A-Ardent Dustspeaker MTG Card

A-Ardent Dustspeaker - Strixhaven: School of Mages

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Minotaur Shaman
Released	2021-04-23
Set symbol
Set name	Strixhaven: School of Mages
Set code	STX
Power	3
Toughness	2
Number	A-92
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Mads Ahm

Key Takeaways

A-Ardent Dustspeaker excels in card advantage by letting you play exiled library cards, boosting your options during your turn.
It enables land retrieval from the graveyard to your library, facilitating faster resource expansion and deck maneuverability.
The card supports strategic instant or sorcery play, significantly enhancing main phase tactics for spell-centric decks.

Text of card

Whenever Ardent Dustspeaker attacks, you may put an instant or sorcery card from your graveyard on the bottom of your library. If you do, exile the top two cards of your library. You may play those cards this turn.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: A-Ardent Dustspeaker stands out for its ability to let you access more cards. When it attacks, you get to exile the top card of your library and may play that card this turn. This mechanic can tip the scales in your favor by ensuring you consistently have options at your disposal.

Resource Acceleration: This card shines in its potential to ramp up your resources quickly. Whenever you cast a spell from anywhere other than your hand, A-Ardent Dustspeaker provides a valuable boost by allowing you to put a land card from your graveyard on top of your library. Accelerating your land drops is key for outpacing your opponents.

Instant Speed: While A-Ardent Dustspeaker itself isn’t an instant, it encourages a strategy that utilizes instants and sorceries effectively. By rewarding you for casting spells during your main phase, it allows you to optimize instant speed plays in your second main phase, after the attackers have been declared, potentially giving you a strategic edge.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: A-Ardent Dustspeaker necessitates casting another instant or sorcery card from your graveyard as it attacks. While this can be a strategic advantage, it also means you must have a suitable card to discard. This can be a notable downside during times when your graveyard is sparse, forcing you to potentially discard valuable cards to meet the card’s requirements.

Specific Mana Cost: This card has a mana cost that includes red mana, which means it’s tailor-made for red or multicolor decks. If your deck doesn’t consistently produce red mana, this card could end up stranded in your hand at a critical moment.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing a total of five mana, with three generic and two red, A-Ardent Dustspeaker comes with a moderately high casting cost. This investment can affect the tempo of your game, particularly in the early stages when quicker, lower-cost cards could provide a more immediate impact on the battlefield.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: A-Ardent Dustspeaker offers flexibility in multiple deck archetypes, particularly in ones that rely on spell-slinging or benefit from recurring spells from the graveyard.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes with spells that manipulate the top of the library, creating opportunities to cast multiple spells in a single turn, fueling spell-based combo engines.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state that favors longer turns and a rich spell environment, A-Ardent Dustspeaker can effectively recycle valuable spells and maintain hand advantage, making it a smart choice for adaptive strategies.

How to beat

A-Ardent Dustspeaker brings a unique dynamic to the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering, offering players the chance to tap into their library’s potential. The card allows its controller to exile the top card of their library at the beginning of their upkeep, providing an opportunity to play that card for a short time. Despite this, there are strategies to mitigate the card’s effectiveness and maintain control over the game.

One method is to limit the card’s activation by removing it from the field. Creature removal spells are particularly effective; they can eliminate the Dustspeaker before its ability triggers. Board wipes also serve to clear the battlefield of multiple threats, ensuring A-Ardent Dustspeaker doesn’t have the chance to utilize its capabilities. Moreover, countering the spell before it settles on the battlefield can prevent any advantage the opponent might gain, keeping the player one step ahead in resource management. Strategic use of these elements will shift the game back into the player’s favor, highlighting the importance of timing and control.

Ultimately, staying ahead of A-Ardent Dustspeaker requires preparedness and an understanding of resource disruption, central components in crafting a winning strategy against such a card.

Cards like A-Ardent Dustspeaker

Ardent Dustspeaker is a unique creature in the landscape of red spells traditionally seen in MTG. Resembling cards like Mad Ratter, which capitalizes on drawing multiple cards to produce creature tokens, Ardent Dustspeaker takes a different approach by allowing players to cast spells from their graveyard during the post-combat phase. This interesting ability is not just about card advantage but also about utility, providing options that Mad Ratter doesn’t.

Another card worth mentioning is Chandra, Pyromaster. While Chandra allows for exiling the top card and playing it that turn, Ardent Dustspeaker provides a broader selection by digging into the graveyard. The latter, however, is limited to the post-combat main phase, indicating a more strategic timing for usage. Lastly, we have Light Up the Stage, which boasts a spectacle cost that can present a significant advantage for quick plays. Unlike Ardent Dustspeaker, Light Up the Stage doesn’t offer a recurring feature but still provides a potent way to access more cards.

Although each card brings a unique twist to the table, it’s clear that Ardent Dustspeaker offers a sustainable way to leverage past plays, marking its distinct position within MTG’s pantheon of red card advantage engines.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase A-Ardent Dustspeaker MTG card by a specific set like Strixhaven: School of Mages, 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 A-Ardent Dustspeaker and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where A-Ardent Dustspeaker has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal