Hada Spy Patrol MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human Rogue
Abilities Level Up,Shroud
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Hada Spy Patrol’s level up ability can be a game-changer, transforming it into a powerful creature over time.
  2. Timing and mana investment are crucial, as instant speed level ups provide substantial flexibility.
  3. Despite being mana-intensive, Hada Spy Patrol’s potential for growth makes it a worthy addition for strategists.

Text of card

Level up (: Put a level counter on this. Level up only as a sorcery.) LEVEL 1-2 2/2 Hada Spy Patrol is unblockable. LEVEL 3+ 3/3 Shroud Hada Spy Patrol is unblockable.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: With its level up ability, Hada Spy Patrol can become a formidable threat, creating a subtle card advantage as it transforms into a potent creature without needing additional card investment.

Resource Acceleration: The level up cost of Hada Spy Patrol is a manageable investment. With proper timing, this allows for resource acceleration as you effectively increase the power of a single card over multiple turns.

Instant Speed: The level up mechanic can be activated at instant speed, providing flexibility in gameplay. This allows you to adapt to the board state, potentially leveling up Hada Spy Patrol when opponents least expect it, enhancing strategic depth and surprise.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Hada Spy Patrol offers the potential for growth with level up, it does require discarding cards to activate its level-up ability. This can place a player at a strategic disadvantage by depleting the hand too quickly, especially in games where maintaining a card advantage is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: Hada Spy Patrol necessitates both blue mana and generic mana for its casting and level-up abilities. This strict mana requirement can potentially restrict its inclusion to decks that support heavy blue mana bases, thereby limiting its flexibility for deck building across various archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although gaining levels and subsequently getting shroud and extra power can be beneficial, the investment is sizeable when considering the initial mana cost coupled with additional level-up costs. This investment can be particularly taxing in fast-paced matches where optimizing mana usage is key to victory, and could lead to situations where other cards would provide more immediate impact or value for the same or lower mana investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Hada Spy Patrol offers a flexible role in decks that are looking to scale their threat level as the game progresses. Its shroud ability allows it to evade targeted removal, making it a reliable creature on the board.

Combo Potential: With level up mechanics, it pairs well with cards that manipulate or utilize counters, or with those that can untap creatures to use the level up ability multiple times in a single turn.

Meta-Relevance: Against decks that rely heavily on spot removal, Hada Spy Patrol gains increased significance. In such environments, its shroud and potential to become a larger threat can give you an edge.


How to beat

Hada Spy Patrol poses a unique threat on the battlefield with its level up ability, making it a potentially formidable creature as the game progresses. As with many Magic: The Gathering cards that grow stronger over time, the key to dealing with Hada Spy Patrol lies in timing and strategy. Acting swiftly to remove or counter it before it reaches a critical level is essential. Cards that provide direct removal or bounce effects can effectively neutralize the threat it represents, as they don’t allow the investment in leveling up to pay off.

Control strategies that focus on denying opponents’ resources or actions can also be powerful against Hada Spy Patrol. Counter spells specifically can prevent it from hitting the board in the first place, while tapping or freezing effects can render it inert even after it’s been leveled up. Furthermore, because Hada Spy Patrol must be leveled up incrementally, maintaining pressure that forces your opponent to use their mana elsewhere can hinder the Patrol’s growth. Keep steady aggression and use efficient removal to ensure the Hada Spy Patrol doesn’t spy a chance to tip the scales in your opponent’s favor.


Cards like Hada Spy Patrol

Hada Spy Patrol stands as an interesting creature in Magic: The Gathering, sharing some mechanics with peers such as Thieving Sprite. Both offer the faerie theme and evasive abilities, but Hada Spy Patrol provides an incremental advantage with its level up feature. Compared to Thieving Sprite, which impacts the game immediately by forcing a discard, Hada Spy Patrol requires a strategic investment of mana to grow stronger over time.

Another card worth mentioning is Latchkey Faerie, which boasts the prowess of card draw upon entering the battlefield if its prowl cost was paid. In contrast, Hada Spy Patrol demands patience, for its power resides in potential rather than immediate gratification. Where Latchkey Faerie offers a burst of value, Hada Spy Patrol leans towards a long-term game plan, becoming an increasingly threatening presence the longer it remains on the battlefield.

Assessing Hada Spy Patrol in the context of similar cards reveals its unique proposition as an evolvable creature that rewards players who protect and manage it thoughtfully during the game. Its uniqueness among Magic: The Gathering cards lies in the level-up mechanic that promises a formidable force in the making.

Thieving Sprite - MTG Card versions
Latchkey Faerie - MTG Card versions
Thieving Sprite - Lorwyn (LRW)
Latchkey Faerie - Morningtide (MOR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hada Spy Patrol MTG card by a specific set like Rise of the Eldrazi and Commander 2013, 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 Hada Spy Patrol and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Hada Spy Patrol Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2010-04-23 and 2017-06-09. Illustrated by 4 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-04-23Rise of the EldraziROE 712003levelerblackZoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai
22013-11-01Commander 2013C13 462003levelerblackZoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai
32017-06-09Commander AnthologyCMA 402015levelerblackZoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Hada Spy Patrol has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2010-06-15 A creature’s level is based on how many level counters it has on it, not how many times its level up ability has been activated or has resolved. If a leveler gets level counters due to some other effect (such as Clockspinning) or loses level counters for some reason (such as Vampire Hexmage), its level is changed accordingly.
2010-06-15 Effects that modify a leveler’s power or toughness, such as the effects of Giant Growth or Glorious Anthem, will apply to it no matter when they started to take effect. The same is true for counters that change the creature’s power or toughness (such as +1/+1 counters) and effects that switch its power and toughness.
2010-06-15 Effects that set a leveler’s power or toughness to a specific value, including the effects from a level symbol’s ability, apply in timestamp order. The timestamp of each level symbol’s ability is the same as the timestamp of the leveler itself, regardless of when the most recent level counter was put on it.
2010-06-15 If another creature becomes a copy of a leveler, all of the leveler’s printed abilities — including those represented by level symbols — are copied. The current characteristics of the leveler, and the number of level counters on it, are not. The abilities, power, and toughness of the copy will be determined based on how many level counters are on the copy.
2010-06-15 The abilities a leveler grants to itself don’t overwrite any other abilities it may have. In particular, they don’t overwrite the creature’s level up ability; it always has that.

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