Courier Griffin MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Griffin
Abilities	Flying
Released	2015-10-02
Set symbol
Set name	Battle for Zendikar
Set code	BFZ
Power	2
Toughness	3
Number	21
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Kieran Yanner

Key Takeaways

Courier Griffin carries a life gain ability that can tip the balance in closely contested matches.
The card’s aerial presence bolsters defenses, offering strategic advantages in battle.
Its specific mana requirement and casting cost may limit deck compatibility and optimization.

Text of card

Flying When Courier Griffin enters the battlefield, you gain 2 life.

"Sea Gate has fallen. Survivors are on the move. Will send another griffin when we find refuge. Stay hidden. Stay safe." —Message from Tars Olan, kor world-gift

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Courier Griffin enters the battlefield, it enables you to gain 2 life, offering a minor edge in the race for life totals and can occasionally be the difference between victory and defeat.

Resource Acceleration: While Courier Griffin isn’t directly linked to resource acceleration, its presence bolsters your defense, allowing you to commit fewer resources to maintaining a solid board state and more toward deploying high-impact spells.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, Courier Griffin can be a critical part of strategies utilizing flash or instant speed tricks. Its arrival on the battlefield can be timed with various effects that are designed to surprise an opponent during combat or at the end of their turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Courier Griffin doesn’t necessitate a discard upon casting, which might work as an advantage as you maintain card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Summoning the Courier Griffin requires one white and three other mana, potentially complicating your mana curve in a multi-colored deck.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four, it competes with other impactful four-mana creatures, some offering stronger abilities or stats, making the griffin a less optimal choice in some deck strategies.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Courier Griffin is a flexible card, seamlessly slotting into white-based flying decks or any build looking to bolster its aerial defenses. Its 2/3 stats for four mana make it a reliable blocker in the skies.

Combo Potential: Its arrival on the battlefield brings a life-gain trigger, which can synergize with strategies that harness life total changes. This boosts its value in decks exploiting life-gain for various creature buffs or win conditions.

Meta-Relevance: With a flying creature base, it fits well in the current meta that leans on having aerial control. The life gain upon entry could tip the scales in matches where maintaining a higher life total is crucial against aggressive strategies.

How to beat

Courier Griffin is a white common creature card with notable presence in the skies of Magic the Gathering. As a flying creature, the Griffin poses a challenge for opponents that lack reach or flying to block it. This card is not just a threat through air superiority; its real utility comes with the 2 life gained when it enters battlefield, offering a slight buffer for its controller.

To handle the pesky Courier Griffin, direct removal spells like Murder or Doom Blade can be effective and economic options, taking out the Griffin regardless of it being in the air. Having creatures with reach or your own flyers can also mitigate the Griffin’s advantage, setting up for a favorable block. You might also consider using enchantments like Pacifism to neutralize the threat without using a removal spell, preserving your resources for larger threats that may come along. Additionally, negating the life gain can be achieved with cards that replace life gain with card draw or additional damage, such as Skullcrack or Tainted Remedy.

Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each MTG card is key to outmaneuvering your opponent. With the right strategy and cards, even a creature with an advantage like Courier Griffin can be easily subdued, ensuring your dominance over the battlefield.

Cards like Courier Griffin

Courier Griffin joins the flight of white creatures with a built-in life gain ability in the Magic: The Gathering universe. Other creatures in this cohort include the likes of Lone Missionary, which also provides a life buffer with its entry on the field, though it offers a greater amount of life gain at four points for a lower mana cost. Courier Griffin, however, brings a more substantial presence in the air with its flying ability, creating both a defensive and offensive edge.

Mantle of Wings shares a thematic link with Courier Griffin by accentuating the power of flying creatures. While not a creature itself, this aura gives a modest boost to power and toughness in addition to granting the crucial ability to fly. The Griffin, already soaring, doesn’t need this enhancement but the comparison highlights the strategic value of flying in game play.

Examining these and other cards, Courier Griffin finds its niche as a moderate aerial threat that also nudges your life total upward. Though not as efficient in life gain as some alternatives, its balance of air dominance and life gain make it a versatile option in decks that favor the skies.

Cards similar to Courier Griffin by color, type and mana cost

Coalition Honor Guard - MTG Card versions

Mangara, the Diplomat - MTG Card versions

Lightkeeper of Emeria - MTG Card versions

Cho-Manno, Revolutionary - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Courier Griffin MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar, 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 Courier Griffin and other MTG cards: