Oswald Fiddlebender MTG Card


Oswald offers strategic card advantage by selectively upgrading artifacts from your deck. Acts as resource acceleration, enabling earlier deployment of high-impact artifacts. The ability to tutor artifacts mid-game offers dynamic response to evolving MTG matches.
Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Creature — Gnome Artificer
Power 2
Toughness 2

Text of card

Magical Tinkering — , , Sacrifice an artifact: Search your library for an artifact card with mana value equal to 1 plus the sacrificed artifact's mana value, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle. Activate only as a sorcery.

"Can't see this airship crashing in the near future. Sturdy as a rock."


Cards like Oswald Fiddlebender

Oswald Fiddlebender makes an intriguing mark in MTG as a unique creature with an artifact-centric ability. Its closest relatives in terms of functionality include cards like Arcum Dagsson and Goblin Engineer, which facilitate artifact toolbox strategies. Oswald Fiddlebender, equipped with a Magical Tinkering ability, parallels the Arcum’s knack for tutoring artifacts straight onto the battlefield but with a refreshing twist. Instead of a straightforward tutor, Oswald demands a sacrifice to fetch the new artifact, which must have a mana value exactly one greater than the sacrificed piece.

Where Oswald stands out is in the lower casting cost compared to Arcum Dagsson, providing earlier on-board presence. Goblin Engineer, on the other hand, shares the cost-effective casting but limits retrieval to lower mana value artifacts. Oswald’s ability isn’t just restricted to small tools; it scales up, potentially fetching game-ending constructs in the later stages. Additionally, unlike Goblin Engineer’s single use ability, Oswald can be activated every turn, providing consistent utility and combo potential throughout the game.

Taking into account these comparative insights, Oswald Fiddlebender offers a balanced yet potent option for artifact-lovers, striking a harmonious blend between cost-efficiency and strategic depth in MTG deck-building.

Arcum Dagsson - MTG Card versions
Goblin Engineer - MTG Card versions
Arcum Dagsson - MTG Card versions
Goblin Engineer - MTG Card versions

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Faith Healer - MTG Card versions
Angelic Page - MTG Card versions
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Spirit Weaver - MTG Card versions
Voice of the Blessed - MTG Card versions
Stoneforge Mystic - MTG Card versions
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Silver Knight - MTG Card versions
Longbow Archer - MTG Card versions
Silverflame Squire // On Alert - MTG Card versions
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Decks using this card

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

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Turbo VaultTurbo Vault VintageTurbo VaultVintage Challenge 32 2024-04-18
PainterPainter LegacyPainterLegacy League 2024-04-22
WW ModernModern Challenge 64 2024-04-27
Mono-White PainterMono-White Painter Legacy$1K - Legacy - SCG CON Atlanta - Sunday - 9:30 am

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Oswald Fiddlebender offers a unique take on card advantage by allowing you to sift through your deck to find the perfect artifact for any situation. This ensures that you can maintain a steady flow of useful cards to outmaneuver opponents.

Resource Acceleration: By trading up artifacts each turn, Oswald Fiddlebender acts as a form of resource acceleration. This enables players to deploy more powerful artifacts much earlier than usual, effectively ramping up their board state in the mid to late game.

Instant Speed: While Oswald Fiddlebender himself doesn’t operate at instant speed, his ability to tutor an artifact from the deck and put it directly onto the battlefield can be done on your turn, allowing you to remain flexible and responsive to the evolving game state. This strategic maneuverability is a subtle but powerful tool in any player’s arsenal.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Oswald Fiddlebender asks players to sacrifice an artifact, which could be a critical component of your strategy that you’re not prepared to give up. It might force you to choose between maintaining board presence or advancing your game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: With a mana cost that includes both generic and white mana, Oswald Fiddlebender requires players to tap into a specific color, potentially restricting its compatibility with multi-colored or colorless artifact-centric decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing three mana to cast, Oswald Fiddlebender can feel somewhat costly, especially considering its ability also requires an additional sacrifice of an artifact. There may be alternative, lower-cost cards that facilitate artifact tutoring or recursion without such a steep upfront investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Oswald Fiddlebender’s ability to upgrade artifacts adds a unique layer of flexibility to your deck. This gnome artificer can be a game-changer across various artifact-centric builds, enabling on-the-fly adaptation to the board state.

