Wing Shards MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 10 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Storm

Key Takeaways

  1. Offsetting opponent’s board presence, Wing Shards tips the card economy scale with its multi-creature clearing ability.
  2. Instant speed and Storm mechanic synergy allow reactive plays, disrupting attacks and combos at critical moments.
  3. Mana cost considerations aside, the versatility and combo potential make Wing Shards a solid addition to control decks.

Text of card

Target player sacrifices an attacking creature. Storm (When you play this spell, copy it for each spell played before it this turn.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Although Wing Shards doesn’t directly allow you to draw cards, it can effectively reduce your opponent’s board presence, ensuring they lose more resources than you. This card shines in situations where you’re up against creature-heavy strategies, potentially clearing multiple attackers with a single spell and tilting the card economy in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Wing Shards doesn’t directly contribute to resource acceleration in the traditional sense. However, its ability to remove multiple threats without the need for additional mana investment beyond its initial casting cost provides a different kind of resource efficiency. This in turn can leave you with more mana available for further plays within your turn or protection during your opponent’s turn.

Instant Speed: The real tactical edge of Wing Shards comes from its instant speed, allowing you to wait until your opponent declares attackers. In combination with the Storm mechanic, you can orchestrate scenarios to maximize its impact, potentially clearing out several creatures and disrupting combo plays or aggressive strategies without telegraphing your intention until the last possible moment.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Wing Shards doesn’t have a direct discard requirement, it can indirectly lead to card disadvantage. Triggering its Storm ability to its full potential often requires casting multiple spells in one turn, which can deplete your hand quickly.

Specific Mana Cost: Wing Shards comes with a mana cost that includes two white mana symbols, which can be restrictive. This specific mana cost may not seamlessly fit into all decks, particularly those with a more diverse color palette or multicolored strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of one generic and two white mana, some players may find Wing Shards expensive for its base effect. In formats where tempo plays a critical role, the card’s cost might seem steep compared to other lower-cost removal options.


Reasons to Include Wing Shards in Your Collection

Versatility: Wing Shards is an instant that can be slotted into various deck builds, particularly those looking to control the battlefield. Its ability to force an opponent to sacrifice an attacking creature makes it a useful tool in multiple game situations.

Combo Potential: This card shines in scenarios where you can trigger its storm ability, allowing you to remove multiple attackers and disrupt your opponent’s strategy. It works well with spells that let you cast multiple cards in one turn, multiplying its impact.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where combat-heavy decks prevail, Wing Shards becomes a highly valuable card. It can effectively counter strategies reliant on powerful creatures and turn the tide of battle in your favor with its scalable effect.


How to beat

Wing Shards is an impactful Instant in the realm of MTG that can turn the tide of battle with its storm ability, potentially foiling an opponent’s offensive strategy. This card forces the targeted opponent to sacrifice an attacking creature, and with each spell cast before it in a turn, it replicates that effect. Therefore, Wing Shards is particularly formidable in situations where multiple spells are played in succession.

To effectively counter Wing Shards, one strategy is to diversify your threats across the battlefield rather than leaning on a single, formidable attacker. Cards like Blossoming Defense, which can grant hexproof, are invaluable as they can protect key creatures from being targeted. Additionally, maintaining a backup plan after the combat phase can mitigate the impact of the card. Cards offering undying or persist abilities help ensure that even if Wing Shards forces a creature to be sacrificed, it won’t be the end of your battlefield presence.

Ultimately, being mindful of Wing Shards when planning attacks and conserving resources to rebuild after it’s been played is crucial. This approach minimizes its potential to disrupt your game and allows you to outmaneuver opponents relying on this defensive strategy.


Cards like Wing Shards

Wing Shards is a standout instant in the Magic: The Gathering arsenal, known for its ability to disrupt opponent strategies by forcing them to sacrifice attacking creatures. It shares strategic traits with cards like Celestial Flare, which operates similarly by targeting active attackers. Yet, Wing Shards edges out by potentially removing multiple attackers, escalating in impact with each spell or copy played before it within a turn.

Looking to other cards, Gideon’s Reprisal enters the fray, affecting all attacking creatures but at a higher mana cost. Wing Shards excels with its lower cost and instant speed, allowing reactive play to surprise opponents. Furthermore, when compared to the sorcery speed Retribution of the Meek, Wing Shards offers a more targeted approach, making sure you can respond effectively without having to wait for your turn.

Therefore, when evaluating similar cards for your deck, Wing Shards maintains its appeal, coupling its mana efficiency with the tactical advantage of instant speed, making it a formidable choice for players looking to keep the battlefield under their control.

Celestial Flare - MTG Card versions
Retribution of the Meek - MTG Card versions
Celestial Flare - Magic 2014 (M14)
Retribution of the Meek - Visions (VIS)

Cards similar to Wing Shards by color, type and mana cost

Reverse Damage - MTG Card versions
Army of Allah - MTG Card versions
Holy Light - MTG Card versions
Morale - MTG Card versions
Blood of the Martyr - MTG Card versions
Piety - MTG Card versions
Martyrdom - MTG Card versions
Harsh Justice - MTG Card versions
Kor Chant - MTG Card versions
Just Fate - MTG Card versions
Waylay - MTG Card versions
Warrior's Honor - MTG Card versions
Radiant's Judgment - MTG Card versions
Afterlife - MTG Card versions
Abolish - MTG Card versions
Restrain - MTG Card versions
Prismatic Strands - MTG Card versions
Ardenvale Tactician // Dizzying Swoop - MTG Card versions
Teferi's Protection - MTG Card versions
Generous Gift - MTG Card versions
Reverse Damage - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Army of Allah - Arabian Nights (ARN)
Holy Light - Masters Edition (ME1)
Morale - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Blood of the Martyr - Chronicles (CHR)
Piety - Renaissance (REN)
Martyrdom - Alliances (ALL)
Harsh Justice - Portal (POR)
Kor Chant - The List (PLST)
Just Fate - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Waylay - Urza's Saga (USG)
Warrior's Honor - Anthologies (ATH)
Radiant's Judgment - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Afterlife - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Abolish - Duel Decks: Elspeth vs. Tezzeret (DDF)
Restrain - Invasion (INV)
Prismatic Strands - Commander 2019 (C19)
Ardenvale Tactician // Dizzying Swoop - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Teferi's Protection - Strixhaven Mystical Archive (STA)
Generous Gift - Phyrexia: All Will Be One Commander (ONC)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Wing Shards MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Scourge, 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 Wing Shards and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Wing Shards Magic the Gathering card was released in 10 different sets between 2003-05-26 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Daren Bader.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 351562003normalblackDaren Bader
22003-05-26ScourgeSCG 251997normalblackDaren Bader
32003-08-07World Championship Decks 2003WC03 dz25sb2003normalgoldDaren Bader
42004-09-01World Championship Decks 2004WC04 jn252003normalgoldDaren Bader
52014-11-07Commander 2014C14 972015normalblackDaren Bader
62017-08-25Commander 2017C17 792015normalblackDaren Bader
72017-11-17Iconic MastersIMA 382015normalblackDaren Bader
82019-06-14Modern HorizonsMH1 382015normalblackDaren Bader
92019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 2782015normalblackDaren Bader
102020-09-26The ListPLST IMA-382015normalblackDaren Bader

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Wing Shards has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-06-14 An “attacking creature” is one that has been declared as an attacker or put onto the battlefield attacking during a turn’s combat. Unless that creature leaves combat, it continues to be an attacking creature through the end of combat step, even if the player it was attacking has left the game or the planeswalker it was attacking has left combat.
2019-06-14 If you cast Wing Shards after combat damage has been dealt, only creatures that survived combat can be sacrificed.
2019-06-14 Storm counts spells cast before the spell with storm was cast. Spells cast after the spell with storm was cast but before the storm ability resolves aren’t counted.
2019-06-14 The copies storm creates are created on the stack, so they’re not cast. Abilities that trigger when a player casts a spell (such as storm) won’t trigger.
2019-06-14 The storm ability and the copies it creates all resolve before the spell with storm. They resolve even if the spell with storm is countered.
2019-06-14 Wing Shards doesn’t target the creature to be sacrificed. The target player chooses the creature as it resolves.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks