Trapfinder's Trick MTG Card


Trapfinder's Trick - Zendikar
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery
Released2009-10-02
Set symbol
Set nameZendikar
Set codeZEN
Number73
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byPhilip Straub

Key Takeaways

  1. Delivers card selection for strategic deck navigation, making the most of your deck’s capabilities.
  2. Grants resource acceleration with tokens, providing a pivotal advantage in managing game resources.
  3. Instant speed casting enables tactical flexibility, allowing for responses at critical gameplay moments.

Text of card

Target player reveals his or her hand and discards all Trap cards.

"At some point, every trapfinder will lose a hunk of flesh. It's just a question of how much—and whether it'll grow back." —Arhana, Kazandu trapfinder


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Designed to outwit your opponents, Trapfinder’s Trick allows for subtle yet impactful card selection, ensuring you sift through your deck to find just the right tools for the task at hand.

Resource Acceleration: By providing you with clues or treasure tokens upon resolving certain triggers, this nifty spell paves the way for an accelerated resource gain, giving you a critical edge in resource management.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Trapfinder’s Trick at instant speed offers flexibility, allowing you to wait for the most opportune moment before revealing this trick up your sleeve, whether that’s in response to an opponent’s move or at the end of their turn for maximum tactical advantage.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Trapfinder’s Trick necessitates discarding a card in addition to its casting cost. This condition can be a hurdle if you’re already struggling with card advantage or trying to maintain a full hand to apply pressure on your opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: To cast Trapfinder’s Trick, you need not only generic mana but also a blue mana. This specific mana requirement means it can be less flexible, fitting mainly in blue-centric or multicolor decks that can reliably produce blue mana early enough to make the most of it.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Considering what Trapfinder’s Trick offers, the card’s total mana cost might not align with the benefit it brings to the game. There are alternative cards within the same mana range that could provide a greater impact or more immediate advantage in gameplay.


Reasons to Include Trapfinder’s Trick in Your Collection

Versatility: This card seamlessly integrates into decks that focus on spell-slinging or which contain creatures that benefit from having spells cast. Additionally, its ability to affect multiple creatures makes it a solid choice in both single and multiplayer formats.

Combo Potential: Trapfinder’s Trick shines when combined with cards that reward you for targeting your own creatures. It sets the stage for intricate plays and can be a key piece in crafting game-winning combos, particularly in rogue or wizard-themed decks.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta swarming with creatures, this card’s subtle yet effective ability to neutralize potential blockers or threats each turn can shift the tide of games. As a result, it could hold an important place in your arsenal, especially when tailored to disrupt popular gameplans.


How to beat

Trapfinder’s Trick is a niche yet potentially disruptive spell in MTG, often catching opponents off-guard by invalidating their nonbasic lands’ activated abilities. Although it doesn’t remove the lands, savvy players know the disruption can be a setback. To circumvent the effects of Trapfinder’s Trick, focus on deck designs with ample basic lands to maintain a stable mana base. Additionally, you can employ artifact-based mana acceleration to reduce reliance on land abilities.

Cards like Pithing Needle can also provide an answer, allowing you to pre-emptively choose and shut down key cards that might be targeted by the Trick. Instant-speed enchantment removal, such as Naturalize, is another sound strategy to directly address Trapfinder’s Trick. Including versatile counterspells can also help as they negate the spell upon casting, keeping your land’s abilities safe.

Ultimately, while Trapfinder’s Trick can disrupt strategies dependent on lands with powerful abilities, a well-rounded deck with basic land focus, alternative mana sources, and removal or counters for unexpected enchantments will ensure that you maintain control over your game resources.


Cards like Trapfinder's Trick

Trapfinder’s Trick is an intriguing addition to the world of Magic: The Gathering. It finds its niche within cards that manipulate and control the battlefield. When looking at other cards serving a similar purpose, you might consider Unsummon, as it shares the ability to return a creature to its owner’s hand. Where Trapfinder’s Trick differs is in its capacity to not only target creatures but also planeswalkers, offering a wider scope of disruption.

Another card worth mentioning in this context is Blink of an Eye. This spell also allows the player to bounce back nonland permanents to their owner’s hand, with the added benefit of an optional kicker that lets you draw a card. Although it has a flexible use compared to Trapfinder’s Trick, the latter provides a more cost-effective solution for dealing with an opponent’s threats. Lastly, we can’t overlook Boomerang for its simplicity and directness—returning any permanent to its owner’s hand at instant speed, with no restrictions.

In summary, Trapfinder’s Trick may not offer card draw like Blink of an Eye or the absolute flexibility of Boomerang, but its utility in a strategized setting and its focused yet versatile removal option secures its position in the selection of tactical spells within MTG.

Unsummon - MTG Card versions
Blink of an Eye - MTG Card versions
Boomerang - MTG Card versions
Unsummon - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Blink of an Eye - Dominaria (DOM)
Boomerang - Legends (LEG)

Cards similar to Trapfinder's Trick by color, type and mana cost

Time Walk - MTG Card versions
Braingeyser - MTG Card versions
Drain Power - MTG Card versions
Transmute Artifact - MTG Card versions
Forget - MTG Card versions
Paradigm Shift - MTG Card versions
Piracy - MTG Card versions
Strategic Planning - MTG Card versions
Wind Sail - MTG Card versions
Mana Vapors - MTG Card versions
Turbulent Dreams - MTG Card versions
Quiet Speculation - MTG Card versions
Muse Vortex - MTG Card versions
See the Truth - MTG Card versions
Fae of Wishes // Granted - MTG Card versions
Maddening Cacophony - MTG Card versions
Silver Scrutiny - MTG Card versions
Reshape - MTG Card versions
Eye of Nowhere - MTG Card versions
Train of Thought - MTG Card versions
Time Walk - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Braingeyser - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Drain Power - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Transmute Artifact - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Forget - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Paradigm Shift - Weatherlight (WTH)
Piracy - Starter 1999 (S99)
Strategic Planning - Strixhaven Mystical Archive (STA)
Wind Sail - Starter 1999 (S99)
Mana Vapors - Prophecy (PCY)
Turbulent Dreams - Torment (TOR)
Quiet Speculation - Judgment (JUD)
Muse Vortex - Commander 2021 (C21)
See the Truth - Core Set 2021 (M21)
Fae of Wishes // Granted - Throne of Eldraine Promos (PELD)
Maddening Cacophony - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Silver Scrutiny - Dominaria United Promos (PDMU)
Reshape - The List (PLST)
Eye of Nowhere - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Train of Thought - Guildpact (GPT)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Trapfinder's Trick MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar, 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 Trapfinder's Trick and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Trapfinder's Trick has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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