Library of Alexandria is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
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Complete guide
Library of Alexandria is one of the most iconic utility lands in Magic: The Gathering, famously known as one of the 'Power Nine' adjacent cards. It provides incredible card advantage for players who can carefully manage their hand size during the early stages of a game. While it looks simple, the timing of its activation is the key to mastering its power.
What It Does
Library of Alexandria is a land that provides two distinct activated abilities. First, it can tap to add one colorless mana to your mana pool, functioning like a standard utility land. Its second and most famous ability allows you to tap it to draw a card, but this comes with a strict condition: you can only activate this ability if you have exactly seven cards in your hand.
How It Resolves Step by Step
To draw a card, you first check your hand size; if it is exactly seven, you may announce the activation and tap the Library. Once the ability is activated and on the stack, it no longer cares how many cards are in your hand. Even if an opponent forces you to discard or draw in response, the ability will still resolve and you will draw your card. If you have multiple copies, you can even respond to the first activation with a second one while you still have seven cards.
Common Mistakes
The most frequent error is trying to activate the ability when you have six or eight cards. The 'exactly seven' check happens only at the moment you choose to activate the ability. Another mistake is forgetting that tapping it for mana prevents you from using it to draw a card that same turn, as both abilities require tapping the land as a cost.
When to Play It
This land is most effective on the very first turn of the game, especially if you are on the draw. By not playing a spell, you maintain your hand size at seven, allowing you to draw an extra card every single turn. In later stages of the game, it requires careful sequencing of spells to return your hand count to exactly seven to 'reactivate' your card engine.
Interaction examples
Command TowerOn turn two, you have seven cards in hand. You tap Library of Alexandria to draw a card, going up to eight. You then play Command Tower as your land for the turn and cast a spell, bringing your hand back down to seven cards so the Library is ready for your next turn.
Exotic OrchardYou have seven cards in hand but need colored mana to cast a vital defensive spell. You must choose between tapping Exotic Orchard for color and Library of Alexandria for a card, or using Library of Alexandria for colorless mana. If you tap the Library for mana, you lose the opportunity to draw that turn because the land becomes tapped.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Library of Alexandria
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
You may tap multiples of these in response to each other because the requirement for 7 cards is checked only at the time the ability is announced and not again when it resolves.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Library of Alexandria
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.