Fluctuator MTG Card

Urza's Saga (USG)
1998-10-12 - Number 295

Commander 2020 (C20)
2020-04-17 - Number 241

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Rare
Type	Artifact

Key Takeaways

Fluctuator excels in granting unparalleled card draw speed, enhancing deck fluidity and combo execution.
While potent, it demands a deck centered around cycling, which can limit card choice flexibility.
Despite its mana cost, Fluctuator remains a competitive staple in cycling-focused strategies.

Text of card

Cycling costs you up to less to play.

Fiko summoned only atogs for three straight sessions. The tutor couldn't decide whether to punish his failure or praise his consistency.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Fluctuator drastically reduces the cycling cost of cards, often to zero, allowing players to churn through their deck for a specific combo or card, essentially transforming each cycled card into a new draw. This mechanism can significantly tilt the balance in your favor by ensuring a steady flow of card options.

Resource Acceleration: By enabling cycling at a potentially free cost, Fluctuator can serve as a powerful resource accelerator. It lets players filter through their deck quickly without expending valuable mana, freeing up resources to deploy threats or hold up answers to the opponent’s actions.

Instant Speed: Though Fluctuator itself is an artifact that operates at sorcery speed, its synergy with cycling cards means you can cycle at instant speed. This keeps your options open to react to an opponent’s plays, making your strategy more resilient and versatile as the game progresses.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To make the most of Fluctuator’s ability, a player’s deck needs to be filled with cycling cards. This creates a scenario where you may be pressured to discard potentially crucial cards simply to enable its cost-reduction effect. Not only does this limit deck-building options, but it can also lead to disadvantageous situations during gameplay when your hand might be otherwise occupied with essential non-cycling cards.

Specific Mana Cost: While Fluctuator’s ability can be a game-changer, the artifact requires a specific mana investment of two colorless to hit the battlefield. In a mana-tight situation, allocating resources for Fluctuator could compete with other critical plays, restricting its use to moments when mana is plentiful or in decks expertly tuned to incorporate it.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While two mana might not seem steep, in early game turns, it’s an investment that could possibly delay other important actions. In an environment where efficiency is key, spending two mana for an effect that relies heavily on other specific types of cards in your deck can be risky. It’s vital to evaluate whether the potential cycling cost savings outweigh Fluctuator’s immediate mana expenditure and if they align with your overall strategy.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Fluctuator is an iconic card that can be utilized in various deck archetypes. Its core ability to reduce the cost of cycling cards opens up a world of deck-building possibilities, making it a valuable asset for players who like to explore and experiment with different strategies.

Combo Potential: With this card, the potential to create powerful combos is substantial. By reducing cycling costs to zero, it enables a player to cycle through their deck rapidly, often leading to game-winning combos in the right setup, particularly in conjunction with cards that trigger effects upon cycling or discarding.

Meta-Relevance: As the metagame evolves, Fluctuator remains relevant in formats where cycling is a viable strategy. The ability to churn through a deck at an accelerated pace is always a potent element in any competitive scene, making this card a timeless addition to your collection.

How to Beat

The Fluctuator card in Magic the Gathering offers a unique combination of abilities that can rapidly accelerate cycling decks. Understanding its mechanics is key to dismantling its strategy. Firstly, consider incorporating artifact removal cards in your deck. This directly addresses Fluctuator by eliminating it from the battlefield, thus slowing the opponent’s cycling velocity.

Next, employ counter strategies such as hand disruption to prevent your opponent from establishing a cycling chain. Effects that force the opponent to discard can be exceptionally disruptive, as they interfere with the synergy Fluctuator aims to create. Moreover, graveyard interaction can also be a potent tool. Since cycling places cards in the graveyard, employing effects that exile cards from graveyards can hinder the recursive potential some decks may possess.

Lastly, maintain a balanced pace. Time your plays to efficiently manage resources against a cycling deck. Patience combined with strategic removal can triumph over Fluctuator’s cost-reduction ability. By anticipating the key moments when your opponent relies on Fluctuator, and targeting it with removal or disruption, you can dismantle their game plan, mitigating the advantage Fluctuator brings to the battlefield.

Cards like Fluctuator

Fluctuator is a unique card that stands out in the cycling strategy of Magic: The Gathering. It closely relates to cards that also reduce costs or amplify the cycling mechanic. For instance, New Perspectives, when compared to Fluctuator, provides the freedom to cycle without cost when you have seven or more cards in hand. Although an enchantment with a higher casting cost, New Perspectives can enable a flurry of card draws with no mana expense.

Drannith Stinger presents a differential approach by dealing damage each time you cycle another card, rather than lowering costs. Unlike Fluctuator, it benefits the cycling mechanic indirectly by adding an aggressive element to the strategy. Then there’s Tectonic Reformation, which gives all land cards in a player’s hand cycling. Tectonic Reformation requires a mana investment for each cycle, unlike Fluctuator, but it converts all lands into potential new draws.

Fluctuator stands as a specialized tool for dedicated cycling decks in Magic: The Gathering, where its impact on the game’s economy is monumental – allowing rapid cycling of cards for a significantly decreased mana cost and a swifter deck churn.

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Fluctuator MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga and Commander 2020, 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 Fluctuator and other MTG cards: