Truss, Chief Engineer MTG Card


Truss, Chief Engineer boosts artifact play with card advantage and faster casting for a significant board presence. Its demand for specific mana and higher casting cost might limit its use in varied MTG decks. Countering it involves removing artifacts and employing removal spells for optimal MTG strategy execution.
Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Creature — Vedalken Rogue Employee
Power 1
Toughness 3
Un-set :-)This card is part of an Un-set

Text of card

Whenever Truss, Chief Engineer enters the battlefield or another creature dies, put a hack counter on Truss. , , Remove X hack counters from Truss: Add or subtract X from a number or number word on target spell or permanent until end of turn. This effect can't reduce a number below 1 or a number word below one.


Cards like Truss, Chief Engineer

When it comes to the innovative Truss, Chief Engineer card, we can discern its uniqueness and function by comparing it to peers in the realm of creature-based synergies. Truss, Chief Engineer excels at empowering artifact strategies, much like Etherium Sculptor. Both reduce the cost of artifacts, yet Truss also lends itself to defending your forces through its tap ability. Etherium Sculptor lacks this defensive tactic, focusing solely on the cost-reduction aspect.

Analogous to Truss, Chief Engineer is Foundry Inspector, which also offers a cost reduction for artifacts. Still, Foundry Inspector doesn’t provide the added versatility of tapping an artifact creature for a presumably surprise block or another timely interaction. Moreover, Vedalken Engineer shares similarities with Truss by providing a boost to artifact casting and flexibility in mana usage, but it doesn’t influence the battlefield’s dynamics in the same multifaceted way.

In reflecting on these comparisons, we see that Truss, Chief Engineer offers a distinctive blend of cost efficiency and tactical battlefield management, establishing its position as a potentially pivotal card for artifact-centric decks seeking an edge both in terms of economy and board control.

Etherium Sculptor - MTG Card versions
Foundry Inspector - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Engineer - MTG Card versions
Etherium Sculptor - MTG Card versions
Foundry Inspector - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Engineer - MTG Card versions

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Truss, Chief Engineer can create significant card value by facilitating the casting of multiple artifact spells in a single turn. Each artifact not only potentially improves the board state but also can lead to more draws, digs, and ways to stay ahead of the opponent.

Resource Acceleration: By reducing the mana cost of artifact spells, Truss, Chief Engineer serves as a key piece in resource acceleration. This can enable faster deployment of threats and responses, putting you at a resource advantage over your opponents by efficiently utilizing your mana pool.

Instant Speed: While Truss, Chief Engineer itself may not have flash, the reduction in artifact spell costs can free up mana allowing you to keep resources available to cast spells at instant speed. This offers flexibility in gameplay, enabling you to adapt more readily to the dynamic state of the match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of Truss, Chief Engineer is that activating its ability comes with the cost of discarding a card. This can pose a challenge, especially in situations where hand size is already diminished, or the discarded card could be of value later on.

Specific Mana Cost: Truss, Chief Engineer necessitates a precise mana setup to cast, requiring a combination of generic and blue mana. This may restrict its inclusion to decks that can reliably produce the necessary mana, potentially excluding it from more versatile or color-diverse strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When weighed against other options in the metagame, Truss, Chief Engineer commands a significant mana investment for its capabilities. Players might find that this cost is steep relative to the benefits provided, particularly when considering alternatives that might fulfill a similar role at a lower mana value.


Reasons to Include Truss, Chief Engineer in Your Collection

Versatility: Truss, Chief Engineer boasts adaptability as it can seamlessly integrate into artifact-centric decks and more general builds alike. Its ability to reduce artifact costs and turn them into potent mana sources diversifies the strategies you can deploy.

Combo Potential: This card excels in unlocking combinations that bring a tide of artifacts to the battlefield, potentially leading to game-ending synergies. With Truss, Chief Engineer, the setup for a well-timed combo could be just a turn away.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where efficiency and speed are paramount, Truss, Chief Engineer’s cost-reducing ability could be a game-changer. Its inclusion could elevate the competitive edge of your deck in the current landscape.


How to beat

Truss, Chief Engineer is a unique artifact creature card that stands out in Magic: The Gathering. This powerful card enables players to reduce the mana cost of their next spell by the number of artifacts they control. At first glance, Truss, Chief Engineer seems daunting to contend with, particularly in artifact-heavy decks where spells could be cast for significantly less, or even for free.

To overcome this card, one strategy is to limit the number of artifacts on the battlefield. Artifact removal spells come in handy for dismantling an opponent’s set-up, lowering Truss’s impact on the game. Keeping the board clear of artifacts greatly hampers the card’s utility, making it less of a threat. Additionally, cards that can swiftly deal with creatures are essential when going up against Truss. Direct removal spells or those that force a player to sacrifice a creature can remove Truss from the battlefield before its ability can turn the tide of the game.

Successfully disrupting an opponent’s artifact synergy and efficiently handling Truss, Chief Engineer is a sound tactic to counter the strategic advantages it provides. By doing so, you can maintain the upper hand and move closer to victory in your MTG matchups.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Truss, Chief Engineer MTG card by a specific set like Unfinity and Unfinity, 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 Truss, Chief Engineer and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Truss, Chief Engineer Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2022-10-07 and 2022-10-07. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12022-10-07UnfinityUNF 4672015NormalBlackAaron J. Riley
22022-10-07UnfinityUNF 2722015NormalBlackScooter
32022-10-07UnfinityUNF 5232015NormalBlackScooter
42022-10-07UnfinityUNF 1812015NormalBlackAaron J. Riley

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2022-10-07 Indefinite articles such as “a” in “draw a card” aren’t number words and can’t be modified.
2022-10-07 Note that you’re changing numbers, not digits. For example, if you remove two hack counters from Truss, you could change 10 to 12 or 8. You couldn’t change it to 30.
2022-10-07 Truss’s last ability affects a single number or number word on the spell or permanent. It can be anything—power, toughness, something in rules text, the name of a card (Four Wishes, anyone?), collector number, and so on. Mark says you can even change the copyright date, but don’t tell the lawyers.
2022-10-07 You can change the number of dice rolled for an effect only if the original instruction included a number word to describe how many dice to roll. You can’t change the “a” in “roll a six-sided die,” but you could change the “two” in “roll two six-sided dice.”
2022-10-07 You can change the number of sides on a die. If you don’t have any thirteen-sided dice handy, you can use other dice to simulate the rolls.
2022-10-07 You can change the numeral inside of a mana symbol, but you can’t modify the cost of a spell in time to pay less for it. It must already be on the stack to be a valid target for Truss’s ability.
2022-10-07 You can’t change any instance of X.
2022-10-07 You can’t use Truss’s last ability to change the 1 in Truss’s last ability to a 0. Nice try though.