Clever Lumimancer MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human Wizard
Abilities Magecraft
Power 0
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Lumimancer’s prowess-like ability generates virtual card advantage, elevating it to a mighty threat efficiently.
  2. Low casting cost accelerates your game plan, permitting a fast-paced and spell-heavy strategy.
  3. Instant speed spells enhance Lumimancer’s flexibility, offering surprise combat advantages and power spikes.

Text of card

Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, Clever Lumimancer gets +2/+2 until end of turn.

"You're too dim to realize it, but you've already lost."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Clever Lumimancer doesn’t directly draw cards but its prowess in boosting itself can generate a virtual card advantage. Every spell cast not only has its intended effect but also increases Lumimancer’s power, potentially turning it into a massive threat with minimal investment. This synergy can overwhelm opponents and create pressure without additional card resources.

Resource Acceleration: Although Clever Lumimancer does not produce additional mana, its low casting cost represents a form of resource acceleration. At just one white mana, it allows players to deploy other spells sooner, keeping the pace fast while building a board presence. This can accelerate your game plan, allowing you to use mana for protection or further spell casting.

Instant Speed: Clever Lumimancer excels in a deck with numerous instant speed spells. Its ability to grow from instant spells you cast can create surprise blocking or attacking opportunities. This means it operates on a different axis than resource acceleration, offering combat tricks and unexpected power spikes that can turn the tides of a match swiftly.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Holders of Clever Lumimancer must be wary, as casting noncreature spells is essential to leveraging its power. Lack of instants or sorceries in your hand could render the card’s prowess static, reducing its effectiveness on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: Clever Lumimancer demands white mana for use. This cost restricts its inclusion to decks with adequate white mana resources, potentially limiting its versatility across various MTG deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: In the realm of low-cost creatures, a single white mana might seem economical. However, to fully harness the card’s potential and trigger its ability, a consistent stream of noncreature spells with their own mana demands is required, which could strain your mana pool and hamper your overall strategy.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Clever Lumimancer works well across a variety of decks that focus on spellcasting. Its low casting cost makes it an excellent early play that can scale impressively with spells cast in the same turn.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes with cheap instant and sorcery spells, allowing for explosive turns. Pairing it with cards that let you cast multiple spells in one turn skyrockets its power, making it a linchpin in aggressive combo decks.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where fast-paced, spell-heavy decks thrive, Clever Lumimancer can be a game-changer. Its ability to deliver massive damage early on makes it a significant threat and a must-consider for decks aiming to overpower opponents quickly.


How to beat

Clever Lumimancer poses a unique challenge in MTG due to its Magecraft ability, which allows it to gain +2/+2 until end of turn whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell. Given its low cost and potential for rapid power growth, it can become a formidable threat on the battlefield if left unchecked.

Defeating this card requires a strategy that focuses on removal or disruption. Instant speed removal spells that can target creatures regardless of their power like Fatal Push or Path to Exile are effective ways to eliminate Clever Lumimancer before it grows out of control. Counterspells are also a valuable tool, preventing your opponent from casting the spells that would trigger Lumimancer’s ability. Additionally, employing blockers with high toughness can deter attacks and buy time until a more permanent solution is found.

Remember that timing is crucial. Interrupting your opponent’s spells during their turn will prevent the Lumimancer from becoming an unstoppable force. By keeping the pressure on and handling it swiftly, you ensure this clever mage doesn’t outsmart your game plan.


Cards like Clever Lumimancer

Clever Lumimancer is a unique force in the realm of creature spells in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to gain +2/+2 for each spell you cast this turn enables explosive turns, akin to the prowess of Monastery Swiftspear. Both are one-drop creatures, but Clever Lumimancer lacks haste, which Monastery Swiftspear uses to hit the ground running. Instead, it compensates with a potentially larger boost per spell cast.

Looking at Soul-Scar Mage, another creature sharing this proclivity for spellslinging, it offers a consistent prowess boost and the added utility of shrinking opponents’ creatures. Yet, it doesn’t quite match the raw power of the Lumimancer’s ability under the right conditions. Steppe Lynx also has similarities, growing with landfall. However, its reliance on land drops rather than spell casts makes it inherently different in deck synergy and overall strategy.

Considering its unique strengths and the strategic depth it brings to spell-heavy decks, Clever Lumimancer stands out as a sharply designed card catering to aggressive, non-linear playstyles that reward skillful sequencing and spell management.

Monastery Swiftspear - MTG Card versions
Soul-Scar Mage - MTG Card versions
Steppe Lynx - MTG Card versions
Monastery Swiftspear - Khans of Tarkir (KTK)
Soul-Scar Mage - Amonkhet (AKH)
Steppe Lynx - Zendikar (ZEN)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Clever Lumimancer // Clever Lumimancer MTG card by a specific set like Strixhaven Art Series and Strixhaven: School of Mages, 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 Clever Lumimancer // Clever Lumimancer and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Clever Lumimancer // Clever Lumimancer Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-04-23 and 2021-04-23. Illustrated by Lie Setiawan.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-04-23Strixhaven Art SeriesASTX 22015art_seriesborderlessLie Setiawan
22021-04-23Strixhaven: School of MagesSTX 102015normalblackLie Setiawan
32021-04-23Strixhaven Art SeriesASTX 2s2015art_seriesborderlessLie Setiawan

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Clever Lumimancer has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-04-16 Each magecraft ability has a different effect, although they all have the same trigger condition, whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell.
2021-04-16 For example, if you control Archmage Emeritus and cast an instant or sorcery spell, Archmage Emeritus’s magecraft ability will trigger and you will draw a card.
2021-04-16 If an effect creates a copy of an instant or sorcery spell, this will also cause the magecraft ability to trigger.
2021-04-16 If an effect creates multiple copies of an instant or sorcery spell, magecraft abilities trigger once for each copy created by the effect.
2021-04-16 Some effects instruct you to copy an instant or sorcery card in a zone other than the stack. These copies do not cause magecraft abilities to trigger. However, most effects that do this also allow you to cast the copy, and casting the copy will cause magecraft abilities to trigger.

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