Urza's Engine MTG Card

Urza’s Engine enhances card draw, increasing options for strategic play. Activates at instant speed, offering tactical flexibility during matches. Resource acceleration is key for faster, more powerful plays.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact Creature — Juggernaut
Abilities	Trample
Released	1996-06-10
Set symbol
Set name	Alliances
Set code	ALL
Power	1
Toughness	5
Number	135
Frame	1993
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Greg Simanson

Text of card

Trample o3: Banding until end of turn o3: All creatures banded with Urza's Engine gain trample until end of turn.

"Humans and machines working together can be fearsome indeed!" —Arcum Dagsson

Cards like Urza's Engine

Urza’s Engine is an intriguing artifact creature within the realm of combo enablers. Its comparisons draw close to Dance of Many, a blue enchantment that also mimics creatures. However, Urza’s Engine offers a twist – an untap ability that facilitates its combo potential. Furthermore, Dance of Many requires an upkeep cost to maintain the copied creature, which Urza’s Engine sidesteps, thus providing a more sustainable advantage over several turns.

Close to Urza’s Engine in functionality is Minion Reflector. Although it too creates a copy of a creature, Minion Reflector’s token gains haste but must be sacrificed at the beginning of the next end step. In addition, each copied creature costs extra mana to create, unlike Urza’s Engine which only requires the untap cost. This makes Urza’s Engine a more economical choice for long-term strategy.

Taking everything into account, Urza’s Engine has a niche position among Magic’s artifact creatures. Its unique untap ability for combo execution, lack of recurring costs, and overall strategy endurance make it a superb option for players who value consistent and reliable activation in their deck mechanics.

Cards similar to Urza's Engine by color, type and mana cost

The Deck of Many Things - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Drawing cards is paramount in Magic the Gathering, as it directly correlates to more options and chances to outmaneuver your opponent. With Urza’s Engine, you fortify your hand, keeping the gears of your strategy moving smoothly round after round.

Resource Acceleration: A necessary component for any deck looking to dominate is accelerating resources. Urza’s Engine excels in this, providing the fuel you need to power out significant threats or support pivotal plays much earlier than expected.

Instant Speed: This aspect can’t be understated. The power to act during your opponent’s turn offers strategic depth that can turn the tide of a match. Urza’s Engine gives you the flexibility to adapt to the battlefield in real-time, making it a linchpin for decks that thrive on cunning and anticipation.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Wielding Urza’s Engine comes at a price. In order to activate its powerful abilities, players must be prepared to toss another card from their hand. This exchange can tax your resources, particularly in a tight match where every card counts. Ensure you have ample card draw to counterbalance this demand, or you might find yourself at a disadvantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Urza’s Engine’s activation isn’t just steeped in any mana; it asks for a very specific blend. This intricate cost can make it a clunky fit in multi-color decks that already struggle to meet varied mana demands. If your deck isn’t tuned to produce the exact mana needed with ease, this card could linger uselessly in your grip or on the field.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its allure as a potent artifact, the investment to get Urza’s Engine rolling is significant. With a mana cost that leans on the higher end, players might find themselves weighing its potential against other cards that could enact a more immediate impact on the game state. Deck builders will have to consider whether its late-game promise outshines the opportunity cost of not playing lower-cost alternatives that offer similar utility.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Urza’s Engine can adapt to various deck builds, serving as a key component in artifact-centric strategies while also providing a flexible defensive or offensive tool depending on the game’s state.

Combo Potential: This card can be a linchpin in machine-like combo decks that exploit untap mechanics or work with other artifacts to continuously activate synergistic abilities for game-winning interactions.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames where artifacts play a significant role, Urza’s Engine fits perfectly, efficiently interacting with prevalent mechanics and strategies, maintaining its relevance and utility in diverse game environments.

How to beat

Urza’s Engine is a notable artifact in the vast array of MTG cards, offering a blend of utility and a potential combo enabler on the battlefield. To effectively counter this card, players must adopt strategies that target artifacts. Cards with artifact removal abilities, like Abrade or Naturalize, can dismantle Urza’s Engine before it becomes a significant threat. Timing is crucial as you want to intercept the engine’s activation or the synergy it might create with other artifacts.

Another approach is to use countermagic when Urza’s Engine is cast. Spells like Negate or Mana Leak can prevent the artifact from ever hitting the field. Additionally, using discard mechanics to force the player to get rid of Urza’s Engine from their hand can preemptively remove the problem. Thoughtseize and Duress are perfect examples of such strategies.

Finally, keeping pressure on the opponent’s resources and maintaining board control can limit the effectiveness of Urza’s Engine. Consistently presenting threats and forcing your opponent to react rather than allowing them the freedom to build their combo can swing the game in your favor. Remember, it’s not just about the cards you play, but how and when you play them.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Urza's Engine MTG card by a specific set like Alliances, 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 Urza's Engine and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Urza's Engine has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2008-10-01	A maximum of one nonbanding creature can join an attacking band no matter how many creatures with banding are in it.
2008-10-01	Creatures in the same band must all attack the same player or planeswalker.
2008-10-01	If a creature with banding attacks, it can team up with any number of other attacking creatures with banding (and up to one nonbanding creature) and attack as a unit called a “band.” The band can be blocked by any creature that could block a single creature in the band. Blocking any creature in a band blocks the entire band. If a creature with banding is blocked, the attacking player chooses how the blockers’ damage is assigned.
2009-10-01	If a creature in combat has banding, its controller assigns damage for creatures blocking or blocked by it. That player can ignore the damage assignment order when making this assignment.