Workshop Assistant MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeArtifact Creature — Construct
Power 1
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Retrieving artifacts from the graveyard enhances tactical card advantage and resource acceleration.
  2. Discard requirements and specific mana costs are notable downsides to consider.
  3. Its death-triggered ability and combo potential make it a versatile choice for artifact-rich decks.

Text of card

When Workshop Assistant dies, return another target artifact card from your graveyard to your hand.

Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Workshop Assistant gives players a tactical edge by retrieving a valuable artifact from their graveyard to their hand when it dies, subtly tipping the scales of card advantage in their favor.

Resource Acceleration: By salvaging key artifacts, Workshop Assistant can be an engine that propels resource acceleration, ensuring that your pivotal pieces are recycled back into play, ready to be used once again.

Instant Speed: While the Assistant itself may not operate at instant speed, its death-triggered ability can synchronize with instant-speed removal or sacrifice effects. This allows for strategic, mid-combat plays or end-of-turn interactions that keep your opponents guessing and your board state resilient.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Workshop Assistant necessitates a discard when trying to achieve a particular synergy. If your hand is scant, sacrificing a precious card could be detrimental to your game plan, leaving you at a vulnerable position on the board.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a specific blend of mana to play. If your deck revolves around multiple colors or lacks consistency in mana production, slotting in Workshop Assistant could disrupt your flow and hinder casting your spells on curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When considering the mana investment for Workshop Assistant, players must discern if its ability aligns with the deck’s strategy. Its cost is significant, especially for a card whose impact does not immediately influence the game state. You might find cards with lower mana investments that can provide a more immediate or valuable effect to your gameplay.


Reasons to Include Workshop Assistant in Your Collection

Versatility: Workshop Assistant is a utility creature that meshes well with various deck archetypes, particularly those that rely on artifact synergies or require sacrificial fodder to activate abilities.

Combo Potential: This card’s ability to return another artifact from your graveyard to your hand upon death opens up numerous combo opportunities, enabling recurring strategies with key artifacts.

Meta-Relevance: As metagames evolve, Workshop Assistant proves its value in setups that are heavy on removal or in environments where artifacts play a significant role, ensuring your crucial pieces return for continued impact.


How to beat

The Workshop Assistant may not make competitive waves in the vast repertoire of Magic: The Gathering, but it holds its niche in artifact-based strategies. Its primary utility comes after it leaves the battlefield, with the ability to retrieve an artifact from your graveyard to your hand. In essence, it acts as a strategic piece in the puzzle of artifact recursion, making it valuable in decks that capitalize on artifact synergies and combo-based play.

To effectively counter the Workshop Assistant, consider incorporating graveyard disruption into your game plan. Cards like Relic of Progenitus can exile an opponent’s graveyard, nullifying the Assistant’s ability before it triggers. Instant-speed artifact removal like Nature’s Claim allows you to wait until the Assistant is activated in response to an artifact’s destruction, thus ensuring that no advantage is gained. Keeping pressure with aggressive creatures can also divert the player’s focus from setting up their artifact loop, making the Assistant less of a threat.

By understanding the role of Workshop Assistant in artifact-centric decks, players can prepare appropriate strategies, ensuring they aren’t caught off-guard by this unassuming, yet potentially game-swinging creature.


BurnMana Recommendations

The strategic depth of MTG often lies in the nuances of specific cards like Workshop Assistant. Understanding its role in artifact recovery can create subtle yet pivotal turns in your favor. As resource acceleration is critical in MTG, cards that mend synergies within your deck become essential. While Workshop Assistant may not be a standout at first glance, its contribution to artifact-focused decks is undeniable, allowing for dynamic combo potential and ensuring your vital pieces remain in play. If you’re looking to fortify your strategy and maintain an edge over graveyard manipulation, consider incorporating Workshop Assistant. Explore with us to unearth more insights and refine your deck-building skills for a winning edge.


Cards like Workshop Assistant

Workshop Assistant is an intriguing artifact creature card in Magic: The Gathering. It shares similarities with cards like Myr Retriever, which also has the ability to return another artifact card from your graveyard to your hand when it dies. However, Workshop Assistant offers a sturdier form with one additional toughness, potentially providing more resilience on the board.

When it comes to salvage operations, Junk Diver soars into the conversation. It has an identical death-triggered ability to retrieve an artifact card. The dive into cost difference reveals that Junk Diver demands one extra mana, but it compensates with flight, giving players an aerial advantage and a higher power stat.

Considering the options available for artifact recursion in Magic: The Gathering, Workshop Assistant carves out a niche for itself. Its low mana cost and reasonable toughness make it a dependable choice in decks that rely on artifact synergies. Its role in ensuring that key artifacts can make a return from the graveyard positions it as a strategic piece in various MTG strategies, ensuring your valuable tools come back into your hands for another round of play.

Myr Retriever - MTG Card versions
Junk Diver - MTG Card versions
Myr Retriever - Mirrodin (MRD)
Junk Diver - Urza's Destiny (UDS)

Cards similar to Workshop Assistant by color, type and mana cost

Runed Arch - MTG Card versions
Clay Pigeon - MTG Card versions
Ashnod's Altar - MTG Card versions
Jalum Tome - MTG Card versions
Patchwork Gnomes - MTG Card versions
The Stasis Coffin - MTG Card versions
Captain's Hook - MTG Card versions
Spellweaver Helix - MTG Card versions
Scale of Chiss-Goria - MTG Card versions
Lightning Coils - MTG Card versions
Loxodon Warhammer - MTG Card versions
Sword of Feast and Famine - MTG Card versions
Training Drone - MTG Card versions
Pristine Talisman - MTG Card versions
Alloy Myr - MTG Card versions
Guardians of Meletis - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Shackles - MTG Card versions
Herald's Horn - MTG Card versions
Manalith - MTG Card versions
Sword of Vengeance - MTG Card versions
Runed Arch - Ice Age (ICE)
Clay Pigeon - Unglued (UGL)
Ashnod's Altar - The Brothers' War Retro Artifacts (BRR)
Jalum Tome - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Patchwork Gnomes - Odyssey (ODY)
The Stasis Coffin - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Captain's Hook - Rivals of Ixalan Promos (PRIX)
Spellweaver Helix - Mirrodin (MRD)
Scale of Chiss-Goria - Mirrodin (MRD)
Lightning Coils - Mirrodin (MRD)
Loxodon Warhammer - Tenth Edition (10E)
Sword of Feast and Famine - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Training Drone - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Pristine Talisman - New Phyrexia Promos (PNPH)
Alloy Myr - Jumpstart (JMP)
Guardians of Meletis - Magic Origins (ORI)
Vedalken Shackles - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Herald's Horn - Treasure Chest (PZ2)
Manalith - Hour of Devastation (HOU)
Sword of Vengeance - Commander 2017 (C17)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Workshop Assistant MTG card by a specific set like Kaladesh and Kaladesh Remastered, 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 Workshop Assistant and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Workshop Assistant Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2016-09-30 and 2020-11-20. Illustrated by Victor Adame Minguez.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-09-30KaladeshKLD 2412015normalblackVictor Adame Minguez
22020-11-12Kaladesh RemasteredKLR 2782015normalblackVictor Adame Minguez
32020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 3482015normalblackVictor Adame Minguez

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Workshop Assistant has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Workshop Assistant 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 another artifact card is put into your graveyard at the same time as Workshop Assistant, you can target it with Workshop Assistant's triggered ability.

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