Streetwise Negotiator MTG Card


Grants card advantage through potential increased access to game-altering options, crucial in longer matches. Enables resource acceleration, crucial for casting larger threats or answers ahead of schedule. Operates at instant speed, offering strategic advantage by responding swiftly to evolving board states.
Streetwise Negotiator - March of the Machine
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Cat Citizen
Abilities Backup
Released2023-04-21
Set symbol
Set nameMarch of the Machine
Set codeMOM
Power 0
Toughness 2
Number207
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byBrent Hollowell

Text of card

Backup 1 (When this creature enters the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. If that's another creature, it gains the following ability until end of turn.) This creature assigns combat damage equal to its toughness rather than its power.

Like the laws, the rules of engagement always seem to bend in the Brokers' favor.


Cards like Streetwise Negotiator

The Streetwise Negotiator brings tactical depth to the array of white creatures in Magic: The Gathering. It echoes similarities with creatures like Skilled Negotiator, sharing the white color identity and an ability that involves disrupting opponents’ resources. Skilled Negotiator, however, lacks Streetwise Negotiator’s direct impact on the board state by not being able to acquire control of opponent’s artifacts.

Delving into creatures with detain mechanics, such as Lyev Skyknight, offers a pertinent comparison. While Lyev Skyknight can temporarily neutralize a threat, Streetwise Negotiator provides a more permanent solution by enabling the ongoing control of key artifacts, thus potentially swaying longer matches.

Lastly, Vedalken Plotter enters the fray as a relevant example. While it swaps land control rather than artifacts and doesn’t remain on the board as a creature afterward, these cards share a theme of advantage through opponent resource manipulation. Yet, the Streetwise Negotiator’s additional layer of utility as an on-field asset can offer more sustained advantages through repeated interactions.

In essence, Streetwise Negotiator holds its ground as a multi-faceted tool in Magic: The Gathering, particularly shining in metas where artifact strategies are prevalent, granting white deck players an upper hand by turning opponent’s assets to their favor.

Lyev Skyknight - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Plotter - MTG Card versions
Lyev Skyknight - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Plotter - MTG Card versions

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Elvish Archers - MTG Card versions
River Boa - MTG Card versions
Eladamri, Lord of Leaves - MTG Card versions
Albino Troll - MTG Card versions
Silverglade Pathfinder - MTG Card versions
Priest of Titania - MTG Card versions
Quirion Elves - MTG Card versions
Blurred Mongoose - MTG Card versions
Llanowar Loamspeaker - MTG Card versions
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Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse - MTG Card versions
Scavenging Ooze - MTG Card versions
Heir of the Wilds - MTG Card versions
Mayor of Avabruck // Howlpack Alpha - MTG Card versions
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Decks using this card

MTG decks using Streetwise Negotiator. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Mono-Green StompyMono-Green Stompy GladiatorGladiator Team Unified League

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Streetwise Negotiator can provide exceptional card flow, potentially giving you access to more options and enabling you to outmaneuver your opponent over the course of a match.

Resource Acceleration: This card’s ability to barter and negotiate can translate into a resource boost, helping you ramp up your plays and deploy threats or answers more efficiently.

Instant Speed: While some negotiation tactics require patience, Streetwise Negotiator breaks the mold by functioning at instant speed, ensuring you’re always one step ahead, ready to capitalize on any opportunity that arises.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Streetwise Negotiator necessitates discarding a card to activate its ability, posing a dilemma if your hand is already depleted.

Specific Mana Cost: With a combination of blue and white mana required, this card demands a two-color commitment, potentially restricting its inclusion in various deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Bearing a somewhat hefty mana cost for its effect, you may find other options that can deliver similar outcomes without the substantial mana investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Streetwise Negotiator’s ability to manipulate both gameplay and the board state through clever trade-offs makes it an adaptable asset in various deck builds.

Combo Potential: This card offers creative combo avenues with cards that thrive on swapping permanents, opening doors for ingenious play sequences and synergy exploitation.

Meta-Relevance: Its knack for disruption and value trading ensures that Streetwise Negotiator remains a pertinent choice in metas where exchange effects can swing the tide of a match.


How to beat

Streetwise Negotiator can be a real hurdle for many players in Magic: The Gathering, especially considering its ability to control the crowd and turn opponents’ creatures into bargaining chips. Known for its tactful exchange ability, it can disrupt your strategy by seizing control of your creatures if you’re not careful. So, what’s the best way to outmaneuver this strategic card?

The key here is anticipation. Counter spells are your first line of defense, preventing Streetwise Negotiator from ever entering the battlefield. Should it manage to slip through your counters, removal spells that can target and destroy or exile it before an exchange can take place are essential. Consider Instant-speed removals, which allow you to wait for your opponent to invest resources in attempting to use the card’s ability, only to lose their card in response.

Another approach is to play around the ability by not extending too many valuable creatures onto the battlefield unless you can protect them or you’re confident that your opponent doesn’t have the necessary setup to make a favorable exchange. Ultimately, maintaining board control and keeping an eye on your opponent’s mana and potential tricks will help ensure that the Streetwise Negotiator doesn’t turn the tables against you.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Streetwise Negotiator MTG card by a specific set like March of the Machine, 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 Streetwise Negotiator and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Streetwise Negotiator has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Streetwise Negotiator card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2023-04-14 Backup confers only abilities that are actually printed below it. Any abilities that are gained by the permanent are ignored, including abilities gained due to a resolving spell or ability or copy effects.
2023-04-14 If a backup ability causes another creature to gain abilities, the creature with backup will still have those abilities.
2023-04-14 If a backup ability targets the creature with backup, that creature will get +1/+1 counters, but it won’t gain additional abilities.
2023-04-14 If a permanent enters the battlefield as a copy of a card with a backup ability or a token is created that is a copy of that card, the order of the printed abilities is maintained.
2023-04-14 Streetwise Negotiator’s ability doesn’t actually change any creature’s power. It changes only the amount of combat damage the creature assigns. All other rules and effects that check power or toughness use the real values, even if they cause damage “equal to a creature’s power” to be dealt. Notably, if Streetwise Negotiator (or the creature that gains its ability) fights, it uses its actual power to determine how much damage it deals.
2023-04-14 The abilities that backup grants to the target creature are determined only once, at the time the ability triggers. They won’t change if the permanent with backup loses any abilities before the backup ability resolves.