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The Motherlode, Excavator
Legendary Artifact Creature — Robot
When The Motherlode enters, choose target opponent. You get an amount of {E} (energy counters) equal to the number of nonbasic lands that player controls. Whenever The Motherlode attacks, you may pay {E}{E}{E}{E}. When you do, destroy target nonbasic land defending player controls, and creatures that player controls without flying can't block this turn.
5 / 5
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“Energy-fueled land destruction that punishes greedy mana bases.”
Midrange
Intermediate
Combat damage, Commander damage
Land Destruction, Artifact Synergies, Ramp
Strategy
The Motherlode is a unique take on land destruction and energy generation, turning your opponents' fancy mana bases into your fuel tank. When it enters, you stock up on energy equal to their nonbasic lands, and every attack lets you spend that energy to blow up their best lands while pushing through unblocked damage. This is a punishment deck that targets greedy mana-heavy opponents—especially in four-player games where everyone's running dual lands and utility lands.
Your gameplan is straightforward: ramp into The Motherlode quickly, then weaponize the energy it generates to dismantle opponents' mana production while dealing steady combat damage. You'll want other ways to generate and sink energy, plus repeatable land destruction effects or sacrifice outlets to maximize the pressure. The deck wins through attrition—grinding opponents down as their mana bases crumble—backed up by commander damage or a wider board once they're defenseless.
Strategy generated by Tapped Decks AI. Not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.
Key Synergies
Budget Build
Skip pricey fetches and utility lands; use basic Mountains and cheap alternatives like Evolving Wilds. Replace expensive tutors with Gamble or Three-Wishes for budget-friendly consistency.
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Inclusion = % of The Motherlode, Excavator decks running this card. +lift = percentage-point boost over the format average.
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Art Variants
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