Artisan's Sorrow MTG Card


Artisan's Sorrow - Theros
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Scry
Released2013-09-27
Set symbol
Set nameTheros
Set codeTHS
Number151
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byJung Park

Key Takeaways

  1. Artisan’s Sorrow offers instant-speed disruption, which is crucial for timing and game-plan interference.
  2. While situational, its scry 2 effect can significantly optimize future plays and enhance card advantage.
  3. Its utility in green decks makes it a meta-relevant choice for dealing with noncreature threats.

Text of card

Destroy target artifact or enchantment. Scry 2. (Look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order.)

Some seers read bones or entrails. Others just like to break things.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Artisan’s Sorrow provides the advantage of destroying an artifact or enchantment, which can disrupt your opponent’s strategy and reduce their resources.

Resource Acceleration: Not directly applicable for Artisan’s Sorrow, as the card mainly focuses on removal rather than accelerating your resources.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Artisan’s Sorrow at instant speed gives you the flexibility to respond during your opponent’s turn, effectively timing the disruption to maximize the impact on their game plan.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Though Artisan’s Sorrow doesn’t force a discard, the card requires precise deck-building considerations around its specific use case, making it a situational inclusion rather than a staple.

Specific Mana Cost: This spell’s green mana cost can restrict its integration outside of green-focused decks, potentially limiting a player’s ability to capitalize on its artifact and enchantment destruction capabilities in a multicolor strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an investment of four mana, Artisan’s Sorrow competes with other green spells and permanents that might provide a more impactful presence or versatility on the battlefield, making it a less favorable choice for that slot in certain situations.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Artisan’s Sorrow is an essential tool in green decks that require swift answers to artifacts and enchantments. It’s flexibility in dealing with problematic noncreature permanents makes it a valuable inclusion for various deck archetypes.

Combo Potential: With its ability to target key pieces of an opponent’s combo, Artisan’s Sorrow can disrupt their strategy while also providing card advantage through its scry 2 effect. This can pave the way for your combos to succeed unhindered.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where artifacts and enchantments are common, Artisan’s Sorrow becomes incredibly relevant. The card’s ability to disrupt opponent’s plans while setting up your next draws makes it a prudent choice for competitive play.


How to beat

Artisan’s Sorrow is a utility card known for its ability to disrupt key artifacts and enchantments in your opponent’s strategy within the MTG landscape. Facing this Green instant can be tricky, especially when it targets what you rely on for an advantage. To sidestep the impact of Artisan’s Sorrow, consider diversifying the threats on your board rather than committing heavily to a single artifact or enchantment. This approach dilutes the potential value they get from casting it.

Another strategic play is to bait out Artisan’s Sorrow before deploying your most critical cards. Holding onto backup artifacts or enchantments can ensure your game plan isn’t completely derailed. Moreover, utilizing cards with indestructible or regenerative abilities can nullify the effect of Artisan’s Sorrow, allowing you to maintain board presence. Finally, keeping your own counterspell ready can defend against Artisan’s Sorrow, preserving the staying power of your chief permanents. In essence, proper baiting, redundancy in threats, and protection through counterspells allow you to minimize Artisan’s Sorrow’s potential damage and maintain control over the game.


Cards like Artisan's Sorrow

Artisan’s Sorrow holds a unique position in the roster of artifact and enchantment removal spells in MTG. It carries a similar purpose to cards like Naturalize, allowing players to swiftly deal with threats on the board. Yet, Artisan’s Sorrow adds another layer to its utility with the scry 2 ability, granting you control over the top cards of your deck after removal.

Across the table, you might compare it to Reclamation Sage, which also destroys artifacts or enchantments upon entering the battlefield. Although Reclamation Sage offers a creature body which can be reused with flickering effects, Artisan’s Sorrow has the advantage of instant speed, enabling more reactive plays. Then consider Broken Bond, it shares the required speed with Artisan’s Sorrow but goes a step further by allowing land plays, potentially accelerating your game plan.

After considering options, it’s clear that Artisan’s Sorrow provides a beneficial blend of disruption and card advantage. As players evaluate their choices for dealing with non-creature permanents, this card’s flexibility and additional scry incentive can justify its spot in a well-crafted deck, particularly in formats where the timing of plays is critical.

Naturalize - MTG Card versions
Reclamation Sage - MTG Card versions
Broken Bond - MTG Card versions
Naturalize - Onslaught (ONS)
Reclamation Sage - Magic 2015 Promos (PM15)
Broken Bond - Dominaria (DOM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Artisan's Sorrow MTG card by a specific set like Theros, 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 Artisan's Sorrow and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Artisan's Sorrow has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2013-09-15 Scry appears on some spells and abilities with one or more targets. If all of the spell or ability's targets are illegal when it tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won't scry.
2013-09-15 The artifact or enchantment won't be on the battlefield when you scry, unless it regenerated or had indestructible.
2013-09-15 When you scry, you may put all the cards you look at back on top of your library, you may put all of those cards on the bottom of your library, or you may put some of those cards on top and the rest of them on the bottom.
2013-09-15 You choose how to order cards returned to your library after scrying no matter where you put them.
2013-09-15 You perform the actions stated on a card in sequence. For some spells and abilities, that means you'll scry last. For others, that means you'll scry and then perform other actions.

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