Grand Architect MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Vedalken Artificer
Power 1
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Facilitates card advantage by turning blue creatures into versatile resources, optimizing artifact gameplay.
  2. Enables earlier casting of high-cost artifacts, gaining a crucial tempo advantage over opponents.
  3. Provides instant speed flexibilities, letting you make pivotal plays during your opponent’s turn.

Text of card

Other blue creatures you control get +1/+1. : Target artifact creature becomes blue until end of turn. Tap an untapped blue creature you control: Add to your mana pool. Spend this mana only to cast artifact spells or activate abilities of artifacts.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Grand Architect goes beyond just placing a creature on the field. It offers synergy with artifacts and blue creatures to build a dominating board presence. It has the potential to be a game-changer by allowing you to turn any blue creature into an additional resource, leading to significant card advantage as you put more powerful artifacts into play without the normal mana costs.

Resource Acceleration: The card excels at ramping up your resources rapidly. Its ability to turn blue creatures into sources of colorless mana accelerates your gameplay, letting you cast high-cost artifacts earlier than your opponents anticipate. This can give you a decisive edge, ensuring that you’re steps ahead in developing a formidable board state.

Instant Speed: While Grand Architect itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, its ability to provide mana at any time gives you flexibility to activate artifact abilities or deploy threats at instant speed. This capability ensures that you can adapt to the changing game state, making plays during your opponent’s turn and keeping them guessing about your actual capabilities.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: In some situations, the Grand Architect’s synergy with other blue creatures may require you to discard valuable cards to fulfill its full potential or enable key interactions, potentially leaving you with fewer options later.

Specific Mana Cost: The Grand Architect demands a strict color commitment to blue mana. Although it is typical for blue-centered decks, this can restrict its inclusion in multicolor decks that might not have the same ease in generating blue mana consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that amounts to three mana, including two that are blue specific, the Grand Architect may be considered a hefty investment in the early game. For decks focusing on tempo, this cost might be slightly higher when compared to other creatures or spells that allow for quicker board presence or immediate impact.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Grand Architect can seamlessly adapt to various deck builds, chiefly when focusing on blue-based artifact strategies. This card becomes a utility powerhouse, able to turn your blue creatures into a source of mana for artifact spells.

Combo Potential: The synergistic abilities of Grand Architect can enable devastating combos by pairing with cards that capitalize on untapped artifacts or creature synergies, setting the stage for an overwhelming board presence or even an instant win condition.

Meta-Relevance: With a meta that often includes artifact-centric decks, Grand Architect’s inclusion could bolster your deck’s performance. Its ability to ramp and empower other artifacts makes it a formidable asset against a wide range of opponents.


How to beat

Grand Architect presents a unique challenge for MTG players due to its ability to turn blue creatures into mana-producing machines and its penchant for enhancing artifact builds. This versatile Vedalken has the knack for transforming a seemingly innocuous board state into a powerful machine churning out formidable artifacts at an accelerated pace. Overcoming this tempo requires a multi-pronged strategy. Swift removal spells are your first line of defense, dispatching the Architect before its engine revs up. Creature spells with flash can provide a surprise blockade, disrupting the rhythm of a deck reliant on the Architect’s synergy. Beyond direct disruption, enhancing your deck with artifact removal also proves instrumental, as it helps dismantle the assembly line that Grand Architect aims to establish. Cards that strip abilities from your opponent’s creatures or that can counter creature spells outright are equally valuable. Through a combination of timely removal, strategic counterspells, and disruption tactics, one can dismantle the intricate network that Grand Architect aims to weave.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the Grand Architect’s role in MTG decks is key for any player aiming to harness its full potential. With its power to transform blue creatures into a resource powerhouse and the ability to create an artifact-centric board state, this card can be the cornerstone of a mighty strategy. For those intrigued by its synergy with blue creatures and artifacts, the Grand Architect offers a blend of advantages and strategic depth that can elevate your gameplay. Dive deeper into the world of MTG, explore deck-building strategies, and learn how this ingenious Vedalken can shape the outcome of your duels. Join the BurnMana community and discover how to optimize your deck with the Grand Architect today.


