Yew Spirit MTG Card


Yew Spirit - Avacyn Restored
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Spirit Treefolk
Released2012-05-04
Set symbol
Set nameAvacyn Restored
Set codeAVR
Power 3
Toughness 3
Number207
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byDan Scott

Key Takeaways

  1. Yew Spirit scales power with lands, turning into a formidable threat that dominates the battlefield.
  2. Its instant speed activation makes it a flexible, strategic creature that can surprise opponents.
  3. High mana cost and specific color needs may limit its inclusion in various MTG decks.

Text of card

: Yew Spirit gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is its power.

"I wonder what dwelled in the primordial forests before humans existed." —Elder Rimheit


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Yew Spirit offers a unique approach to card advantage. When you manage to grow its power with lands, it can become a behemoth capable of swinging card advantage in your favor by demanding multiple cards from an opponent just to deal with it.

Resource Acceleration: This card competently fits into strategies aiming for resource acceleration. As it scales with the number of forests you control, it naturally encourages a ramp-up in land play, indirectly boosting your mana resources and enabling you to deploy more threats or answers concurrently.

Instant Speed: Yew Spirit can be utilized at instant speed, allowing for last-minute strategic adjustments. This feature provides you with the flexibility to respond to battlefield changes during your opponent’s turn or right before your turn begins, keeping opponents guessing and giving you the advantage of surprise.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Yew Spirit can present a hurdle for players due to its need for discarding a card upon its designated effect activation. This drawback forces players to deplete their hand, potentially losing critical resources necessary for maintaining card advantage and momentum throughout the game.

Specific Mana Cost: The Yew Spirit card requires a precise combination of mana colors for casting. This specificity can restrict deck-building options and may not fit smoothly into a variety of strategies, particularly those that either run on a single color or a completely different color pair than Yew Spirit requires.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The casting cost for Yew Spirit stands on the higher end of the spectrum. With other creatures and spells in the game offering similar or better effects for a lower mana investment, it might not be the most mana-efficient choice for players looking to optimize their gameplay and resource management.


Reasons to Include Yew Spirit in Your Collection

Versatility: Yew Spirit’s power and toughness can be dynamically adjusted, making it a flexible addition to decks that need a scalable threat or defender. Whether you’re looking for an early game presence or a late-game powerhouse, Yew Spirit has the adaptability to meet your needs.

Combo Potential: Thanks to its ability to grow in size, Yew Spirit works exceptionally well with effects that benefit from high power creatures. It can serve as a potent win condition in decks that can manipulate +1/+1 counters or harness the power of big creatures.

Meta-Relevance: As the game’s landscape shifts, Yew Spirit can become increasingly valuable in environments where combat tricks and size matter. Its inherent resilience can become key in matchups that rely on creature combat, enabling it to be a proactive and reactive piece in your strategic arsenal.


How to beat Yew Spirit

Yew Spirit is an intriguing creature in the world of Magic: The Gathering, particularly because of its ability to adjust its power and toughness. With the right amount of mana, it can become an enormous threat quickly. To conquer this adaptive creature, it is vital to employ removal spells that aren’t dependent on a creature’s size. Unconditional removal options like Murder or Path to Exile can dispatch it independent of its current stats.

Another strategy involves using counter spells to prevent Yew Spirit from ever hitting the battlefield. Efficient counters such as Negate or Mana Leak can ensure that Yew Spirit doesn’t get a chance to grow. Should Yew Spirit manage to make its appearance, tapping it down with spells like Sleep or Frost Breath can also provide a temporary solution, buying you time to find a more permanent resolution to its looming threat. Bottom line, swift action and the right card choices are key to stopping Yew Spirit from spiraling out of control.


Cards like Yew Spirit

Yew Spirit is an intriguing creature card that offers an exceptional ability to scale its power in the game of Magic: The Gathering. Its kinship lies with cards such as Heroes’ Bane, another creature that also utilizes mana to increase its strength indefinitely. While both can become formidable forces, Yew Spirit is unique with its scaling based on mana input without the initial need for counters.

Across the green mana spectrum, we see Ivy Elemental, which comes into play with power and toughness equal to the mana spent to cast it. Although not as flexible post-cast, it still shares the attribute of size manipulation with Yew Spirit. Another notable comparison is with the card Unbound Flourishing, which while not a creature, synergizes with Yew Spirit’s ability by doubling the effect of the mana spent, potentially creating an overwhelming presence much quicker.

In summarizing these comparisons, Yew Spirit embodies a distinct value in the realm of adaptable creature cards within Magic: The Gathering, offering players a powerful tool to adjust their board state with an ever-present threat that can grow to immense proportions based on available mana.

Heroes' Bane - MTG Card versions
Ivy Elemental - MTG Card versions
Unbound Flourishing - MTG Card versions
Heroes' Bane - Journey into Nyx Promos (PJOU)
Ivy Elemental - Odyssey (ODY)
Unbound Flourishing - Modern Horizons (MH1)

Cards similar to Yew Spirit by color, type and mana cost

Thicket Basilisk - MTG Card versions
Cockatrice - MTG Card versions
Ironroot Treefolk - MTG Card versions
Elvish Bard - MTG Card versions
Durkwood Boars - MTG Card versions
Elven Riders - MTG Card versions
Redwood Treefolk - MTG Card versions
Spined Wurm - MTG Card versions
Rabid Wolverines - MTG Card versions
Deadly Insect - MTG Card versions
Vintara Elephant - MTG Card versions
Spring-Leaf Avenger - MTG Card versions
Okina Nightwatch - MTG Card versions
Primeval Force - MTG Card versions
Spitting Spider - MTG Card versions
Copperhoof Vorrac - MTG Card versions
Tel-Jilad Lifebreather - MTG Card versions
Llanowar Behemoth - MTG Card versions
Bramble Elemental - MTG Card versions
Indrik Stomphowler - MTG Card versions
Thicket Basilisk - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Cockatrice - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Ironroot Treefolk - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Elvish Bard - Alliances (ALL)
Durkwood Boars - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Elven Riders - Duels of the Planeswalkers (DPA)
Redwood Treefolk - Weatherlight (WTH)
Spined Wurm - Stronghold (STH)
Rabid Wolverines - Exodus (EXO)
Deadly Insect - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Vintara Elephant - Prophecy (PCY)
Spring-Leaf Avenger - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Okina Nightwatch - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Primeval Force - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Spitting Spider - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Copperhoof Vorrac - Mirrodin (MRD)
Tel-Jilad Lifebreather - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Llanowar Behemoth - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Bramble Elemental - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Indrik Stomphowler - Commander 2015 (C15)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Yew Spirit MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored, 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 Yew Spirit and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Yew Spirit has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2012-05-01 The value of X is determined when the ability resolves. The bonus won’t change later in the turn if the creature’s power changes.
2017-07-14 If this creature’s power is negative as its ability resolves, X is considered to be 0. (This is a change from previous rulings.)

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