Trickster's Talisman MTG Card


Trickster’s Talisman enhances board presence by cloning creatures, offering indirect card advantage. Encore mechanic provides combo potential and reuses powerful enter-the-battlefield abilities. Meta relevance is high with Trickster’s Talisman, boosting creature-based strategies effectively.
Trickster's Talisman - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeArtifact — Equipment
Abilities Equip
Released2021-07-23
Set symbol
Set nameAdventures in the Forgotten Realms
Set codeAFR
Number79
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred bySam White

Text of card

Invoke Duplicity — Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has "Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, you may sacrifice Trickster's Talisman. If you do, create a token that's a copy of this creature." Equip

"Lady Luck, smile on me!"


Cards like Trickster's Talisman

Trickster’s Talisman emerges as a novel choice among Magic: The Gathering’s arsenal for creature enhancements. Its likeness can be drawn to cards such as Mask of Immolation, which also offers a way to confer an additional ability onto a creature. Yet, Trickster’s Talisman stands out with its focus on evasion, giving creatures the chance to become unblockable—a feature Mask of Immolation does not provide, being more geared towards damage output.

Mirroring Trickster’s Talisman’s ability to evade blockers, we have Whisper Cloak. This equipment grants not only unblockability but also shroud, at a higher activation cost. The Talisman’s encore ability offers a unique mechanic compared to Whisper Cloak, allowing for a temporary clone that can swing games in your favor. Next in comparison is Ghostly Wings, which, while providing a form of evasion through flying, also differs by having the contingency of discarding a card.

In evaluating the effectiveness of Trickster’s Talisman, it excels due to its low cost and encore capability, presenting itself as a valuable tool for those looking to slip past defenses and turn the tides in a tight match of Magic: The Gathering.

Mask of Immolation - MTG Card versions
Ghostly Wings - MTG Card versions
Mask of Immolation - MTG Card versions
Ghostly Wings - MTG Card versions

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The Blackstaff of Waterdeep - MTG Card versions
Aether Spellbomb - MTG Card versions
Sphinx's Herald - MTG Card versions
Flight Spellbomb - MTG Card versions
Merchant's Dockhand - MTG Card versions
Blurry Beeble - MTG Card versions
Socketed Sprocketer - MTG Card versions
Mantle of Tides - MTG Card versions
Witching Well - MTG Card versions
Giant's Amulet - MTG Card versions
Silver Raven - MTG Card versions
Secret Door - MTG Card versions
Network Disruptor - MTG Card versions
Moonsnare Prototype - MTG Card versions
Combat Courier - MTG Card versions
Font of Progress - MTG Card versions
Surgical Skullbomb - MTG Card versions
Tome of Gadwick - MTG Card versions
K-9, Mark I - MTG Card versions
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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Trickster’s Talisman enables you to essentially duplicate your most valuable creatures, indirectly increasing your hand by putting another threat on the board without spending a card from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: By copying creatures that have entered the battlefield effects or other abilities, you can achieve indirect resource acceleration, gaining extra value from assets you already have in play.

Instant Speed: While Trickster’s Talisman itself is an aura that is cast at sorcery speed, the cloned creature it creates can benefit from any “enters the battlefield” abilities at a time most advantageous to you, simulating the flexibility of an instant within your game plan.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When deploying Trickster’s Talisman onto the battlefield, you’re tasked with discarding another card. This can pose a significant drawback during gameplay, especially if your hand is already depleted, or if holding onto key cards is crucial for your strategic setup.

Specific Mana Cost: Trickster’s Talisman comes with a dedicated mana cost that requires blue mana. This specificity can be a stumbling block for many MTG decks that either run multiple colors or don’t prioritize blue mana sources, thereby restricting its utility to mainly mono-blue or blue-focused decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At three mana to cast and two mana to equip, Trickster’s Talisman has a relatively steep total cost when you consider both casting and utilizing its ability. In the expansive universe of MTG, there are alternatives that could potentially give you more bang for your mana buck, whether it be through direct card advantage or cheaper equipment that offers a similar or better effect.


Reasons to Include Trickster’s Talisman in Your Collection

Versatility: Trickster’s Talisman offers flexibility to a variety of decks, enabling repeated use of enter-the-battlefield (ETB) effects or evasion abilities. Its adaptability makes it a solid choice for improving creature-based strategies and enhancing gameplay.

Combo Potential: With the ability to clone creatures through its Encore mechanic, Trickster’s Talisman becomes a key component in setting up game-winning combos. Its cloning ability synergizes with creatures with powerful ETB triggers, maximizing their potential.

Meta-Relevance: Given that creature-based strategies are common in many metagames, Trickster’s Talisman can serve as an unpredictable and effective tool. This makes it particularly relevant in environments where maximizing the value of individual creatures can turn the tide of a match.


How to beat Trickster’s Talisman

Trickster’s Talisman is an enchantment that attaches to creatures, giving them elusive abilities, making them harder to block and manage. Key to overcoming this card is disrupting the enchanted creature or the Talisman itself. Cards like Naturalize are potent here, as they can directly target and destroy the Talisman. Creature removal spells, such as Doom Blade or Path to Exile, while they don’t interact with the Talisman directly, can eliminate the enchanted threat and by extension neutralize the Talisman’s effect.

Counterplay becomes crucial when dealing with such an enchantment. Cards that nullify activated abilities, like Linvala, Keeper of Silence, can prevent the Talisman’s cloning ability from taking effect, hindering the opponent’s board presence. Board wipes can also effectively clear creatures regardless of their enhancements, rendering the Talisman’s effect moot. In the evolving meta game, staying one step ahead with versatile responses stacks the deck in your favor when Trickster’s Talisman hits the battlefield.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Trickster's Talisman MTG card by a specific set like Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, 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 Trickster's Talisman and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Trickster's Talisman has restrictions

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

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Trickster's Talisman 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 If your Trickster's Talisman is somehow equipped to a creature another player controls, that player will not be able to sacrifice Trickster's Talisman as the triggered ability resolves as they don't control it.