Card Finder

Card Finder

Use this when the task is "find the right Magic cards for a test" rather than "write the golden itself."

Read only what you need:

• references/golden-test-cards.md for repo-proven cards and query patterns

Workflow

1. Start with the curated reference. It is intentionally biased toward reusable, general-purpose test cards, not every niche card that happens to appear in a current golden.

2. If the mechanic is not covered there, run the helper script:

   uv run python scripts/find_test_cards.py --list-recipes
   uv run python scripts/find_test_cards.py --recipe zero-mana-body
   uv run python scripts/find_test_cards.py --recipe trigger-prompt --filter 't:white'
   uv run python scripts/find_test_cards.py --query 'game:paper unique:cards function:clone is:spell mv<=4 order:cmc direction:asc'
   

3. Bias toward cards that reduce turns, prompts, and unrelated board text: fast mana, zero-mana bodies, single-card setup, and deterministic triggers.

4. When giving recommendations, return a short list with "why this is useful in a golden" and "what noise it adds." Use existing repo goldens as evidence for what works, but do not turn the curated list into an index of one-off scenario cards.

Query Patterns

• Start most searches with game:paper unique:cards so results match paper XMage coverage and collapse duplicate printings.
• Use order:cmc direction:asc when you want the cheapest setup pieces first.
• Use function: tags for broad roles such as function:clone, function:removal, or function:counterspell.
• Use o: for Oracle text fragments, fo: when reminder text matters, and o:/.../ regex when you care about text shape such as o:/^When/.
• Use is: flags for UI-heavy cards: is:mdfc, is:split, is:transform.
• Use !"Exact Name" when you already suspect a card and want all printings or details for that exact card.

If the user is also writing a golden, hand off to golden-test after the card selection is narrowed down.