Intrepid Paleontologist

Intrepid Paleontologist card image

Intrepid Paleontologist: Creature - Human Druid, The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. Tap: Add one mana of any color. Prices and printings on Mana Grove.

Mana cost
{1}{G}
Mana value
2
Type
Creature - Human Druid
Colour identity
Green (G)
Power / toughness
2/2
Rarity
Rare
Set
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan (LCI)
Released
2023-11-17
Collector number
193
Artist
Irina Nordsol
Commander rank
5,835 (by how often it appears in Commander decks)

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About Intrepid Paleontologist

Intrepid Paleontologist is a Magic: The Gathering card, a rare green creature from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan (LCI), an expansion set released in November 2023. It is collector number 193 in that set, with art by Irina Nordsol. It costs {1}{G} (one generic and one green mana) to cast, for a mana value of 2. It is a 2/2 creature. Its colour identity is green. It is legal in Standard, Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Commander, Duel Commander, Oathbreaker, Brawl, Standard Brawl, Historic, Timeless, Gladiator and Penny Dreadful. It has been printed in 2 sets. The latest aggregated market price for this printing is $0.42 (normal finish, as of 2026-11-13).

Card text

{T}: Add one mana of any color.

{2}: Exile target card from a graveyard.

You may cast Dinosaur creature spells from among cards you own exiled with this creature. If you cast a spell this way, that creature enters with a finality counter on it. (If a creature with a finality counter on it would die, exile it instead.)

Market price

Latest aggregated market price for the normal finish of this printing: $0.42 (as of 2026-11-13).

The figure covers this printing only; other printings carry their own price on their own page.

Format legality

Legality of Intrepid Paleontologist by format. Formats in which it is not legal are not listed.

StandardLegal
PioneerLegal
ModernLegal
LegacyLegal
VintageLegal
CommanderLegal
Duel CommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
BrawlLegal
Standard BrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
TimelessLegal
GladiatorLegal
Penny DreadfulLegal

Other printings of Intrepid Paleontologist

Intrepid Paleontologist has been printed in 2 sets. The other printings are listed newest first, with the rarity and release year of each.

PrintingRarityYear
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan (LCI) #381Rare2023
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Promos (PLCI) #193pRare2023
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Promos (PLCI) #193sRare2023

Official rulings

Six official rulings apply to Intrepid Paleontologist, newest first.

  • Intrepid Paleontologist must be under your control in order to start casting a Dinosaur creature spell using its last ability, but it doesn't need to stay under your control throughout that process or be under your control as the spell resolves. If, for example, you sacrifice Intrepid Paleontologist to pay an additional cost of the spell or it's destroyed in response, the spell will still resolve normally.
  • Finality counters aren't keyword counters, and a finality counter doesn't give any abilities to the permanent it's on. If that permanent loses its abilities and then would go to a graveyard, it will still be exiled instead.
  • Multiple finality counters on a single permanent are redundant.
  • Finality counters don't stop permanents from going to zones other than the graveyard from the battlefield. For example, if a permanent with a finality counter on it would be put into its owner's hand from the battlefield, it does so normally.
  • Finality counters work on any permanent, not only creatures. If a permanent with a finality counter on it would be put into a graveyard from the battlefield, exile it instead.
  • You must still pay all costs and follow any timing restrictions and permissions for Dinosaur creature spells you cast from exile this way. Normally, you'll be able to cast them only during your main phase while the stack is empty.

Similar cards

Other creature cards with a green colour identity, ranked by how often they appear in Commander decks.

In these card lists

These card lists include Intrepid Paleontologist.

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