Provisions Merchant MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Beast Peasant |
| Abilities | Food |
| Released | 2023-09-08 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Wilds of Eldraine |
| Set code | WOE |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 3 |
| Number | 321 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Raluca Marinescu |
Text of card
When Provisions Merchant enters the battlefield, create a Food token. (It's an artifact with ", , Sacrifice this artifact: You gain 3 life.") Whenever Provisions Merchant attacks, you may sacrifice a Food. If you do, attacking creatures get +1/+1 and gain trample until end of turn.
Cards like Provisions Merchant
Provisions Merchant enriches the spectrum of creature options for MTG deck builders. Its most evident counterpart is Thraben Inspector, which also brings a Clue token into play, offering card draw possibilities. Where Provisions Merchant shines is in its potential to grant you life, a trait Thraben Inspector lacks. The Merchant’s ability can be a lifeline in games, especially when your health is waning.
Besides Thraben Inspector, we can look at Dawnfeather Eagle, which similarly impacts the board by boosting other creatures. It lacks the card draw mechanic, but it compensates by elevating your creatures’ power. Dawnfeather Eagle, however, demands a higher mana investment, which makes Provisions Merchant a more accessible option earlier in the game.
Another point of comparison is Syndic of Tithes, which also offers a slight life gain benefit. While Syndic has the extort ability allowing you to whittle down your opponent’s life while padding your own, Provisions Merchant offers a safer bet with guaranteed life gain. In this respect, Provisions Merchant tends to offer a steadier and more reliable advantage.
Provisions Merchant fits snugly into a unique position within MTG’s vast card library, providing a delicate balance between life gain and card advantage that can be pivotal for resource-oriented gameplay strategies.
Cards similar to Provisions Merchant by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Provisions Merchant nudges you ahead by bolstering your hand, offering you the chance to have more options on the battlefield through additional cards. This subtle edge can tip the scales in your favor over the course of a match.
Resource Acceleration: By providing you with additional resources, this card can boost your mana pool, allowing you to deploy other high-impact cards sooner than usual, potentially outpacing your opponent’s strategy.
Instant Speed: The flexibility of instant-speed interaction with Provisions Merchant ensures that you can adapt to the evolving game state, maximizing your effectiveness and keeping opponents on their toes until the last possible moment.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Engaging in a trade with the Provisions Merchant comes with a price beyond mana – the necessity to discard a card from your hand. In the heat of a game, this exchange can potentially leave you at a disadvantage, particularly if your hand is the cornerstone of your strategy and every card counts.
Specific Mana Cost: The Provisions Merchant’s services aren’t available to just anyone. The specified mana cost to summon this merchant can create a challenge for decks that are not aligned with the required colors, potentially restricting its versatility across different types of decks.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When it comes to investing mana into your gameplay, the comparative cost of engaging with the Provisions Merchant may be considered steep. Considering the resources required, players must deliberate whether the output aligns with their deck’s economic efficiency, especially when alternatives may provide similar benefits for less.
Reasons to Include Provisions Merchant in Your Collection
Versatility: Provisions Merchant serves a flexible role, providing both life gain and card advantage. It seamlessly integrates into lifegain decks or any strategy seeking a resilient utility creature.
Combo Potential: The card interacts favorably with mechanics that trigger on life gain or creature ETB (Enter the Battlefield), making it a cog in various combo engines.
Meta-Relevance: With an ever-shifting meta, Provisions Merchant remains relevant by combating aggressive burn strategies, making it a valuable asset in slower-paced or midrange decks.
How to Beat Provisions Merchant
Provisions Merchant is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering that offers players a means to both fortify their defenses and enhance their offense. Its ability to create Food tokens can steadily improve your life total, ensuring a stronger position in the game. What sets it apart from other cards that produce tokens, is that it can also deal damage to opponents whenever you sacrifice Food.
To effectively counter Provisions Merchant, consider incorporating artifact removal spells in your deck. These spells allow you to disrupt the Food token generation, cutting off the life gain and potential damage inflicted on you. Moreover, targeted removal or board wipes can be used to address the presence of the merchant itself, removing the central piece of this card’s strategy. Quick and efficient responses are key as the longer Provisions Merchant remains on the field, the more advantage your opponent can accumulate. With the right combination of removal and strategy, overcoming the resilience offered by Provisions Merchant is entirely possible.
It’s all about maintaining control, timing your plays, and knowing when to cut off your opponent’s advantages. By doing this, you can turn the tide against Provisions Merchant and maintain the upper hand.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Provisions Merchant MTG card by a specific set like Wilds of Eldraine, 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 Provisions Merchant and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Provisions Merchant has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Alchemy | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Provisions Merchant card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2023-09-01 | Food is an artifact type. Even though it appears on some creatures, it's never a creature type. |
| 2023-09-01 | If an effect refers to a Food, it means any Food artifact, not just a Food artifact token. For example, you can sacrifice Tough Cookie to activate the last ability of Sweettooth Witch. |
| 2023-09-01 | Some spells and abilities that create Food tokens may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. You won't create any Food tokens. |
| 2023-09-01 | Whatever you do, don't eat the delicious cards. |
| 2023-09-01 | You can't sacrifice a Food to pay multiple costs. For example, you can't sacrifice a Food token to activate its own ability and also to activate the last ability of Sweettooth Witch. |