Gift Horse MTG Card

Rarity	Rare
Type	Artifact — Contraption
Released	2017-12-08
Set symbol
Set name	Unstable
Set code	UST
Number	183
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Borderless
Illustred by	Steve Prescott
Un-set :-)	This card is part of an Un-set

Key Takeaways

Gift Horse enables card advantage, providing a constant stream of resources each turn.
Flexibility to cast at instant speed greatly enhances strategic play.
Generates tokens for mana acceleration and color fixing in multicolor decks.

Text of card

Whenever you crank Gift Horse, roll two six-sided dice. Create a number of 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens equal to the difference between those results.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Gift Horse shines by offering continuous card advantage each turn. This means every round presents an opportunity for its controller to reap benefits, putting them ahead in resources and options compared to their opponent.

Resource Acceleration: Adding to its value, Gift Horse can rapidly accelerate resources by generating a steady flow of tokens. These tokens serve a dual purpose, acting as both an immediate influx of mana and an alternative source for color fixing, which is essential in multicolored decks.

Instant Speed: The adaptability of playing Gift Horse at instant speed cannot be overstated. This flexibility allows strategic players to maximally utilize their mana each turn by keeping options open until the best course of action becomes clear, significantly enhancing their tactical arsenal.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Gift Horse comes with a need to discard a card, a drawback that presents a potential strategic setback, particularly if your hand is already short on options and you’re aiming to maintain card advantage against your opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: Sporting a mana cost that necessitates a specific combination of colors, this card may not seamlessly fit into a variety of decks, potentially narrowing its utility and restricting it to certain color-aligned strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When you weigh the mana investment against what the card delivers, some players might find the cost a bit steep. There are alternative options available that might offer more impact or flexibility at a lower mana threshold, thus providing more bang for your buck within a tightly curated deck.

Reasons to Include Gift Horse in Your Collection

Versatility: Gift Horse slots seamlessly into a variety of decks, especially those looking to capitalize on repeatable token generation. It’s a solid choice for decks that thrive on having a consistent board presence.

Combo Potential: With the right setup, this card can become a powerhouse, interacting with numerous strategies that exploit creature tokens. It can synergize with sacrifice mechanics or anything that leverages the number of creatures you control.

Meta-Relevance: Given the current landscape, a card like Gift Horse can be a game-changer, particularly in matches where accumulating a wide array of creatures can tilt the battlefield in your favor. Its contribution to board state and synergy with popular deck themes makes it a relevant pick for players looking to stay competitive.

How to Beat

Gift Horse presents a unique challenge on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering, functioning as a creature that can turn discarded cards into advantageous Treasure tokens. Facing off against this card requires a strategy that disarms its token-generating capability without fueling your opponent’s resources.

Rather than fighting a resource battle, it’s essential to employ removal spells that can bypass its triggered ability. Cards such as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares can exile Gift Horse, eliminating the threat without leaving anything behind for the opponent. Alternatively, leveraging graveyard hate cards, like Relic of Progenitus or Rest in Peace, can make sure discarded cards don’t translate into an overwhelming number of Treasure tokens. Control decks can outpace the token generation with sweepers like Wrath of God, which clears the board before the Gift Horse can establish a substantial presence.

Key to this battle is timing and precision – strike with exile effects or graveyard control before your opponent can fully leverage the discarded cards, ensuring that you stem the flow of resources and maintain balance in the game. With the right strategy, Gift Horse can be contained, allowing players to march toward victory unimpeded.

Cards like Gift Horse

Gift Horse steps into the MTG arena as an intriguing option among creature cards with passive benefits. It draws a comparison to seasoned cards like Tireless Tracker, which also prospers from clue generation. However, while Tireless Tracker relies on landfall to amass clues for card advantage, Gift Horse instead triggers whenever a player casts a spell from anywhere other than their hand. The distinction is stark, showcasing Gift Horse’s potential in setups that manipulate the graveyard or exile zones.

Additionally, we see parallels with Reckless Fireweaver, a creature that deals damage to opponents upon the casting of an artifact. While not as direct in delivering damage, Gift Horse can indirectly cause a similar effect by amassing clues that later translate into card draw or additional artifacts for synergistic plays. Of course, Tamiyo’s Journal is another artifact to consider, offering regular clue generation and an eventual tutor effect, but Gift Horse demands less setup and provides an immediate board presence.

All in all, Gift Horse presents unique advantages within artifact and creature-driven decks in MTG. Its diverse trigger condition and potential for both direct and indirect strategies carve it a niche spot in decks looking to exploit non-traditional play routes.

Cards similar to Gift Horse by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gift Horse MTG card by a specific set like Unstable, 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 Gift Horse and other MTG cards:

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Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2018-01-19	Any Contraption that’s on the battlefield and wasn’t assembled immediately heads to the scrapyard. However, if it’s a not an actual Contraption card (like Copy Artifact isn’t), it goes to your graveyard as normal. Non-Contraption cards can’t be in the scrapyard.
2018-01-19	At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control any Contraptions, move the CRANK! counter to the next sprocket. You may then crank any number of Contraptions on that sprocket, causing their abilities to trigger. Cranking a Contraption is always optional.
2018-01-19	Contraptions are artifacts. Anything that interacts with artifacts will interact with Contraptions.
2018-01-19	Contraptions aren’t put into your main deck. They go into a separate deck called the Contraption deck.
2018-01-19	If a Contraption would leave the battlefield and go to any zone other than exile, it instead goes to the scrapyard, the Contraption deck’s version of the graveyard. Things that affect the graveyard do not affect the scrapyard. You can exile Contraptions just fine.
2018-01-19	If you crank multiple Contraptions, their abilities can be put onto the stack in any order. The ability put onto the stack will resolve first.
2018-01-19	If you or a permanent you control are instructed to assemble a Contraption, reveal the top card of your Contraption deck. Put it onto the battlefield on one of the three sprockets.
2018-01-19	If you or a permanent you control assembles a Contraption and your Contraption deck is empty, nothing happens. You don’t lose the game.
2018-01-19	In Constructed formats, a Contraption deck must have at least fifteen different Contraption cards and no more than one of each.
2018-01-19	In Limited formats, a Contraption deck may include any number of Contraption cards in your card pool. You don’t have to include every Contraption card you draft or open in sealed deck. In those formats, your Contraption deck may include duplicates.
2018-01-19	In silver-bordered games using Contraptions, you have three sprockets, illustrated on the back of Contraption cards. At the start of the game, put a CRANK! counter on sprocket 3.
2018-01-19	While Contraptions you control are on the battlefield, the Contraption deck is not, even if you are using it to signify the three sprockets.