Rootwire Amalgam MTG Card
2022-11-18 - Number 351
2022-11-18 - Number 203
2002-06-24 - Number 105768
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Mythic |
| Type | Artifact Creature — Golem |
| Abilities | Prototype |
| Power | 5 |
| Toughness | 5 |
Key Takeaways
- Rootwire Amalgam secures card advantage by offering an extra draw upon casting.
- Efficiently transforms artifacts into mana, advancing your in-game position rapidly.
- Tactically adaptable with instant-speed abilities, complicates opponent’s planning.
Text of card
Prototype — 2/3 (You may cast this spell with different mana cost, color, and size. It keeps its abilities and types.) , Sacrifice Rootwire Amalgam: Create an X/X colorless Golem artifact creature token, where X is three times Rootwire Amalgam's power. It gains haste until end of turn. Activate only as a sorcery.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Rootwire Amalgam brings more than just a creature to the battlefield. Upon casting the versatile artifact creature, it also offers an additional card, which translates into a valuable card advantage. Having more options in hand is always beneficial as it gives players more ways to respond to opponents’ moves.
Resource Acceleration: This MTG card can transform noncreature artifacts into pure mana-generating potential, essentially turning them into resources that can be used to cast spells quicker. This ability to accelerate resources can significantly advance your game state, allowing for more powerful plays earlier in the game.
Instant Speed: The modular nature of Rootwire Amalgam’s abilities allows it to shine at instant speed, presenting key tactical advantages. Being able to interact on an opponent’s turn provides flexibility, making it harder for them to predict and counter a player’s strategies.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Rootwire Amalgam comes with the stipulation that a player must discard a card to utilize its full potential. This can put you at a disadvantage, depriving you of valuable hand options and potentially hindering your long-term strategy if you’re already dealing with a constrained hand size.
Specific Mana Cost: Rootwire Amalgam demands a precise mana investment to cast. It needs a specific combination of mana types that not all decks will be able to provide consistently, especially in multicolored decks where mana flexibility can be crucial.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana required to get Rootwire Amalgam on the field is not insignificant. There are other creatures and spells that may offer similar or better effects for a lower mana investment, making it less efficient in scenarios where speed and economy of resources are essential.
Reasons to Include Rootwire Amalgam in Your Collection
Versatility: Rootwire Amalgam is a card that seamlessly adapts to various deck builds. Its unique ability to create token creatures whenever you cast a multicolored spell makes it a valuable addition to decks that thrive on creature presence and synergies.
Combo Potential: The power of Rootwire Amalgam lies in its combinatorial strength. It can help initiate a chain of plays by producing token creatures, which can then be exploited for various strategies like mana ramp, sacrifice for value, or powering up other creatures on the battlefield.
Meta-Relevance: Rootwire Amalgam finds its place in the current meta, especially in formats where multicolored spells are prevalent. As games evolve to include a wide array of multicolored spells, the Amalgam’s ability to consistently generate value can tip the scales in your favor against a variety of opposing decks.
How to beat
Overcoming Rootwire Amalgam in Magic: The Gathering requires strategic planning due to its adaptability on the battlefield. This formidable card can easily merge with others, gaining not just their abilities but also their power and toughness, making it an ever-evolving threat. To neutralize its advantages, it is crucial to interrupt the creature merging process. Tactics like targeted removal spells are quite effective before the Rootwire Amalgam gets a chance to combine and bolster its power.
Moreover, utilizing counterspells can prevent this creature from hitting the board in the first place, saving players from the hassle of dealing with a potentially overwhelming opponent. Board wipes also serve as powerful tools, clearing all creatures regardless of their size or abilities, which is helpful against a Rootwire Amalgam that has already combined with other creatures. Key instant-speed interaction spells ensure that you keep your opponent on their toes and disrupt the game plan that revolves around Rootwire Amalgam.
Each game demands a dynamic approach, but maintaining an arsenal with the aforementioned strategies can significantly enhance your defense against this robust card, preserving your lead and momentum on the battlefield.
