Tribute Mage MTG Card


Enables card advantage and smoothens draws by searching for specific artifacts within your deck. Enhances strategic flexibility, fetching artifacts that can operate at instant speed to outmaneuver opponents. The mage’s attributes and fetching niche solidify its role in artifact-centric and combo-driven decks.
Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human Wizard
Power 2
Toughness 2

Text of card

When Tribute Mage enters the battlefield, you may search your library for an artifact card with converted mana cost 2, reveal that card, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.


Cards like Tribute Mage

Tribute Mage is a specialized tool in the MTG arsenal, mirroring the intent of its siblings like Trinket Mage and Trophy Mage. Like its kin, Tribute Mage fetches an artifact of a specific mana cost from your deck – in this case, a two-cost artifact straight into your hand. This preciseness allows for strategic deck building, enabling players to reliably pull out key pieces of their combo or control tools.

While Trinket Mage searches for an artifact card with a mana cost of one or less, giving access to numerous low-cost, but potentially game-altering pieces, Trophy Mage is on the hunt for artifacts with a mana cost of three, which often are the heavy hitters pivotal to turning the tides of the game. Tribute Mage fits snugly in the middle, targeting the often-overlooked two-cost artifacts that can provide a balanced mixer of utility or ramp.

All in all, Tribute Mage shines in decks tailored to exploit the two-cost niche, offering a consistency that can be critically important. By focusing on this middle ground, it caps out as a treasured fixture in any MTG player’s deck that values precision and specific synergies over broader artifact fetching.

Trinket Mage - MTG Card versions
Trophy Mage - MTG Card versions
Trinket Mage - MTG Card versions
Trophy Mage - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Tribute Mage by color, type and mana cost

Wall of Water - MTG Card versions
Prodigal Sorcerer - MTG Card versions
Apprentice Wizard - MTG Card versions
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Time Elemental - MTG Card versions
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Stronghold Biologist - MTG Card versions
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Phantom Warrior - MTG Card versions
Wormfang Drake - MTG Card versions
Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - MTG Card versions
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro - MTG Card versions
Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar - MTG Card versions
Queen of Ice // Rage of Winter - MTG Card versions
Wall of Water - MTG Card versions
Prodigal Sorcerer - MTG Card versions
Apprentice Wizard - MTG Card versions
Homarid - MTG Card versions
Wall of Air - MTG Card versions
Daring Apprentice - MTG Card versions
Time Elemental - MTG Card versions
Reef Pirates - MTG Card versions
Rootwater Shaman - MTG Card versions
Wind Drake - MTG Card versions
Volrath's Shapeshifter - MTG Card versions
Clam Session - MTG Card versions
Stronghold Biologist - MTG Card versions
Quicksilver Wall - MTG Card versions
Phantom Warrior - MTG Card versions
Wormfang Drake - MTG Card versions
Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - MTG Card versions
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro - MTG Card versions
Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar - MTG Card versions
Queen of Ice // Rage of Winter - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

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

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Urza ThopterSwordUrza ThopterSword ModernThopter Combo2024 Hunter Burton Memorial Open
Thopter ComboThopter Combo ModernThopter ComboModern League 2024-03-13
Mono-Blue ControlMono-Blue Control Legacy1 LPL OPEN - SEASON V - Liga Paulista Legacy

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Tribute Mage has a potent ability to search your library for an artifact card with a specific mana cost, smoothing out your draws and increasing your chances of finding key pieces for your strategy.

Resource Acceleration: By tutoring for artifacts that can ramp or generate value, Tribute Mage can accelerate your game plan, ensuring that you’re one step ahead of your opponent.

Instant Speed: While Tribute Mage itself is not at instant speed, the artifacts it fetches might be, granting you the flexibility to respond to threats or capitalize on windows of opportunity during your opponent’s turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Tribute Mage offers a useful tutoring ability, it does necessitate that you have a particular card type to maximize its effect. This card specificity could lead to a disadvantage if your hand lacks diversity, forcing discard decisions that could deplete valuable resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Tribute Mage comes with a mana cost that includes blue mana, which may hinder its inclusion in multicolor decks that are not focused around blue mana or those that have a tight mana base. Players must consider their deck’s mana flexibility before integrating this utility creature.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Tribute Mage has a casting cost of three mana which may be considered steep when evaluated against other creature cards that fetch items from the library. Its cost to power and toughness ratio might also make it less attractive in terms of battlefield presence when compared against more efficient creature options available at a lower mana value.


Reasons to Include Tribute Mage in Your Collection

Versatility: Tribute Mage is a unique addition to any collection due to its ability to search for and put directly into your hand any two mana artifacts, fitting perfectly in artifact-centric or blue-based combo decks.

Combo Potential: This mage can be pivotal in assembling combo pieces, such as connecting you with key artifacts like ‘Isochron Scepter’ or ‘Winter Orb’, enabling or enhancing intricate combos to outmaneuver opponents.

Meta-Relevance: Given the fluctuating nature of the meta, Tribute Mage remains relevant by providing access to sideboard silver bullets or mainboard essentials with surgical precision, ensuring your strategy stays on the cutting edge.


How to beat

Tribute Mage is an intriguing creature card that faces players in Magic: The Gathering. This resourceful card can fetch essential artifacts from your deck, with a particular focus on those with a mana cost of exactly two. To tackle the advantage provided by Tribute Mage, having a strategy to either counter it or dispose of the artifacts it retrieves is crucial.

Controlling the board is fundamental. Employing removal spells like Fatal Push or Abrupt Decay can effectively deal with Tribute Mage before its ability triggers. Alternatively, employing counterspells such as Counterspell or Mana Leak can prevent Tribute Mage from ever entering the battlefield. If the artifacts it searched are already in play, cards like Shatter or Nature’s Claim allow players to destroy these artifacts directly, mitigating any long-term value they might give your opponent.

Understanding the timing and knowing the key targets in your opponent’s deck is essential. Disrupting their strategy by anticipating and neutralizing critical threats will elevate your gameplay, ensuring that the Tribute Mage and its sought artifacts become less of a game-changer and more of a minor hurdle in your path to victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering your MTG deck can often hinge on the strategic use of cards like Tribute Mage. Its ability to tutor specific artifacts directly into your hand makes it a game-changer. Are you striving to refine your deck’s efficiency or enhance your combo plays? Tribute Mage might just be the keystone you need. Artifacts fetched by it can be pivotal in generating the advantage necessary to outpace opponents. We encourage you to explore the full potential of this card within your decks. Embark on a deeper exploration into MTG strategy with us and elevate your game today.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tribute Mage MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Modern Horizons, 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 Tribute Mage and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Tribute Mage Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2019-06-14 and 2021-06-18. Illustrated by Scott Murphy.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 912491997NormalBlackScott Murphy
22019-06-14Modern HorizonsMH1 732015NormalBlackScott Murphy
32020-09-26The ListPLST MH1-732015NormalBlackScott Murphy
42021-06-18Modern Horizons 1 TimeshiftsH1R 101997NormalBlackScott Murphy

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Tribute Mage has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2019-06-14 If a card in your library has X in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.