Savage Vigor Head MTG Card

Type	Token Elite Creature — Head
Abilities	Hero's Reward
Released	2013-10-19
Set symbol
Set name	Face the Hydra
Set code	TFTH
Power	0
Toughness	8
Number	3
Frame	2003
Layout	Token
Border	Black
Illustred by	Richard Wright

Key Takeaways

Enables card draw through creature abilities, setting up a continuous resource flow in the game.
Instant speed allows strategic adaptations in real-time, keeping opponents uncertain.
Demands careful hand management due to a discard requirement for casting.

Text of card

At the beginning of the Hydra's end step, reveal the top card of the Hydra's library and the Hydra casts that card. Hero's Reward — When Savage Vigor Head leaves the battlefield, each player gains 4 life and draws a card.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Savage Vigor Head gives players the edge by potentially turning each creature you control into a future card draw opportunity with its ability, ensuring you have a steady stream of resources.

Resource Acceleration: By boosting the power of your creatures, this card can expedite your victory, ramping up the pressure on your opponent and increasing the impact of each creature you command.

Instant Speed: Its instant speed means you can adapt to the fluid situations on the battlefield, keeping your opponents on their toes as they must account for the potential sudden buff to your creatures during their turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Savage Vigor Head requires the player to part with another card in their hand which may not always be a suitable trade, especially if a player’s hand is already dwindling in size.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s casting requires a precise combination of mana, involving green, potentially restricting its integration into multicolored decks that may have difficulty generating the necessary mana efficiently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Savage Vigor Head offers a solid boost, its mana cost is on the high end when compared with alternative options. Players might find themselves falling behind in tempo as they invest in its rather hefty cost.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Savage Vigor Head can adapt to various deck strategies, providing an impactful enchantment for creatures that scales well into the late game. Its capacity to enhance any creature makes it a Swiss Army knife in decks that need that extra punch.

Combo Potential: This card thrives in synergistic environments where buffs can be pivotal. The +1/+1 counter it provides can be the linchpin in strategies revolving around counters, adding layers of complexity and potential to your plays.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where resilient creatures are key, Savage Vigor Head ensures that your important creatures not only survive but also become more formidable, making it a pertinent choice for decks looking to stand up to the prevalent removal-heavy decks.

How to Beat

The Savage Vigor Head card offers a unique twist on creature enhancement in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to grant a creature additional power can pose a significant challenge during gameplay. To overcome this obstacle, players must strategize effectively. Ensuring you have the means to deal with creature threats directly, through removal spells or abilities that can neutralize creature enhancements, is key to maintaining control over a match where Savage Vigor Head is in play.

From a tactical standpoint, consider employing cards that can bypass the power-boost like Pacifism to restrict the buffed creature from attacking or blocking, or instant speed removals to address the threat before it becomes too substantial. It’s also wise to anticipate when your opponent might cast it and hold back the necessary mana and cards to respond immediately. The Savage Vigor Head card, though potent, can be effectively outmaneuvered with proper planning and timely countermeasures.

Navigating the challenges posed by cards like Savage Vigor Head underscores the depth of MTG. Smart deck building, mastery of timing, and the ability to predict opponents’ moves are what distinguishes the experienced players from novices. With these insights, you can refine your strategy to diminish the impact of Savage Vigor Head on your path to victory.

Cards like Savage Vigor Head

Savage Vigor Head stands out in the landscape of creature enhancement spells in Magic: The Gathering. Its kinship can be noticed when compared to cards like Giant Growth, a classic spell known for beefing up a creature with a swift power and toughness boost. While Giant Growth offers an instant and sizable stat increase, Savage Vigor Head brings its own unique spin to the table with the ability to outfit your creature with potentially perpetual enhancements.

When we examine Blanchwood Armor, a spell that has been a staple in green decks for its ability to grant a creature a sizeable boost proportional to the number of forests controlled, we see a direct correlation in strategy, but Savage Vigor Head prioritizes continued growth by utilizing counters. Another analog, Predatory Hunger, incrementally increases a creature’s power each time an opponent casts a spell. Yet, unlike Savage Vigor Head, the power ramp of Predatory Hunger lacks the toughness increment, making Savage Vigor Head a compelling choice for players seeking balanced enhancement.

Assessing these alternatives leads to the recognition of Savage Vigor Head as a unique asset. It takes the foundational concept of creature buffs and layers on adaptability and resilience, making it a potent tool for players crafting strategies that capitalize on sustained creature development.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Savage Vigor Head MTG card by a specific set like Face the Hydra, 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 Savage Vigor Head and other MTG cards: