Well of Discovery MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Rare
Type	Artifact
Released	2000-06-05
Set symbol
Set name	Prophecy
Set code	PCY
Number	140
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Alan Rabinowitz

Key Takeaways

Well of Discovery offers players increased hand options and adaptability during matches.
Its instant speed and resource acceleration make it a versatile addition to many decks.
Despite its benefits, the card’s demands for discard and specific mana can be limiting.

Text of card

At the end of your turn, if you control no untapped lands, draw a card.

When you have given everything, then you are capable of anything. —Well inscription

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Well of Discovery card boosts your hand by cycling through your library faster. It ensures that your hand remains filled with options, enhancing your ability to respond to opponents’ moves or building up a strong offense.

Resource Acceleration: This card is a staple for decks looking for a ramp, as it can considerably speed up your access to vital resources. Whether you need to cast high-cost spells earlier or just want to outpace your opponent, resource acceleration can be a game-changer.

Instant Speed: The ability to play this card at instant speed is a tactical advantage. It allows players to adapt to the changing battlefield while keeping mana open for response. This flexibility can be the key to victory, providing the element of surprise or the perfect counter-play.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Well of Discovery demands a card be discarded to activate its abilities, which can be detrimental when your hand is nearly empty or the discarded card is of high value.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a precise combination of mana, including two generic and two blue, making it less flexible than more color-varied spells, and potentially difficult to cast in multicolored or color-heavy decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost totaling four mana, Well of Discovery might be competing for space in your deck with other impactful four-mana spells. Given that other cards might provide card advantage or game impact with less investment or more immediate results, it may not always be the optimal choice.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Well of Discovery offers a unique twist on deck manipulation and resource flow. It can be a key component in strategies that seek to optimize card advantage and ensure land drops.

Combo Potential: This artifact can be a linchpin in engines that thrive on the ability to manipulate the top of the deck or take advantage of knowing what’s coming next, synergizing with cards that have look or reveal mechanics.

Meta-Relevance: With a format that values sustained card quality and a steady stream of resources, Well of Discovery has the potential to keep up with the pace and provide the consistency needed to outmaneuver opponents.

How to beat

The Well of Discovery is an intriguing artifact that can become a wellspring of card advantage in MTG. Similar to other artifacts that provide incremental value, such as Mind’s Eye or Staff of Nin, the Well of Discovery has its own mechanism for fueling a player’s engine. It allows players to dig deeper into their library, potentially unlocking the keys to victory with each untap. To outpace this artifact, the focus should be on aggressive disruption.

Staving off the advantage granted by the Well of Discovery requires a strategy that can impede or nullify its activation. Cards like Krosan Grip provide an uncounterable solution to artifacts, ensuring that the Well doesn’t get the chance to tip the scales. Alternatively, pit the reliance on tapping against itself by using artifact control spells such as Hurkyl’s Recall or Revoke Existence, the former bouncing artifacts back to owner’s hand, while the latter exiles them directly.

Neutralizing the Well of Discovery before its benefits can be reaped is crucial. It’s about understanding when to apply pressure and when to hold back. By deploying artifact hate or quick removals, a player can thwart an opponent’s attempts to sustain their resource flow from the Well and maintain the upper hand.

Cards like Well of Discovery

Well of Discovery is a unique addition to the assortment of artifact cards in Magic: The Gathering. It shares similarities with other artifacts designed to bolster card advantage. For instance, Mind’s Eye is another card that lets a player draw additional cards, although it requires a mana payment whenever an opponent draws a card to trigger its effect. Well of Discovery steps away from this model by instead focusing on cards in hand ás a metric for gaining advantage.

Analogous to Howling Mine, another classic card draw artifact, both cards offer the chance to draw more. However, Howling Mine is less conditional, granting extra cards to all players at the beginning of their draw phase. In contrast, Well of Discovery tailors card gains based on its user’s hand size, potentially offering more controlled and personal advantage without benefiting opponents.

When evaluating these artifacts, Well of Discovery appeals to those who prefer a more strategic, condition-based approach to card advantage, weighing the consistency of Howling Mine against the potential for a larger, personal payoff of Well of Discovery in the right deck. As a result, Well of Discovery indeed holds its place as a thoughtful choice within Magic: The Gathering’s broad range of artifacts.

Cards similar to Well of Discovery by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Well of Discovery MTG card by a specific set like Prophecy, 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 Well of Discovery and other MTG cards: