Heartwood Shard MTG Card


Heartwood Shard enhances deck performance by streamlining mana and card draw strategies. It’s an asset in multicolor decks but requires careful hand management due to the discard requirement. Heartwood Shard can be pivotal in competitive play for its flexibility and combo potential.
Heartwood Shard - Mirrodin
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeArtifact
Released2003-10-02
Set symbol
Set nameMirrodin
Set codeMRD
Number184
Frame2003
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byDoug Chaffee

Text of card

, or , : Target creature gains trample until end of turn.

Like all other relics, it was left on the Radix by the elves to be destroyed. Unlike all other relics, it persisted.


Cards like Heartwood Shard

Heartwood Shard enters the realm of Magic: The Gathering as a unique artifact that offers a blend of mana-fixing and card filtration. When you look at Prophetic Prism, a resemblance stands out in terms of mana conversion abilities. Nevertheless, Heartwood Shard advances beyond by permitting players to filter their draw, adding a subtle layer of strategy that Prophetic Prism lacks. Both cards aid in mana consistency but through different utilities and deck interactions.

Elsewhere in the artifact category, we encounter the likes of Manalith. Like Heartwood Shard, Manalith aids in mana generation for a diversity of deck builds. Although Manalith doesn’t provide the card-draw aspect, it straightforwardly gives players access to any color of mana with less setup. This comparison underscores that while Heartwood Shard facilitates a draw, it demands a deeper engagement for its full potential to be tapped.

Judging from its attributes, Heartwood Shard presents itself not just as a mere mana-facilitator but also as a tool for strategic deck play. Its capacity to filter a player’s deck can be invaluable, particularly in formats where card selection is crucial. This positions Heartwood Shard advantageously among artifacts that prioritize versatility in MTG.

Prophetic Prism - MTG Card versions
Manalith - MTG Card versions
Prophetic Prism - MTG Card versions
Manalith - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Heartwood Shard by color, type and mana cost

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Horn of Ramos - MTG Card versions
Chitterspitter - MTG Card versions
Scepter of Celebration - MTG Card versions
Simian Simulacrum - MTG Card versions
Evolving Door - MTG Card versions
Fractal Harness - MTG Card versions
Sequence Engine - MTG Card versions
Dodgy Jalopy - MTG Card versions
Tangleroot - MTG Card versions
Elf Replica - MTG Card versions
Weatherseed Totem - MTG Card versions
Sylvok Replica - MTG Card versions
Lifecrafter's Bestiary - MTG Card versions
Spiked Ripsaw - MTG Card versions
Webspinner Cuff - MTG Card versions
Saddle of the Cavalier - MTG Card versions
Jade Orb of Dragonkind - MTG Card versions
A-Jade Orb of Dragonkind - MTG Card versions
Bone Sabres - MTG Card versions
Vegetation Abomination - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Tapping into the strategic essence of gameplay, Heartwood Shard provides the clever advantage of filtering the top cards of your library. This shrewd move can play a pivotal role in ensuring a steady flow of resourceful cards to your hand, thereby maintaining superiority on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: Heartwood Shard is not just about gaining insight into upcoming draws, it’s also a masterclass in resource acceleration. By offering the ability to add one mana of any color to your pool, it smoothes out mana curves and propels your gameplay, swiftly catalyzing the spellcasting that could turn the tides in your favor.

Instant Speed: The brilliance of Heartwood Shard shines at instant speed, allowing for a reactive playstyle that keeps opponents on their toes. Deploy it at the end of your foe’s turn to optimize mana usage, or use its versatility to outwit and outmaneuver, responding rapidly to the evolving game state with cunning precision.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Heartwood Shard comes with the stipulation that you must discard a card. This can become a significant drawback, especially in situations where your hand is already depleted, leaving you with fewer options to react to your opponent’s moves or to follow through with your game strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Heartwood Shard demands a particular combination of mana to cast. This specific mana requirement, which includes Green, can make it a less flexible choice for decks that are not centered around Green mana or those that operate on a more varied mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite Heartwood Shard providing a blend of mana acceleration and card filtration, its initial cost might be seen as a heavy investment. When compared to other mana rocks or card draw spells available, the cost of Heartwood Shard may not appear as cost-effective, possibly making it a suboptimal choice in decks focused on ramp or card advantage.


Reasons to Include Heartwood Shard in Your Collection

Versatility: Heartwood Shard offers a unique flexibility as it can be easily slotted into multicolored decks. Its ability to filter mana makes it a valued asset for ensuring you meet the color requirements for diverse spells in your gameplay.

Combo Potential: With Heartwood Shard, there’s a significant opportunity to kickstart or enhance combos. This card can help cast combo pieces ahead of schedule or fuel abilities that require a spectrum of mana colors, thus enabling complex and potentially game-winning interactions.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where speed and consistency are key, Heartwood Shard can be the difference-maker. This card can help stabilize your mana base and keep your deck’s engine running smoothly against a variety of competitive deck archetypes.


How to Beat Heartwood Shard

Heartwood Shard is a versatile tool in the Magic: The Gathering arsenal, offering the potential to filter cards and improve mana flexibility for multicolored decks. To effectively counter this artifact, consider including artifact destruction cards in your deck. Spells such as Naturalize or Abrade offer quick and efficient ways to remove artifacts from the battlefield, neutralizing the advantages gained from Heartwood Shard. Additionally, controlling the pace and flow of the game can reduce the impact of mana-fixing artifacts. By applying pressure through aggressive creature plays or advancing your board state, the incremental benefit provided by Heartwood Shard becomes less relevant as you outpace your opponent’s setup.

Another strategic point is to anticipate the use of the filtered mana. Understanding the potential threats that could be cast using Heartwood Shard’s ability allows you to prepare suitable responses or counterspells, ensuring that the artifact’s impact on the game is minimized. Recognizing that the Shard can often be a linchpin in a multicolor strategy, being ready to dismantle that part of your opponent’s game plan can provide a substantial advantage towards securing a victory.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Heartwood Shard MTG card by a specific set like Mirrodin, 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 Heartwood Shard and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Heartwood Shard has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2004-10-04 You can pay either of the two costs (but not both at the same time) to activate the ability.