Frontline Sage MTG Card


Frontline Sage - Conflux
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Human Wizard
Abilities Exalted
Released2009-02-06
Set symbol
Set nameConflux
Set codeCON
Power 0
Toughness 1
Number28
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byVolkan Baǵa

Key Takeaways

  1. Frontline Sage provides card advantage via looting, crucial for maintaining hand quality during games.
  2. It accelerates resource availability, advancing your in-game strategies and power plays.
  3. Instant speed synergy allows for flexible, reactive playstyles, optimizing hand composition.

Text of card

Exalted (Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.) , : Draw a card, then discard a card.

The battle was won in the commander's head before the first weapon was drawn.


Card Pros

When it comes to identifying the virtues of Frontline Sage in your deck, there are several key benefits that make it a valuable addition to any MTG player’s arsenal. Here are the strengths this card brings to the table:

Card Advantage: Frontline Sage offers the strategic edge of looting—when it becomes tapped, you may draw a card and then discard a card. This selective process enhances your ability to sift through your deck and ensures that you hold onto the most pivotal cards during critical moments of the match.

Resource Acceleration: Not only does Frontline Sage excel in cycling through your deck, it also synergizes with spells and abilities that tap creatures for added effects. This capability can potentially escalate your resources, giving you a swifter route to deploying more powerful cards and strategies sooner than expected.

Instant Speed: The superiority of instant speed interactions cannot be overstated in MTG. Though Frontline Sage itself isn’t an instant, it harmonizes impeccably with such spells. As a creature that can be tapped at essentially any time, it allows you to remain reactive, adapting deftly to the evolving landscape of the game while simultaneously crafting your desired hand composition.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Frontline Sage demands you to discard a card in order to activate its ability. This can be particularly challenging when your hand size is already dwindling or the cards in hand are all critical for your game plan, leading you down a path where you might have to sacrifice valuable resources.

Specific Mana Cost: With the necessity for blue mana in its casting cost, Frontline Sage locks itself into decks that can produce this color. This can present a deck-building constraint, especially for those seeking to craft a multicolored strategy but lack the means to consistently provide the needed blue mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring three mana might not seem excessive at first glance, but within the context of MTG where efficiency is key, there are alternatives that might be more appealing. For decks that aim for a rapid pace or those that need to establish board presence swiftly, the cost of deploying Frontline Sage could lead to a delay in momentum or opportunity costs in gameplay.


Reasons to Include Frontline Sage in Your Collection

Versatility: Frontline Sage offers flexibility to deck builders, seamlessly integrating into strategies that capitalize on prowess or casting numerous noncreature spells. Its ability to enable card draw upon Exalted activation provides additional utility, adapting to the changing tides of any match.

Combo Potential: This creature’s Exalted trigger and subsequent card draw component open doors for synergetic interactions. It adeptly supports spell-heavy decks and can fuel powerful chains or synergize with cards that thrive on card draw and spell-casting.

Meta-Relevance: The evolving game environment often rewards strategic card advantage. Frontline Sage aligns with this aspect, offering players an edge in metas that favor quick-paced playstyles or require consistent access to more options in-hand.


How to beat

Frontline Sage is a card that bolsters a player’s hand with options by providing card draw upon exalted triggers. To effectively counter this card, one would need to stymie its ability to exploit the exalted mechanic. Tactics such as preventing it from attacking, through cards that tap creatures or ones that remove Frontline Sage from play, are particularly effective. A strategy may include utilizing instant speed removals, such as Path to Exile, to disrupt plays before the exalted trigger can occur.

Controlling the board is another viable approach. This could be achieved through board wipes like Wrath of God, negating the chance for Frontline Sage to contribute additional card advantage. Single-target spells provide another option, but in a multiplayer setting, board control should be a priority to limit the benefits that a player may reap from the card-drawing functionality of Frontline Sage.

A well-timed counter spell can also neutralize Frontline Sage before it even touches the battlefield. Counterspell, Mana Leak, or more specific creature-targeting counters like Essence Scatter, ensure that your opponent’s plays are thwarted. Remember, knowledge of what your opponent is packing is half the battle, so keep awareness high and your answers ready.


Cards like Frontline Sage

Frontline Sage enters the field of Magic: The Gathering as a versatile creature card that offers players both information and offensive tools. In the same category, we see Augury Owl, which provides a scry ability upon entering the battlefield. While Augury Owl gives you immediate knowledge about your upcoming draws, Frontline Sage requires a bit more to unleash its potential, needing Exalted to be truly effective.

Examining Omenspeaker, another creature with scry ability, it stands out with a relevant body for defense but lacks the agility of the Exalted mechanic that Frontline Sage possesses. Additionally, Sage of Epityr deserves mention, as it also allows scry on entry and is low-cost, yet doesn’t match the Sage’s extended battlefield utility. Frontline Sage’s ability to draw a card when it attacks alone reflects a balance of power and strategy, demanding careful play to optimize its benefits.

Considering the tactical advantage that card knowledge brings to the game, Frontline Sage’s conditional card draw and the Exalted trigger can pivot a game’s dynamic in your favor, carving its niche among creature cards with scry and card advantage abilities in Magic: The Gathering.

Augury Owl - MTG Card versions
Omenspeaker - MTG Card versions
Sage of Epityr - MTG Card versions
Augury Owl - Magic 2011 (M11)
Omenspeaker - Theros (THS)
Sage of Epityr - Time Spiral (TSP)

Cards similar to Frontline Sage by color, type and mana cost

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Wall of Water - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Frontline Sage MTG card by a specific set like Conflux, 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 Frontline Sage and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Frontline Sage has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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