Mindless Automaton MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeArtifact Creature — Construct
Power 0
Toughness 0

Key Takeaways

  1. Card cycling ability helps players sift through decks, enhancing card accessibility and improving game strategies.
  2. Instant speed drawing offers tactical versatility, allowing for strategic decisions and mana efficiency.
  3. While powerful, it requires careful hand management and strategic deck composition due to its discard and mana cost.

Text of card

Mindless Automaton comes into play with two +1/+1 counters on it. o1, Choose and discard a card: Put a +1/+1 counter on Mindless Automaton. Remove two +1/+1 counters from Mindless Automaton: Draw a card.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mindless Automaton provides reusable card drawing capabilities. By discarding a card to place a +1/+1 counter, and then removing two counters to draw a card, it facilitates a cycling process that helps to dig through your deck for key cards.

Resource Acceleration: Although it doesn’t directly produce mana or Treasure tokens, Mindless Automaton can indirectly contribute to resource acceleration by filtering through draws and ensuring that you’re more likely to hit your land drops or draw into ramp spells.

Instant Speed: Mindless Automaton’s ability to draw cards doesn’t specifically use the stack, meaning it can be activated at instant speed. This allows a player to wait until the end of an opponent’s turn before deciding whether to draw new cards, adapt to the battlefield as it develops, and efficiently use mana.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Mindless Automaton requires the player to discard a card in order to place a +1/+1 counter on it. This can be a setback, particularly for players who need to maintain a certain hand size or preserve specific cards for their strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a precise mix of four mana, including a generic and colorless component, to cast it. It may not seamlessly fit into decks that are constrained by their mana base or those that operate on a strict curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Given its ability is contingent on both casting and ability activation costs, Mindless Automaton could be considered mana-intensive when juxtaposed with alternatives that deliver similar or greater benefits for the same or less mana investment.


Reasons to Include Mindless Automaton in Your Collection

Versatility: Mindless Automaton’s adaptive nature lets it serve multiple functions. As a creature that can grow with each card invested into it, it works in decks seeking to capitalize on +1/+1 counter synergies or those in need of flexible discard outlets.

Combo Potential: Easily interwoven with engine builds, this card can be a cog in a larger combo machine. It aligns well with recurring strategies that bring creatures back from the graveyard to the battlefield or hand, or within mechanics that profit from card draw and discard.

Meta-Relevance: With a format that rewards clever manipulation of resources, Mindless Automaton has the capacity to surprise opponents, especially as it fits into the intersection of resource management and board presence. It’s particularly handy in metas where the ability to discard for effect, or incrementally build a threat, is crucial.


How to Beat Mindless Automaton

Mindless Automaton enters the Magic: The Gathering battlefield as a flexible creature card, offering the potential to draw cards at the expense of +1/+1 counters. A vital strategy in overcoming this automaton hinges on preventing the accumulation of counters. Without counters, the automaton can’t leverage its card drawing ability, which effectively turns it into an ineffectual blocker or attacker.

Targeted removal spells are particularly effective against Mindless Automaton, especially those that don’t rely on damaging the creature, such as Path to Exile or Murder. Additionally, utilizing cards that restrict counter placements like Solemnity can entirely neutralize the card-drawing advantage. It’s also essential to maintain pressure, forcing the automaton’s controller to decide between losing the creature or cards in hand. Cards with exile effects, such as Swords to Plowshares, offer a permanent solution by removing the automaton from the game, ensuring it won’t be coming back to trouble you later on.

Ultimately, dealing with Mindless Automaton is about disrupting the synergy it relies on. Keep the counters low, removal spells ready, and apply consistent pressure to render this creature card a non-threat on the MTG battlefield.


