Merchant Scroll MTG Card


Merchant Scroll excels in card advantage by fetching blue instant spells, enhancing hand options. It enables resource acceleration by tutoring instants that can lead to powerful early plays. The card’s flexibility comes from instant speed play, increasing strategic response capabilities.
Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery

Text of card

Search your library for a blue instant or interrupt. Reveal that card to all players and put it into your hand. Reshuffle your library afterwards.

"There's no trade without trust." —Eron, the Relentless


Cards like Merchant Scroll

Merchant Scroll serves as a reliable tutor for blue spells in Magic: The Gathering, echoing the functionalities of other classic search cards. For comparison, Mystical Tutor stands out with its lower cost and broader search spectrum, permitting instant or sorcery retrieval. Unlike Merchant Scroll, which requires the tutored spell to be blue and is limited to sorceries, Mystical Tutor offers the flexibility to choose from the whole instant and sorcery palette.

Closely related in this conversation is Tutors like Personal Tutor exhibits the same color restriction as Merchant Scroll, honing in on just sorceries, though its catalog isn’t constrained by color. While Merchant Scroll exercises dominance in blue-centered decks, Personal Tutor might provide strategic advantage in scenarios requiring immediate access to key spells, regardless of color. Then there is Fabricate, another choice that sacrifices the color-specific searching for the ability to draw artifacts instead of spells, illustrating the diversified nature of tutoring within MTG.

In essence, Merchant Scroll shines as a specialized tool for blue mages. It stands its ground among MTG’s assortment of tutors through its affinity with blue, offering a reliable path to securing game-changing sorceries.

Mystical Tutor - MTG Card versions
Personal Tutor - MTG Card versions
Fabricate - MTG Card versions
Mystical Tutor - MTG Card versions
Personal Tutor - MTG Card versions
Fabricate - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Merchant Scroll by color, type and mana cost

Time Walk - MTG Card versions
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Wind Sail - MTG Card versions
Mana Vapors - MTG Card versions
Turbulent Dreams - MTG Card versions
Quiet Speculation - MTG Card versions
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See the Truth - MTG Card versions
Fae of Wishes // Granted - MTG Card versions
Maddening Cacophony - MTG Card versions
Silver Scrutiny - MTG Card versions
Reshape - MTG Card versions
Eye of Nowhere - MTG Card versions
Train of Thought - MTG Card versions
Skyscribing - MTG Card versions
Time Walk - MTG Card versions
Braingeyser - MTG Card versions
Drain Power - MTG Card versions
Transmute Artifact - MTG Card versions
Forget - MTG Card versions
Piracy - MTG Card versions
Strategic Planning - MTG Card versions
Wind Sail - MTG Card versions
Mana Vapors - MTG Card versions
Turbulent Dreams - MTG Card versions
Quiet Speculation - MTG Card versions
Muse Vortex - MTG Card versions
See the Truth - MTG Card versions
Fae of Wishes // Granted - MTG Card versions
Maddening Cacophony - MTG Card versions
Silver Scrutiny - MTG Card versions
Reshape - MTG Card versions
Eye of Nowhere - MTG Card versions
Train of Thought - MTG Card versions
Skyscribing - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Merchant Scroll. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Grixis Underworld BreachGrixis Underworld Breach VintageUnderworld BreachVintage Qualifier 2024-05-05
Lurrus SagaLurrus Saga VintageLurrus SagaVintage Challenge 32 2024-05-05
Oath of DruidsOath of Druids VintageOath of DruidsVintage Challenge 32 2024-05-12
4c Tempo4c Tempo VintageBlue TempoVintage Challenge 32 2024-05-05
Turbo VaultTurbo Vault VintageTurbo VaultVintage Challenge 32 2024-05-11
Esper TempoEsper Tempo VintageBlue TempoVintage League 2024-05-06
Paradoxical OutcomeParadoxical Outcome VintageParadoxical OutcomeVintage Qualifier 2024-05-05
Lurrus DeathriteLurrus Deathrite VintageLurrus DeathriteVintage Challenge 32 2024-05-10
FamiliarsFamiliars PauperFamiliarsPauper League 2024-05-06
WUGWUG PauperPauper Challenge 64 2024-05-05

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Merchant Scroll is a fantastic tool for spell-slinging decks aiming to gain a strategic upper hand. By searching for a blue instant card, it effectively extends your hand, allowing you more options and better response tactics during gameplay. This can be pivotal for maintaining the momentum, or turning the tides when you’re in a pinch.

