Tablet of the Guilds MTG Card

Tablet of the Guilds - Return to Ravnica

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact
Released	2012-10-05
Set symbol
Set name	Return to Ravnica
Set code	RTR
Number	235
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Nic Klein

Key Takeaways

Tablet of the Guilds excels in multi-color decks, providing sustained life gain with every matching spell cast.
It’s an asset in controlling the game’s tempo, utilizing life as a strategic resource to outlast opponents.
Despite restrictions, its guild-specific benefits make it a compelling choice for two-color synergy strategies.

Text of card

As Tablet of the Guilds enters the battlefield, choose two colors. Whenever you cast a spell, if it's at least one of the chosen colors, you gain 1 life for each of the chosen colors it is.

It is rumored the Azorius paid an exorbitant sum to ensure its symbol would appear at the top.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While the Tablet of the Guilds itself does not directly allow you to draw cards, it synergizes well with your deck’s multi-color spells. Each time you cast a spell that aligns with your chosen guilds, the tablet offers sustained life gain, effectively increasing your staying power and giving you an edge in longer duels.

Resource Acceleration: The Tablet of the Guilds may not produce mana or tokens, but it can be an integral part of a strategy focused on resource acceleration. By consistently gaining life with each cast, you’re investing in your health as a resource, which can be critical for decks that need time to build up to powerful game-winning plays.

Instant Speed: While the Tablet of the Guilds is not an instant, its static ability operates any time you cast an appropriate spell, offering flexibility akin to instant speed benefits. This allows you to gain life in response to casting multi-colored spells during either player’s turn, keeping you buffered against threats and effectively utilizing your mana each turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Tablet of the Guilds doesn’t require a discard outright, it can force you to make tough decisions about what to keep in hand. Its functionality leans towards benefiting from multi-colored spells, putting players with single-colored decks at a significant disadvantage and possibly leading them to discard beneficial cards.

Specific Mana Cost: This artifact demands a precise mana investment of one generic and one hybrid mana of any of the guild colors. This can prove restrictive for decks that might not align with the guild mechanics or mana base, limiting the card’s versatility across the diverse archetypes of the game.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Tablet of the Guilds enters the battlefield for two mana, which is a moderate investment. However, given that it only provides life gain upon casting multi-colored spells, the cost can be steep when compared to other artifacts or enchantments that offer more immediate board presence or card advantage.

Reasons to Include Tablet of the Guilds in Your Collection

Versatility: Tablet of the Guilds is designed to adapt to a variety of magic color pairings, making it a flexible addition to decks that focus on two-color synergies. Its ability to gain life when casting spells of the chosen colors can be a boon for defensive strategies.

Combo Potential: This artifact shines when combined with multi-colored cards, amplifying its life-gain effect. It pairs well with decks that capitalize on casting a high volume of spells or that include elements where life gain triggers additional benefits or win conditions.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where two-or-more-color decks are prevalent, Tablet of the Guilds becomes increasingly useful. Its capability to consistently offer life gain can help offset aggressive strategies and maintain stability while you build towards your deck’s ultimate game plan.

How to beat

The Tablet of the Guilds is a unique artifact that can sway the tide of a match in Magic: The Gathering. Its knack for life gain becomes advantageous in decks packed with multicolored cards, nurturing a player’s longevity in the game. To tilt the balance in your favor against this card, focusing on robust artifact removal is key.

Employing cards such as Naturalize or Disenchant can rapidly dismantle the opponent’s strategy that hinges on the Tablet. Furthermore, since the card caters to multicolor intensive decks, deploying colorless threats could also sidestep the tablet’s benefits. Introducing spells that hinder or disrupt the opponent’s mana base can stifle their ability to cast multicolored spells, thereby neutralizing the Tablet’s utility.

Lastly, tactics like increasing the pace of your offensive or optimizing your deck to handle life gain strategies can eclipse the incremental advantages provided by Tablet of the Guilds. Though its presence can influence a game, a well-prepared player with the right countermeasures can readily turn the tables, ensuring that this artifact’s impact is minimal at best.

Cards like Tablet of the Guilds

Tablet of the Guilds stands out in the realm of artifact cards within Magic: The Gathering that focus on life gain and guild allegiance. It’s often compared to cards like the Guild Cluestone cycle, which offers both mana acceleration and a chance to draw a card if the specific guild conditions aren’t being met. Tablet of the Guilds, distinctively, allows life gain whenever a player casts a spell of the chosen guild colors, particularly useful in multicolored decks revolving around guild synergy.

Another comparable card is Manalith, an artifact that provides no life gain but offers a broader range of mana production for any color. While it doesn’t interact with spells of specific colors, it stands as a more flexible mana source. Pristine Talisman is also worthy of comparison, giving you incremental life gain with each tap for mana. Although it doesn’t lean into the color identity synergy like Tablet of the Guilds, it provides a consistent source of life gain.

In sum, Tablet of the Guilds has its niche in guild-themed decks, providing a unique form of life gain in concert with a player’s strategy. It allows for an engaging build-around mechanism that can influence deck construction and spell selection for those looking to capitalize on their chosen guild’s colors.

Cards similar to Tablet of the Guilds by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tablet of the Guilds MTG card by a specific set like Return to Ravnica, 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 Tablet of the Guilds and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Tablet of the Guilds has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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