BurnMana Recommendations

Looking to refine your MTG strategy and enhance your deck’s performance? Mindless Automaton isn’t just a card—it’s a doorway to the art of resource manipulation and in-game adaptability. It can become an integral part of your collection, filling roles from combo enabler to value generator. As you chart your course through the MTG realms, consider how the versatile nature of Mindless Automaton aligns with your deck’s objectives. Uncover the depths of gameplay this card can offer and outmaneuver your opponents with clever plays. Dive into the nuances of deck building with us, and make Mindless Automaton a standout piece in your ever-evolving MTG arsenal.


Cards like Mindless Automaton

Mindless Automaton, a unique fixture in the world of MTG, shares the battlefield with a slew of intriguing creatures. It echoes the functionality of Workhorse, as both enter the game with +1/+1 counters that can be vested for other uses. Mindless Automaton stands out, offering the ability to exchange these counters for card advantage. Workhorse, by contrast, focuses solely on ramping up mana, showing a different strategic angle.

Looking further, Triskelion presents as a close relative in terms of design. It too revolves around the use of +1/+1 counters, albeit with a twist towards dealing damage directly. This makes Triskelion a more aggressive choice, as opposed to the card-drawing utility of Mindless Automaton. Additionally, the latter gives players the flexibility to refill their hands, which can be crucial in long, drawn-out battles.

In essence, Mindless Automaton finds its niche within the MTG ecosystem among cards that deftly balance resource management and player agency. It stands testament to the depth of strategy MTG offers, letting players explore multiple avenues to victory—be it through accumulating knowledge or exercising raw power.

Workhorse - MTG Card versions
Triskelion - MTG Card versions
Workhorse - Exodus (EXO)
Triskelion - Antiquities (ATQ)

Cards similar to Mindless Automaton by color, type and mana cost

Jayemdae Tome - MTG Card versions
Juggernaut - MTG Card versions
Jade Monolith - MTG Card versions
Jade Statue - MTG Card versions
Mightstone - MTG Card versions
Dancing Scimitar - MTG Card versions
Icy Manipulator - MTG Card versions
Grinning Totem - MTG Card versions
Rackling - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Processor - MTG Card versions
Patagia Golem - MTG Card versions
Lodestone Myr - MTG Card versions
Lich's Tomb - MTG Card versions
Krark-Clan Ironworks - MTG Card versions
Synod Centurion - MTG Card versions
Jade Idol - MTG Card versions
Ur-Golem's Eye - MTG Card versions
Jester's Cap - MTG Card versions
Bottled Cloister - MTG Card versions
Rod of Ruin - MTG Card versions
Jayemdae Tome - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Juggernaut - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Jade Monolith - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Jade Statue - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Mightstone - Antiquities (ATQ)
Dancing Scimitar - Revised Edition (3ED)
Icy Manipulator - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Grinning Totem - Mirage (MIR)
Rackling - Nemesis (NEM)
Phyrexian Processor - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Patagia Golem - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Lodestone Myr - Mirrodin (MRD)
Lich's Tomb - Darksteel (DST)
Krark-Clan Ironworks - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Synod Centurion - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Jade Idol - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Ur-Golem's Eye - Commander 2014 (C14)
Jester's Cap - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Bottled Cloister - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Rod of Ruin - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mindless Automaton MTG card by a specific set like Exodus and Time Spiral Timeshifted, 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 Mindless Automaton and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Mindless Automaton Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 1998-06-15 and 2023-04-21. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11998-06-15ExodusEXO 1351997normalblackBrian Snõddy
22006-10-06Time Spiral TimeshiftedTSB 1111997normalblackBrian Snõddy
32015-05-06Tempest RemasteredTPR 2272015normalblackBrian Snõddy
42016-06-10Eternal MastersEMA 2272015normalblackBrian Snõddy
52020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 3262015normalblackChris Seaman
62023-04-21March of the Machine CommanderMOC 3652015normalblackChris Seaman

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mindless Automaton has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Mindless Automaton card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2020-11-10 If removing two +1/+1 counters from Mindless Automaton causes the amount of damage already marked on Mindless Automaton to be equal to or greater than its toughness, it will be put into its owner's graveyard as a state-based action before the ability can be activated again and before the card is drawn.

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