Spectral Lynx MTG Card
2001-06-04 - Number 17
2023-01-13 - Number 28
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Cat Spirit |
| Abilities | Protection |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Key Takeaways
- Efficient casting cost and evasion capabilities make Spectral Lynx a tempo-setting play.
- Its protection and regeneration traits offer substantial defensive utility in matches.
- Spectral Lynx can shape the battlefield dynamic through its color-specific interactions.
Text of card
Protection from green o B: Regenerate Spectral Lynx.
A shadowy version of its corporeal cousin, this lynx hunts souls, not meals.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While Spectral Lynx itself does not directly generate card advantage, its resilience in the face of removal often forces opponents to use multiple resources to deal with it. This conservation of your own resources while depleting your opponent’s can tilt the card advantage scales in your favor over time.
Resource Acceleration: Spectral Lynx isn’t typically associated with resource acceleration. However, its low casting cost of just two mana makes it an efficient play, allowing you to deploy threats or keep mana open for other actions in the early stages of the game. This can lead to a tempo advantage, indirectly accelerating your game plan.
Instant Speed: The ability to protect Spectral Lynx from targeted spells for a single white mana enables instant-speed interaction. This can provide strategic advantage in preserving your board state while navigating through opponents’ turns. Moreover, the creature’s vigilance allows it to act on your defense while still being ready to attack on your next turn, a subtle form of maintaining presence on the board at instant speed.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Spectral Lynx may force you into a difficult decision, requiring you to discard another card to utilize its abilities fully. This can be especially taxing when your hand is running empty, making it critical to manage your resources wisely.
Specific Mana Cost: This creature comes with a color-specific mana cost that necessitates white mana. This can restrict deck building and integration, as it is not as flexible for those running multicolored or colorless decks looking to maintain a consistent mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Weighing the mana cost against its base stats and abilities, Spectral Lynx may seem less cost-effective, particularly when compared to other creatures in the MTG universe that might provide greater power or additional effects for a similar, or even lower, mana investment.
Reasons to Include Spectral Lynx in Your Collection
Versatility: Spectral Lynx is a creature that offers flexibility across various decks. Its protection from green ability allows it to effectively bypass blockers or targeted spells from one of the most common creature-based colors in MTG.
Combo Potential: This feline adds value to decks that capitalize on creature synergies. Its ability to dodge removal combined with other cards that benefit from evasive creatures can set up powerful board states.
Meta-Relevance: Given the prevalence of green creatures in competitive play, Spectral Lynx holds a spot as a counter in sideboards. Its relevance fluctuates with the meta, but when green decks dominate, Spectral Lynx proves to be an essential addition.
How to beat Spectral Lynx
Spectral Lynx from Magic: The Gathering is a creature known for its resilience and evasion abilities. This elusive cat can avoid being targeted by spells from a color of your choice, making it a tricky card to handle on the battlefield. However, just like any other card in your opponent’s arsenal, Spectral Lynx has vulnerabilities that can be exploited.
To effectively counter Spectral Lynx, you should consider using board wipes or global effects that don’t target individual creatures. Since Spectral Lynx can be protected from a chosen color, your best option is to use colorless spells or those that affect every creature, regardless of color. Cards like Wrath of God or Damnation are perfect examples of how you can circumvent its protection ability. Additionally, use creature abilities that don’t target, such as those triggered from entering the battlefield or dying, to overcome the Lynx’s defenses.
Another strategy is to focus on strengthening your own board presence, forcing your opponent to use the Lynx defensively. In this way, you can gain the upper hand by overwhelming them with threats they cannot afford to ignore. Ultimately, while Spectral Lynx can pose a challenge, a well-prepared deck and a strategic game plan will help you overcome this formidable feline foe with ease.
Cards like Spectral Lynx
Spectral Lynx, a versatile creature in Magic: The Gathering, often finds itself compared with other exceptional two-mana creatures. Like the admired Watchwolf, which packs a punch with a solid 3/3 body for the same mana cost, Spectral Lynx offers a distinct advantage. Though Spectral Lynx doesn’t boast the same power and toughness, it compensates with evasion in the form of protection from green and the invaluable ability to dodge death by regenerating for a single white mana.
Mirroring its elusive nature, we have the esteemed steppe lynx. While this feline relies on landfall to boost its power, Spectral Lynx sustains a consistent defense, making it a defensive stalwart in any deck it graces. Adorned with not just protection but also regeneration, Spectral Lynx stands tall against various threats that would otherwise outmatch its land-dependent counterpart.
In comparing these creatures, Spectral Lynx emerges as a uniquely resilient candidate for decks seeking to hold the line against green threats while providing a steadfast blocker that can withstand multiple encounters, ensuring its place in the strategic landscape of Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Spectral Lynx by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Spectral Lynx MTG card by a specific set like Apocalypse and Dominaria Remastered, 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 Spectral Lynx and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Spectral Lynx Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2001-06-04 and 2023-01-13. Illustrated by Heather Hudson.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2001-06-04 | Apocalypse | APC | 17 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Heather Hudson | |
| 2 | 2023-01-13 | Dominaria Remastered | DMR | 28 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Heather Hudson |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Spectral Lynx has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Spectral Lynx card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2022-12-08 | Activating the ability creates a replacement effect that acts like a shield, replacing the next time Spectral Lynx would be destroyed that turn. This shield works against effects that try to destroy Spectral Lynx or lethal damage that would be dealt to Spectral Lynx. |
| 2022-12-08 | Spectral Lynx can regenerate even if it isn’t in combat, it’s already tapped, or it’s undamaged. |
| 2022-12-08 | You can activate the regeneration ability even if Spectral Lynx isn’t at risk of being destroyed. |
