Incubator Drone MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Eldrazi Drone |
| Abilities | Devoid |
| Released | 2015-10-02 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Battle for Zendikar |
| Set code | BFZ |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 3 |
| Number | 60 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | normal |
| Border | black |
| Illustred by | Cynthia Sheppard |
Key Takeaways
- Incubator Drone excels in card advantage by producing a useful Eldrazi Scion token on entry.
- While useful, the Drone’s precise mana requirement and high cost can limit deck integration.
- Despite drawbacks, its versatility and combo potential make it worthy of collection consideration.
Text of card
Devoid (This card has no color.) When Incubator Drone enters the battlefield, put a 1/1 colorless Eldrazi Scion creature token onto the battlefield. It has "Sacrifice this creature: Add to your mana pool."
The touch of an Eldrazi brings life and death in turn.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Incubator Drone provides an inherent card advantage by bringing along an Eldrazi Scion token when it enters the battlefield. This token not only acts as an additional creature but can also be sacrificed for mana, effectively paying you back for a portion of the Drone’s casting cost.
Resource Acceleration: The accompanying Eldrazi Scion token can be sacrificed to add one colorless mana to your mana pool, subtly ramping up your resources and allowing for earlier plays of high-cost spells or activating costly abilities.
Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, the Drone synergizes well with other instant speed interactions. The token it creates can be used at instant speed, giving you the flexibility to adapt to the ever-changing game state, whether it be through sacrificing for mana or using it to fuel other instant speed effects.
Card Cons
Specific Mana Cost: Incubator Drone demands a precise mana allocation, necessitating both colorless and blue resources, which could restrict its integration in multicolored decks that may lack the required consistency in mana generation.
Discard Requirement: Unlike some cards that provide an outright advantage upon entering the battlefield, Incubator Drone does not come with an immediate card boost or value gain. This can be a downside when you’re seeking to maximize each card’s impact without additional prerequisites.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: At four mana, the investment to summon Incubator Drone might outweigh its return. With a flood of more economical creatures that contribute to board presence while offering more strategic versatility, the Drone can often be overlooked in favor of options that ensure a quicker and more potent gameplay tempo.
Reasons to Include Incubator Drone in Your Collection
Versatility: Incubator Drone offers multifaceted benefits in a variety of deck builds, especially in those that capitalize on colorless creatures or Eldrazi spawn synergies.
Combo Potential: The Eldrazi Scion token it creates can be the linchpin in combo plays, contributing to both mana acceleration and fodder for sacrifice mechanics.
Meta-Relevance: With a landscape that continually evolves, Incubator Drone maintains its relevance by fitting snugly into strategies that require creature-based tactics or that utilize the additional mana for larger game swings.
How to beat
Incubator Drone has found its niche within the MTG realm, primarily featuring in decks where Eldrazi and Scion tokens are a focus. The card itself is a creature that offers a moderate defensive body and comes with the upside of creating an additional Scion token upon entering the battlefield. This token can then be sacrificed for a burst of mana, which can accelerate your play or be utilized to trigger other Eldrazi synergies.
When attempting to overtake an Incubator Drone, it’s crucial to disrupt the ramp potential it provides. Efficient removal spells that can target both the Drone and the token it produces are ideal for minimizing the advantage your opponent gains. Sweepers can clear multiple creatures off the board, which is especially effective if your opponent is trying to amass a swarm of Scions. Artifact and enchantment removals are also key, as they can deal with pesky support cards that boost the Drone’s efficiency. Being proactive and keeping your opponent from establishing their board presence is usually the best strategy to prevent the Drone from becoming a larger issue in the later stages of the game.
Ultimately, understanding the role Incubator Drone plays in the larger Eldrazi strategy will guide you to victory, ensuring you evaluate its potential threat not in isolation, but as part of the synergistic puzzle your opponent is assembling.
Cards like Incubator Drone
Incubator Drone joins the family of colorless creatures within Magic: The Gathering with its unique ability to generate Eldrazi Scion tokens. Much like Sifter of Skulls, this drone provides a creature token upon entering the battlefield. Sifter of Skulls, however, goes further by creating a token whenever another nontoken creature you control dies, offering a potentially greater token payout over time.
Another noteworthy comparison is with Drowner of Hope, an Eldrazi with a higher mana cost that yields not one, but two Eldrazi Scion tokens. Additionally, Drowner of Hope includes a powerful control element, offering the ability to sacrifice a Scion and tap a target creature, which can be decisive during gameplay. On the other hand, Incubator Drone provides a boost to your mana pool right off the bat with less initial resource commitment.
Evaluating the array of creatures that utilize Eldrazi Scions, Incubator Drone emerges as a modest and flexible option for players looking to quickly expand their board presence and accelerate their mana generation, making it a valued card amongst its similars in MTG’s vast repertoire of creatures.
Cards similar to Incubator Drone by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Incubator Drone 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 Incubator Drone 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 Magic products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Incubator Drone 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 Incubator Drone card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2015-08-25 | A card with devoid is just colorless. It’s not colorless and the colors of mana in its mana cost. |
| 2015-08-25 | Cards with devoid use frames that are variations of the transparent frame traditionally used for Eldrazi. The top part of the card features some color over a background based on the texture of the hedrons that once imprisoned the Eldrazi. This coloration is intended to aid deckbuilding and game play. |
| 2015-08-25 | Devoid works in all zones, not just on the battlefield. |
| 2015-08-25 | Eldrazi Scions are similar to Eldrazi Spawn, seen in the Zendikar block. Note that Eldrazi Scions are 1/1, not 0/1. |
| 2015-08-25 | Eldrazi and Scion are each separate creature types. Anything that affects Eldrazi will affect these tokens, for example. |
| 2015-08-25 | If a card loses devoid, it will still be colorless. This is because effects that change an object’s color (like the one created by devoid) are considered before the object loses devoid. |
| 2015-08-25 | Other cards and abilities can give a card with devoid color. If that happens, it’s just the new color, not that color and colorless. |
| 2015-08-25 | Sacrificing an Eldrazi Scion creature token to add to your mana pool is a mana ability. It doesn’t use the stack and can’t be responded to. |
| 2015-08-25 | Some instants and sorceries that create Eldrazi Scions require targets. If all targets for such a spell have become illegal by the time that spell tries to resolve, the spell won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won’t get any Eldrazi Scions. |