Cards like Grand Architect

The Grand Architect is an intriguing card that provides a unique blend of abilities for Magic: The Gathering players. It’s often contrasted with Chief Engineer, another card that offers a convoke-like ability for artifact spells. While the Chief Engineer enables the casting of artifacts by using creatures to pay for them, the Grand Architect goes further by also turning blue creatures into additional mana sources which can only be spent on artifact spells or abilities.

Furthermore, cards like Pili-Pala paired with Grand Architect reveal a synergy that’s highly valued by players, creating an infinite mana loop that can be game-ending. This is a distinct advantage not seen with Chief Engineer. Etherium Sculptor is another card that bears similarity, reducing the cost of artifact spells, but it lacks the Architect’s ability to actively convert creatures into mana or its +1/+1 boost for blue creatures.

Consideration of these cards showcases why Grand Architect holds a special place among its peers. Its versatility in enhancing creature utility and facilitating powerful combo potential makes it a substantial choice for those looking to leverage their blue creatures and artifacts within MTG.

Chief Engineer - MTG Card versions
Pili-Pala - MTG Card versions
Etherium Sculptor - MTG Card versions
Chief Engineer - Magic 2015 Promos (PM15)
Pili-Pala - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Etherium Sculptor - Shards of Alara (ALA)

Cards similar to Grand Architect by color, type and mana cost

Wall of Water - MTG Card versions
Prodigal Sorcerer - MTG Card versions
Apprentice Wizard - MTG Card versions
Homarid - MTG Card versions
Daring Apprentice - MTG Card versions
Time Elemental - MTG Card versions
Reef Pirates - MTG Card versions
Rootwater Shaman - MTG Card versions
Wind Drake - MTG Card versions
Volrath's Shapeshifter - MTG Card versions
Stronghold Biologist - MTG Card versions
Quicksilver Wall - MTG Card versions
Wall of Air - MTG Card versions
Phantom Warrior - MTG Card versions
Wormfang Drake - MTG Card versions
Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - MTG Card versions
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro - MTG Card versions
Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar - MTG Card versions
Queen of Ice // Rage of Winter - MTG Card versions
Svyelun of Sea and Sky - MTG Card versions
Wall of Water - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Prodigal Sorcerer - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Apprentice Wizard - The Dark (DRK)
Homarid - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Daring Apprentice - Mirage (MIR)
Time Elemental - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Reef Pirates - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Rootwater Shaman - Tempest (TMP)
Wind Drake - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Volrath's Shapeshifter - Stronghold (STH)
Stronghold Biologist - Nemesis (NEM)
Quicksilver Wall - Prophecy (PCY)
Wall of Air - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Phantom Warrior - Duels of the Planeswalkers (DPA)
Wormfang Drake - Judgment (JUD)
Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro - Commander Legends (CMR)
Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Queen of Ice // Rage of Winter - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Svyelun of Sea and Sky - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Grand Architect MTG card by a specific set like Scars of Mirrodin and Duel Decks: Mirrodin Pure vs. New Phyrexia, 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 Grand Architect and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Grand Architect Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2010-10-01 and 2020-08-07. Illustrated by Steven Belledin.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-10-01Scars of MirrodinSOM 332003normalblackSteven Belledin
22011-05-14Duel Decks: Mirrodin Pure vs. New PhyrexiaTD2 102003normalblackSteven Belledin
32020-03-08Mystery Booster Retail Edition FoilsFMB1 242003normalblackSteven Belledin
42020-08-07Double Masters2XM 532015normalblackSteven Belledin
52020-09-26The ListPLST SOM-332003normalblackSteven Belledin

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Grand Architect has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-08-07 Because damage remains marked on a creature until the damage is removed as the turn ends, nonlethal damage dealt to a blue creature you control may become lethal if Grand Architect leaves the battlefield during that turn.
2020-08-07 Grand Architect's second ability causes the affected artifact creature to lose any other colors it has, but it doesn't cause it to stop being an artifact.
2020-08-07 You can tap any untapped blue creature you control, including one you haven't controlled continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn, to pay the cost of Grand Architect's mana ability. This includes Grand Architect itself.

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