Eager First-Year MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Wizard |
| Abilities | Magecraft |
| Released | 2021-04-23 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Strixhaven: School of Mages |
| Set code | STX |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
| Number | 16 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Cristi Balanescu |
Text of card
Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, Eager First-Year gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
Today, she learns the basics. She'll knock out advanced theory later this week.
Cards like Eager First-Year
Eager First-Year provides a dynamic option for players looking to enhance their creature-based strategies in Magic: The Gathering. Comparable to other two-mana creatures like Cloudkin Seer, Eager First-Year offers its own set of advantages. Cloudkin Seer, while it provides card draw upon entering the battlefield, doesn’t offer the same aggressive potential as Eager First-Year, which encourages spell-casting to increase its attack power.
Leonin Lightscribe is another notable ally, echoing a similar mechanic. It amplifies creatures’ power across the board with Magecraft, though it demands a higher mana investment compared to the more streamlined Eager First-Year. Conversely, Ghitu Lavarunner takes a different approach, gaining a boost after you have a few instants or sorceries in the graveyard, which requires setting up, whereas Eager First-Year reaps immediate benefits from casting spells.
Assessing the benefits, Eager First-Year stands out in decks that synergize with casting numerous non-creature spells, offering a balance of cost-efficiency and combat relevance to maintain pressure on the opponent from the early rounds of the game.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Stepping into the strategic world of MTG, Eager First-Year offers the potential for card advantage through its synergy with spells that draw cards, enhancing your deck’s overall performance during matches.
Resource Acceleration: With the affinity for spells, this card can seamlessly tie into strategies that accelerate resource generation, potentially providing additional mana or resources to outpace opponents.
Instant Speed: Eager First-Year shines in decks that utilize instant speed interactions, allowing players to flexibly respond to an adversary’s moves while progressing their own board state, indicative of the dynamic playstyle MTG is known for.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Eager First-Year comes with a condition that players must meet, which involves discarding another card. This can hinder your strategy, especially in tense moments when holding onto your hand is crucial.
Specific Mana Cost: This card requires both white and red mana, which confines it mostly to Boros decks or multicolored strategies. This mana requirement can add complexity to deck building, limiting its versatility across various deck archetypes.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a combined cost of three mana, Eager First-Year demands a significant early investment. This often translates to a delay in establishing board presence when compared to other low-cost creatures, and could potentially put you at a tempo disadvantage against faster decks in the game.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Eager First-Year is a robust choice for those deck builders looking for a flexible play. This two-cost creature can seamlessly fit into various deck types, particularly those that capitalize on spellcasting or prowess-like mechanics.
Combo Potential: For enthusiasts of synergistic play, Eager First-Year offers substantial combo potential. Since it gains strength from casting noncreature spells, it can be a key component in decks focused on spell-slinging for rapid, explosive turns.
Meta-Relevance: Taking into account the current meta, where quick and aggressive strategies often dominate, Eager First-Year stands out as a strong contender. Its ability to apply early pressure and become a significant threat with the right spells makes it a noteworthy addition to any collection.
How to beat
Eager First-Year is a card that players in Magic: The Gathering tend to encounter in the early stages of a game, primarily due to its low mana cost and typical presence in aggressive decks. When facing an Eager First-Year, you should consider your strategy for dealing with an opponent that favors quick, creature-based assaults. The key is to eliminate or neutralize this card before it becomes a consistent source of damage. One reliable method is to use efficient removal spells that can handle creatures with a low toughness without spending too many resources.
Having creatures with a higher toughness on the board will discourage attacks from the Eager First-Year or ensure that any attack results in a less favorable trade for your opponent. Cards that can handle multiple creatures at once, like sweepers or mass removal spells, can also be extremely beneficial in this scenario. It’s essential to stabilize the board and prepare for long-term advantage, in which the early impact of the Eager First-Year becomes less threatening as the game progresses.
Ultimately, dealing with cards like Eager First-Year effectively can shift the momentum in your favor. By using proper removal techniques and maintaining board control, you can move beyond the early game threats and focus on executing your own winning strategy.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Eager First-Year MTG card by a specific set like Strixhaven: School of Mages, 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 Eager First-Year and other MTG cards:
BUY NOW BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Eager First-Year has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Eager First-Year card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-04-16 | Each magecraft ability has a different effect, although they all have the same trigger condition, whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell. |
| 2021-04-16 | For example, if you control Archmage Emeritus and cast an instant or sorcery spell, Archmage Emeritus’s magecraft ability will trigger and you will draw a card. |
| 2021-04-16 | If an effect creates a copy of an instant or sorcery spell, this will also cause the magecraft ability to trigger. |
| 2021-04-16 | If an effect creates multiple copies of an instant or sorcery spell, magecraft abilities trigger once for each copy created by the effect. |
| 2021-04-16 | Some effects instruct you to copy an instant or sorcery card in a zone other than the stack. These copies do not cause magecraft abilities to trigger. However, most effects that do this also allow you to cast the copy, and casting the copy will cause magecraft abilities to trigger. |