Arena Athlete MTG Card

Arena Athlete’s Heroic ability disrupts opponents’ strategies by limiting their blockers during attacks. Utilizing instant-speed spells with Arena Athlete offers flexible control over combat outcomes. This card’s restrictive mana cost can limit its inclusion in diverse deck builds.

Theros (THS)
2013-09-27 - Number 113

Ultimate Masters (UMA)
2018-12-07 - Number 123

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Human
Abilities	Heroic
Power	2
Toughness	1

Text of card

Heroic — Whenever you cast a spell that targets Arena Athlete, target creature an opponent controls can't block this turn.

The Iroan Games award no medals. Athletes vie for a visit from Iroas, god of victory.

Cards like Arena Athlete

Arena Athlete is a card that sees play within the Heroic archetype in Magic: The Gathering. Comparable to other Heroic creatures, this card has the unique ability to disable opposing creatures from blocking when you cast a spell on it. Fabled Hero is another card in this vein, packing double strike in addition to the Heroic ability. The difference lies in the Heroic payoff where the Arena Athlete focuses on controlling the battlefield, Fabled Hero leans towards a more aggressive, damage-dealing approach.

Dauntless Onslaught is a spell that resonates with the Heroic theme, targeting multiple creatures and providing a similar tactical edge during combat. However, unlike Arena Athlete, it does not offer the repeatable utility each turn. Akroan Crusader, another Heroic card, creates soldier tokens when targeted, diversifying the player’s strategy, but it lacks the direct battlefield impact Arena Athlete provides with its unique ability.

Evaluating their respective roles, Arena Athlete shines in scenarios where controlling combat is more valuable than simply bolstering creature stats. This utility can provide players with consistent advantages on the battlefield, especially in limited formats where such effects can be game-changing.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Arena Athlete provides strategic depth by hindering opponents’ ability to block, ensuring you get more value from each attack phase and potentially drawing out key spells from your opponent’s hand.

Resource Acceleration: While Arena Athlete itself may not directly provide resource acceleration, its ability to consistently apply pressure can force your opponent to use resources suboptimally, indirectly accelerating your own position.

Instant Speed: Arena Athlete’s abilities are triggered upon becoming the target of a spell, which can be advantageous when combined with instant-speed spells. This synergy allows you to flexibly control combat interactions and manipulate the state of the battlefield in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Being pressured to discard a card can put Arena Athlete players at a disadvantage, especially when options are limited or card advantage is at stake. This can disrupt the flow of the game for a player as they weigh the costs of activating powerful abilities against maintaining a full grip of strategic options.

Specific Mana Cost: Arena Athlete demands a specific mana alignment, which could pose a challenge for multicolored decks that may struggle with mana consistency. This limitation means the card is primarily reserved for mono-red or decks with a heavy red component, reducing its flexibility across a broader array of deck styles.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For its abilities, Arena Athlete has a mana cost that can be considered on the higher side. Its impact on the game may not always justify the investment, particularly when there are alternative creatures that bring similar or better effects with a lower investment or additional benefits aside from just being an attacking creature deterrent.

Reasons to Include Arena Athlete in Your Collection

Versatility: Arena Athlete offers a unique edge in decks that aim to maintain a consistent offensive. Its ability to hurdle blockers ensures your other creatures can press the attack more effectively.

Combo Potential: This card pairs well with spells and abilities that enable multiple attack phases, as it can repeatedly disable potential blockers, clearing the path for uninterrupted combat success.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta swarming with creature-based strategies, Arena Athlete shines by neutralizing chump blockers, thus enabling a more aggressive playstyle that can be critical to outpacing your opponents.

How to Beat

Arena Athlete stands out in MTG due to its unique ability to shut down potential blockers. Every time you target Arena Athlete with a spell, you can prevent a creature from blocking that turn. This effect can disrupt your opponent’s defense and ensure your creatures connect. To tackle this, consider using removal spells that can take out Arena Athlete before it becomes an offensive threat. Board wipes are especially effective since they are less reliant on targeting and can therefore bypass the Athlete’s ability.

Control strategies can also be potent against Arena Athlete. Countering spells that target it can neutralize the advantage it provides. Additionally, effects that restrict spell casting or abilities also work well to nullify Arena Athlete’s impact on the game. Finally, implementing a robust defense with creatures that have good toughness or abilities like reach can prove invaluable against an opponent relying heavily on the Athlete’s tactics.

Proper understanding and anticipation of your opponent’s strategy is key. Watch for spells that might target Arena Athlete and plan your countermeasures accordingly. With the right approach, facing an Arena Athlete on the battlefield can become less of a challenge and more of a tactical opportunity.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Arena Athlete MTG card by a specific set like Theros and Ultimate Masters, 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 Arena Athlete and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Arena Athlete Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2013-09-27 and 2018-12-07. Illustrated by Jason Chan.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2013-09-27	Theros	THS		113	2003	Normal	Black	Jason Chan
2	2018-12-07	Ultimate Masters	UMA		123	2015	Normal	Black	Jason Chan

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Arena Athlete has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-09-15	Heroic abilities will resolve before the spell that caused them to trigger.
2013-09-15	Heroic abilities will trigger only once per spell, even if that spell targets the creature with the heroic ability multiple times.
2013-09-15	Heroic abilities won't trigger when a copy of a spell is created on the stack or when a spell's targets are changed to include a creature with a heroic ability.
2018-12-07	Resolving Arena Athlete's ability after a creature has blocked won't remove the blocking creature from combat or cause the creature it blocked to become unblocked.