Cateran Summons MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Sorcery |
| Released | 1999-10-04 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Mercadian Masques |
| Set code | MMQ |
| Number | 126 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Alan Pollack |
Key Takeaways
- Cateran Summons offers strategic card selection, enabling players to retrieve crucial creatures when needed.
- By allowing searches for mana accelerators, it provides indirect yet significant ramping potential.
- The instant nature of this spell adds a layer of unpredictability and tactical depth to matches.
Text of card
Search your library for a Mercenary card, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Even when recruitment is slow, the guild can always cook something up.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Cateran Summons shines in decks that capitalize on card selection, giving players the opportunity to dig through their deck to find exactly what they need at a critical moment. This aspect of Cateran Summons can often lead to a noticeable advantage over opponents, as it offers direct access to creature solutions or key combo pieces.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or treasure tokens, Cateran Summons offers an efficient pathway to resource acceleration by helping players locate their mana-producing or cost-reducing creatures. Ensuring that essential elements for ramping up gameplay are within reach can be game-changing, especially in the crucial early to mid-game stages.
Instant Speed: The instant speed nature of Cateran Summons enables reactive gameplay, allowing players to retain open mana for other potential interactions or responses during an opponent’s turn. This strategic flexibility can often put opponents on the back foot, as it requires them to consider potential threats or answers that might be summoned to the battlefield at a moment’s notice.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Cateran Summons necessitates that you pitch an additional card into your graveyard to play it. This can lead to a strategic setback, especially when your hand size is already dwindling and you’re in need of all your resources to keep up with the opponent’s moves.
Specific Mana Cost: This spell’s particular demand for one black mana can be restrictive. If you’re running a multicolored deck, it might be a challenge to consistently have the right mana available just when you need to summon this card into action.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that taps three of your lands, including one black mana, it’s critical to weigh the benefits against other options. Evaluating the overall mana curve of your deck is essential, as you might find other spells that propel you towards victory more efficiently.
Reasons to Include Cateran Summons in Your Collection
Versatility: Cateran Summons is a notable addition to any collection due to its flexibility in deck building. This card enables you to search for any Mercenary card, which means it can be tailored to fetch a variety of creatures depending on your strategy or board state needs.
Combo Potential: With its ability to sift through your deck for Mercenary creatures, it has intrinsic synergies within Mercenary-themed decks or any strategy poised to capitalize on creature-based combos. This can lead to powerful interactions and chain summoning of creatures, escalating your board presence.
Meta-Relevance: Cateran Summons remains a pertinent choice in metagames where toolbox strategies are efficient. Being able to access key creatures at the right moment can pivot the game in your favor, ensuring this spell’s enduring relevance in diverse play environments.
How to Beat Cateran Summons
When facing Cateran Summons in Magic: The Gathering, strategic planning is essential. This card allows an opponent to search their library for a Mercenary card, a mechanic that can lead to a powerful creature hitting the battlefield if left unchecked. To counter this, players should consider cards that restrict opponents from searching their libraries, such as Aven Mindcensor or Stranglehold, which can shut this strategy down.
Another effective tactic is to use instant-speed removal when the Mercenary is summoned, before it can create an overwhelming presence. Counterspells are also a solid choice, negating the summoning spell before it takes effect. By staying prepared with these defenses, players can prevent Cateran Summons from tipping the scale in their opponent’s favor.
Finally, employing graveyard disruption can be a powerful deterrent. Cards like Tormod’s Crypt or Relic of Progenitus can exile important Mercenaries before they become a repeated threat. Understanding your deck and having the right counters prepared for when Cateran Summons is played is the key to ensuring this MTG card doesn’t dominate the game.
Cards like Cateran Summons
In the realm of tutor spells within Magic: The Gathering, Cateran Summons carves out a notable spot. It bears similarities to other cards which allow players to search their library for a creature, much like Diabolic Tutor. However, unlike the broader search scope of Diabolic Tutor, Cateran Summons narrows the focus to Mercenary creatures, showcasing its strength in a Mercenary-themed deck.
When considering counterparts, cards like Infernal Tutor also allow for library searching, but they come with specific conditions like revealing a card or being hellbent. Cateran Summons offers a simpler conditional requirement tied to its Mercenary synergy. Another comparison point is Sidisi, Undead Vizier, which not only tutors but also serves as a creature. Although more expensive to cast, Sidisi’s exploit mechanic adds the benefit of flexibility in sacrificing creatures for greater board control, something Cateran Summons does not include.
Evaluating these comparisons, Cateran Summons stands as a tailored option for Mercenary-centric strategies in MTG, providing straightforward utility for those decks without competing directly with broader or conditional tutoring spells.
Cards similar to Cateran Summons by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Cateran Summons MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques, 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 Cateran Summons and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Cateran Summons has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Cateran Summons card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | Because the “search” requires you to find a card with certain characteristics, you don’t have to find the card if you don’t want to. |
