Sylvan Library (4BB #273)
Sylvan Library is a rare printing from Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB #273), a Enchantment. Illustrated by Harold McNeill.
Card text
At the beginning of your draw step, you may draw two additional cards. If you do, choose two cards in your hand drawn this turn. For each of those cards, pay 4 life or put the card on top of your library.
Details
| Mana cost | {1}{G} |
|---|---|
| Type | Enchantment |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Set | Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB) |
| Collector number | 273 |
| Artist | Harold McNeill |
| Released | 1995-04-01 |
Current price
As of 2026-10-20, Scryfall listed this printing at non-foil $104.56 (USD). Prices change constantly, so check the live price before buying.
Buy Sylvan Library on TCGplayer
Legality
| Standard | Not legal |
|---|---|
| Future Standard | Not legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Not legal |
| Modern | Not legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Pauper | Not legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Penny Dreadful | Not legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Standard Brawl | Not legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Competitive Brawl | Legal |
| Alchemy | Not legal |
| Pauper Commander | Not legal |
| Duel Commander | Legal |
| Old School | Not legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| PrEDH | Legal |
| TLR | Legal |
Keep exploring
Search the MTGBrew card database for more cards, or build a deck with the AI Deck Builder.
Rulings
- December 8, 2022 — You always perform your normal draw before this ability. The normal draw occurs before anything can be placed on the stack during a player’s draw step.
- December 8, 2022 — If you control other triggered abilities that allow you to draw cards during your draw step, you can choose to order Sylvan Library’s ability before or after those abilities. Triggered abilities controlled by other players will resolve before triggered abilities you control.
- December 8, 2022 — Any cards drawn prior to Sylvan Library’s ability resolving, including in your upkeep or in response to Sylvan Library’s triggered ability, can be chosen to be put back using this effect. Sylvan Library’s controller is responsible for keeping these cards distinguishable in hand, such as by keeping them separate from cards that began the turn in hand.
- December 8, 2022 — If you control more than one Sylvan Library, the triggered ability of each will resolve in sequence. You don’t get to draw all the cards at once and then put them all back at once.
- December 8, 2022 — You can put back zero, one, or two cards.
- December 8, 2022 — If you choose to draw two cards, then replace one or more of those draws with some other effect, the rest of Sylvan Library’s ability still happens. If you’ve actually drawn only one card that turn, you must choose that card and either pay 4 life or put it on top of your library. If you haven’t actually drawn any cards that turn, the rest of the ability has no effect.
- December 8, 2022 — It’s not possible to take any actions between drawing the cards and choosing two cards. You can’t cast the cards you drew to avoid having two cards to choose.
Decks that play it
Decks built with the MTGBrew AI Deck Builder that include Sylvan Library:
- Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar — Control Commander Deck — Commander · Commander: Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar
Other printings of Sylvan Library
Every MTGBrew page for another printing of Sylvan Library:
- Sylvan Library (4ED #273)
- Sylvan Library (5ED #329)
- Sylvan Library (CC1 #5)
- Sylvan Library (CM1 #17)
- Sylvan Library (DMR #179)
- Sylvan Library (DMR #350)
- Sylvan Library (DMR #441)
- Sylvan Library (EMA #187)
More cards from Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border
Other cards in Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border on MTGBrew: