Evernight Shade MTG Card

Avacyn Restored (AVR)
2012-05-04 - Number 101

Commander 2014 (C14)
2014-11-07 - Number 144

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Shade
Abilities	Undying
Power	1
Toughness	1

Key Takeaways

Evernight Shade grows stronger from the graveyard, offering strategic board presence and resource acceleration.
Works best in mono-black decks due to specific mana needs, may not suit multicolored strategies well.
Shade’s undying ability makes it a resilient choice in attrition-focused metas, enhancing its longevity on the battlefield.

Text of card

: Evernight Shade gets +1/+1 until end of turn. Undying (When this creature dies, if it had no +1/+1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a +1/+1 counter on it.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Evernight Shade offers a unique mechanic that enables a player to repeatedly benefit from its undying potential. Each time it’s brought back from the graveyard, you gain a creature card on the board, which can be a recurrent advantage in matches.

Resource Acceleration: Through its ability to be strengthened from the graveyard with +1/+1 counters, Evernight Shade can hasten your board presence, making it more formidable with each return. This acceleration can be pivotal in outpacing your opponents.

Instant Speed: Though not at instant speed itself, Evernight Shade can be synergized with spells of instant speed to reactively control the battlefield. Recasting it from the graveyard can be timed with your instants to compose unforeseen threats during the opponent’s turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Evernight Shade offers a menacing presence on the battlefield, it comes with the caveat of feeding it additional resources. Each time you want to bolster its strength, you’ll need to sacrifice a precious swamp from your mana pool, which might leave you at a tactical disadvantage should you require those resources for other spells in your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Evernight Shade’s dependency on black mana makes it a slotted choice for only certain deck compositions. While this aligns with the theme of mono-black or black-centric decks, it can be restrictive if you’re looking to diversify your mana base or incorporate the card into a multi-colored deck strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a starting cost that’s notably higher than other creatures in its tier, Evernight Shade may not always offer the best return on investment. Given this upfront cost in addition to the ongoing mana requirement for its undying ability, there are scenarios where other creatures might provide a quicker or more cost-effective impact on the game.

Reasons to Include Evernight Shade in Your Collection

Versatility: Evernight Shade is a flexible creature card that can be easily slotted into a range of black decks, given its undying characteristic. Whether it’s a mono-black control or a graveyard-focused strategy, this creature contributes sustainability on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: With its ability to come back from the graveyard with a +1/+1 counter, Evernight Shade pairs well with sacrifice outlets and cards that capitalize on death triggers or counter manipulation. The combos it enables can add layers to your deck’s effectiveness.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where attrition wars are common, Evernight Shade becomes a persistent threat. It’s beneficial in games that tend to drag, as it can return to the field and potentially grow stronger each time, making it a card to watch out for in certain metas.

How to beat

Evernight Shade is a creature that can be a persistent threat on the battlefield within Magic: The Gathering. Its unique ability to return to the battlefield from your graveyard makes it a card that can demand specific responses. To effectively negate its impact, players should focus on exile effects or spells that impede its recurring presence, such as graveyard disruption to prevent it from coming back.

Utilizing cards that can remove Evernight Shade from the game entirely, such as with ‘Path to Exile’ or ‘Swords to Plowshares’, ensures that it won’t be returning any time soon. Another approach is using cards like ‘Bojuka Bog’ to exile all cards from an opponent’s graveyard, which can comprehensively address not just the Shade but any other graveyard-based strategies they might be employing.

Gameplay-wise, it’s also crucial to manage combat scenarios in a way that limits the effectiveness of Evernight Shade’s undying ability. Applying pressure or forcing unfavorable blocks can wear down your opponent’s resources and make the Shade’s return less impactful. Through strategic planning and proper card selection, this shadowy creature can be overcome.

Cards like Evernight Shade

Evernight Shade is a uniquely flexible creature in Magic: The Gathering, offering players a chance to incrementally increase its power. This ability sets it alongside other creatures such as Shade of Trokair. Shade of Trokair can also receive boosts to its power, but unlike Evernight Shade, it strengthens its toughness instead and has the ‘suspend’ mechanic, offering a delayed but potent board presence.

Drudge Reavers is another card worth mentioning. It shares the regenerative trait with Evernight Shade, allowing it to survive lethal damage. However, Evernight Shade stands out by its potential for power growth, which Drudge Reavers lacks. On the other hand, we have Nantuko Shade, which also allows a power boost but requires a more color-intensive commitment to black mana to scale. Additionally, Nantuko Shade provides a quicker increase in power due to its lower activation cost compared to Evernight Shade’s more mana-demanding ability.

When exploring creature flexibility and survivability within the game, Evernight Shade holds its own by combining the potential for increasing power and the capacity to regenerate, making it a persistent threat on the battlefield over time.

Cards similar to Evernight Shade by color, type and mana cost

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Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Evernight Shade MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored and Commander 2014, 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 Evernight Shade and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Evernight Shade Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2012-05-04 and 2014-11-07. Illustrated by Nic Klein.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2012-05-04	Avacyn Restored	AVR		101	2003	Normal	Black	Nic Klein
2	2014-11-07	Commander 2014	C14		144	2015	Normal	Black	Nic Klein

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Evernight Shade has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2012-05-01	Evernight Shade’s ability doesn’t put +1/+1 counters on it; it just gives Evernight Shade +1/+1 until end of turn. If Evernight Shade has no +1/+1 counters on it and dies after its ability has resolved, undying will still return it to the battlefield.