Sylvan Library MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 18 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Sylvan Library excels in card selection, giving players top-drawer control each turn for meaningful game impact.
  2. The enchantment indirectly accelerates resource access, subtly expediting plays by curating card draws efficiently.
  3. Deck flexibility may be constrained due to the specific mana needs, which can hinder its play in multi-color decks.

Text of card

You may draw two extra cards during your draw phase, then either put two of the cards drawn this turn back on top of your library (in any order), or lose 4 lives per card not replaced. Effects that prevent or redirect damage may not be used to counter this loss of life.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sylvan Library is renowned for its ability to provide unparalleled card selection to its controller. Each turn, you’re able to look at the top three cards of your library, ensuring that you consistently draw the most impactful card for the situation. By doing so, the Library offers a significant advantage, letting you sift through your deck and find key pieces at critical moments.

Resource Acceleration: While Sylvan Library itself does not directly accelerate resources in the form of mana, it strategically accelerates your resource availability. By efficiently curating your draws, you can access important lands or ramp spells quicker, thereby accelerating your overall game plan. This selection process enhances your ability to play the right card at the right time, thus indirectly increasing the speed at which you can deploy your resources.

Instant Speed: Though Sylvan Library’s ability resolves during the draw step, which isn’t at instant speed, its influence on the game is instantaneous. After revealing your cards, it essentially allows you to react to the changing landscape of the game with the best tools available, as if you had an instant tucked up your sleeve. Sylvan Library’s ongoing effect mirrors the adaptable nature of playing at instant speed by giving you the right options when you need them, without the wait.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Sylvan Library does not force you to discard, it does put you in a position where you might have to choose between keeping extra cards and paying a steep life cost. This can be a significant disadvantage if your life total is under pressure from aggressive decks.

Specific Mana Cost: Sylvan Library’s fixed green mana requirement makes it less flexible in multi-colored decks. If your mana base isn’t properly tuned, you might find yourself unable to cast it when you most need its card selection abilities.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of two green mana and one of any color, Sylvan Library is an investment in the early game. There are other options available for card filtering or drawing that come into play sooner and may offer comparable benefits without impacting your life total.


Reasons to Include Sylvan Library in Your Collection

Versatility: Sylvan Library is a powerhouse in any deck that values card selection and deck manipulation. Its ability to draw multiple cards per turn ensures that you always have options tailored to the situation at hand, whether you’re digging for answers or seeking your win conditions.

Combo Potential: For players looking to craft intricate combos, this card acts as an excellent engine. Its synergy with cards that benefit from drawing or manipulating the top of your deck can lead to game-winning plays, making it a linchpin in various combo decks.

Meta-Relevance: This card maintains a strong presence in many formats due to its ability to provide consistent card advantage. In metas dominated by slower, grindy games or where card quality supersedes quantity, Sylvan Library shines as a reliable source of top-tier card selections, helping you maintain or gain the upper hand.


How to beat Sylvan Library

Sylvan Library is a powerhouse in the world of Magic: The Gathering, celebrated for its ability to manipulate the top cards of a player’s library and enhance card quality each turn. Typically found in green decks, this card offers a potent mix of card advantage and deck manipulation. However, powerful as it may be, there are strategies you can employ to mitigate its influence in the game.

Disrupting the balance that Sylvan Library provides can be achieved through a few avenues. Hand disruption effects are particularly effective, as cards like Thoughtseize can remove key pieces from your opponent’s hand before they benefit from the Library’s selection. Artifact removal spells such as Nature’s Claim can directly handle the Library, negating the card advantage it confers. Sticking to a strategy that pressures your opponent’s life total can also make the additional card draws a risky proposition for them. Plan your moves, and you can ensure that Sylvan Library doesn’t write your game’s final chapter.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the art of MTG involves not just knowing your cards but understanding the strategies that make them shine. Sylvan Library is a jewel in the crown for players who value precision in their gameplay. Each turn becomes an opportunity to sculpt the perfect hand, ensuring that your game plan unfolds seamlessly. Embrace the challenge of striking a balance between life and power as you wield this card to filter your way to victory. Dive deeper into deck building techniques, card synergy, and tactics with us. Elevate your game and enrich your collection by learning more about harnessing the full potential of Sylvan Library.


Cards like Sylvan Library

Sylvan Library stands out among the echelons of green enchantments in Magic: The Gathering. It offers a unique ability to manipulate the top cards of a player’s library with remarkable precision. In the realm of card advantage, it bears similarities to Brainstorm, which also allows a player to see and manipulate several top cards. However, Sylvan Library provides consistent library control at the beginning of each draw step, albeit with a potential life cost for extra cards kept. It is more akin to the repeatable effect of Mirri’s Guile, yet it offers the additional choice to draw more than one card, at the expense of 4 life per card.

Another comparable card is Sensei’s Divining Top, which lets a player rearrange the top cards and draw one if needed while being able to be activated at any time. But it doesn’t inherently allow drawing additional cards without additional effects. Cards like Abundance also allow a manipulation of draws, preventing unwanted cards from being drawn, but without the depth of choice or the optional draw increase that Sylvan Library provides.

Analyzing the array of green library manipulation enchantments, Sylvan Library’s capacity for control and card advantage certainly positions it as a versatile and potent choice for players in Magic: The Gathering, who are willing to balance the strategic card selection with its life payment decision.

Brainstorm - MTG Card versions
Mirri's Guile - MTG Card versions
Sensei's Divining Top - MTG Card versions
Abundance - MTG Card versions
Brainstorm - Ice Age (ICE)
Mirri's Guile - Tempest (TMP)
Sensei's Divining Top - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Abundance - Urza's Saga (USG)

Cards similar to Sylvan Library by color, type and mana cost

Aspect of Wolf - MTG Card versions
Regeneration - MTG Card versions
Lifeforce - MTG Card versions
Gaea's Touch - MTG Card versions
Night Soil - MTG Card versions
Primal Rage - MTG Card versions
Survival of the Fittest - MTG Card versions
Crosswinds - MTG Card versions
Fortitude - MTG Card versions
Tranquil Grove - MTG Card versions
Treetop Bracers - MTG Card versions
Root Cage - MTG Card versions
Elfhame Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Compost - MTG Card versions
Thoughtleech - MTG Card versions
Weaver of Harmony - MTG Card versions
Shigeki, Jukai Visionary - MTG Card versions
Fertile Ground - MTG Card versions
Quiet Disrepair - MTG Card versions
Quest for the Gemblades - MTG Card versions
Aspect of Wolf - Treasure Chest (PZ2)
Regeneration - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Lifeforce - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Gaea's Touch - The Dark (DRK)
Night Soil - Commander 2013 (C13)
Primal Rage - Stronghold (STH)
Survival of the Fittest - Vintage Masters (VMA)
Crosswinds - Urza's Saga (USG)
Fortitude - Urza's Saga (USG)
Tranquil Grove - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Treetop Bracers - Tenth Edition (10E)
Root Cage - Prophecy (PCY)
Elfhame Sanctuary - Invasion (INV)
Compost - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Thoughtleech - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Weaver of Harmony - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Promos (PNEO)
Shigeki, Jukai Visionary - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Fertile Ground - Wilds of Eldraine Commander (WOC)
Quiet Disrepair - Future Sight (FUT)
Quest for the Gemblades - Zendikar (ZEN)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sylvan Library MTG card by a specific set like Legends and Fourth Edition, 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 Sylvan Library and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sylvan Library Magic the Gathering card was released in 14 different sets between 1994-06-01 and 2023-01-13. Illustrated by 4 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11994-06-01LegendsLEG 2071993normalblackHarold McNeill
21995-04-01Fourth Edition4ED 2731993normalwhiteHarold McNeill
31995-04-01Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border4BB 2731993normalblackHarold McNeill
41995-08-01RenaissanceREN 1581993normalblackHarold McNeill
51996-05-02Pro Tour Collector SetPTC pp2731993normalgoldHarold McNeill
61996-05-02Pro Tour Collector SetPTC bl2731993normalgoldHarold McNeill
71997-03-24Fifth Edition5ED 3291997normalwhiteHarold McNeill
82002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 436362003normalblackYeong-Hao Han
92002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 239481997normalblackHarold McNeill
102007-09-10Masters EditionME1 1331997normalblackHarold McNeill
112011-01-02Legacy ChampionshipOLGC 2021C2015normalblackRaoul Vitale
122012-11-02Commander's ArsenalCM1 172003normalblackYeong-Hao Han
132014-06-16Vintage MastersVMA 2352015normalblackYeong-Hao Han
142015-11-18Legendary Cube Prize PackPZ1 882015normalblackYeong-Hao Han
152016-06-10Eternal MastersEMA 1872015normalblackYeong-Hao Han
162023-01-13Dominaria RemasteredDMR 1792015normalblackYeong-Hao Han
172023-01-13Dominaria RemasteredDMR 3501997normalblackYeong-Hao Han
182023-01-13Dominaria RemasteredDMR 4412015normalborderlessMark Poole

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sylvan Library has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2022-12-08 Any cards drawn prior to Sylvan Library’s ability resolving, including in your upkeep or in response to Sylvan Library’s triggered ability, can be chosen to be put back using this effect. Sylvan Library’s controller is responsible for keeping these cards distinguishable in hand, such as by keeping them separate from cards that began the turn in hand.
2022-12-08 If you choose to draw two cards, then replace one or more of those draws with some other effect, the rest of Sylvan Library’s ability still happens. If you’ve actually drawn only one card that turn, you must choose that card and either pay 4 life or put it on top of your library. If you haven’t actually drawn any cards that turn, the rest of the ability has no effect.
2022-12-08 If you control more than one Sylvan Library, the triggered ability of each will resolve in sequence. You don’t get to draw all the cards at once and then put them all back at once.
2022-12-08 If you control other triggered abilities that allow you to draw cards during your draw step, you can choose to order Sylvan Library’s ability before or after those abilities. Triggered abilities controlled by other players will resolve before triggered abilities you control.
2022-12-08 It’s not possible to take any actions between drawing the cards and choosing two cards. You can’t cast the cards you drew to avoid having two cards to choose.
2022-12-08 You always perform your normal draw before this ability. The normal draw occurs before anything can be placed on the stack during a player’s draw step.
2022-12-08 You can put back zero, one, or two cards.

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