Tawnos's Tinkering MTG Card

Provides card advantage by transforming low-value artifacts into high-cost ones without losing cards. Instant speed and resource acceleration can quickly change the tide of a game in your favor. Diverse utility and combo potential make it a valuable addition to artifact-centric decks.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Released	2022-11-18
Set symbol
Set name	The Brothers' War
Set code	BRO
Number	191
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Alex Stone

Text of card

Put two +1/+1 counters on target artifact, creature, or land you control. Untap that permanent. If it isn't a creature, it becomes a 0/0 creature in addition to its other types.

While his master tried to surpass nature, Tawnos aimed to capture its beauty.

Cards like Tawnos's Tinkering

Tawnos’s Tinkering shines in the realm of artifact manipulation within Magic: The Gathering. Much like the card Goblin Welder, which allows the exchange of an artifact on the battlefield for one in the graveyard, Tawnos’s Tinkering also boasts the ability to upgrade your artifacts. However, it comes with its unique twist: it is not a permanent arrangement, and the artifact reverts to its original form during your next upkeep, sparking clever plays and strategic depth.

In the context of artifact-centric strategies, Reshape stands out as another comparison point. Reshape requires you to sacrifice an artifact but offers a more permanent solution by fetching and placing the new artifact directly onto the battlefield. Though it has a higher cost and demands an additional payment of life, the permanency of the exchange can be pivotal in certain game scenarios.

Scrutinizing these options helps us understand Tawnos’s Tinkering’s flexibility in the short term and how it can evoke surprise and turn the tides in a player’s favor. Despite its temporary nature, this card can cleverly intersect with key combo moments, distinguishing it from its peers in the unique echelon of artifact-focused spells in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Tawnos's Tinkering by color, type and mana cost

Stonewood Invocation - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Tawnos’s Tinkering is designed to potentially turn an underperforming artifact into a more valuable one, possibly pulling a higher-cost artifact from your deck earlier than usual. This can tip the scales in your favor by upgrading your battlefield presence while retaining card parity.

Resource Acceleration: By upgrading to an artifact with a greater mana cost, this card essentially acts as a resource accelerator. This leap can be significant, especially if you jump from a low-cost artifact to a midrange or high-value threat without the usual mana investment.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Tawnos’s Tinkering at instant speed gives you the flexibility to respond to your opponent’s actions. Whether it’s upgrading an artifact in response to removal or simply optimizing your resources at the end of your opponent’s turn, the instant speed of this spell is a strategic advantage.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Tawnos’s Tinkering requires a card to be sacrificed upon casting, potentially setting you back if you’re short on board presence or resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Its necessity for blue mana means it fits primarily in blue-centric or multicolor decks, restricting its universality across various deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Asking for three mana, Tawnos’s Tinkering can be seen as a costly investment, especially when other cards could present more immediate or impactful effects for the same or lower mana expenditure.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Tawnos’s Tinkering provides a unique scaffolding ability, allowing you to transform an artifact you own into a copy of another target artifact with a higher mana cost. This flexibility can integrate seamlessly into decks that manipulate artifacts or benefit from on-the-fly adaptation.

Combo Potential: The transformations this card enables can set off a cascade of combo plays, particularly in decks where evolving one artifact into a more powerful option can be a game-changer. It’s a catalyst in engines that thrive on artifact synergies and upgrades.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where artifacts play a prominent role, Tawnos’s Tinkering shines by outpacing opponents through unexpected value gains. It aligns well with strategies that require a dynamic response to shifting board states, making it a valuable tool for adjusting to current meta demands.

How to beat

Tawnos’s Tinkering brings a unique twist to the Magic: The Gathering gameplay mechanism by providing an upgrade to a player’s artifacts. This card allows players to sacrifice an artifact only to replace it with a potentially more powerful one from their deck. Despite its evident benefits, players can strategize to mitigate the effects of Tawnos’s Tinkering to maintain control over the game’s outcome.

To counteract Tawnos’s Tinkering, consider incorporating removal spells aimed at artifacts in your deck. Cards like Abrade or Naturalize can be critical as they provide an efficient solution to destroy artifacts as soon as they hit the board. Furthermore, spells that counteract other spells, like Negate or Dispel, can intercept Tawnos’s Tinkering before it ever takes effect, maintaining the balance of power.

In summary, while Tawnos’s Tinkering has the potential to shift the power dynamic on the board, well-prepared players can neutralize its threat. Employing artifact removal or counterspells to your deck is a sound tactic to ensure Tawnos’s upgrading capabilities are kept at bay, safeguarding your chances of victory against this innovative card.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tawnos's Tinkering MTG card by a specific set like The Brothers' War, 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 Tawnos's Tinkering and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Tawnos's Tinkering has restrictions

Format	Legality
Standard	Legal
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Alchemy	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Future	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2022-10-14	If an artifact or land that becomes a creature this way has been on the battlefield since the beginning of your upkeep (even if it wasn't a creature at the time), it can attack during your turn and its abilities may be activated.
2022-10-14	Tawnos's Tinkering doesn't grant haste, so if a noncreature permanent that entered the battlefield since the beginning of your upkeep becomes a creature this way, it can't attack until your next turn. Any activated abilities that it has with a symbol in their cost also can't be activated until your next upkeep step. Notably, this means a land that entered the battlefield after your last upkeep can't be tapped for mana if it becomes a creature this way.