Gremlin Mine MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Artifact
Released	2011-05-13
Set symbol
Set name	New Phyrexia
Set code	NPH
Number	136
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Matt Stewart

Key Takeaways

Generates card advantage by transforming exiled artifacts into new draws, creating more strategic options.
Instants with Gremlin Mine disrupt opponents unexpectedly, using your mana efficiently each turn.
Despite the card discard and specific mana requirements, its strategic value in controlling artifacts is high.

Text of card

, , Sacrifice Gremlin Mine: Gremlin Mine deals 4 damage to target artifact creature. , , Sacrifice Gremlin Mine: Remove up to four charge counters from target noncreature artifact.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Gremlin Mine in MTG offers a unique edge by providing a steady stream of card advantage. Its ability to exile artifacts and convert them into fresh draws can tip the balance in your favor, ensuring you always have options in hand.

Resource Acceleration: This card isn’t just about dismantling your opponent’s strategy; it’s also a tool for resource acceleration. By exiling key artifacts, you pave the way for a smoother game plan and potentially disrupt your opponent’s mana base, giving you a tempo advantage.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of Gremlin Mine shines at instant speed, allowing you to adapt to the board state efficiently. Interact with your opponent’s artifacts on their turn, keeping your options open and maximizing your mana each round.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Gremlin Mine requires a card to be discarded to activate its ability, which poses a strategic drawback when your hand size is critical or if the cards you possess hold higher value than the effect Gremlin Mine offers.

Specific Mana Cost: This artifact demands a specific blend of mana to use its abilities, which might not always align smoothly with the mana base of multi-colored decks. This demand for particular mana types can occasionally restrict its integration into various strategy outlines.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The activation cost of Gremlin Mine’s abilities might be considered steep compared to other cards with similar effects. In a fast-paced game, this can lead to a tempo loss as more efficient options could be utilized within the same mana range.

Reasons to Include Gremlin Mine in Your Collection

Versatility: Gremlin Mine is a flexible card that can be incorporated into various deck types. Its ability to deal with artifacts makes it a useful addition in formats where artifacts are prevalent.

Combo Potential: Its low cost and artifact-destroying ability can be combined with effects that capitalize on the destruction of artifacts or care about target spells, maximizing your card interactions and synergy.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where artifact decks are dominant, having Gremlin Mine in your arsenal ensures you have an answer to key pieces, making it a strategic sideboard or main deck card depending on the meta.

How to Beat Gremlin Mine

Gremlin Mine presents a unique challenge on the battlefield. This artifact can be tricky since it targets other artifacts, potentially dismantling your strategic plays. The key to overcoming Gremlin Mine lies in timely removal. Artifact destruction spells or abilities can quickly deal with it before it accrues enough counters to be a problem. Moreover, ensuring a lower number of artifacts on your side may reduce its impact, pushing your opponent to find less optimal uses for it.

Running counterspells in your deck can also safeguard your key pieces from being targeted by such ability-driven artifacts. Cards like Naturalize or Disenchant, directly targeting artifacts for removal, can swing the game back in your favor. Another strategy might be to pressure your opponent with threats that demand immediate answers, diverting their attention away from using Gremlin Mine effectively.

Ultimately, dealing with Gremlin Mine involves recognizing it as a potential threat early on and managing your artifacts on the board wisely. Properly timing your removal spells and maintaining a diverse set of responses will ensure that Gremlin Mine doesn’t undermine your game plan.

Cards like Gremlin Mine

Gremlin Mine has etched a niche for itself among artifact removals in Magic: The Gathering. It resonates with the functional dynamic of cards like Shatter, which straightforwardly destroys target artifact. However, Gremlin Mine delivers a tactical twist, offering delayed gratification by accumulating mining counters before annihilating an artifact.

Contrasting Gremlin Mine with Shattering Spree, we find an interesting divergence. Shattering Spree replicates itself for each instance of red mana paid beyond its casting cost. While Shattering Spree can potentially demolish multiple artifacts in a single blow, Gremlin Mine focuses on a singular, more strategically timed disruption. Similarly, Smash to Smithereens shares the artifact destruction theme but pairs it with direct damage to the opponent, an aggressive perk that Gremlin Mine sidesteps in favor of prescriptive, singular control over opponents’ artifacts.

In contemplation of their roles in MTG, Gremlin Mine might not offer the comprehensive utility of Shattering Spree or the immediate impact of Smash to Smithereens but stakeouts territory in metagames where controlled, inevitable removal is paramount. In games that prize precision over volume, Gremlin Mine shines as a calculated and menacing answer to key artifacts.

Smash to Smithereens - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Gremlin Mine by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gremlin Mine MTG card by a specific set like 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 Gremlin Mine and other MTG cards: