Cartographer MTG Card

Exodus (EXO)
1998-06-15 - Number 107

Odyssey (ODY)
2001-10-01 - Number 232

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Human
Power	2
Toughness	2

Key Takeaways

Cartographer provides card advantage and resource acceleration, enhancing land-based strategies in Magic: The Gathering.
Despite its benefits, Cartographer’s specific mana requirements and discard cost can limit its deck compatibility.
Inclusion in a collection is justified by its versatility, combo potential, and relevance in certain metagame environments.

Text of card

When Cartographer comes into play, you may return target land card from your graveyard to your hand.

How do you map a world when the land moves beneath your feet?

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The ability of Cartographer to return a land card from your graveyard to your hand provides a subtle yet valuable form of card advantage. Over the course of a game, this mechanism can translate into significant resource gains.

Resource Acceleration: By potentially retrieving a utility land or simply ensuring consistent land drops, Cartographer aids in resource acceleration. This can be crucial in building up your board presence and executing your strategy more swiftly.

Instant Speed: While Cartographer does not operate at instant speed, the lands it helps recycle can be utilized in strategies that take advantage of lands with instant-speed effects. This indirect synergy can provide a tactical edge during gameplay.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Cartographer requires the player to discard a card, potentially leading to strategic setbacks when your hand is already limited.

Specific Mana Cost: The card demands a particular blend of mana, which could hinder its inclusion in decks not centered around those exact mana types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost that may be considered steep for its effect, players could overlook Cartographer in favor of more mana-efficient land retrieval options.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: The Cartographer offers pivotal support in decks that focus on land manipulation or need reliable land drops. Its ability to return a land card from your graveyard to your hand makes it a handy tool for keeping your land plays consistent.

Combo Potential: With decks that play with graveyard synergies or landfall triggers, Cartographer’s skill set becomes invaluable. Integrating this card into such combinations can amplify your deck’s overall power and create opportunities for advantageous plays.

Meta-Relevance: Cartographer’s role can be particularly significant in metas that have strategies focusing on land destruction or resource denial. By providing a safety net against such strategies, it ensures that you maintain access to your vital mana base.

How to beat

The Cartographer card provides strategic depth to a player’s arsenal in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to resurrect pivotal land cards from the graveyard can significantly tilt the scales in a prolonged game. To circumvent the advantages it provides, one effective method is to prioritize land destruction or graveyard manipulation.

Strategies such as employing cards like Bojuka Bog to exile the opponent’s graveyard or Ghost Quarter to disrupt their land base can be essential in dismantling the Cartographer’s benefits. Additionally, using instant-speed removal when the Cartographer enters the battlefield hinders your opponent’s momentum, leaving them with less ammunition to make a come-back. A sharp focus on maintaining control of the graveyard and resource denial will neutralize the threat posed by the Cartographer and keep your opponent at bay.

Maintaining pressure and denying your opponent the opportunity to get their engine running is critical. Secure your victory by wielding your deck’s interaction tools effectively against the Cartographer’s ability to shape the battlefield to your opponent’s advantage.

Cards like Cartographer

Cartographer, a staple in land-focused decks within Magic: The Gathering, shines particularly in environments where land retrieval is key. Its direct comparison is with Tilling Treefolk, which offers a similar return of lands from the graveyard to the hand. However, Cartographer allows for immediate placement onto the battlefield, providing a distinct strategic advantage over the Treefolk’s put-into-hand approach.

Other parallels can be drawn with Elvish Reclaimer, which not only retrieves lands but also can upgrade them by searching for any land card in the deck. Though the Reclaimer is a more powerful engine, the simple Cartographer excels in its straightforward role without the need to sacrifice other lands, which could be crucial in tightly contested scenarios.

Gleaning meaning from these comparisons, the Cartographer holds its ground well in decks that hinge on land mechanics, shining with its ease of use and the immediate impact on board state, making it a reliable option for players seeking to optimize their land play without the complexities of other similar MTG cards.

Cards similar to Cartographer by color, type and mana cost

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Shizuko, Caller of Autumn - MTG Card versions

Reki, the History of Kamigawa - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Cartographer MTG card by a specific set like Exodus and Odyssey, 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 Cartographer and other MTG cards: