Skyrider Elf MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Elf Warrior Ally |
| Abilities | Converge,Flying |
| Released | 2015-10-02 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Battle for Zendikar |
| Set code | BFZ |
| Power | 0 |
| Toughness | 0 |
| Number | 220 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | normal |
| Border | black |
| Illustred by | Dan Scott |
Key Takeaways
- Skyrider Elf offers diverse board presence, improving card draw and resource management significantly.
- Enhances multicolor decks with ramp potential, enabling earlier deployment of significant threats.
- Complements instant-heavy strategies, maintaining flexibility while planning strategic plays.
Text of card
Flying Converge — Skyrider Elf enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it for each color of mana spent to cast it.
"It may be unconventional, but I'll take any steady mount in a storm."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Skyrider Elf offers a dynamic scaling ability that can result in drawing multiple cards or creating a board presence that far exceeds its mana cost. This adaptability gives you a significant edge in resource management throughout the game.
Resource Acceleration: Because you can spend mana of any color to cast Skyrider Elf, this card synergizes beautifully with decks that focus on ramping and multicolor mana bases, potentially allowing you to deploy larger threats much sooner than your opponents.
Instant Speed: Although Skyrider Elf itself is not an instant, it fits perfectly into decks with a high instant count, allowing you to keep your options open and respond to your opponent’s moves while planning the perfect moment to introduce your flying threat to the battlefield.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Skyrider Elf doesn’t require you to discard cards, but it’s worth noting that playing without such a mechanism may leave you at a disadvantage when it comes to fueling graveyard strategies or when trying to get an edge in games that reward you for having fewer cards in hand.
Specific Mana Cost: Skyrider Elf’s strength is its multicolor casting flexibility, yet this can be a con since it requires a precise combination of mana, particularly blue and green. This necessity can potentially restrict its integration into decks that aren’t tailored to generate these specific mana types consistently.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Skyrider Elf’s power and toughness scale with the number of colors of mana spent to cast it, the card can be mana-intensive. Decks that aim to deploy threats quickly may find the mana required for a substantial creature size too steep, especially in formats where the pace of gameplay is faster.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Skyrider Elf is a multicolored unit that offers flexibility in mana usage, which allows it to seamlessly adapt to various deck builds, especially those that operate within the Simic, Azorius, or Bant color schemes.
Combo Potential: Thanks to its X mana cost ability, Skyrider Elf can be a strategic piece in combos that take advantage of +1/+1 counters or proliferate mechanics, scaling its power and toughness to match your gameplay strategy.
Meta-Relevance: As the game evolves, this elf brings enduring value, particularly in formats where mana-fixing and flying creatures are key. It’s able to slide into the battlefield as a threat of varying magnitude, keeping your opponents on their toes.
How to beat
Overcoming a Skyrider Elf in MTG relies on understanding its multikicker mechanic and the flying advantage it possesses. The card’s strength is largely dependent on the amount of mana invested into it. Like any flying creature, it requires specific answers – spells that can target and destroy or exile a creature with flying or block it with creatures that have reach.
Playing removal spells such as Murder, which can kill a creature for three mana regardless of its size, effectively counters the flexibility of the Skyrider Elf. Preventing the accumulation of different colors of mana can also be a key strategy, thereby limiting the effectiveness of the card’s multikicker ability. Reducing the Elf’s impact on the game is achievable by controlling the board and keeping your opponent’s mana sources in check.
Moreover, if you’re able to establish a board presence with creatures that boast reach or spells that can negate flying, Skyrider Elf becomes a less daunting threat. Ultimately, being proactive and reactive with your removal and disruptive capabilities will give you the upper hand against this adaptable creature.
Cards like Skyrider Elf
The versatility of Skyrider Elf makes it a noteworthy creature card in MTG. It finds a close relation to cards like Aethergeode Miner, which also provide value with its energy counter generation and potential for reuse through its flicker ability. Unlike Aethergeode Miner, Skyrider Elf offers a scalable effect depending on the amount of mana invested, allowing it to fit various stages of the game.
Comparatively, we have Shanna, Sisay’s Legacy, another creature card that scales in power and toughness. However, Skyrider Elf has the advantage of flying, enhancing its offensive and defensive capabilities, whereas Shanna’s strength lies in her protection from abilities, making her a formidable ground force.
Exploring further, there’s also Managorger Hydra, which grows with every spell cast, similar to Skyrider Elf’s flexibly increasing size. However, the Hydra lacks the immediate impact and evasion provided by Skyrider Elf’s flying. In terms of adaptability and early to mid-game aerial presence, Skyrider Elf provides a unique blend of qualities that empower players in the multicolored decks.
Cards similar to Skyrider Elf by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Skyrider Elf 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 Skyrider Elf 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 Skyrider Elf has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Skyrider Elf 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 | If a spell with a converge ability is copied, no mana was spent to cast the copy, so the number of colors of mana spent to cast the spell will be zero. The number of colors spent to cast the original spell is not copied. |
| 2015-08-25 | If there are any alternative or additional costs to cast a spell with a converge ability, the mana spent to pay those costs will count. For example, if an effect makes sorcery spells cost more to cast, you could pay to cast Radiant Flames and deal 4 damage to each creature. |
| 2015-08-25 | If you cast a spell with converge without spending any mana to cast it (perhaps because an effect allowed you to cast it without paying its mana cost), then the number of colors spent to cast it will be zero. |
| 2015-08-25 | The maximum number of colors of mana you can spend to cast a spell is five. Colorless is not a color. Note that the cost of a spell with converge may limit how many colors of mana you can spend. |
| 2015-08-25 | Unless a spell or ability allows you to, you can’t choose to pay more mana for a spell with a converge ability just to spend more colors of mana. Likewise, if a spell or ability reduces the amount of mana it costs you to cast a spell with converge, you can’t ignore that cost reduction in order to spend more colors of mana. |
| 2015-08-25 | You can choose any value for X. The value chosen for X doesn’t directly affect the number of +1/+1 counters Skyrider Elf enters the battlefield with, but it does let you pay more mana and thus spend more colors of mana to cast it. For example, you can choose 0 for the value of X and pay to cast Skyrider Elf for two +1/+1 counters. You can also choose 3 for the value of X, making its mana cost , and pay for five +1/+1 counters. |
