Seer's Sundial MTG Card
Card sets | Released in 11 setsSee all |
Mana cost | |
Converted mana cost | 4 |
Rarity | Rare |
Type | Artifact |
Abilities | Landfall |
Text of card
Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may pay . If you do, draw a card.
"The shadow travels toward the apex. I predict we will soon see the true measure of darkness."
Cards like Seer's Sundial
Seer’s Sundial brings a unique land-based card draw mechanic to the table in Magic: The Gathering. It’s often compared to artifacts like Mind’s Eye, which similarly allows players to draw cards, but Seer’s Sundial requires a land to be played and additional mana to activate. Mind’s Eye, while passive in its trigger from opponents’ draws, demands a significant mana investment for each draw it facilitates.
Players also consider Horizon Spellbomb when evaluating land-related draw options. Though this card provides less repeated value than Seer’s Sundial, the lower activation cost and ability to fetch a basic land may offer a more immediate impact. However, this is a one-time effect, unlike Seer’s Sundial’s ongoing potential. Additionally, Ghirapur Orrery is another artifact that enables extra land drops and draws, but it extends benefits to all players, which can be a double-edged sword unlike the controlled advantage that Seer’s Sundial offers an individual player.
When deciding on an optimal card draw engine, particularly in land-focused decks, Seer’s Sundial may stand out for its consistent, albeit mana-intensive, source of card advantage, contributing steadily to a player’s hand and overall strategy within the realm of Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Seer's Sundial by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Seer’s Sundial provides a consistent engine for card draw, giving you access to more cards over the course of the game. With each land drop, Seer’s Sundial lets you pay 2 mana to draw a card, thereby replenishing your hand and maintaining pressure on your opponent.
Resource Acceleration: In decks that are designed to put numerous lands onto the battlefield, Seer’s Sundial can translate into significant resource acceleration. It synergizes well with ramp strategies, ensuring that the extra lands you play fuel your progression by drawing you into more action.
Instant Speed: While Seer’s Sundial’s ability is not an instant itself, it can be activated at instant speed whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control. This flexibility allows you to best utilize your mana during opponents’ turns, keeping it open for responses and playing lands or land effects on their end step to draw cards without skipping a beat.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Seer’s Sundial doesn’t have a discard requirement but it does necessitate additional resources for activation. Each land drop demands two mana if you wish to draw a card, adding pressure to your mana pool each turn.
Specific Mana Cost: The activation cost for Seer’s Sundial is colorless, but its initial four mana to cast means it competes with other impactful cards in that mana slot, which can affect strategic deck building.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The cost of Seer’s Sundial is significantly higher when compared to other card draw engines. This can result in slower gameplay and could put you at a disadvantage against more aggressive decks.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Seer’s Sundial is a perfect fit for diverse deck builds that benefit from consistent card draw. Its ability to transform lands into potential card draw makes it a staple in land-focused strategies, ensuring you’ll almost never be card-starved.
Combo Potential: This artifact shines when combined with land ramp spells or effects that put multiple lands into play, turning what would be a simple ramp into both mana advantage and card advantage, setting you up for future turns.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where the battlefield is often in a state of flux, having a source of card draw that is difficult to interact with can be crucial. Seer’s Sundial works beautifully in a slower, more controlling environment where drawing cards over time can lead to overwhelming your opponents.
How to beat
Seer’s Sundial is a unique artifact in the world of MTG with its land-triggered card draw ability, drawing a noteworthy parallel to the popular Tireless Tracker, an iconic creature card known for its clue-generating capability upon landfall. Unlike Tireless Tracker, Seer’s Sundial doesn’t grow in power or toughness but provides consistent card draw without depending on having a creature on the battlefield.
When facing this artifact, it’s essential to evaluate its impact. Seer’s Sundial needs a steady stream of lands to maximize its card draw potential. Therefore, strategies that limit the opponent’s ability to play lands or use landfall triggers would effectively mitigate its effectiveness. One could use land destruction cards or spells that restrict land plays, such as Ghost Quarter or Aven Mindcensor, to get ahead of the Sundial’s advantage. Cards like Stony Silence can also be a hindrance since they deactivate artifacts, which Seer’s Sundial is, thus preventing its activated ability from being used to draw cards.
To summarize, Seer’s Sundial’s value hinges on a player’s ability to play lands and activate its ability. Keeping this in mind, targeting the player’s land base or the Sundial itself can be a winning strategy to reduce the card’s impact and maintain control of the game.
BurnMana Recommendations
Deepening your understanding and harnessing the full potential of MTG cards like Seer’s Sundial can transform your gameplay experience. This artifact’s land-based card draw ability is a real game-changer in decks that thrive on land placement. Enhancing your card advantage with each turn is central to outmaneuvering opponents. If you’re intrigued by the prospects of integrating Seer’s Sundial into your strategy or are simply looking to refine your deck with resourceful artifacts that keep your hand replenished, we encourage you to continue your exploration. Tap into the strategic depths of MTG and turn each play into a winning move with BurnMana’s guidance.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Seer's Sundial MTG card by a specific set like Worldwake and Commander 2013, 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 Seer's Sundial and other MTG cards:
BUY NOWBurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
- 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
Printings
The Seer's Sundial Magic the Gathering card was released in 11 different sets between 2010-02-05 and 2024-06-14. Illustrated by Franz Vohwinkel.
# | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2010-02-05 | Worldwake | WWK | 130 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Franz Vohwinkel | |
2 | 2013-11-01 | Commander 2013 | C13 | 256 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Franz Vohwinkel | |
3 | 2014-11-07 | Commander 2014 | C14 | 267 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Franz Vohwinkel | |
4 | 2015-08-28 | Duel Decks: Zendikar vs. Eldrazi | DDP | 29 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Franz Vohwinkel | |
5 | 2015-11-13 | Commander 2015 | C15 | 264 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Franz Vohwinkel | |
6 | 2017-06-09 | Commander Anthology | CMA | 227 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Franz Vohwinkel | |
7 | 2018-06-08 | Commander Anthology Volume II | CM2 | 214 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Franz Vohwinkel | |
8 | 2018-08-09 | Commander 2018 | C18 | 221 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Franz Vohwinkel | |
9 | 2020-09-25 | Zendikar Rising Commander | ZNC | 119 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Franz Vohwinkel | |
10 | 2020-11-20 | Commander Legends | CMR | 470 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Franz Vohwinkel | |
11 | 2024-06-14 | Modern Horizons 3 Commander | M3C | 304 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Franz Vohwinkel |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Seer's Sundial has restrictions
Format | Legality |
---|---|
Commander | Legal |
Legacy | Legal |
Modern | Legal |
Oathbreaker | Legal |
Vintage | Legal |
Duel | Legal |
Predh | Legal |
Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Seer's Sundial card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
Date | Text |
---|---|
2010-03-01 | The landfall ability triggers whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control for any reason. It triggers whenever you play a land, as well as whenever a spell or ability (such as Rampant Growth) causes you to put a land onto the battlefield under your control. It will even trigger when a spell or ability causes another player to put a land onto the battlefield under your control (as can happen with Yavimaya Dryad's ability, for example). |
2010-03-01 | When a land enters the battlefield under your control, each landfall ability of the permanents you control will trigger. You can put them on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one that resolves. |
2010-03-01 | You choose whether to pay as the ability resolves. You may pay only once per resolution. |