Golos, Tireless Pilgrim MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Artifact Creature — Scout |
| Released | 2019-07-12 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Core Set 2020 |
| Set code | M20 |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 5 |
| Number | 226 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Joseph Meehan |
Key Takeaways
- Golos provides card advantage by allowing free spell casting from the top three library cards.
- It accelerates mana resources by searching for and putting any land card onto the battlefield.
- The card’s abilities enhance strategic depth and versatility in various MTG play formats.
Text of card
When Golos, Tireless Pilgrim enters the battlefield, you may search your library for a land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library. : Exile the top three cards of your library. You may play them this turn without paying their mana costs.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Golos, Tireless Pilgrim offers significant card advantage by allowing you to exile the top three cards of your library and play them without paying their mana costs. This feature provides an opportunity to cast a wide array of spells and maintain a full grip of options in your game.
Resource Acceleration: When Golos enters the battlefield, you are granted the ability to search your library for a land card and put that card onto the battlefield tapped, regardless of its type. This ramps up your mana resources and facilitates casting high-cost cards earlier in the game.
Instant Speed: While Golos himself does not operate at instant speed, his activated ability does not require tapping and can be used during your opponents’ turns. This opens up strategic depth, allowing you to pass the turn with mana open and only activate Golos’s ability if the situation is most advantageous or if no unexpected threats present themselves.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Golos, Tireless Pilgrim itself does not directly mandate discarding cards, building a deck around this legendary artifact creature often includes card selections that lead to hand depletion. Managing your resources becomes critical, as the ability to leverage Golos’s effectiveness is hinged upon a well-maintained hand size.
Specific Mana Cost: To activate the ability of Golos, Tireless Pilgrim, a precise combination of WUBRG mana is required. This can be challenging, especially in formats with less mana fixing. It necessitates a deck built with ample sources of all these mana types, possibly complicating deck construction and reducing consistency.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite the value Golos can potentially generate, getting this five-mana cost card onto the battlefield can be slow. In the face of fast-paced aggro or combo opponents, this may leave you trailing as you are forced to allocate significant resources to cast and activate Golos’s abilities.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Golos, Tireless Pilgrim stands out for its ability to seamlessly integrate into various deck archetypes, ranging from Commander to more casual play styles. Its flexibility in fetching any land onto the battlefield caters to a spectrum of strategic plays and mana fixing.
Combo Potential: With Golos, the avenues for combo execution are vast. Its activation can cascade into powerful plays, unlocking the potential of your deck’s top cards without the need for any mana cost, fostering intricate and game-ending combos.
Meta-Relevance: While its strength adapts to shifts in the competitive scene, Golos remains a strong choice in environments where long-game strategies triumph. Its persistent ability to provide card advantage and utility makes it a worthy contender in various meta scenarios.
How to beat Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
Golos, Tireless Pilgrim is a formidable force within Magic the Gathering, being a card that lets players not only search their library for a land card and put it onto the battlefield but also granting the ability to exile the top three cards of a library and play them without paying their mana costs. With such potential for ramp and card advantage, tackling this card requires strategic planning.
Addressing Golos often means disrupting the land-based ramp strategy. Land destruction or control strategies can be effective, making cards like Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin valuable. These can remove key lands from play, undercutting Golos’s ability to generate value. Another tactic to combat Golos includes utilizing counterspells or instant speed removals, such as Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile, to respond to Golos’s cast or activation. This can prevent the card from generating immediate value and also eliminate the threat it poses on the board.
Denying the opponent the chance to gain the upper hand they get from Golos takes thoughtful timing and resource management. Ultimately, being preemptive and staying in control of the board state is vital in overpowering this tireless pilgrim in your Magic the Gathering matchups.
Cards like Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
In the spectrum of mana-fixing and value-generating cards within Magic: The Gathering, Golos, Tireless Pilgrim holds a unique position. Card connoisseurs might align him with Chromatic Lantern for its mana-fixing ability, yet Golos brings more to the table with its land-searching ETB (Enter The Battlefield) effect and the capability to exile the top three cards and play them without paying their mana costs. The casting of spells for free is a powerful advantage not mirrored by Chromatic Lantern.
Analogously, Solemn Simulacrum offers similar land-searching benefits, fetching a basic land card to your battlefield. Despite that similar trait, Golos edges out with its potential to cast a variety of spells from the top of your library. Another comparable card is Sisay, Weatherlight Captain, with its ability to search for legendary cards. Sisay’s potential for selective tutoring pairs well with Golos’s broad utility. While Sisay may provide more control over what you find, Golos offers sheer power in its randomness and cost-free plays.
When evaluating Golos, Tireless Pilgrim against its peers, it embodies a blend of deck thinning, mana smoothing, and a unique freewheeling spell-play that makes it a standout addition in any Commander deck that seeks to maximize value from every card.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Golos, Tireless Pilgrim MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 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 Golos, Tireless Pilgrim and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Golos, Tireless Pilgrim has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Commander | Banned |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Golos, Tireless Pilgrim card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2019-07-12 | Golos’s last ability doesn’t change when you can play the exiled cards. For example, if you exile a sorcery card, you can cast it only during your main phase when the stack is empty. If you exile a land card, you can play it only during your main phase and only if you have an available land play remaining. |
| 2019-07-12 | If a spell has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost. |
| 2019-07-12 | If you cast a card “without paying its mana cost,” you can’t choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs (such as that of Bone Splinters), you must pay those to cast the card. |
| 2019-07-12 | If you don’t play some or all of the cards exiled with Golos’s last ability, those cards remain in exile. |