Cards like Rootwire Amalgam
Rootwire Amalgam enters the arena of creature cards in Magic: The Gathering with a versatile blend of abilities. It’s kin to other artifact creatures like Meteor Golem, which offers a direct way to deal with any nonland permanent on the field upon entering the battlefield. Nonetheless, Rootwire Amalgam brings a twist by giving you a choice – it may either create a token or act as a naturalize on legs, dealing with artifacts and enchantments at the same time.
Looking at Solemn Simulacrum, another comparable card, we note its contribution to mana ramp and card advantage. Although it doesn’t directly impact other permanents, the value it gives through its life cycle on the board creates a parallel in utility. Similarly, Reclamation Sage offers a targeted naturalize effect; however, it’s confined to a one-time use sans the token creation option that Rootwire Amalgam boasts.
In evaluating the effectiveness of Rootwire Amalgam, its multifaceted nature stands out in the field of utility creatures within Magic: The Gathering. It may not directly replace any one card but instead offers a unique set of choices that can be adapted to a variety of strategic situations.
Cards similar to Rootwire Amalgam by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Rootwire Amalgam MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and The Brothers' War, 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 Rootwire Amalgam and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
See MTG Products
Printings
The Rootwire Amalgam Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2022-11-18 and 2022-11-18. Illustrated by Leon Tukker.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 105768 | 2015 | Prototype | Black | Leon Tukker | ||
| 2 | 2022-11-18 | The Brothers' War | BRO | 351 | 2015 | Prototype | Black | Leon Tukker | |
| 3 | 2022-11-18 | The Brothers' War | BRO | 203 | 2015 | Prototype | Black | Leon Tukker |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Rootwire Amalgam has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| 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 Rootwire Amalgam card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2022-10-14 | A prototype card is a colorless card in every zone except the stack or the battlefield, as well as while on the stack or the battlefield if not cast as a prototyped spell. Ignore its alternative characteristics in those cases. For example, while it's in your graveyard, Blitz Automaton is a colorless creature card with mana value 7. It can't be the target of Recommission, a spell that targets an artifact or creature card with mana value 3 or less in your graveyard. |
| 2022-10-14 | Casting a prototyped spell isn't the same as casting it for an alternative cost, and an alternative cost may be applied to a spell cast this way. For example, if an effect allows you to cast an artifact card without paying its mana cost, you could either cast Blitz Automaton normally, or as a prototyped spell. |
| 2022-10-14 | If an effect copies a prototyped spell, that copy (as well as the token it becomes on the battlefield) will have the same characteristics as the prototyped spell. Similarly, if an effect creates a token that's a copy of a prototyped permanent or causes another permanent to become a copy of it, the copy would have the same characteristics as the prototyped permanent. |
| 2022-10-14 | Regardless of how it was cast, a prototype card always has the same name, abilities, types, and so on. Only the mana cost, mana value, color, power, and toughness change depending on whether the card was cast as a prototyped spell. |
| 2022-10-14 | The prototype ability functions in any zone that the spell could be cast from. For example, if an effect allows you to cast artifact spells from your graveyard, you could cast a prototyped Blitz Automaton from your graveyard. |
| 2022-10-14 | Use Rootwire Amalgam's power as it existed the last time it was on the battlefield (not the power of the creature card in the graveyard) to determine the value of X. |
| 2022-10-14 | When cast as a prototyped spell, that spell has the mana cost, power, and toughness characteristics shown in its colored, secondary text box rather than the normal values of those characteristics. Its color and mana value are determined by that mana cost. The permanent that spell becomes as it resolves has the same characteristics. If the spell leaves the stack in any other way, or the permanent it becomes leaves the battlefield, it immediately resumes using its normal characteristics. |
| 2022-10-14 | When casting a prototyped spell, use only its prototype characteristics to determine whether it's legal to cast it. For example, if Blitz Automaton is exiled with the last ability of Chandra, Dressed to Kill, you would be able to cast it for (because it's a red spell), even though you wouldn't be able to cast it as a colorless spell for its normal cost. |