Halana, Kessig Ranger MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeLegendary Creature — Human Archer Ranger
Abilities Partner,Reach
Power 3
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Maintains card advantage by removing opponent creatures while casting your stronger ones.
  2. Indirectly accelerates your game plan for effective mana and board control.
  3. Offers crucial instant-speed abilities for flexible and opportune plays.

Text of card

Reach Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may pay . When you do, that creature deals damage equal to its power to target creature. Partner (You can have two commanders if both have partner.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: One of the key strengths of Halana Kessig Ranger is its ability to let you maintain pressure on the board while keeping your hand stocked. Each time you cast a creature with a higher power, you get to potentially remove an opponent’s threat, keeping the way clear for your attacks and preserving your card resources in the process.

Resource Acceleration: While Halana doesn’t directly ramp your mana resources, this card indirectly accelerates your game plan by allowing you to efficiently use your mana on developing your board and controlling your opponent’s at the same time. By combining creature plays with removal, you streamline your strategy and use your resources effectively.

Instant Speed: Halana Kessig Ranger’s ability can be activated at instant speed whenever you cast another creature with greater power. This flexibility is crucial as it means you can respond to threats during your opponent’s turn, setting up surprise blocks or removing key pieces from their strategy at the most opportune time.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: For some effects, Halana Kessig Ranger may compel you to discard, potentially depleting your hand especially if you’re already managing a low card count.

Specific Mana Cost: Halana demands a combination of green and generic mana, which could be challenging for multicolored decks that are mana-hungry or require a more flexible mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an initial casting cost that can be on the higher side for aggressive decks, you might find other creature options that offer a quicker board presence or fit more seamlessly into your curve.


Reasons to Include Halana Kessig Ranger in Your Collection

Versatility: Halana Kessig Ranger offers a dynamic role within decks geared towards creature-based strategies. Its ability to grant creatures an immediate impact on entering the battlefield makes it a valuable asset in a variety of decks, from Commander to Standard formats.

Combo Potential: With Halana’s triggered ability, you can create powerful interactions with creatures that have enter-the-battlefield effects or with those that can exploit dealing damage. This enables multiple opportunities for innovative and potentially game-ending combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where creatures dominate, Halana Kessig Ranger becomes an asset by enhancing your board’s presence and control. It can turn your creatures into immediate threats, affecting the pace and outcome of the game, making it a card that stays relevant across different metas.


How to Beat Halana Kessig Ranger

Halana Kessig Ranger stands out in the realm of utility creatures for Magic the Gathering, bringing a unique blend of abilities to the battlefield. When assessing the strategy to successfully counter the card, one must understand the advantage that Halana provides with the ability to deal damage to a creature as another creature enters the battlefield under your control. To undermine this benefit, players should focus on removal spells that can efficiently dispatch her, or use instant-speed interactions that can disrupt the synergy before it manifests.

Consider employing creature counters or targeted removal like Path to Exile, which can exile Halana before her ability becomes significant. Additionally, controlling the pace of creature plays, and hence the triggers of her ability, can be crucial. Counterspells that negate creature spells or flash creatures that can be played on an opponent’s turn help prevent the alignment of Halana’s ability. With the right removal or control strategies, you can tip the scales in your favor and mitigate the impact of Halana Kessig Ranger in the game.

In summary, strategic removals and timing your creature plays are key to overcoming the challenges posed by Halana Kessig Ranger. By staying one step ahead, you can ensure her abilities don’t swing the game in your opponent’s favor.


BurnMana Recommendations

Halana Kessig Ranger is more than a mere card in your MTG deck – it embodies strategy, control, and potential game-changing plays. If you’re intrigued by the tactical edge Halana can offer, consider how it could fit into creature-centric decks or how it could be used to craft a powerful board state. Understanding its pros and cons allows you to optimize its impact. Elevate your game by integrating Halana in ways that exploit its synergies and combo potential. Dive into our insights to master the strategic integration of this card and reign supreme in your MTG matches. Advance your gameplay by learning how to harness the full capabilities of Halana Kessig Ranger with us.


