Cartographer's Companion (LCI)

Cartographer's Companion
Casting Cost: {3}
Card Type: Artifact Creature - Gnome
Power/Toughness: 2/1
Card Text:

• When Cartographer's Companion enters the battlefield, create a Map token. (It's an artifact with "1, T, Sacrifice this artifact: Target creature you control explores. Activate only as a sorcery.")

Card Characteristics:

• Casting Cost: Requires three colorless mana to cast.
• Card Type: Artifact Creature - Gnome.

Card Abilities and Interaction:

• Map Token: Cartographer's Companion enters the battlefield with an ability that creates a Map token. The Map token can be sacrificed to explore, helping to trigger abilities that care about exploring.
• Explore Mechanic: The Map token provides an additional way to trigger explore abilities, which involve revealing the top card of your library and deciding whether to put it into your graveyard or onto the battlefield.

Deck Utility:

• Explore Strategies: Fits well in decks that benefit from the explore mechanic, providing card advantage and potentially growing creatures.
• Artifact Synergies: Works with decks that have synergies with artifacts, as Cartographer's Companion is both an artifact creature and creates an artifact token.

Flavor and Lore: The flavor of Cartographer's Companion suggests a character dedicated to navigation and exploration. The creation of Map tokens ties into the lore of navigating the Core, and the Fomori's attempt to extinguish Chimil's light adds depth to the Oltec's measures against getting lost.

Overall Impression: Cartographer's Companion is a flavorful and versatile card that supports explore strategies while contributing to artifact synergies. The combination of being an artifact creature and creating an artifact token makes it a valuable addition to decks that embrace exploration or artifact themes.