Kor Cartographer
Creature — Kor Scout
When this creature enters, you may search your library for a Plains card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Duel Decks: Venser vs. Koth
- Price
- $0.39
- EDHREC rank
- #3790
Kor Cartographer is a four-mana body that puts a Plains directly onto the battlefield — slow by ramp standards, but the enters-the-battlefield trigger is the whole point. In blink shells like Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward // Candlekeep Sage, where the ETB fires repeatedly, it stops being a one-shot ramp piece and starts being an engine component.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward // Candlekeep Sage
Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward // Candlekeep Sage blinks your own permanents as a core mechanic, which means Kor Cartographer's ETB fires every combat step — turning a single copy into multiple land drops across the game.
Ranar the Ever-Watchful
Ranar the Ever-Watchful rewards you for blinking and phasing, so Kor Cartographer doubles as both a ramp piece and a Spirit token generator every time it re-enters.
Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines doubles every ETB trigger, so Kor Cartographer fetches two Plains the moment it lands — paying back most of its mana cost on the spot.
Preston, the Vanisher
Preston, the Vanisher creates tokens whenever a non-token creature enters, so Kor Cartographer's arrival generates a free illusion alongside the land fetch.
Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd blinks creatures at will, and Kor Cartographer is exactly the kind of high-value ETB target that makes Phelia's ability worth activating every turn.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Kor Cartographer is a Commander card through and through — the four-mana cost is a liability in any format where games end before turn five, and there's no competitive presence in Legacy, Vintage, or Modern to speak of. In Pauper it's legal but rarely played, since the format's faster clock and lack of blink payoffs remove most of its upside. Commander is where it earns its slot: the 100-card singleton environment means Plains-fetching has real value for color fixing and ramp, and the format's creature-heavy blink strategies turn that ETB into a repeatable engine rather than a one-time effect.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.39 bulk tier
At $0.39, Kor Cartographer is bulk — no barrier to entry for any budget. Bulk ETB creatures with dedicated commander homes tend to hold this price floor indefinitely, so there's no timing consideration here; just pick it up when you need it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward // Candlekeep Sage
- Ranar the Ever-Watchful
- Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
- Preston, the Vanisher
- Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.