Saheeli's Lattice // Mastercraft Raptor MTG Card

Saheeli's Lattice // Mastercraft Raptor - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact
Abilities	Craft,Transform
Released	2023-11-17
Set symbol
Set name	The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
Set code	LCI
Number	164
Frame	2015
Layout	Transform
Border	Black
Illustred by	Zoltan Boros

Key Takeaways

Gain board advantage by replicating key artifacts with Saheeli’s Lattice or speeding up your plays with Mastercraft Raptor.
Saheeli’s Lattice can mimic mana rocks while Mastercraft Raptor reduces spell costs, both accelerating your resources.
Both cards offer instant-speed abilities, letting you change the game’s state on the fly for tactical benefits.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Saheeli's Lattice // Mastercraft Raptor MTG card by a specific set like The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, 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 Saheeli's Lattice // Mastercraft Raptor and other MTG cards:

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Text of card

When Saheeli's Lattice enters the battlefield, you may discard a card. If you do, draw two cards. Craft with one or more Dinosaurs (, Exile this artifact, Exile one or more Dinosaurs you control and/or Dinosaur cards from your graveyard: Return this card transformed under its owner's control. Craft only as a sorcery.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Saheeli’s Lattice shines by offering an inventive means to replicate your most impactful artifacts. This can easily snowball into substantial card advantage as you repeatedly generate copies of the same powerful artifact, which not only bolsters your board presence but also increases your options for future plays. On the other hand, Mastercraft Raptor presents a different avenue for card advantage as it allows for the possibility of cycling through your deck faster, getting you to your key cards more efficiently.

Resource Acceleration: Whilst Saheeli’s Lattice doesn’t directly ramp your mana, it does enable a savvy player to duplicate mana rocks or other utility artifacts that lead to an effective increase in resources. The Mastercraft Raptor, in contrast, offers cost reduction for your spells, potentially allowing you to cast more spells sooner, hence accelerating your gameplay and putting pressure on your opponents.

Instant Speed: Both Saheeli’s Lattice and Mastercraft Raptor boast effects that can be activated at instant speed, providing a tactical advantage. This allows players to adapt to the evolving game state, make surprise plays during their opponent’s turn and always stay one step ahead. Whether it’s copying an unexpected artifact with Saheeli’s Lattice or reducing the cost of a crucial spell with Mastercraft Raptor, the power of instant speed cannot be overstated in MTG.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Both Saheeli’s Lattice and Mastercraft Raptor command players to discard cards under specific conditions, which can strain your hand especially when your card advantage is critical for maintaining battlefield presence.

Specific Mana Cost: Saheeli’s Lattice requires a precise blend of mana types to be cast, possibly hindering its inclusion in decks that are not aligned with its color identity. Similarly, Mastercraft Raptor necessitates a precise mana cost that may not synergize with decks outside its color scheme.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana cost to deploy Saheeli’s Lattice or Mastercraft Raptor is notable, especially when considering that there are alternative options in the same mana range which could potentially offer equal or greater immediate impact on the game state.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Saheeli’s Lattice allows for artifact manipulation, which can slot into a variety of deck builds. It enhances strategies where changing permanents’ types can create unforeseen advantages. Similarly, Mastercraft Raptor, with its flexible cost and flying mechanic, can be a fit for multiple strategies, from aggro to artifact-themed decks.

Combo Potential: The ability to turn other nonland permanents into artifacts with Saheeli’s Lattice provides numerous synergies with cards that respond to artifacts entering the battlefield or being present. Mastercraft Raptor, on the other hand, can benefit from or enable synergies with cards that care about creatures or those with flying.

Meta-Relevance: As the competitive scene evolves, so do the decks and strategies. Saheeli’s Lattice and Mastercraft Raptor can adapt to various meta-games. Especially in environments where artifacts are significant, Saheeli’s Lattice can become a game-changer, while Mastercraft Raptor offers an evasive threat that can apply pressure in tempo-oriented games.

