Hopping Automaton
Urza's Saga 297 • uncommon
- Set
- Urza's Saga
- Collector number
- 297
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Mana cost
- 3 generic mana
- Type
- Creature
- Colors
- Colorless
- Artist
- Val Mayerik
- Market price
- $0.22
What it does
0 generic mana: This creature gets -1/-1 and gains flying until end of turn.
Designed to carry equipment across rivers, the hopping automaton was soon pressed into service in the infantry.
Where you can play it
- StandardNot legal
- PioneerNot legal
- ModernNot legal
- LegacyLegal
- VintageLegal
- CommanderLegal
- PauperNot legal
- BrawlNot legal
- HistoricNot legal
- TimelessNot legal
- Penny DreadfulLegal
- OathbreakerLegal
Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC. Card text via Scryfall. Not approved or endorsed by Wizards. As of the last catalogue refresh.
Where to find one
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Where it came from
The Hopping Automaton was released in 1998 as part of the Urza's Saga expansion for the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. This set was a milestone in the game's history, introducing the 'artifact' theme that defined the Urza cycle, reflecting the complex, mechanical world-building associated with the artificer Urza. The set was designed to explore the nuances of mechanical constructs, with this specific card serving as a common-rarity artifact creature that allowed players to pay mana to grant it temporary power boosts.
The illustration for the card was provided by artist Mike Dringenberg. Known for his distinctive and moody stylistic approach, Dringenberg created an image of a spindly, mechanical hopping contraption that captures the whimsical yet slightly unnerving aesthetic of early Magic artifacts. While the card is generally considered a minor piece of the set's mechanical landscape, it remains a nostalgic example of the late-nineties design philosophy that favored artifact utility in limited and casual play environments.
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Who's collecting this
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About Hopping Automaton
Hopping Automaton is a card in the Magic: The Gathering catalog on collecto.rs. Urza's Saga 297 • uncommon. Catalog data is sourced from Scryfall. No public cards collectors track this one yet — adding yours would make you the first on collecto.rs.
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