A-Tenured Inkcaster MTG Card

A-Tenured Inkcaster - Strixhaven: School of Mages

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Vampire Warlock
Released	2021-04-23
Set symbol
Set name	Strixhaven: School of Mages
Set code	STX
Power	3
Toughness	3
Number	A-88
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jake Murray

Key Takeaways

A-Tenured Inkcaster excels at card advantage through +1/+1 counters on successful attacks.
It can accelerate resources in counter-centric decks, enhancing deck performance.
Instant speed interaction with abilities add strategy flexibility in play.

Text of card

When Tenured Inkcaster enters the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. Whenever a creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it attacks, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: A-Tenured Inkcaster offers a unique approach to gaining card advantage. Once you amass a number of +1/+1 counters on your creatures, every successful attack can lead to drawing more cards. This continuous fuel for your hand can overwhelm opponents as you keep deploying threats.

Resource Acceleration: This card can work wonders in a counters-centric deck, enabling you to gain additional value from placing +1/+1 counters. Each time you proliferate—meaning you can increase the number of counters—you’re effectively getting more resources, leading to a formidable board state that speeds up your winning conditions.

Instant Speed: While A-Tenured Inkcaster itself is not an instant, its ability to interact with instant speed effects in MTG that distribute +1/+1 counters can be incredibly advantageous. This synergy adds flexibility to your strategy, permitting you to react to the game’s evolving situations while continually nurturing your advantage.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: A-Tenured Inkcaster requires a precise setup to fully utilize its potential. Having to discard cards can be a significant setback when your hand is already dwindling, making it less ideal for decks that aren’t prepared to capitalize on the discard.

Specific Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes both black and green mana, A-Tenured Inkcaster can be difficult to play in multicolored decks that don’t focus on these colors. This necessity often restricts the card to specific archetypes, which can decrease its flexibility in deck building.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At five mana, A-Tenured Inkcaster might come into play later than you’d like. While its ability to proliferate can be powerful, it competes with other options in the five mana slot that can have an immediate impact on the board or offer more cost-effective ways to spread counters across your permanents.

Reasons to Include A Tenured Inkcaster in Your Collection

Versatility: A Tenured Inkcaster is an adaptable choice for your deck. It can hold its ground in an assortment of builds, particularly those that thrive on proliferation of +1/+1 counters across your creatures.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with strategies that spread counters during the combat phase, potentially unlocking powerful interactions and enhancing overall board state.

Meta-Relevance: With decks that focus on incremental growth and interaction-heavy plays having a presence in the current meta, A Tenured Inkcaster can serve as a linchpin in these setups, especially in environments where toughness matters.

How to beat

A Tenured Inkcaster poses a unique challenge on the MTG battlefield with its ability to bolster your opponent’s creatures through proliferation of counters every time it attacks. It’s a card that can turn the tide by enhancing the potency of an opponent’s battlefield presence. To counteract the influence of A Tenured Inkcaster, players must adopt strategies that remove it from the battlefield quickly. This could involve utilizing spot removal spells like Murder or Heartless Act, which can dispatch the Inkcaster before it becomes a recurring threat.

Another effective strategy is to limit the number of counters that can accumulate on the opponent’s creatures. By employing counter-play cards such as Solemnity, you can prevent any new counters from being placed on your adversary’s creatures, nullifying the proliferate mechanic that makes A Tenured Inkcaster valuable. Moreover, controlling the flow of the game with counterspells like Cancel or Mana Leak when A Tenured Inkcaster is cast can ensure it never impacts the board state. Outpacing the opponent’s strategy by focusing on quick aggression or establishing a board that makes attacking with the Inkcaster less appealing can also contribute to minimizing its effect on the game.

When facing off against A Tenured Inkcaster, it is essential to remain vigilant and prioritize removing or neutralizing this high-impact card to maintain the upper hand. Through strategic play and the right spell combinations, overcoming the challenge it presents is entirely achievable.

Similar Cards to a Tenured Inkcaster

A Tenured Inkcaster rises as a unique proposition within the proliferate mechanic spectrum of Magic: The Gathering. It bears resemblance to cards like Thrummingbird, both nurturing your strategy to amplify counters across permanents on the battlefield. Yet, A Tenured Inkcaster distinguishes itself by targeting only your opponents’ creatures for those crucial -1/-1 counters while boosting your own army the moment it enters the game.

Another peer in this space is Plaguemaw Beast. This creature allows repeated proliferate usage, albeit requiring a creature to be sacrificed, which A Tenured Inkcaster does not ask for. However, the Beast is slightly slower to act given its activation energy cost. Conversely, the Inkcaster immediately impacts the board with its ability as a passive effect tied to creature control. Then we have Volt Charge, a direct damage spell with proliferate, offering a completely different angle to the mechanic, being an instant and dealing damage directly.

Examining these cards side by side, A Tenured Inkcaster offers a balance between offensive and defensive tactics, solidifying its place in decks that want to spread counters judiciously while putting opponents at a disadvantage, a nuanced role that a select few cards could rival in Magic: The Gathering.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase A-Tenured Inkcaster 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-Tenured Inkcaster and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where A-Tenured Inkcaster has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal