Vedalken Plotter MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Vedalken Wizard
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Gain a strategic edge by trading lands with abilities, disrupting opponent’s plans and enhancing your own.
  2. Accelerate your resources by swapping basic lands for nonbasics with extra benefits or abilities.
  3. Immediate land exchanges can allow for powerful strategic shifts, even at sorcery speed.

Text of card

When Vedalken Plotter comes into play, exchange control of target land you control and target land an opponent controls.

"Fair? At what point in our negotiations did you convince yourself my goal was to be fair?"


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Vedalken Plotter’s ability to exchange control of lands can be a subtle yet significant pathway to gaining card advantage. If used to acquire a land with an inherent ability or one that is enchanted or equipped, you can pivot the value onto your side of the battlefield. By taking lands vital to your opponent’s strategy, you can disrupt their plans while enhancing your own position.

Resource Acceleration: Manipulating available resources is crucial in MTG, and Vedalken Plotter provides an avenue for tactical resource acceleration. While not directly generating mana, by swapping a basic land for a nonbasic one with additional benefits, such as those that tap for multiple colors or have complimentary abilities, you can rapidly accelerate your resource capabilities.

Instant Speed: Despite Vedalken Plotter operating at sorcery speed, its impact on the game can be as pivotal as that of an instant. The immediate exchange of lands upon entering the battlefield allows for surprise shifts in mana availability, potentially enabling powerful plays at critical moments or undermining an opponent’s strategy when they least expect it.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Vedalken Plotter does not need you to discard a card, it does require that you exchange control of a land when it enters the battlefield. This mandatory exchange can lead to strategic setbacks, especially if you’re giving up a land with crucial abilities or one that’s pivotal to your mana curve.

Specific Mana Cost: The Plotter comes with a blue mana requirement, making it a potentially awkward fit in multicolored decks where mana flexibility is paramount. With a casting cost that includes two blue mana, it might demand more from your mana base than you’re comfortable committing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an entry fee of three mana, Vedalken Plotter might take up your entire turn’s worth of resources during crucial early-to-mid game phases. When considering other cards with comparable costs, you might find options that advance your board state or disrupt opponents more effectively without the immediate land exchange downside.


Reasons to Include Vedalken Plotter in Your Collection

Versatility: Vedalken Plotter offers a unique avenue for manipulating land bases across multiple deck types. Its ability to trade lands can disrupt your opponent’s mana or secure critical utility lands for yourself, fitting well into strategies that might benefit from precise land control.

Combo Potential: This card pairs exceedingly well with decks that have a landfall mechanic or those that utilize lands with powerful tap abilities. By acquiring specific lands from opponents, you can orchestrate combos or strengthen your board position significantly.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames where land-based strategies are prevalent, Vedalken Plotter gains extra significance. It’s a potential counter to decks heavily relying on potent lands, allowing you a measure of control and the ability to tilt matches in your favor with a smart land exchange.


How to beat the Vedalken Plotter

The Vedalken Plotter presents a unique challenge on the battlefield, with its ability to swap lands with an opponent upon entering the battlefield. This ability can disrupt your mana base or possibly grant your opponent a key piece in their land strategy. To thwart Vedalken Plotter, consider implementing instant-speed removal spells that can eliminate the plotter before its ability resolves. This ensures your land configuration remains intact and puts your opponent on the back foot.

Counterspells are also an effective method to prevent Vedalken Plotter from hitting the board in the first place, ensuring your strategy isn’t compromised. Additionally, land destruction or effects that strip your own lands of abilities before the exchange can leave your opponent with less valuable resources. Tread carefully with land choices and remain vigilant for the opportune moment to act, ensuring the plotter’s scheme does not come to fruition. Overall, swift reaction and strategic planning will keep you one step ahead of the Vedalken Plotter’s game.


BurnMana Recommendations

If you’re a player looking to improve your MTG arsenal and gameplay, consider the nuanced abilities of the Vedalken Plotter. The strategic potential of exchanging lands can be an unexpected game-changer. Be it for acquiring lands that complement your deck’s strategy or disrupting your opponent’s, the Vedalken Plotter is a unique piece on the MTG chessboard. While its subtleties and potential drawbacks warrant careful deck compatibility consideration, it can be a formidable asset. Delve into understanding resource acceleration and how to preserve your mana base against similar strategies. Discover more depth in your gameplay with thoughtful card choices and elevate your MTG experience with us.


Cards like Vedalken Plotter

Vedalken Plotter might not be the flashiest card in Magic: The Gathering, but it serves a very unique purpose within the realm of land control. It is often compared to cards like Political Trickery or Shifting Borders which also allow players to swap lands. While Vedalken Plotter trades lands upon entering the battlefield, Political Trickery gives players a choice through an exchange effect that’s executed at sorcery speed. Shifting Borders, too, shares the swapping land gameplay but brings in the flexibility of being an instant.

Another card that comes into the conversation is Perilous Voyage, a card that returns a nonland permanent to its owner’s hand with Scry 2. It indirectly affects land control by targeting utility lands that have been turned into creatures. However, Vedalken Plotter offers a more permanent solution by directly exchanging the land without conditions.

Ultimately, Vedalken Plotter stands out in a niche category of MTG cards designed for players looking to gain strategic advantages through the manipulation of the battlefield’s very foundation – the lands themselves.

Political Trickery - MTG Card versions
Shifting Borders - MTG Card versions
Perilous Voyage - MTG Card versions
Political Trickery - MTG Card versions
Shifting Borders - MTG Card versions
Perilous Voyage - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Vedalken Plotter MTG card by a specific set like Guildpact and Commander 2011, 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 Vedalken Plotter and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Vedalken Plotter Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2006-02-03 and 2011-06-17. Illustrated by Greg Staples.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12006-02-03GuildpactGPT 412003NormalBlackGreg Staples
22011-06-17Commander 2011CMD 662003NormalBlackGreg Staples

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Vedalken Plotter has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2006-02-01 If either land becomes an illegal target (or leaves the battlefield) before the ability resolves, the exchange won’t happen. There’s no way for you to gain a land without losing another one in the process.

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