Fertile Imagination MTG Card
2005-08-22 - Number J38
2005-08-22 - Number J2
2006-05-05 - Number 84
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Sorcery |
Key Takeaways
- Provides card advantage by cloning creatures, multiplying board presence with potent abilities.
- Instant speed use allows strategic surprise plays, crucial for turning the tides in-game.
- Mana cost and discard requirement balance the card’s potential impact and strategic use.
Text of card
Choose a card type. Target opponent reveals their hand. Create two 1/1 green Saproling creature tokens for each card of the chosen type revealed this way. (Artifact, creature, enchantment, instant, land, planeswalker, sorcery, and tribal are card types.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Fertile Imagination shines by letting players create a copy of any creature they control, which is a substantial way to multiply threats on the board and overwhelm opponents. This can shift the balance by providing significant card advantage, especially if you’re duplicating creatures with strong abilities or enter-the-battlefield effects.
Resource Acceleration: By duplicating mana dorks or creatures with land-fetching abilities, Fertile Imagination can contribute to resource acceleration. Instead of just adding an extra creature to the battlefield, you’re potentially doubling your mana production or land access, leading to larger plays or a quicker path to game-changing spells.
Instant Speed: The ability to use Fertile Imagination at instant speed adds a layer of strategy and surprise, allowing players to wait until the last possible moment to create a new threat. This can turn the tides during an opponent’s attack or end step, setting up for an unpredictable and potentially game-winning next turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: With Fertile Imagination, you are faced with the decision of which card to discard. This isn’t always an easy choice, especially when your hand is filled with potentially key plays for upcoming turns. Discarding can diminish your ability to respond to opponent’s moves, making this a significant drawback when resources are scarce.
Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a specific blend of mana, which includes green. This may not always align with your deck’s mana base, particularly if you’re running a multicolored deck with a tight mana curve. It can be challenging to cast Fertile Imagination on time if the necessary green mana isn’t readily available.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Considering the four mana that Fertile Imagination demands, other cards in the same mana range could potentially offer more immediate impact on the game state. In fast-paced matches, its mana cost might be too prohibitive, causing you to fall behind while opponents deploy more cost-effective threats or answers.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Fertile Imagination offers a unique approach to deck building with its ability to produce a multitude of tokens. This card can seamlessly integrate into token-centric or go-wide strategies, elevating decks that capitalize on creatures en masse.
Combo Potential: By generating a diverse set of tokens, Fertile Imagination partners well with cards that thrive on creature types or token synergies for explosive plays, enabling dynamic combo lines that can take over the game.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment where board presence and creature-based tactics are prevalent, Fertile Imagination gains utility. The card ensures consistent creature production which can be pivotal against control decks or in racing situations.
How to beat
Fertile Imagination brings a unique dynamic to the battlefield with its ability to churn out creature tokens based on the number of cards in your hand. This card, for those who employ a strategy rich in card draw, can quickly become a thorn in your side, multiplying your opponent’s forces at a rapid clip.
To counteract Fertile Imagination effectively, maintaining control over the number of cards in your opponent’s hand becomes key. Employing hand disruption tactics such as Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek to remove crucial pieces from their grip before they can be utilized is one strategy. Alternatively, board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation can clear the tokens en masse, regardless of how prolifically they’ve been spawned. Keeping a watchful eye on your opponent’s card count, and having removal at the ready, can turn the tide against the burgeoning token army that Fertile Imagination aims to create.
Thus, while Fertile Imagination has the potential to dominate the vernacular of creature token generation, preemptive action and strategic removal can keep the proliferating threat in check, securing your position on the battlefield.
Cards like Fertile Imagination
Fertile Imagination joins the ranks of token-producing cards in Magic: The Gathering. An intriguing parallel can be drawn with cards like Spontaneous Generation, which also capitalizes on the quantity of creatures you control to create Saproling tokens. Spontaneous Generation, however, doesn’t allow for the plethora of choices that Fertile Imagination offers, giving a player tokens only once at the time of casting and based on the number of cards in their hand.
Another card worth mentioning is Awakening Zone, which provides consistent token advantage by creating 0/1 Eldrazi Spawn tokens every upkeep. While this is a more incremental strategy compared to the potential immediate swarm Fertile Imagination could produce, the ongoing benefit of Awakening Zone can often lead to a more stable board presence. Doubling Season is yet another card that deserves attention. Its ability to double tokens as they are created exponentially increases any token-producing card’s output, including that of Fertile Imagination.
While each of these cards have their own strengths and applications, Fertile Imagination stands out for its unique flexibility, allowing strategic players to tailor their token output to the current state of the game board and their hand.
Cards similar to Fertile Imagination by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Fertile Imagination MTG card by a specific set like Salvat 2005 and Salvat 2005, 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 Fertile Imagination 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 Magic products
Printings
The Fertile Imagination Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2005-08-22 and 2006-05-05. Illustrated by Dan Scott.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2005-08-22 | Salvat 2005 | PSAL | J38 | 2003 | normal | white | Dan Scott | |
| 2 | 2005-08-22 | Salvat 2005 | PSAL | J2 | 2003 | normal | white | Dan Scott | |
| 3 | 2006-05-05 | Dissension | DIS | 84 | 2003 | normal | black | Dan Scott |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Fertile Imagination has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
