically inclined characters in MTG lore.

Resource Acceleration: True to the improvisational skills of a seasoned musician, this card could enable players to tune their mana resources to a higher tempo, perhaps by creating mana-producing tokens or by reducing the costs of future spells, allowing for a crescendo of plays that might otherwise be out of reach.

Instant Speed: With the finesse of a maestro’s baton, the Musician card at instant speed allows for strategic plays that can harmonize with the unpredictable rhythms of the game. The ability to cast it when most opportune, whether that’s disrupting an opponent’s plan or enhancing your own board, can be akin to a virtuoso delivering a soul-stirring solo at precisely the right moment.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: In the case of Musicians in the game, if their abilities necessitate discarding a card to activate, it can be problematic when your hand size is compromised. Players need to evaluate the trade-off, as the loss of card advantage might hinder their momentum, especially in tight situations where each card in hand could pivot the game’s outcome.

Specific Mana Cost: Musician cards may demand a particular blend of mana, often requiring a multicolored investment. This can restrict deck flexibility as it ties the player to certain color combinations, making it less feasible to integrate the Musician into a variety of decks without impacting mana base consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: A Musician card with a lofty mana cost could have its playability questioned when juxtaposed with other options. Cards with high mana demands put a strain on resources and might delay deployment, thereby giving an adversary time to establish a commanding presence on the battlefield or to counter the play effectively.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Musician cards offer a harmonious blend to a variety of deck themes. These cards are not just fun additions but can synergize with various strategies where tapping into the rhythm of the game can turn the tide in your favor.

Combo Potential: With their ability to orchestrate the flow of the match, Musician cards can hit the right note when combined with other spells and abilities that capitalize on the nuances of sound and performance-based mechanics.

Meta-Relevance: If the prevailing strategies involve tempo and timing, adding a Musician to your deck can provide the flexibility and control needed to resonate with current trends and disrupt your opponents’ plans.

How to Beat

The Musician card introduces an engaging twist to deck strategies in the gameplay of Magic: The Gathering. Resembling other control pieces such as Propaganda or Ghostly Prison, it influences opponents’ tactics by dictating specific actions to play their spells. While Propaganda affects battlefield presence by taxing attacks, Musician controls spell casting through its unique ability to make opponents pay mana or discard cards to cast their spells.

Dismantling the strategy behind a Musician card revolves around the ability to maintain mana efficiency and resource management. Cards like City of Solitude or Grand Abolisher effectively neutralize the Musician’s control by limiting when opponents can cast spells or activate abilities. In addition, running spells that remove enchantments such as Disenchant or Krosan Grip can directly counteract the Musician’s disruptive ability, allowing for a smoother gameplay experience.

Conclusively, while the Musician card can orchestrate your opponent’s tempo, the key to overcoming its symphony is to play with an orchestrated plan, prioritizing removal and protection spells. Keep your hand stocked, your mana untapped, and your solutions ready to ensure your game doesn’t fall out of tune.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Musician 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 Musician and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Musician Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 2008-09-22. Illustrated by Drew Tucker.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1995-06-03	Ice Age	ICE		85	1993	Normal	Black	Drew Tucker
2	2008-09-22	Masters Edition II	ME2		56	1997	Normal	Black	Drew Tucker

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Musician has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2008-10-01	Although a creature can gain the triggered ability only once, it can be targeted by multiple Musicians to increase its number of music counters.
2008-10-01	If a music counter is put on a creature by some other means (Fate Transfer, for example), but that creature has never been affected by Musician’s ability, that creature won’t have the triggered ability and its controller won’t have to pay mana. The music counters will stay on that creature but won’t do anything.
2008-10-01	Paying cumulative upkeep is always optional. If it’s not paid, the permanent with cumulative upkeep is sacrificed. Partial payments of the total cumulative upkeep cost can’t be made. For example, if a permanent with “cumulative upkeep ” has three age counters on it when its cumulative upkeep ability triggers, it gets another age counter and then its controller chooses to either pay or sacrifice the permanent.
2008-10-01	This ability has no duration. An affected creature will retain the triggered ability until the game ends, it leaves the battlefield, or some other effect causes it to lose its abilities. It doesn’t matter if Musician is still on the battlefield or not.