Gather the Pack MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery
Abilities	Spell mastery
Released	2015-07-17
Set symbol
Set name	Magic Origins
Set code	ORI
Number	178
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Igor Kieryluk

Key Takeaways

Offers card advantage by potentially drawing multiple creatures from the top five library cards.
Includes spell mastery, accelerating resource access by putting creatures directly into play.
Preps for responsive play despite being sorcery speed, simulating the effect of instants.

Text of card

Reveal the top five cards of your library. You may put a creature card from among them into your hand. Put the rest into your graveyard. Spell mastery — If there are two or more instant and/or sorcery cards in your graveyard, put up to two creature cards from among the revealed cards into your hand instead of one.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Gather the Pack is adept at filling your hand with creature cards, dramatically boosting your options for progressing the game. With the potential to look at the top five cards of your library, you increase your chances of snagging that crucial creature card to tip the scales in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: The built-in mechanic of the spell mastery feature further fuels your gameplay by potentially putting a creature card directly onto the battlefield if there are enough instants and sorceries in your graveyard. This can lead to a sudden shift in board presence and game dynamics, giving you the upper hand with an unexpected surge in resources.

Instant Speed: While Gather the Pack operates at sorcery speed, its influence on the game often mirrors what you’d expect from an instant by preparing your hand for responsive play. This preparation allows for efficient use of your resources, as securing the right creatures at the right time can be just as pivotal as acting at instant speed.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Gather the Pack requires you to discard a card if you use the spell mastery ability and haven’t hit two creatures, potentially setting you back in hand advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands green mana, which can limit its flexibility in multi-colored decks that might struggle with the right mana at the right time.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At two mana for a sorcery-speed look at the top five cards, the cost can be steep, especially if it fails to secure a creature for your hand or graveyard.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Gather the Pack offers a broad spectrum of uses in various deck archetypes. It serves as a powerful tool for stocking your graveyard, which is beneficial for strategies revolving around delve, flashback, or other mechanics that utilize the graveyard as a resource.

Combo Potential: This card shines when paired with graveyard synergies or creatures that have potent enter-the-battlefield effects. It can quickly fill your graveyard, setting up for explosive turns where you can reanimate multiple creatures or benefit from graveyard-triggered abilities.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where graveyard strategies are prevalent or if your local gaming scene favors long games, Gather the Pack can be a key player. Its ability to dig through your library helps find the necessary pieces to outmaneuver opponents, making it a valuable addition to your arsenal.

How to beat

Gather the Pack is a unique sorcery in MTG that allows players to delve into the top five cards of their library, selecting up to two creature cards to put into their hand. This card accelerates the process of getting key creatures into play, making it a potent tool in any ramp or creature-centric deck strategy. To effectively counter Gather the Pack, timing disruption is essential.

One approach is to use instant-speed spells to exile cards from an opponent’s library before they have the chance to utilize Gather the Pack’s ability. Spells like Tormod’s Crypt or Leyline of the Void can be particularly effective if they’re already in play when your opponent casts Gather the Pack. Additionally, hand disruption tactics can remove Gather the Pack before it’s even cast, using cards like Thoughtseize or Duress.

Controlling the battlefield is also crucial. Cards that limit the number of creatures an opponent can control, like Culling Scales or Lethal Vapors, undermine the effectiveness of Gather the Pack by neutralizing the creature advantage it creates. In conclusion, staying ahead of your adversary with strategic library and hand manipulation, as well as controlling the board, can be the key to overcoming the advantage bestowed by Gather the Pack in MTG.

Cards like Gather the Pack

Gather the Pack holds its own in Magic the Gathering’s extensive catalog of creature card search effects. Comparable to it is Commune with the Gods, a card from the Theros block, which also delves five cards deep into the library but focuses on enchantment retrieval along with creatures. Both shine in decks that leverage graveyard strategies, but Commune with the Gods offers a narrower selection.

Strategic Planning is another kindred spell, allowing a peek at the top three cards of your library and putting one into your hand. Though it doesn’t exclusively target creatures, the smaller pool of choices might limit its effectiveness for creature-based strategies where Gather the Pack excels. Grisly Salvage is yet another parallel, offering both an instant card advantage and a mix of creature and land cards, which can be critical for maintaining a steady mana base and board presence.

The intrinsic strength of Gather the Pack stems from its potential to stack the graveyard with a variety of creature options, making it a solid pick for graveyard synergy decks where it can fuel a range of strategies from Delirium to Flashback, and more.

Commune with the Gods - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Gather the Pack by color, type and mana cost

Nylea's Intervention - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gather the Pack MTG card by a specific set like Magic Origins, 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 Gather the Pack and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Gather the Pack has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2015-06-22	Check to see if there are two or more instant and/or sorcery cards in your graveyard as the spell resolves to determine whether the spell mastery ability applies. The spell itself won’t count because it’s still on the stack as you make this check.