Salvage Scout MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Scout |
| Released | 2010-10-01 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Scars of Mirrodin |
| Set code | SOM |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
| Number | 19 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Randis Albion |
Text of card
, Sacrifice Salvage Scout: Return target artifact card from your graveyard to your hand.
"I'm not saying it's dangerous work. I'm just saying don't sign up if you have plans for your seventieth birthday."
Cards like Salvage Scout
Salvage Scout is an intriguing inclusion among artifact-recursion spells in Magic: The Gathering. Its closest counterparts include cards like Myr Retriever and Scrap Trawler, which also return artifacts from the graveyard to hand. Salvage Scout offers an efficient exchange, sacrificing itself for the retrieval, making it a single-use, low-cost alternative for strategic artifact recovery.
Another card worth mentioning is Workshop Assistant, which also serves a similar purpose but requires the card to go to the graveyard to trigger the effect, providing a delayed response compared to Salvage Scout’s immediate activation ability. On the other hand, Salvage Scout stands distinct with its ability to be used at instant speed, enabling players to respond dynamically during the game.
After analyzing these options, players might find Salvage Scout to be a streamlined choice for decks that need to quickly retrieve key artifacts, offering the flexibility that its contemporaries might not. Its sacrificial nature adds depth to gameplay, requiring strategic timing to maximize its potential within the Magic: The Gathering ecosystem.
Cards similar to Salvage Scout by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Salvage Scout enables the retrieval of an artifact from your graveyard to your hand, ensuring a consistent stream of resources and maintaining your grip on the game state.
Resource Acceleration: By returning key artifacts to play, this card indirectly hastens your resource development, enabling repeated uses of value-generating or mana-producing artifacts.
Instant Speed: The ability to activate Salvage Scout’s effect at instant speed provides strategic flexibility, allowing you to react to your opponent’s actions or make optimal use of mana during the end phase of their turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Salvage Scout necessitates discarding a card in addition to its other costs. This can pose a strategic setback when your hand size is already diminished, potentially forcing you to give up valuable resources that could be crucial later in the game.
Specific Mana Cost: Salvage Scout requires white mana for casting. This prerequisite may restrict the card’s integration into multicolored decks that might not always have the necessary mana readily available, thus affecting the consistency of play.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The activation cost for Salvage Scout’s ability is somewhat steep considering the card’s effect. For the same mana investment, players might have access to other options that either have a lower cost or retrieve a wider variety of cards from the graveyard, offering greater flexibility and efficiency during gameplay.
Reasons to Include Salvage Scout in Your Collection
Versatility: Salvage Scout shines in its ability to adapt to various situations on the battlefield, thanks to its simple yet effective retrieval ability. Whether you’re rebuilding after a board wipe or just need that key artifact back in hand, this card is your go-to.
Combo Potential: With the aptitude to return artifacts from your graveyard to your hand, Salvage Scout is the linchpin in many combos. It effectively recycles components for repeatable effects or helps assemble the machinery for a game-winning move.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where the right artifact can be the difference between victory and defeat, having recourse to Salvage Scout in your arsenal may provide a crucial edge. In an environment filled with artifact-centric strategies, this nimble card can help tilt the scales in your favor.
How to beat
Salvage Scout presents an intriguing dynamic in MTG, delicate to handle but not impossible to overcome. This resourceful creature card offers players the unique ability to resurrect artifacts from the graveyard, creating strategic depth and recycling potential within artifact-heavy decks. To neutralize this effect, targeted removal spells can swiftly deal with the Scout before it has the chance to perform its retrieval duty.
Control spells such as Fatal Push or Path to Exile are effective measures, sending the Salvage Scout off the battlefield before an artifact can be recovered. Board wipes like Wrath of God or Supreme Verdict also disrupt the continuity offered by the Scout, clearing not only Salvage Scout but any other creatures laying the ground for its use. Graveyard hate cards, such as Relic of Progenitus, offer a preventative approach by removing artifacts from the game completely, thus disabling the Scout’s ability to access them in the first place.
Strategically, the key lies in anticipating and dismantling the synergies upon which Salvage Scout thrives. If successful, Salvage Scout’s potential is considerably diminished, allowing players to maintain pace and control against artifact-centric adversaries.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Salvage Scout MTG card by a specific set like Scars of Mirrodin, 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 Salvage Scout 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
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Salvage Scout has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |