Thieves' Tools MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeArtifact — Equipment
Abilities Equip,Treasure

Key Takeaways

  1. Thieves’ Tools offers card draw and efficient resource use through low equip costs.
  2. Requires discard for activation, and is color-specific to black and blue mana.
  3. Achieves reliable unblockable attacks, aligning with direct damage strategies.

Text of card

When Thieves' Tools enters the battlefield, create a Treasure token. (It's an artifact with ", Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.") Equipped creature can't be blocked as long as its power is 3 or less. Equip (: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Thieves’ Tools not only enhances your creature’s abilities but also has the potential to draw you additional cards if equipped to a creature with certain synergies or when combined with cards that reward you for dealing combat damage to players.

Resource Acceleration: This card efficiently equips to your creatures for a minimal cost, allowing you to allocate resources to other game actions. Its low equip cost also means you can stay resource-efficient, and potentially equip multiple creatures over the course of a game.

Instant Speed: While Thieves’ Tools itself is not an instant, it can work well with creatures that have flash. Equipping at the end of an opponent’s turn to a freshly played flash creature can catch opponents by surprise and provide immediate value.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One aspect of Thieves’ Tools that could deter players is the necessity to discard a card upon activation. This cost may not always sync well with your hand, especially when playing a tight game where every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Thieves’ Tools comes with a commitment to both black and blue mana. This specificity can be a constraint, limiting its integration exclusively to decks that can accommodate both colors effectively.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a conversion cost that may be on the upper end for its effects, Thieves’ Tools could be less appealing considering other cards in the environment might provide similar benefits for less mana, thus impacting its utility in fast-paced and mana-efficient decks.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Thieves’ Tools can seamlessly adapt to a wide array of deck builds, especially in those that revolve around creatures with evasion or those looking to sneak by blockers for direct player hits.

Combo Potential: This card’s capability to create unblockable scenarios aligns well with strategies focused on direct damage or infiltrating for combo triggers, widening the tactical play for players.

Meta-Relevance: Given its capacity to bypass defenders, Thieves’ Tools has a firm standing in environments where creatures typically act as the primary line of defense, providing a consistent edge in gameplay.


How to beat

Thieves’ Tools is a nuanced card that presents players of Magic: The Gathering with an opportunity to enable unblockable attacks for their creatures at a minimal cost. This equipment, affordable at just three mana to cast and two mana to equip, can turn even the most inconspicuous creature into a consistent source of damage that cannot be easily intercepted by an opponent’s defense.

To effectively counter Thieves’ Tools, prioritizing the removal of equipped creatures or Thieves’ Tools itself is crucial. Cards like Artifact Destruction spells that target equipments, such as Abrade or Kasmina’s Transmutation, can disarm the threat by sending the equipment to the graveyard. Enchantment-based removal that neutralizes the abilities of the creature carrying the equipment without destroying it can also be a strategic move. Furthermore, employing creatures with abilities like ‘reach’ or strategies that control the board and limit the opponent’s ability to attack freely can mitigate the impact of Thieves’ Tools on the game. It’s about being one step ahead and answering the unblockable threat with precision removal or having alternative defenses in place.

Understanding the game’s tempo is crucial for maximizing the effectiveness of these strategies against Thieves’ Tools, ensuring that this deceptively simple looking card does not catch you unprepared on the battlefield.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive into the depths of MTG strategy with Thieves’ Tools, a card that provides a unique edge in the right deck. It offers card advantage, resource acceleration, and plays nicely with instant speed flash creatures. However, it’s not without its downsides, such as the card discard requirement and specific mana costs. When building your deck, look for synergy and the potential to surprise your opponents with unblockable attacks. Whether you’re looking to refine your current build or seeking fresh tactics to outwit your opponents, visit us for more insights and find out how to integrate Thieves’ Tools into your winning strategy.


Cards like Thieves' Tools

Thieves’ Tools has earned its place as an intriguing utility artifact among Magic: The Gathering’s array of equipment cards. It bears comparison to another equipment card, Prying Blade, which also grants a power boost albeit a smaller one. Both cards have the ability to generate Treasure tokens, yet Thieves’ Tools excels by allowing unblocked passage for equipped creatures, providing a guaranteed method for its effect. Prying Blade relies on the creature actually dealing combat damage, which isn’t always a certainty.

Exploring further, we encounter the card called Rogue’s Gloves. This piece of equipment shares the concept of rewarding the player when a creature gets through to the opponent. Unlike the passive effect of Thieves’ Tools, Rogue’s Gloves demands a successful attack to draw a card. Thieves’ Tools proves more reliable in ensuring a benefit each turn, as long as your creatures remain unblocked.

Assessing the strengths of various equipment in Magic: The Gathering points to Thieves’ Tools as a card with unique advantages. It offers consistent value and a smooth strategy for those looking to outmaneuver their opponents with unblockable creatures while establishing a stockpile of resources via Treasure tokens.

Prying Blade - MTG Card versions
Rogue's Gloves - MTG Card versions
Prying Blade - MTG Card versions
Rogue's Gloves - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Thieves' Tools by color, type and mana cost

Charcoal Diamond - MTG Card versions
Blade of the Oni - MTG Card versions
Transmogrant's Crown - MTG Card versions
Vault Skirge - MTG Card versions
Razorlash Transmogrant - MTG Card versions
Cranial Plating - MTG Card versions
Scepter of Fugue - MTG Card versions
Salvage Slasher - MTG Card versions
Glaze Fiend - MTG Card versions
Metalspinner's Puzzleknot - MTG Card versions
Implement of Malice - MTG Card versions
Wishclaw Talisman - MTG Card versions
Giant's Skewer - MTG Card versions
Gisa's Favorite Shovel - MTG Card versions
Netherborn Altar - MTG Card versions
Malefic Scythe - MTG Card versions
Draugr's Helm - MTG Card versions
Poet's Quill - MTG Card versions
Groom's Finery - MTG Card versions
Heirloom Mirror // Inherited Fiend - MTG Card versions
Charcoal Diamond - MTG Card versions
Blade of the Oni - MTG Card versions
Transmogrant's Crown - MTG Card versions
Vault Skirge - MTG Card versions
Razorlash Transmogrant - MTG Card versions
Cranial Plating - MTG Card versions
Scepter of Fugue - MTG Card versions
Salvage Slasher - MTG Card versions
Glaze Fiend - MTG Card versions
Metalspinner's Puzzleknot - MTG Card versions
Implement of Malice - MTG Card versions
Wishclaw Talisman - MTG Card versions
Giant's Skewer - MTG Card versions
Gisa's Favorite Shovel - MTG Card versions
Netherborn Altar - MTG Card versions
Malefic Scythe - MTG Card versions
Draugr's Helm - MTG Card versions
Poet's Quill - MTG Card versions
Groom's Finery - MTG Card versions
Heirloom Mirror // Inherited Fiend - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Thieves' Tools MTG card by a specific set like Adventures in the Forgotten Realms and Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate, 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 Thieves' Tools and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The Thieves' Tools Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2021-07-23 and 2022-07-07. Illustrated by Deruchenko Alexander.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-07-23Adventures in the Forgotten RealmsAFR 1222015NormalBlackDeruchenko Alexander
22022-06-10Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's GateCLB 1522015NormalBlackDeruchenko Alexander
32022-07-07Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's GateHBG 1712015NormalBlackDeruchenko Alexander

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Thieves' Tools has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2021-07-23 The equipped creature's power is checked only during the declare blockers step. If its power becomes greater than 3 after blockers are declared, it still can't be blocked. Similarly, if its power becomes 3 or less after it's been blocked, this won't make it unblocked.