Kavu Predator MTG Card

Planar Chaos (PLC)
2007-02-02 - Number 132

Kavu Predator - Duel Decks: Heroes vs. Monsters (DDL)

Duel Decks: Heroes vs. Monsters (DDL)
2013-09-06 - Number 46

Masters 25 (A25)
2018-03-16 - Number 176

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Kavu
Abilities	Trample
Power	2
Toughness	2

Key Takeaways

The Predator thrives on life gain, turning opponent’s survival strategies against them efficiently.
Resource management is optimized by deploying an early threat that grows without extra investment.
Utilize this creature’s synergy with instants for surprise enhancements during pivotal moments.

Text of card

Trample Whenever an opponent gains life, put that many +1/+1 counters on Kavu Predator.

In a withered world, the scent of healthy prey is enough to drive a predator to frenzy.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Kavu Predator thrives in environments where life gain is prominent. When an opponent gains life, this creature grows, potentially becoming a sizable threat. This mechanic can work as an effective card advantage by diminishing the need for other creature buffs, focusing your deck on disrupting opponents while your predator escalates in power.

Resource Acceleration: In MTG, time is a resource. Kavu Predator accelerates your game plan by applying pressure early on. You can drop it as a two-mana 2/2 creature that quickly escalates in size, enabling you to divert resources to other aspects of your play, such as control elements or card draw, without sacrificing board presence.

Instant Speed: While Kavu Predator itself is a creature card and not an instant, its ability synergizes with instant speed interactions. Picture this: you’re casting instant-speed life gain spells or effects during your opponent’s turn, which unexpectedly boosts your Kavu Predator, often catching adversaries off guard and tipping combat or race situations in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Kavu Predator thrives in an environment where opponents are gaining life, which at times can be uncommon, making it situational. Without consistent life gain from opponents, its ability becomes dormant and it simply remains a creature with no additional benefits.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both green mana for casting, Kavu Predator isn’t as flexible in multicolored decks that may struggle with color fixing. This can lead to it being a dead card in hand during key turns, particularly in decks that manage a variety of colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While its mana cost isn’t exorbitant, there are creatures that can hit the field earlier and begin applying pressure faster. In a fast-paced game, this delay could give opponents the edge they need, putting you at a potential disadvantage as you wait to deploy your predatory threat.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Kavu Predator shines in environments where life gain is prevalent. Its ability to scale in power and toughness offers a flexible response to different situations, making it a fit for aggressive strategies as well as a defensive measure against life-gaining decks.

Combo Potential: With cards that allow or force life gain upon your opponent, Kavu Predator can quickly become a colossal threat. It interacts well with mechanics like Aetherflux Reservoir or cards that give life to both players, offering unique and synergistic interactions within your deck.

Meta-Relevance: As long as life gain remains a feature in various formats, Kavu Predator retains its meta importance. It can be a formidable tool in your arsenal, especially in a local meta where you often oppose decks that capitalize on gaining life.

How to beat

Kavu Predator is a unique creature card that thrives in environments where opponents are gaining life. Its ability to gain +1/+1 counters whenever an opponent gains life makes it a progressively threatening presence on the board. Tactics to outmaneuver Kavu Predator hinge on controlling life gain, removing the creature before it grows too large, or utilizing cards that negate the benefits of gaining counters.

Common strategies involve countering the creature spell before it hits the battlefield or employing removal spells once it’s in play. Instant-speed removal like Path to Exile or Fatal Push can efficiently deal with the Kavu before it gets out of hand. Alternatively, you can sidestep the life gain issue altogether by relying on damage or mill strategies that do not involve your opponent’s life total. Finally, a careful playstyle that avoids unnecessary life gain on your part or making strategic choices to not heal can ensure the Kavu Predator remains just a minor threat.

Managing this green creature can be tricky, but with foresight and the right responses, ensuring it never becomes the apex predator of the game is entirely possible. Having a game plan and knowing when to implement it is the key to keeping Kavu Predator in check.

Cards like Kavu Predator

Kavu Predator stands out in the MTG arena as a unique creature card with intriguing advantages. It parallels the likes of [Ajani’s Pridemate], a creature that similarly grows stronger as you gain life. However, the Kavu Predator has the added benefit of increasing its power and toughness whenever an opponent gains life, making it particularly potent in games where life gain is prevalent on both sides.

Another comparable card to consider is [Scavenging Ooze]. While both creatures thrive on specific game conditions to grow, Scavenging Ooze requires mana input to exil cards from graveyards and get counters, contrasting with Kavu Predator’s passive ability that reacts to opponent’s life gains at no additional cost. Meanwhile, [Tarmogoyf] capitalizes on the diversity of card types in all graveyards to determine its power and toughness, a different approach to growing a creature that doesn’t rely solely on life gain.

In weighing the capabilities of these creatures, Kavu Predator is a formidable card for decks against strategies laden with life-gaining moves, confirming its niche strength in player versus player matchups in MTG.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Kavu Predator MTG card by a specific set like Planar Chaos and Duel Decks: Heroes vs. Monsters, 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 Kavu Predator and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Kavu Predator Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2007-02-02 and 2018-03-16. Illustrated by Dan Scott.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2007-02-02	Planar Chaos	PLC	132	2003	Normal	Black	Dan Scott
2	2013-09-06	Duel Decks: Heroes vs. Monsters	DDL	46	2003	Normal	Black	Dan Scott
3	2018-03-16	Masters 25	A25	176	2015	Normal	Black	Dan Scott

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Kavu Predator has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2018-03-16	Each creature with lifelink dealing combat damage is a single life-gaining event. For example, if two creatures an opponent controls with lifelink deal combat damage at the same time, Kavu Predator’s ability will trigger twice. However, if a single creature an opponent controls with lifelink deals combat damage to multiple creatures, players, and/or planeswalkers at the same time (perhaps because it has trample or was blocked by more than one creature), the ability will trigger only once.
2018-03-16	If an opponent gains an amount of life “for each” of something (such as from Congregate), that life is gained as one event and Kavu Predator’s ability triggers only once.
2018-03-16	Kavu Predator’s last ability triggers just once for each life-gaining event, whether it’s 1 life from Kor Firewalker or 6 life from Renewed Faith.