Trove Tracker MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Pirate |
| Abilities | Encore |
| Released | 2020-11-20 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Commander Legends |
| Set code | CMR |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
| Number | 104 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Tyler Walpole |
Key Takeaways
- Trove Tracker promises card advantage upon death, crucial for maintaining game momentum and strategy.
- Its Encore ability synergizes with graveyard strategies, enhancing board presence and resource acceleration.
- High mana cost and blue mana requirement may limit its versatility in certain MTG decks.
Text of card
When Trove Tracker dies, draw a card. Encore (, Exile this card from your graveyard: For each opponent, create a token copy that attacks that opponent this turn if able. They gain haste. Sacrifice them at the beginning of the next end step. Activate only as a sorcery.)
The best treasures are the least shared.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Trove Tracker is revered for its ability to ensure a steady flow of cards in your hand. Upon meeting its demise, whether through combat or a sacrifice effect, it allows you to replace it with a fresh card, maintaining momentum in your game strategy.
Resource Acceleration: In decks that focus on utilizing the graveyard, Trove Tracker can be particularly potent. It can be repeatedly brought back from the graveyard to the battlefield, thereby accelerating your resources and providing a persistent threat that keeps your board presence alive.
Instant Speed: While Trove Tracker itself isn’t an instant, it synergizes well with instant speed spells. Its ability to replace itself upon death means you can fearlessly block an oncoming attacker or use it as fodder for an instant speed sacrifice effect, knowing you’ll recoup the card loss immediately.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: With Trove Tracker needing you to discard when it dies to draw a card, it can be a double-edged sword. In situations where your hand is already depleted, losing it without the ability to replace it immediately could set you back in the game.
Specific Mana Cost: The casting requirement for Trove Tracker includes blue mana, making it a less flexible option for multicolored decks that might struggle with mana consistency or for players who prefer to keep their options open for splashing other colors.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When considering its casting cost of three mana along with its ability, Trove Tracker may not be the most mana-efficient creature in your deck. In formats where tempo is crucial, dedicating three mana to a 2/2 creature that doesn’t impact the board immediately could slow you down, particularly against decks that are optimizing every mana spent.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Trove Tracker is a fantastic addition to any deck that needs reliable card draw, especially in game scenarios where sacrificing creatures can turn into a strategic advantage.
Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with sacrifice mechanics and can be an integral part of combos that capitalize on drawing extra cards or recurring creatures from the graveyard.
Meta-Relevance: With a game constantly evolving, Trove Tracker holds its ground by offering consistent value in environments where cards in hand equate to more options and increased resilience against disruptive plays.
How to Beat
Trove Tracker is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering that brings interesting dynamics to the battlefield. Known for its Encore ability, it allows the player to exile it from the graveyard and create copies that can attack different opponents this turn before being sacrificed. This ability offers a wave of card advantage and an aggressive strategy.
To effectively handle this threat, you might consider leveraging graveyard hate cards like Tormod’s Crypt, which can exile Trove Tracker before it activates Encore. Spot removal spells could also play a crucial role in ensuring Trove Tracker doesn’t get a chance to create those valuable copies. Additionally, countering it directly with an array of spells like Counterspell or Negate when it’s initially cast can mitigate the risk entirely by not allowing it to reach the graveyard in the first place.
Strategic planning against such cards is essential. By anticipating the Encore and preparing your responses ahead of time, you ensure that Trove Tracker does not outmaneuver you, hence preserving the balance and control within the game.
Cards like Trove Tracker
Diligently scouring the decks of Magic: The Gathering for the perfect card draws, Trove Tracker earns its place in the rogues’ gallery of utility creatures. Similar to cards like Elvish Visionary, which allows for an immediate card draw upon entering the battlefield, Trove Tracker keeps the cards flowing but with a slight twist. Upon its demise, whether in combat or via a strategic sacrifice, it rewards its owner with Encore, providing not just one, but potentially three opportunities for card advantage.
Diving deeper into the treasure chest, we come across Sailor of Means. This card also contributes to your hoard with a separate resource — a Treasure token when it hits the field. Yet unlike the possibilities that Trove Tracker offers through Encore, Sailor of Means’ value is more immediate and singular. Deep Analysis presents another comparison; it can be cast from a player’s graveyard for additional card draw, incrementing the hand artillery over multiple turns, which provides a protracted advantage compared to Trove Tracker’s potential one-turn windfall.
Ultimately, within the rich tableau of Magic: The Gathering, Trove Tracker’s nuanced Encore ability equips players with a unique form of resilience and resourcefulness, making it a distinctive choice in the broad spectrum of card advantage strategies.
Cards similar to Trove Tracker by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Trove Tracker MTG card by a specific set like Commander Legends, 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 Trove Tracker 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 Trove Tracker has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Trove Tracker card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2020-11-10 | Each token must attack the appropriate player if able. |
| 2020-11-10 | Exiling the card with encore is a cost to activate the ability. Once you announce that you're activating it, no player may take actions until you've finished. They can't try to remove the card from your graveyard to stop you from paying the cost. |
| 2020-11-10 | If one of the tokens can't attack for any reason (such as being tapped), then it doesn't attack. If there's a cost associated with having it attack, you aren't forced to pay that cost, so it doesn't have to attack in that case either. |
| 2020-11-10 | If one of the tokens somehow is under another player's control as the delayed triggered ability resolves, you can't sacrifice that token. It remains on the battlefield indefinitely, even if you regain control of it later. |
| 2020-11-10 | Opponents who have left the game aren't counted when determining how many tokens to create. |
| 2020-11-10 | The tokens copy only what's on the original card. Effects that modified that creature when it was previously on the battlefield won't be copied. |
| 2023-07-28 | If an effect stops a token from attacking a specific player, that token can attack any player, planeswalker, or battle, or not attack at all. If the effect stops the token from attacking a specific player unless a cost is paid, you don't have to pay that cost unless you want to attack that player. |
