Roil Cartographer 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
Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, you get(an energy counter).
, Pay six
Complete guide
Roil Cartographer is a versatile Merfolk Rogue that turns your geographical exploration into a powerful resource. By utilizing the Landfall mechanic to generate energy counters, this creature eventually rewards you with significant card advantage.
Harnessing the Roil
Roil Cartographer features a Landfall triggered ability and a powerful activated ability. Every time a land enters the battlefield under your control, you receive one energy counter {E}. Unlike mana, energy counters are stored by the player and do not disappear when phases or turns end. Once you have accumulated at least six energy counters, you can tap the Cartographer and pay those counters to draw three cards.
Step-by-Step Resolution
When a land enters the battlefield, the Landfall ability triggers and is placed on the stack. Once it resolves, you get one {E}. To use the draw ability, you must first ensure Roil Cartographer does not have summoning sickness. You activate the ability by tapping the creature and paying six energy counters as a cost. This ability goes on the stack, and when it resolves, you draw three cards. Note that paying energy is a cost; if the ability is countered, those counters are already gone.
Common Pitfalls
A common mistake is assuming energy counters function like mana. As noted in the official rulings, effects that add mana 'of any type'—such as from Ornithopter of Paradise—cannot produce energy counters. Additionally, Landfall only triggers when a land enters the battlefield; if a permanent already on the battlefield simply becomes a land, no energy is generated. Remember that energy counters are tied to you, the player, not the creature itself.
Strategic Timing
Because energy counters persist between turns, you don't have to use Roil Cartographer's draw ability immediately. You can stockpile energy from multiple land drops and wait for the most opportune moment to draw. Since the ability requires tapping, it is often best to activate it at the end of your opponent's turn, keeping the creature available for other interactions or potential blocks during their combat phase.
Interaction examples
Roil CartographerIf you have Roil Cartographer on the battlefield and play a basic Island, the Landfall ability triggers. You get one {E}. If you repeat this over six turns (or via ramp spells), you will eventually have six {E}. You can then tap Roil Cartographer to pay those six counters and draw three cards.
Ornithopter of ParadiseYou control Roil Cartographer and tap Ornithopter of Paradise to add one Blue mana. This mana cannot be used to pay for the 'Pay six {E}' cost of the Cartographer, as energy and mana are distinct resources. You must trigger Landfall six times to activate the draw ability.
Foundry InspectorWhile Foundry Inspector reduces the generic mana cost of artifact spells by {1}, it has no effect on Roil Cartographer's activated ability. The cost to draw cards is strictly {T} and six {E}. The Inspector only helps you get your artifact engines onto the field faster to support your board state while the Cartographer handles the card draw.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Roil Cartographer
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
A landfall ability triggers whenever a land you control enters for any reason. It triggers whenever you play a land, as well as whenever a spell or ability puts a land onto the battlefield under your control.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
A landfall ability doesn't trigger if a permanent already on the battlefield becomes a land.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Whenever a land you control enters, each landfall ability of the permanents you control will trigger. You can put them on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one to resolve (As a result, you can have those abilities resolve in the order of your choosing.).
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect says you get one or more
, you get that many energy counters. To pay one or more , you lose that many energy counters. You can't pay more energy counters than you have. Any effects that interact with counters a player gets, has, or loses can interact with energy counters.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Energy counters aren't mana. They don't go away as steps, phases, and turns end, and effects that add mana "of any type" can't give you energy counters.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
Some triggered abilities state that you "may pay" a certain amount of
. You can't pay that amount multiple times to multiply the effect. You simply choose whether or not to pay that amount of as the ability resolves.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast is the energy symbol. It represents one energy counter.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell or ability with one or more targets states that you "may pay" some amount of
, and each permanent that it targets has become an illegal target, the spell or ability won't resolve. You can't pay any even if you want to.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
Some spells and abilities that give you
may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. You won't get any .No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
Some triggered abilities that state that you "may pay" a certain amount of
describe an effect that happens "If you do." In that case, no player may take actions to try to stop the ability's effect after you make your choice. If the payment is followed by the phrase "When you do," then you'll choose any targets for that reflexive triggered ability and put it on the stack before players can take actions.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
Energy counters are a kind of counter that a player may have. They're not associated with any specific permanents.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #12· Wizards of the Coast
Keep track of how many energy counters each player has. Potential ways to track this include writing theme down on paper or using dice, but any method that is clear and mutually agreeable is fine. (At higher levels of tournament play, dice may not be allowed for tracking counters that players have.)
No other card is named in this ruling.
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