Combo Potential: With Oswald Fiddlebender, the combinations you can pull off are near limitless. This card opens up avenues to infinite combo possibilities, making it a lynchpin in many winning strategies that revolve around artifacts.

Meta-Relevance: As the meta shifts and artifact strategies become more prevalent, having Oswald in your collection can pay off. His utility in fine-tuning your board to match the pace of the game makes him a solid inclusion in the ever-changing MTG landscape.


How to beat

Oswald Fiddlebender from Magic: The Gathering functions as a powerful tool in artifact-focused decks, known for his ability to creatively transform one artifact into another. This recurring effect, while being part of a deploy-and-upgrade strategy, can make him quite the adversary to face on the battlefield. To effectively counter this crafty gnome artificer, a key strategy is to disrupt the synergy he provides.

One approach is to keep instant-speed removal spells ready. Targeting Oswald Fiddlebender before he activates his ability will limit the opponent’s ability to upgrade their artifacts, ensuring they don’t pull ahead in terms of powerful board presence. Another strategy involves graveyard disruption to hinder the artifacts from returning to play. Cards like Tormod’s Crypt can exile artifacts from the graveyard, yielding his ability less effective. Moreover, enforcing artifact hate cards, such as Stony Silence or Vandalblast, can significantly reduce the overall impact of artifact-based strategies, leaving Oswald without valuable resources to exploit.

Understanding the tempo and the mechanics around artifacts in MTG is crucial when facing Oswald Fiddlebender. By deploying these strategies, you can ensure your opponent’s upgrades fizzle out, keeping you in control of the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Oswald Fiddlebender is a remarkable addition to any MTG player’s arsenal, especially for those who revel in the art of artifact manipulation. His ability to upgrade artifacts ensures your deck remains versatile and reactive. If you’re drawn to strategies that allow for resource acceleration and tactical flexibility, consider incorporating Oswald into your setup. As the game evolves, adapting your approach to include innovative cards like Oswald Fiddlebender could be key to outsmarting opponents. Dive deeper with us to understand how to maximize his potential and construct a deck that not only performs but consistently surprises and overcomes the opposition.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Oswald Fiddlebender MTG card by a specific set like Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Promos and Adventures in the Forgotten Realms 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 Oswald Fiddlebender and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Oswald Fiddlebender Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-07-23 and 2021-07-23. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-07-23Adventures in the Forgotten Realms PromosPAFR 28s2015NormalBlackSteven Belledin
22021-07-23Adventures in the Forgotten Realms PromosPAFR 28a2015NormalBlackSteven Belledin
32021-07-23Adventures in the Forgotten RealmsAFR 3042015NormalBlackPhil Stone
42021-07-23Adventures in the Forgotten RealmsAFR 282015NormalBlackSteven Belledin
52021-07-23Adventures in the Forgotten Realms PromosPAFR 28p2015NormalBlackSteven Belledin

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Oswald Fiddlebender has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2021-07-23 A token has a mana value of 0 unless it's copying something else.
2021-07-23 An artifact's mana value is determined solely by the mana symbols printed in its upper right corner (unless that artifact is copying something else; see below). If its mana cost includes , X is considered to be 0. If it has no mana symbols in its upper right corner (because it's an animated land that's also an artifact, for example), its mana value is 0. Ignore any alternative costs or additional costs (such as kicker) paid when the artifact spell was cast.
2021-07-23 If an artifact is copying something else, its mana value is the mana value of whatever it's copying.