By Gnome Means MTG Card
Key Takeaways
- Token generation and instant speed activation of By Gnome Means can significantly bolster your board presence.
- Discarding to activate and its specific mana cost may pose deck-building restrictions and resource management dilemmas.
- Its unique nature and synergies make it a strategic choice for decks focusing on artifact and counter mechanics.
Text of card
, Remove a counter from a permanent you control: Create a 1/1 colorless Gnome artifact creature token. , Sacrifice an artifact: Choose any kind of counter a printed card refers to, then put one of that counter on target permanent.
There's no race like gnome.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: By Gnome Means allows you to create token copies of artifacts or creatures, essentially producing additional cards on the field which contributes positively to your card advantage.
Resource Acceleration: This card gives you the ability to untap all artifacts you control under certain conditions. It acts as a powerful resource acceleration tool, giving you the potential to generate considerable mana in one turn.
Instant Speed: While By Gnome Means is not an instant itself, it can create token copies at instant speed if you meet its conditions during your opponent’s turn, keeping your strategy flexible and responsive.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The By Gnome Means card requires you to discard a card to activate its ability. This can set you back in card advantage, particularly if you’re already struggling to maintain a healthy hand size during the game. In some scenarios, the cost of discarding might outweigh the benefits received from the card’s activation.
Specific Mana Cost: By Gnome Means has a mana cost that requires a mix of colorless and green mana. This specific requirement makes it somewhat restrictive as it best fits into a deck that’s based around green mana sources. Should your deck not support green mana efficiently, you might find this card sitting idle in your hand.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: At three mana, one of which is green, By Gnome Means might not always provide the most cost-effective way to achieve its effect. For decks that emphasize speed or have a lean mana curve, dedicating three mana to this card could potentially slow you down compared to other options that might fulfill a similar role for less.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: By Gnome Means offers numerous flexible options to player decks looking for quirky, yet effective, means to gain an edge. With the ability to create a Gnome artifact creature token, it can serve various roles, adapting to the immediate needs of the battlefield or your long-term game plan.
Combo Potential: The card possesses an inherent synergy with cards that interact with artifacts or benefit from creature tokens. It can be used to fuel engines that thrive on the sheer number of artifacts or creatures you control, making it a sleeper hit for inventive combo-driven players.
Meta-Relevance: Given its ability to churn out artifact tokens, By Gnome Means can become increasingly relevant in metas where artifacts are crucial. Its utility in decks that exploit such mechanics means it can be a strategic fit against various popular deck archetypes, making it a worthwhile addition for those aiming to stay ahead of the curve.
How to beat
‘By Gnome Means’ is a unique card that allows players to seamlessly manipulate the power of creatures. Its intriguing mechanic involves removing gnome counters to essentially power up creatures or generate mana, granting a user a tactical advantage. Successfully overcoming ‘By Gnome Means’ requires a strategy that disrupts this counter-play synergy.
One effective way to beat ‘By Gnome Means’ is to employ removal spells that can target the card directly before the counters are used to full effect. Counterspell-based strategies can also be crucial, keeping ‘By Gnome Means’ from hitting the field in the first place. Alternatively, focusing on player aggression to swiftly reduce the opponent’s life can pressure the opponent into a defensive position, limiting their ability to use ‘By Gnome Means’ effectively.
Board control spells that can handle multiple threats at once can dismantle the advantage that ‘By Gnome Means’ offers before it becomes overwhelming. It’s all about timing and resource management – by staying one step ahead, players can prevent their opponents from fully capitalizing on the card’s benefits. Adapting a playstyle that either neutralizes or bypasses the functionality of ‘By Gnome Means’ is key to securing victory.
Cards like By Gnome Means
By Gnome Means carves out its niche within Magic: The Gathering as a quirky yet resourceful card for token and counter strategies. It’s often set side by side with cards like Mycoloth, an enduring favorite for its devour ability that exploits creatures for a mass of Saproling tokens. By Gnome Means, in contrast, eschews the high risks associated with devour, allowing for steady, albeit slower, token generation without sacrificing creatures.
Parallel to this is Animation Module, with its own brand of counter manipulation and servomech token creation. It’s a one-drop artifact that synergizes with +1/+1 counters, but is limited compared to the broad token-generating capabilities and resource conversion By Gnome Means offers. Additionally, we have Jiang Yanggu, Wildcrafter, which shares the counter-centric theme and assists in mana ramping, though it lacks the direct token production By Gnome Means provides.
While these alternatives each present their own strengths, By Gnome Means stands out with its ability to consistently build an in-game presence and convert resources, making it a valued addition to decks that thrive on token generation and counter mechanics.
Cards similar to By Gnome Means by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase By Gnome Means MTG card by a specific set like Unstable and The List (Unfinity Foil Edition), 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 By Gnome Means 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 By Gnome Means Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2017-12-08 and 2022-10-07. Illustrated by Sean Murray.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017-12-08 | Unstable | UST | 4 | 2015 | Normal | Silver | Sean Murray | |
| 2 | 2022-10-07 | The List (Unfinity Foil Edition) | ULST | 1 | 2015 | Normal | Silver | Sean Murray |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering By Gnome Means card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2018-01-19 | You can put any established kind of counter on any permanent using the last ability. If that counter has no mechanical relevance, it’s still put on the creature. For example, you can put a loyalty counter on a creature this way. The loyalty counter won’t do anything, but who knows? The creature might one day become a planeswalker, and then it will. Dream big! |