Drownyard Explorers MTG Card
2016-04-08 - Number 56
2022-12-02 - Number 289
2023-03-21 - Number 63
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Wizard |
| Abilities | Investigate |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Key Takeaways
- Drownyard Explorers can secure card advantage through investigation, crucial for maintaining a strong hand.
- Its Investigate ability, though at a cost, adds flexibility and potential for resource acceleration.
- Immediate value and future gains make Drownyard Explorers a multipurpose addition to any collection.
Text of card
When Drownyard Explorers enters the battlefield, investigate. (Put a colorless Clue artifact token onto the battlefield with ", Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.")
"Angels and inquisitors terrorize villages, but no one seems to notice the stirring out at sea."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: When Drownyard Explorers enters the battlefield, it allows you to investigate, which is a mechanic enabling you to draw a card at a later time for a small mana investment. This means you have the potential to gain card advantage over your opponents by drawing beyond your single card per turn, maintaining a healthy hand size throughout the game.
Resource Acceleration: Although Drownyard Explorers doesn’t directly accelerate your resources upon entering the battlefield, the Clue token generated through investigating can be sacrificed at any time, giving you access to that crucial additional card to find land drops or key spells. This incremental advantage can sometimes be the difference between winning and losing.
Instant Speed: While Drownyard Explorers itself does not function at instant speed, the Clue token it creates can be utilized at instant speed. This means you have the flexibility to manage your resources effectively and choose the most opportune moment to draw a card, usually at the end of your opponent’s turn or in response to actions that would leave you otherwise resource-strapped.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Drownyard Explorers allows players to investigate when it enters the battlefield, the clue token generated requires a player to discard a card in order to draw one. This condition might be taxing for players who are maintaining a specific hand size for strategic purposes or are already short on cards.
Specific Mana Cost: The Explorers demand a specific arrangement of mana to cast: two blue and two of any other color. This particular cost predicates its inclusion predominantly in blue-based or blue-dominant decks, potentially limiting its flexibility across a wider variety of deck types.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana for a 2/4 body, Drownyard Explorers sits at a higher end of the mana curve when compared to other creatures that might offer similar or better abilities for less investment. As a result, it might not be as competitive for its cost, especially when players seek to maximize efficiency in their deck-building.
Reasons to Include Drownyard Explorers in Your Collection
Versatility: Drownyard Explorers is a card that blends seamlessly into various deck archetypes. Its ability to draw a card upon entering the battlefield gives it inherent value in decks looking for consistent card advantage, while its creature type and stats allow it to hold its own on the battlefield.
Combo Potential: As a creature with Investigate, this card can synergize with strategies that capitalize on clues or artifacts. Whether used to fuel delve, improvise, or simply accrue value over time, Drownyard Explorers holds the potential to be a cog in a larger combo machine.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment where games tend to stretch into the later phases, having access to extra cards can make all the difference. With its ability to impact the game immediately upon entry and offer sustained value, Drownyard Explorers finds relevance in slower, grindier match-ups where every card counts.
How to beat
Drownyard Explorers presents an interesting challenge for players within Magic: The Gathering. This card offers a unique advantage by allowing the controller to investigate when it enters the battlefield, granting an artifact token that can later be sacrificed to draw a card. The core strength of Drownyard Explorers lies in this ability to incrementally accrue card advantage over time.
To effectively counter Drownyard Explorers, it’s crucial to disrupt this card advantage engine. Consider employing removal spells that can tackle creatures as they enter the battlefield, like Fatal Push or Path to Exile. Since the Explorers need to be on the field to create Clue tokens, instant-speed elimination can neuter their value before it starts to grow. Another strategy is to apply pressure with aggressive creatures; forcing the opponent to trade their Explorers defensively can prevent them from capitalizing on the tokens. Focusing on these tactics will help in diminishing the impact of Drownyard Explorers and maintaining an upper hand in your matches.
In essence, managing the battlefield and cutting off the Drownyard Explorers’ card draw potential swiftly can be key to overpowering the advantage they might otherwise offer to your opponent.
Cards like Drownyard Explorers
Within the fascinating world of blue spells in Magic: The Gathering, Drownyard Explorers carve out a unique spot among creatures with card draw abilities. This creature has synergy with mechanics like Investigate, where playing it allows you to draw a card by sacrificing the Clue token it provides. When considering similar cards, we can’t overlook Manic Scribe. Both creatures carry a resourceful Investigate mechanic but with varied triggers for their abilities. Manic Scribe leans towards a mill strategy, pushing your opponents to lose cards, whereas Drownyard Explorers offer card advantage to you directly.
Sifting through the card catalog, another parallel is Sea Gate Oracle. While this card doesn’t use Investigate, it lets you look at the top two cards of your library upon entering the battlefield, keeping one. The elation of picking the right card is there, but it doesn’t grant the long-term potential that a Clue token can provide. Then we have Thraben Inspector, a low-cost creature that also dishes out a Clue token. Though its body is smaller, the early game advantage it presents can be pivotal for carrying momentum forward.
Each similar card grants strategic depth in their right, but Drownyard Explorers stands out with a solid blend of immediate value in card draw and potential future gains with Investigate. This equilibrium between immediate effect and forward potential makes it a versatile choice for players looking to outmaneuver their opponents.
Cards similar to Drownyard Explorers by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Drownyard Explorers MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad and Jumpstart 2022, 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 Drownyard Explorers 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
Printings
The Drownyard Explorers Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2016-04-08 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by Anthony Palumbo.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016-04-08 | Shadows over Innistrad | SOI | 56 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Anthony Palumbo | |
| 2 | 2022-12-02 | Jumpstart 2022 | J22 | 289 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Anthony Palumbo | |
| 3 | 2023-03-21 | Shadows over Innistrad Remastered | SIR | 63 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Anthony Palumbo |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Drownyard Explorers has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Drownyard Explorers card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2016-04-08 | If you sacrifice a Clue for another card’s cost or effect, such as that of Angelic Purge or Tamiyo’s Journal, you can’t also pay and sacrifice it to draw a card. |
| 2016-04-08 | The token is named Clue and has the artifact subtype Clue. Clue isn’t a creature type. |
| 2016-04-08 | The tokens are normal artifacts. For example, they can be sacrificed to cast Angelic Purge or targeted by Root Out. |
