Survivor MTG Card

Type	Token Creature — Survivor
Released	2018-08-09
Set symbol
Set name	Commander 2018
Set code	C18
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	12
Frame	2015
Layout	Token
Border	Black
Illustred by	Johannes Voss

Key Takeaways

Survivor cards can rapidly draw extra cards, bolstering a player’s battlefield presence and hand resources.
They provide crucial resource acceleration, often via land retrieval or mana-generating creature tokens.
Operating at instant speed, Survivor cards allow strategic responses during an opponent’s turn.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Survivor cards often enable players to draw additional cards, maintaining a robust presence on the battlefield while ensuring a steady flow of options in hand. This advantage can be essential in outpacing opponents over the course of a match.

Resource Acceleration: Some Survivor cards give players the ability to ramp up their available resources, often through land retrieval or creature tokens that can be tapped for mana. This acceleration can be a game-changer, allowing for more significant plays or faster deployment of heavy-hitting spells.

Instant Speed: The versatility of Survivor cards that function at instant speed cannot be overstated. The ability to react to threats or opportunities on an opponent’s turn gives players an edge, allowing for surprise shifts in the dynamic of the game that can lead to a strategic advantage.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the downsides to using the Survivor card is its discard requirement, which could deplete your hand quickly and leave you at a resource disadvantage, especially if you’re facing an opponent who focuses on card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: The Survivor card necessitates a particular blend of mana to be played. This can be a setback for players running a multicolored deck where mana flexibility is key to their strategy, potentially leading to situations where the Survivor card remains uncastable in hand due to color constraints.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Additionally, the Survivor card comes with a higher mana cost compared to other options in the game. This makes it a potential liability in fast-paced games where lower cost cards could be played more quickly and possibly have an immediate impact on the board state.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Survivor cards offer a compelling blend of adaptability for different play styles, fitting smoothly into a variety of deck archetypes. This makes them sound choices for players looking to diversify their game plan.

Combo Potential: With their inherent synergies, Survivor cards can significantly complement combo-oriented decks. The ability to endure or manipulate certain conditions often leads to potent interactions and emergent gameplay options.

Meta-Relevance: Survivor cards are respected for their resilience and utility in a shifting meta. They can often provide an edge, adapting to overcome widespread strategies and proving their worth across various competitive scenes.

How to beat

Survivor cards in Magic: The Gathering bring a unique dynamic to gameplay, challenging opponents to strategize differently to overcome their resilience. To effectively counter a Survivor card, one must consider removal spells that bypass the card’s damage prevention abilities. Versatile spells like Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile can exile the creature outright, ensuring it doesn’t come back. Additionally, leveraging sacrifice effects forces your opponent to forfeit their Survivor without having to deal damage, as seen with cards like Diabolic Edict.

Board wipes also serve as a reliable method to clear survivors off the board. Wrath of God and Damnation ignore individual creature abilities and can reset the board in your favor. It’s also worth considering non-traditional removals such as counterspells or hand disruption strategies. Countering a Survivor card with a Dovin’s Veto or Thoughtseize before it hits the board can neutralize the threat before it ever becomes a problem. Finally, remember to adjust your tactics according to the Survivor’s supporting synergies to maintain control over the game.

The key is to remain adaptable and utilize your deck’s strengths while anticipating and neutralizing the Survivor’s advantages. This approach ensures a path to victory against decks capitalizing on Survivor mechanics.

Cards like Survivor

The Survivor card establishes itself as a unique piece in the creature card pool. It shares some thematic similarities with resilient creatures like Dauntless Survivor from Zendikar Rising. Where Dauntless Survivor buffs another creature upon entering the battlefield, Survivor instead focuses on ensuring its own survival against certain doom, displaying an innate resistance to harm. Not to be overlooked is the stalwart Fresh-Faced Recruit from Guilds of Ravnica, who also embodies the spirit of determination with its conditional ability to block creatures of any power.

Exploring further parallels, we meet the venerable Tajuru Preserver, a creature hailing from Rise of the Eldrazi, known for its safeguard against sacrifices. Survivor resonates with this protective stance but diverges as it aims primarily at shielding itself. Then there’s the Roiling Regrowth, peripherally akin with an instant sacrifice for land acceleration. While not a creature, it exemplifies the survivor theme, evolving your battlefield presence.

In sum, the complexity of Survivor in MTG weaves through its kindred cards, showing contrast and kinship in abilities that define survival, be it through bolstering companions or self-preservation, thereby carving its niche in the world of creature cards.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Survivor MTG card by a specific set like Commander 2018, 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 Survivor and other MTG cards: