Tonic Peddler MTG Card


Tonic Peddler - Mercadian Masques
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human Spellshaper
Released1999-10-04
Set symbol
Set nameMercadian Masques
Set codeMMQ
Power 1
Toughness 1
Number54
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byAdam Rex

Key Takeaways

  1. Tonic Peddler provides continuous card advantage, refining gameplay with sustainable hand replenishment.
  2. Its instant-speed activation offers strategic flexibility, enhancing play with adaptable in-game decisions.
  3. Despite constraints, Tonic Peddler’s versatile synergy can influence deck-building and in-game dynamics.

Text of card

o W, oc T, Discard a card from your hand: Target player gains 3 life.

"The price is written at the bottom of the cup."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Tonic Peddler card provides a subtler, but steady way to gain card advantage. By converting excess mana into card draw, it allows players to maintain a full hand, keeping the pressure on opponents.

Resource Acceleration: Tonic Peddler offers utility on the battlefield by helping you ramp up resources. The ability to tap, perhaps paired with untapping effects or other synergies, can lead to surprising bursts of mana, propelling you ahead in the game.

Instant Speed: Being flexible enough to activate at instant speed, Tonic Peddler fits into a dynamic playstyle. This adaptability lets players optimize their turns for maximum efficiency, choosing the most opportune moments to leverage its abilities.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of Tonic Peddler is its demand that players discard another card. This action can backfire, especially in tight situations where every card in hand is crucial for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Tonic Peddler’s casting cost includes colors that may not fit seamlessly into all deck archetypes. This specificity can constrain deck-building options, restricting this card’s versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While offering an interesting effect, the mana investment for Tonic Peddler might be steep when compared to other options. Players might opt for alternatives that provide a similar benefit without such a significant cost.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Tonic Peddler can slide effortlessly into various deck builds, particularly those looking for ways to gain life and manipulate their graveyard. Its capacity to integrate into several strategies makes it a distinctive addition.

Combo Potential: With the right synergies, Tonic Peddler’s ability to gain you life can unlock potential in decks that thrive on life changes, enabling intricate combos, and bolstering your win conditions.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where life totals are always in flux, a card like Tonic Peddler that provides consistent life gain can pivot crucial matches in your favor, aligning well with the current meta that emphasizes resilience and sustainability.


How to beat

The Tonic Peddler may not make headlines as the most formidable adversary in the MTG arena, but it packs a unique punch with its lifelink capability and synergies in life-gain decks. To counter this crafty merchant, you must disrupt its utility. Employing removal spells that can target creatures with a low cost is effective. Consider spells like Shock, which can eliminate the Tonic Peddler before its lifelink ability becomes a repeated nuisance.

Artifact removal can also dismantle any equipment or auras that may be buffing the Tonic Peddler, stripping it of enhancements that make it more than just an ordinary blocker or attacker. Cards such as Disenchant or Naturalize serve this purpose without straining your mana pool. Moreover, employing countermeasures to negate life gain, such as Tibalt, Rakish Instigator, ensures that your opponent doesn’t capitalize on the lifelink feature of the Tonic Peddler or any similar effects.

Ultimately, while the Tonic Peddler has potential in the right deck, it crumbles against swift and targeted spells that address either its presence on the board or the benefits it seeks to provide. Quick action is key to ensuring that this seemingly harmless merchant does not tip the scales in your opponent’s favor.


Cards like Tonic Peddler

The Tonic Peddler offers Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts a unique gameplay experience, with parallels to other notable cards in its category. Much like Tonic Peddler, cards like Veteran Motorist also provide an ability that triggers upon entering the battlefield. However, whereas Veteran Motorist offers deck scrying and potential to boost vehicle power, Tonic Peddler bestows life to its controller, setting the stage for potential lifegain strategies.

Alms Collector is another interesting comparison. While Alms Collector limits opponents’ card draw and presents card advantage in multiplayer scenarios, the Tonic Peddler focuses more directly on fortifying the player’s own life total, favoring a more defensive playstyle. Comparatively, the Peddler’s stat line may not be as impactful, but its ability to synergize with life-modifying mechanics in MTG could be seen as an inspirational design choice for those crafting lifegain decks.

Examining the utility and strategic implications, Tonic Peddler slots comfortably into decks focusing on lifegain or serving as an early game defender. Its distinctive life-gaining capability marks its territory in Magic: The Gathering as a potentially underrated yet valuable asset to the right deck composition.

Veteran Motorist - MTG Card versions
Alms Collector - MTG Card versions
Veteran Motorist - Kaladesh (KLD)
Alms Collector - Treasure Chest (PZ2)

Cards similar to Tonic Peddler by color, type and mana cost

White Knight - MTG Card versions
Soul Shepherd - MTG Card versions
Soltari Monk - MTG Card versions
Talon Sliver - MTG Card versions
Keeper of the Light - MTG Card versions
Faith Healer - MTG Card versions
Angelic Page - MTG Card versions
Avenger en-Dal - MTG Card versions
Royal Falcon - MTG Card versions
Spirit Weaver - MTG Card versions
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Drannith Magistrate - MTG Card versions
Leonin Lightscribe - MTG Card versions
Silver Knight - MTG Card versions
Longbow Archer - MTG Card versions
Silverflame Squire // On Alert - MTG Card versions
Flumph - MTG Card versions
Soltari Priest - MTG Card versions
Luminarch Aspirant - MTG Card versions
White Knight - Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons (DDG)
Soul Shepherd - Weatherlight (WTH)
Soltari Monk - Tempest (TMP)
Talon Sliver - Tempest (TMP)
Keeper of the Light - Exodus (EXO)
Faith Healer - Urza's Saga (USG)
Angelic Page - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Avenger en-Dal - Nemesis (NEM)
Royal Falcon - Starter 2000 (S00)
Spirit Weaver - Invasion (INV)
Voice of the Blessed - Innistrad: Crimson Vow (VOW)
Stoneforge Mystic - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Drannith Magistrate - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
Leonin Lightscribe - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Silver Knight - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Longbow Archer - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Silverflame Squire // On Alert - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Flumph - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Soltari Priest - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Luminarch Aspirant - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tonic Peddler 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 Tonic Peddler and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Tonic Peddler has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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