Resource Acceleration: While Merchant Scroll doesn’t directly produce mana or tokens, its true power in resource acceleration lies in its ability to fetch key instant cards that can generate resources or alter the state of play. This can lead to a domino effect, setting up powerful plays earlier than normally possible.

Instant Speed: The ability to tutor an instant card from your deck harnesses the immense value of playing on your opponent’s turn. Whether you’re in need of a counter, a bounce, or a surprise factor to swing the board, Merchant Scroll works seamlessly within the strategic depth that instant-speed spells can provide, keeping your opponents guessing and your plays flexible.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: With Merchant Scroll, there is no direct discard involved, but this means deck builders need to be acutely aware of card advantage. Using it to fetch a non-impactful spell could indirectly lead to disadvantage in long games.

Specific Mana Cost: Being a blue spell, Merchant Scroll requires a specific mana alignment, rendering it unusable in mono-colored decks not running blue or in mana bases that can’t reliably produce blue mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although fetching a blue instant might sound efficient, the two mana investment puts Merchant Scroll at a higher bracket. Considering that most low-cost and effective instants lie at one or two mana, the sorcery speed of this card could be too slow against fast-paced decks.


Reasons to Include Merchant Scroll in Your Collection

Versatility: Merchant Scroll offers the flexibility to search your library for a blue instant card, which can be tailored to fit a wide array of strategies whether you need a counterspell, draw, or any specific instant to address the board state.

Combo Potential: This card can be a key piece in assembling combos by fetching crucial instant spells that can lead to a game-winning sequence, particularly in decks that revolve around spell-based synergies.

Meta-Relevance: In formats where blue control or combo decks are prevalent, Merchant Scroll’s ability to consistently access the right answers or threats makes it a potent tool that adapts well with the evolving meta.


How to beat

Merchant Scroll serves as a tactical asset in MTG, providing players with the ability to fetch key blue instant spells directly into the hand. This card shines for its precision in sculpting a player’s strategy, much like Mystical Tutor, but with a focus solely on blue instants. To effectively counter Merchant Scroll, disrupting your opponent’s hand and library manipulation is essential. Strategic use of cards like Thoughtseize to extract crucial spells before they can be fetched or employing Grafdigger’s Cage to prevent spells from being cast from the library can significantly diminish Merchant Scroll’s value.

It’s also worth considering the tempo loss your opponent faces when utilizing Merchant Scroll. They invest mana and a turn to set up future plays, which provides an opening for you to further your board state and apply pressure. Prioritize advancing your board presence to challenge them and potentially outpace the advantage they seek. By understanding the mechanics and timing of Merchant Scroll, adept players can turn the tides, ensuring that its inclusion becomes more of a hindrance than a help to the opponent.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Merchant Scroll MTG card by a specific set like Homelands and Magic Online Promos, 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 Merchant Scroll and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Merchant Scroll Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 1995-10-01 and 2018-01-01. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11995-10-01HomelandsHML 331993NormalBlackLiz Danforth
22002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 680552003NormalBlackScott Murphy
32003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 912003NormalWhiteDavid Martin
42003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 91★2003NormalBlackDavid Martin
52018-01-01Judge Gift Cards 2018J18 12015NormalBlackScott Murphy

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Merchant Scroll has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageRestricted
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Merchant Scroll 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 Because the “search” requires you to find a card with certain characteristics, you don’t have to find the card if you don’t want to.