| name | card-finder |
| description | Find Magic cards for compact golden-test scenarios using existing repo goldens, curated references, and Scryfall search recipes. |
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
-
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.
-
If the mechanic is not covered there, run the helper script:
uv run python -m magebench.cli.find_test_cards --list-recipes
uv run python -m magebench.cli.find_test_cards --recipe zero-mana-body
uv run python -m magebench.cli.find_test_cards --recipe trigger-prompt --filter 't:white'
uv run python -m magebench.cli.find_test_cards --query 'game:paper unique:cards function:clone is:spell mv<=4 order:cmc direction:asc'
-
Bias toward cards that reduce turns, prompts, and unrelated board text:
fast mana, zero-mana bodies, single-card setup, and deterministic triggers.
-
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.