Cards like Halana, Kessig Ranger

Halana, Kessig Ranger brings a unique dynamic to the table as a supportive creature in MTG. She is closely related to other commander creatures that bolster the board, such as Tana, the Bloodsower. Both offer a way to generate additional value with each attack, Tana through saproling token generation and Halana through dealing damage to target creatures. However, Halana’s ability is triggered by other creatures entering the battlefield under your control, not necessarily from combat, making her flexible in token-based or creature-heavy decks.

Another comparable card is Syr Faren, the Hengehammer. While Syr Faren doubles the power of another attacking creature, Halana offers direct damage as a form of removal and is not confined to the combat phase. This distinction allows for strategic plays, with Halana clearing the path for unobstructed attacks. Morrilton of the Omenseek is also a creature worth comparing. While Halana provides pinpoint removal, Morrilton’s prowess lies in card advantage and selection, presenting a different approach to gaining the upper hand in MTG.

Each of these creatures offers a strategic advantage, yet Halana, Kessig Ranger stands out with her ability to manipulate the board state by utilizing creature plays to control opponents’ threats.

Tana, the Bloodsower - MTG Card versions
Syr Faren, the Hengehammer - MTG Card versions
Tana, the Bloodsower - Commander 2016 (C16)
Syr Faren, the Hengehammer - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)

Cards similar to Halana, Kessig Ranger by color, type and mana cost

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Giant Spider - Tenth Edition (10E)
Marsh Viper - The Dark (DRK)
Scarwood Bandits - The Dark (DRK)
Carnivorous Plant - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Erhnam Djinn - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
War Mammoth - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Aurochs - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Lhurgoyf - World Championship Decks 1997 (WC97)
Jackalope Herd - Exodus (EXO)
Golden Bear - Portal Second Age (P02)
Argothian Swine - Urza's Saga (USG)
Elvish Piper - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Erithizon - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Skyshroud Cutter - Nemesis (NEM)
Ulvenwald Oddity // Ulvenwald Behemoth - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Fungusaur - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Viridian Lorebearers - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Monkey Monkey Monkey - Unhinged (UNH)
Matsu-Tribe Birdstalker - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Order of the Sacred Bell - Ninth Edition (9ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Halana, Kessig Ranger MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Commander Legends, 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 Halana, Kessig Ranger and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Halana, Kessig Ranger Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-11-20 and 2020-11-20. Illustrated by Zoltan Boros.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 862582015normalblackZoltan Boros
22020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 5792015normalblackZoltan Boros
32020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 2312015normalblackZoltan Boros

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Halana, Kessig Ranger has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-11-10 An effect that checks whether you control your commander is satisfied if you control one or both of your two commanders.
2020-11-10 Both commanders start in the command zone, and the remaining 98 cards (or 58 cards in a Commander Draft game) of your deck are shuffled to become your library.
2020-11-10 For the creature that entered the battlefield, use its power as Halana's reflexive triggered ability resolves to determine how much damage is dealt. If it's no longer on the battlefield at that time, use its power as it last existed on the battlefield.
2020-11-10 Halana, Kessig Ranger's triggered ability goes on the stack without a target. While that ability is resolving, you may pay . If you do, a second ability triggers and you pick a target that will be dealt damage. This is different from abilities that say "If you do . . ." in that players may cast spells and activate abilities after mana is paid but before damage is dealt.
2020-11-10 If something refers to your commander while you have two commanders, it refers to one of them of your choice. If you are instructed to perform an action on your commander (e.g. put it from the command zone into your hand due to Command Beacon), you choose one of your commanders at the time the effect happens.
2020-11-10 If your Commander deck has two commanders, you can only include cards whose own color identities are also found in your commanders' combined color identities. If Falthis and Kediss are your commanders, your deck may contain cards with black and/or red in their color identity, but not cards with green, white, or blue.
2020-11-10 Once the game begins, your two commanders are tracked separately. If you cast one, you won't have to pay an additional the first time you cast the other. A player loses the game after having been dealt 21 damage from any one of them, not from both of them combined.
2020-11-10 To have two commanders, both must have the partner ability as the game begins. Losing the ability during the game doesn't cause either to cease to be your commander.
2020-11-10 You can choose two commanders with partner that are the same color or colors. In Commander Draft, you can even choose two of the same commander with partner if you drafted them. If you do this, make sure you keep the number of times you've cast each from the command zone clear for "commander tax" purposes.

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