Watchful Automaton MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Artifact Creature — Construct |
| Abilities | Scry |
| Released | 2017-01-20 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Aether Revolt |
| Set code | AER |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
| Number | 182 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Eric Deschamps |
Text of card
: Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.)
"Before we can destroy our enemies, we must find them. We must peer into every wretched hovel and every teeming market." —Baral, Chief of Compliance
Cards like Watchful Automaton
The Watchful Automaton offers a unique presence in Magic: The Gathering as a versatile artifact creature. It shares similarities with Filigree Familiar, both in mana cost and in providing utility beyond simple combat. Where the Watchful Automaton excels is in its scouting ability, allowing players to sift through their library – albeit at a higher activation cost. Filigree Familiar, conversely, grants life upon entering the battlefield and card draw upon death.
Another comparable card is Hedron Crawler, which forges a path for mana acceleration. While the Hedron Crawler doesn’t offer the scrying ability of the Watchful Automaton, it fulfills a role in ramping up mana to deploy threats earlier. The Automaton, in comparison, suits a more long-term strategy, aiding deck consistency over the course of the game. Prophetic Prism is also worth mentioning, providing color fixing and card draw, yet it lacks the recurring utility the Automaton’s scry ability presents.
In assessing these artifacts, Watchful Automaton’s value becomes apparent for players seeking to fine-tune their deck’s performance and maintain a board presence, playing a dual role of potential blocker and repeated library filter across multiple turns in the game.
Cards similar to Watchful Automaton by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: With the ability to look at the top card of your library, the Watchful Automaton offers a subtle but advantageous way to plan ahead in a match. Its ability to sift through the deck enhances the consistency of your plays, ensuring you make the most informed decisions each turn.
Resource Acceleration: Although Watchful Automaton doesn’t directly produce additional mana, its Scry ability can help propel you towards your more impactful spells faster by smoothing out your draws. This form of indirect acceleration can be the difference between a win or a loss, by aligning your resources for upcoming turns.
Instant Speed: Its Scry ability can be activated at instant speed, providing flexibility and a strategic edge. You can end your opponent’s turn by refining your next draw or use it as a means of reacting to your opponent’s actions without committing to a full spell.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Watchful Automaton’s ability to scry hinges upon a cache of mana, which does not come into play naturally. Having to allocate mana specifically for this action could lead to inefficient turns, especially when pitted against a fast-paced opponent. This could force you into tough decisions about resource allocation that may not always be beneficial.
Specific Mana Cost: Requiring a fixed amount of colorless mana, the Watchful Automaton can be challenging to incorporate into multicolored mana bases. With a demand for specific mana, this card could potentially slow down the tempo of decks that thrive on a variety of mana combinations, leading to a more predictable and less dynamic playstyle.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: At three mana for a 2/2 body, the Watchful Automaton sits at a mana cost that could be considered steep for its stats and the utility it provides. While its scry ability is indeed a useful mechanic, there exist other creatures and artifacts that offer more immediate board presence or card advantage for a similar or lower investment.
Reasons to Include Watchful Automaton in Your Collection
Versatility: Watchful Automaton offers players the ability to smooth out draws through its scry ability, making it a flexible addition to any deck needing to ensure land drops or search for key cards.
Combo Potential: This artifact creature can easily integrate into combos that capitalize on its scry ability, setting up the perfect conditions for a winning strategy or synergizing with cards that benefit from scrying or artifacts.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where games go long and card quality is paramount, Watchful Automaton’s consistent scry each turn can help you stay ahead in the resource battle by filtering unwanted cards from your draws.
How to beat Watchful Automaton
Watchful Automaton presents itself as a utility artifact creature in the world of Magic the Gathering. This unassuming construct offers players the ability to scry, helping fine-tune decks by tweaking upcoming draws. It might not appear as a major threat initially, but its consistent ability to shape a player’s future turns can provide a subtle yet significant edge.
Overcoming the advantages posed by Watchful Automaton requires a twofold strategy. Disruption is key: artifact removal like Abrade or Naturalize can swiftly eliminate the Automaton from the board, thus hindering your opponent’s ability to manipulate their deck’s top cards. Tempo plays are also effective; cards like Counterspell or simply deploying a faster, more aggressive strategy can bypass the need to focus on the Automaton at all, instead pressuring your opponent directly and reducing the utility of their scrying.
Ultimately, it is essential for players to weigh the cost-benefit ratio of targeting Watchful Automaton. While it does provide incremental value, it’s vital to assess whether it’s the linchpin of your opponent’s strategy or just a cog in a larger machine. Identifying the true threat will guide your decision on whether to deal with the Automaton or to focus your attention elsewhere.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Watchful Automaton MTG card by a specific set like Aether Revolt, 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 Watchful Automaton and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Watchful Automaton has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Watchful Automaton card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2017-02-09 | If you activate Watchful Automaton’s ability more than once, you’ll scry 1 each time. You won’t be able to look at multiple cards at once. |