How to beat

Saheeli’s Lattice and Mastercraft Raptor present unique challenges on the battlefield. Combining artifact synergy with replication abilities, Saheeli’s Lattice can rapidly transform your board state, making every artifact a copying powerhouse. Meanwhile, Mastercraft Raptor, often seen darting across MTG games, impresses with its cost-efficient stats and the potency to bolster other artifacts.

Countering these cards requires strategic foresight. Artifact removal spells like Abrade or Disenchant gain increased value, being able to dismantle the intricate lattice or pick off the swift raptor before they can claw their way to victory. Additionally, board wipes are key; a well-timed Wrath of God or Shatterstorm can reset the playing field, especially before Saheeli’s Lattice can overlay its duplicative dominance. Employing instant-speed interaction ensures you can disrupt the formidable artifact synergy whenever it threatens to overwhelm your defenses.

Considering their own strengths and roles within MTG’s vast card pool, Saheeli’s Lattice and Mastercraft Raptor stand out as significant threats to be reckoned with. Adapting your strategies to include adequate responses becomes not only advisable but necessary for maintaining control against such formidable cards.

Cards like Saheeli's Lattice // Mastercraft Raptor

Saheeli’s Lattice // Mastercraft Raptor presents a unique facet in deck construction and gameplay, contributing to the powerful roster of artifact and creature cards. Comparably, Arcbound Ravager emerges as an artifact creature offering a similar synergistic potential with artifacts by allowing you to sacrifice them for an increase in power. Unlike Mastercraft Raptor’s ability to craft copies of artifacts, Arcbound Ravager absorbs them to bolster itself.

In the realm of mechanics that manipulate artifact capabilities, Etherium Sculptor cannot be overlooked. It might not replicate artifacts like Saheeli’s Lattice // Mastercraft Raptor, but it does make your artifact spells cost less, effectively accelerating your game plan. While these functions differ, they both streamline the artifact strategy, making them noteworthy comparisons.

When considering cards with the ability to clone, Phyrexian Metamorph stands out with its ability to become a copy of any artifact or creature on the battlefield, not just your own. Though it doesn’t have the double-faced versatility of Saheeli’s Lattice // Mastercraft Raptor, Metamorph offers a straightforward cloning option. Assessing them side by side, the added flexibility of Saheeli’s Lattice // Mastercraft Raptor may be the preferred choice for players looking for multifunctional cards that adapt to various game states.

Cards similar to Saheeli's Lattice // Mastercraft Raptor by color, type and mana cost

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Immolating Souleater - MTG Card versions

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Saheeli's Lattice // Mastercraft Raptor 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
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Saheeli's Lattice // Mastercraft Raptor card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2023-11-10	Craft abilities are activated abilities with costs that have a mana component as well as an additional "materials" component.
2023-11-10	Craft abilities are written "Craft with -aterials] -ana]", which means " -ana], Exile this permanent, Exile -aterials] from among permanents you control and/or cards in your graveyard: Return this card to the battlefield transformed under its owner's control. Activate only as a sorcery."
2023-11-10	If a card that isn't a transforming double-faced card becomes a copy of a card with craft, it'll stay in exile if you activate the craft ability. It won't return to the battlefield.
2023-11-10	If any of the exiled cards has a characteristic-defining ability that defines its power, that ability will apply. For example, if you somehow used Souls of the Lost to craft Mastercraft Raptor (perhaps because it became a copy of a Dinosaur), its power while in exile is equal to the number of permanent cards in your graveyard, and Mastercraft Raptor's power will change as the number of permanent cards in your graveyard changes. If the characteristic-defining ability can't be applied, then use 0.
2023-11-10	If the materials required include multiple objects, you may exile some of them from among permanents you control and the rest from among cards in your graveyard. You don't have to choose all permanents or all cards from your graveyard.
2023-11-10	The back faces of some cards with craft refer to cards "used to craft" it. This refers to the cards exiled as part of the cost of the craft ability of the front face. Those cards are considered to be "used to craft" that permanent as long as they remain exiled and the permanent remains on the battlefield, even if the permanent's controller changes or some of its characteristics change (because of a copy effect, for example.)
2023-11-10	You may exile tokens you control as part of the materials required. However, because they aren't cards and won't stay in exile, any abilities that refer to what you "used to craft" the back faces won't refer to anything.