Trapmaker's Snare MTG Card


Trapmaker's Snare - Zendikar
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeInstant
Released2009-10-02
Set symbol
Set nameZendikar
Set codeZEN
Number74
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byDaarken

Key Takeaways

  1. Trapmaker’s Snare finds critical trap cards, streamlining decks and enhancing strategic responses.
  2. Instant-speed use of Trapmaker’s Snare introduces unpredictability and timing advantages.
  3. Considering mana specificity is essential to integrating Trapmaker’s Snare into a deck effectively.

Text of card

Search your library for a Trap card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.

"Trapmaking is an art. The trap is a corporeal riddle, a battle of wits between its creator and whatever it lures inside."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Trapmaker’s Snare enables you to search your library for a trap card, effectively thinning your deck and putting a potentially game-changing spell directly into your hand. This movement can be pivotal in outmaneuvering your opponent by ensuring you have the right answers at the right time.

Resource Acceleration: By fetching a specific trap card, you can streamline your game plan, saving on resources you would have otherwise spent digging through your deck. This acceleration can be significant, giving you the upper hand in the resource management battle that’s often key to victory.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Trapmaker’s Snare at instant speed grants you the flexibility to react during your opponent’s turn. This surprise element can catch an adversary off guard, disrupting their strategy while you strengthen your position without sacrificing your own turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Trapmaker’s Snare can fetch a valuable trap, it doesn’t include the card in hand immediately. Players need to discard a card or otherwise meet a condition to play the obtained trap, potentially depleting resources or necessitating additional setup.

Specific Mana Cost: Trapmaker’s Snare comes with a mana cost that requires two blue mana, making it less flexible for multi-colored decks or those that run on a tight mana base. This specificity can hinder its inclusion in decks that cannot reliably produce the required blue mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring two mana to activate, Trapmaker’s Snare can be costly, especially considering that the traps it searches for often have their activation conditions or mana requirements. This can lead to a slower tempo, as players may need to wait additional turns before effectively using the card searched by Trapmaker’s Snare.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Trapmaker’s Snare is a flexible card that allows you to search for any trap card in your library. This can fit in a variety of decks that leverage specific trap cards to counter opponents’ strategies or to pull off surprising plays.

Combo Potential: This card enables intricate combos by fetching the perfect trap for any given situation, making it a linchpin in decks that rely on synergies between traps and other cards to optimize their game plan.

Meta-Relevance: Given its unique ability to search for and introduce traps into your hand, Trapmaker’s Snare can be particularly relevant in meta-games where traps can disrupt common strategies or serve as key components in control or combo decks.


How to beat

Trapmaker’s Snare is a nuanced card in the arsenal of Magic: The Gathering strategies, known for its ability to fetch any Trap card from your deck. This can be a game changer by potentially countering an opponent’s threatening creatures or pivotal spells. To effectively navigate against this card, awareness and preemption are key.

Your strategy should involve anticipation of common Traps such as Archive Trap or Mindbreak Trap. Playing minimal spells in a turn could dodge the conditions set by many Traps, reducing the Snare’s effectiveness. Consider employing instant-speed removal or counterspells to disrupt the timing and prevent your opponent from exploiting the Trap they’ve searched for. Tracking your opponents’ mana and revealed cards also can give you a clear sign when they’re setting up for a Trapmaker’s Snare play.

Successfully beating Trapmaker’s Snare often hinges on maintaining a balance between advancing your game plan and considering the potential repercussions of walking into a well-laid trap. A timely Thoughtseize or a meticulously played Pithing Needle can prove crucial in negating the exploitation of the searched Trap card, ultimately disrupting your opponent’s crafted strategy.


Cards like Trapmaker's Snare

Trapmaker’s Snare is a unique utility card from Magic: The Gathering that taps into the fascinating theme of traps. This card fetches a trap card directly into your hand, ensuring that you have the perfect response to your opponent’s next move. Its closest relative in terms of functionality is Mystical Tutor. While Mystical Tutor searches for any instant or sorcery, Trapmaker’s Snare’s niche is more specific, focusing only on trap cards, which can be a strategic advantage in the right deck.

Long-Term Plans is another card that shares some similarities with Trapmaker’s Snare by means of tutor mechanics. Long-Term Plans also puts a card on top of your library instead of into your hand, and it isn’t restricted to trap cards. This slower approach requires additional steps before you can utilize the chosen card. Lastly, Tamiyo’s Journal comes to mind, providing long-term advantage by allowing you to search for any card, albeit at a slower pace. Trapmaker’s Snare’s direct and instantaneous tutoring, specifically for traps, can be incredibly potent for setting up defenses or enabling combos.

Though each has its uses, Trapmaker’s Snare stands out in decks built around traps, offering immediate, targeted access that can catch opponents off guard. Diverse tutoring options offer MTG players a wide array of strategic choices, but Trapmaker’s Snare holds its own as a specialized tool in a deck builder’s arsenal.

Mystical Tutor - MTG Card versions
Long-Term Plans - MTG Card versions
Tamiyo's Journal - MTG Card versions
Mystical Tutor - Mirage (MIR)
Long-Term Plans - Scourge (SCG)
Tamiyo's Journal - Shadows over Innistrad (SOI)

Cards similar to Trapmaker's Snare by color, type and mana cost

Counterspell - MTG Card versions
Hurkyl's Recall - MTG Card versions
Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - MTG Card versions
Lat-Nam's Legacy - MTG Card versions
Flash - MTG Card versions
Boomerang - MTG Card versions
Rebound - MTG Card versions
Memory Lapse - MTG Card versions
Hoodwink - MTG Card versions
Tidal Bore - MTG Card versions
Accumulated Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Aether Burst - MTG Card versions
Impulse - MTG Card versions
Cyclonic Rift - MTG Card versions
Thassa's Intervention - MTG Card versions
Metamorphose - MTG Card versions
Echoing Truth - MTG Card versions
Early Frost - MTG Card versions
Mana Leak - MTG Card versions
Remand - MTG Card versions
Counterspell - Commander Masters (CMM)
Hurkyl's Recall - Antiquities (ATQ)
Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Lat-Nam's Legacy - Alliances (ALL)
Flash - Mirage (MIR)
Boomerang - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Rebound - Stronghold (STH)
Memory Lapse - Strixhaven Mystical Archive (STA)
Hoodwink - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Tidal Bore - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Accumulated Knowledge - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Aether Burst - Odyssey (ODY)
Impulse - Game Night: Free-for-All (GN3)
Cyclonic Rift - Commander Masters (CMM)
Thassa's Intervention - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Metamorphose - Scourge (SCG)
Echoing Truth - Modern Masters (MMA)
Early Frost - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Mana Leak - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Remand - Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska (DDM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Trapmaker's Snare MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar, 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 Trapmaker's Snare and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Trapmaker's Snare has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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