Finders, Keepers: Statistical Power vs Similar MTG Cards

In TCG ·

Finders, Keepers MTG card art from Unstable

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Finders, Keepers: Statistical Power vs Similar MTG Cards

When you’re jockeying for advantage in a game that rewards tempo, board presence, and a dash of chaos, a card like Finders, Keepers becomes a fascinating case study in statistical power. This six-mana black spell from Unstable does something deceptively simple: Destroy target creature, then assemble a Contraption. On the surface, that’s two distinct actions—kill a blocker and start stacking up a novelty engine. But the real magic is in how those two effects interact to tilt the EV (expected value) of the game in your favor over time 🧙‍♂️🔥. It’s the kind of card that invites you to think in two timeframes: the immediate impact of removal and the longer-term payoff from contraptions assembling on your sprockets 🎲.

Let’s anchor this to the card’s core data. Finders, Keepers costs {5}{B}, a total of six mana with a black devotion that hints at its mid-to-late-game leaning. It’s an Unstable card—silver bordered, playful, and designed to mix strategy with humor. The oracle text is crisp: “Destroy target creature, then assemble a Contraption. (Put the top card of your Contraption deck face up onto one of your sprockets.)” That “Assemble” keyword is the probabilistic core of its power. Each time you assemble, you’re nudging a little more of your plan onto the battlefield, and the contraption deck is essentially a curated toolkit in motion, offering incremental advantages rather than a single, immediate payoff 🔧💎.

“The S.N.E.A.K. Code clearly permits looting corpses for parts. That just meant Agent 47.3 had to make sure her target was dead first.”

In practice, Finders, Keepers plays as a robust removal spell with a built-in engine. The immediate effect—taking out a blocker or a threat—gives you tempo against an aggressive foe. The follow-up, assembling a Contraption, is where the statistical whisper becomes a roar. Each top-card reveal onto a sprocket can rotate into a broader engine: draw power, card filtering, value generation, or even a surprise protector in the form of a later contraption. The artifact-subtheme of Contraptions matters here as well: predictable growth, incremental upside, and a little chaos baked into the dish. For casual and kitchen-table play, that blend feels like a steady, satisfying accrual of power with a wink of whimsy 🧙‍♂️🎨.

Comparing the numbers: how Finders, Keepers stacks up against similar plays

  • Direct removal costs and tempo: A six-mana spell is not a curve-stepper in most formats, but black has a long history of high-impact removals that punish early aggression. Finders, Keepers buys you a removal tempo play on the spot and buys you a window to set up contraptions. The immediate payoff is clear: you neutralize a blocker or threat; the signal you send is that you’re not going quiet any time soon 🔥.
  • Long-term value via Contraptions: The real “statistical edge” sits in the possibility that the top card revealed onto a sprocket is a contraption with lasting impact—life gain, draw, protection, or another form of card advantage. The more you deploy contraptions over the next turns, the greater the cumulative value, which shifts the EV calculation in your favor as the game wears on 🧠⚙️.
  • Risk profile in a silver-bordered world: Being from Unstable, it’s a card that shines in casual and fun formats where players embrace the wacky engine stuff. The risk is that in more serious formats, the card’s slow tempo and wild potential can feel unpredictable. If your deck is tuned to push value through contraptions, the payoff is a two-step advantage: remove immediacy, then retrofit long-term inevitability with a growing contraption matrix 🔗.
  • Deck-building implications: To maximize Finders, Keepers, you’ll want to lean into a Contraption deck that benefits from a steady stream of small, incremental upgrades. Favor contraptions that provide consistent upside—cards that draw, filter, or add resilience—as you reveal more sprockets. If your plan drifts toward a control-leaning black shell, the card rewards you for committing to the puzzle of contraption assembly, rather than simply burying your opponent under a single decisive spell ⚔️.
  • Rarity and collectability factors: As a common foil in Unstable, Finders, Keepers isn’t a chase rare, but its quirky silhouette—two-stage payoff with a funny mechanical theme—draws collector interest in casual circles. The foil version adds a little extra shine to a multi-format casual deck, which makes it a delightful conversation piece at your next game night 💎.

For players who adore a “mathy” approach to MTG, Finders, Keepers invites you to quantify the upside of contraptions as a rolling return: every turn you don’t fall behind, every new contraption that fires, and every creature you remove all feed into a growing expectation of board control. The flavor text and the art—Mark Behm’s illustration—also remind us that MTG, at its best, is a sport of narrative as much as numbers. The card’s mechanic—assemble a Contraption—turns a straightforward removal spell into a springboard for a playful, probabilistic engine 🧙‍♂️🎲.

If you’re curious to explore more about statistical approaches to card design and how similar mechanics behave in different sets, the featured articles in our network offer a range of perspectives—from parallax precision in distant stars to variance-driven mechanics in MTG. It’s a fun mix of theory and practice that echoes Finders, Keepers’ dual nature: a clean removal on the front end, an experimental engine on the back end 🔭💫.

And if you’re setting up your next game-night toolkit, consider keeping your devices in top shape with a dependable accessory—the Slim Glossy Phone Case for iPhone 16. It’s the kind of practical gear that keeps pace with those late-night deckbuilding sessions, just as Finders, Keepers keeps pace with your contraption-building plan. The link below takes you straight to a durable, wireless-charge-ready case that travels as well as your best casual decks do 🧙‍♂️⚡

Slim Glossy Phone Case for iPhone 16 Durable Wireless Charge

More from our network

← Back to All Posts