Temple Altisaur MTG Card


Temple Altisaur excels in maintaining board presence, protecting other dinosaurs from damage efficiently. While its sorcery speed is a limit, the passive defense it offers doesn’t cost extra mana, enhancing flexibility. The card’s high mana cost and color specificity may limit early game plays and deck versatility.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Dinosaur
Power 3
Toughness 4

Text of card

If a source would deal damage to another Dinosaur you control, prevent all but 1 of that damage.

"Kinjalli sculpted humans from clay, but the dinosaurs were carved from unyielding stone." —Itzama the Crested


Cards like Temple Altisaur

Temple Altisaur stands as a durable dinosaur defender in Magic: The Gathering decks that favor prehistoric powerhouses. This card uniquely shines in its ability to redirect damage from other dinosaurs you control to itself, ultimately reducing that damage to 1. It’s often compared to the likes of Kinjalli’s Sunwing, which, while not phylogenetically identical, fulfills a similar role in dinosaur tribal decks by handicapping opponents’ creatures and slowing enemy tactics.

Further into the Jurassic jungle, cards like Bellowing Aegisaur share thematic kinship with Temple Altisaur, boasting synergy within Dinosaur decks by spreading +1/+1 counters among your creatures whenever it takes damage. Neither dino is a direct damage sponge like Temple Altisaur, but they collectively contribute to a mighty scaled strategy. When it comes to preserving the board state and sheltering other creatures from annihilation, Temple Altisaur outclasses many by serving as a preeminent guardian.

When pinpointing the advantages of Temple Altisaur among its reptilian relatives, its unique damage control mechanism provides a substantial strategic edge, fostering an environment where your mighty creatures can thrive against adverse conditions and make for an imposing presence on the battlefield.

Kinjalli's Sunwing - MTG Card versions
Bellowing Aegisaur - MTG Card versions
Kinjalli's Sunwing - MTG Card versions
Bellowing Aegisaur - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Temple Altisaur may not draw cards directly but can be pivotal in sustaining presence on the battlefield. By potentially preventing damage to other Dinosaurs, it helps retain your creatures, effectively protecting the card advantage you’ve already established.

Resource Acceleration: While Temple Altisaur itself doesn’t accelerate resources in the traditional sense, its protective ability can indirectly lead to mana savings by mitigating the need for additional spells or creatures to defend your board state. This can leave your mana available for further plays and acceleration in your turn.

Instant Speed: While Temple Altisaur operates at sorcery speed as a creature, its defensive capability is always active. This constant protection can be considered akin to having an instant on the board that doesn’t require additional mana to be spent, allowing strategic flexibility during each game phase.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Temple Altisaur provides significant survivability for other dinosaurs, it doesn’t have a built-in way to protect itself. This might require you to discard additional protection spells from your hand to keep it on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: Temple Altisaur demands both white and generic mana, totaling five mana. Its color specificity means it predominantly supports dinosaur decks with a white color scheme which could be restrictive for multicolor or theme-based decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a five-mana cost, including two white mana, playing Temple Altisaur might pose a challenge in the early game. As deck builders often seek more aggressive or versatile plays, the mana investment in Temple Altisaur can be significant when compared to lower-cost creatures with impactful abilities.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Temple Altisaur offers a unique layer of defense to decks that hinge on dinosaur creatures. Its ability to redirect damage from other dinos ensures it can fit into any dino-themed deck seeking to preserve its board presence against damage-based removal.

Combo Potential: The card pairs well with effects that prevent damage to itself, allowing a sustainable dino board. Pairing it with cards like “Make a Stand” can provide an invincible wall during critical turns, elevating your strategic plays.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta filled with sweepers and damage-based removal, Temple Altisaur shines by mitigating the potency of these commonly played cards, thus protecting your key creatures and keeping your offensive line intact.


How to beat

In the vast world of Magic: The Gathering, strategizing against specific cards is key, and Temple Altisaur is no exception. This unique dinosaur reduces the damage that other dinosaurs you control would take by all but 1 damage, providing substantial resilience to your opponent’s dinosaur deck. One effective approach is to utilize spells that either don’t deal damage or deal so much damage that the Temple Altisaur’s ability becomes irrelevant. This includes board wipes like Wrath of God or targeted removal such as Path to Exile, which can exile the Altisaur without dealing damage.

Moreover, leveraging the power of -X/-X effects can be incredibly potent. These effects, like Toxic Deluge or Mutilate, can circumvent Temple Altisaur’s protective ability by reducing a dinosaur’s toughness rather than dealing damage. It’s also worth considering cards that force players to sacrifice creatures, such as Diabolic Edict, which allows you to bypass the damage reduction entirely.

Understanding and countering the mechanics behind Temple Altisaur can decisively turn the tides of battle in your favor. Assessing various removal strategies against this formidably armored guardian allows you to dismantle your opponent’s defenses and forge your path to victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Diving deep into the MTG realm, Temple Altisaur emerges as a linchpin for dinosaur-themed decks, offering unparalleled resilience. Its ability transforms the battlefield, turning your dinosaur army into an indomitable force, adept at withstanding many common removal tactics. As you bolster your collections, consider the strategic advantage this card brings, especially in a metagame rife with direct damage spells. Incorporating Temple Altisaur is not just about adding a powerful creature but about crafting a robust strategy that shields your key assets. Keen to enhance your deck’s defensive capabilities? Explore more insights and strategies to harness the true potential of Temple Altisaur in your MTG conquests.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Temple Altisaur MTG card by a specific set like Rivals of Ixalan and The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Temple Altisaur and other MTG cards:

TCGPlayerBUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The Temple Altisaur Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2018-01-19 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by Daarken.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12018-01-19Rivals of IxalanRIX 282015NormalBlackDaarken
22023-11-17The Lost Caverns of Ixalan CommanderLCC 1382015NormalBlackDaarken

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Temple Altisaur has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Temple Altisaur card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2018-01-19 Combat damage can be assigned to other Dinosaurs you control as normal, but most of that damage will be prevented. For example, if a 3/3 Dinosaur you control blocks a 5/5 creature with trample, the attacking player may assign 2 of that creature's combat damage to the player or planeswalker it's attacking and Temple Altisaur will prevent 2 of the 3 damage assigned to the defending Dinosaur.
2018-01-19 If multiple replacement and/or prevention effects could apply to a Dinosaur you control, you choose the order in which to apply those effects. For example, if another effect will prevent 1 damage that would be dealt to a Dinosaur, you may apply Temple Altisaur's effect to prevent all but 1 of that damage and then apply the other effect to prevent that 1 damage.
2018-01-19 If multiple sources would deal damage to another Dinosaur you control, all but 1 damage from each of those sources is prevented.
2018-01-19 The effects of two Temple Altisaurs won't reduce the damage from one source below 1 damage.