Fettergeist MTG Card


Fettergeist offers card advantage with a strategic board presence despite not advancing your resource pool. The card’s upkeep cost and color-specific mana requirement could hinder its versatility in some decks. Inclusion in your collection provides a strategic edge in control and tempo decks with its flying ability.
Fettergeist - Avacyn Restored
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Spirit
Abilities Flying
Released2012-05-04
Set symbol
Set nameAvacyn Restored
Set codeAVR
Power 3
Toughness 4
Number52
Frame2003
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byIzzy

Text of card

Flying At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice Fettergeist unless you pay for each other creature you control.

The choices of the living will tether them in death.


Cards like Fettergeist

Fettergeist holds a unique role among spirit creatures in Magic: The Gathering. This ethereal being shares some traits with its spectral counterparts, such as Spectral Sailor. The Sailor, being both a spirit and a flyer, provides card draw but demands immediate mana input for its ability. Fettergeist, standing out with its larger body, requires a different kind of payment — a tax of mana for each non-spirit creature you control during your upkeep, incentivizing a spirit-focused deck build.

Comparable to Fettergeist is Drogskol Captain from the spirit squadron, enhancing other spirits with +1/+1 and hexproof, bolstering your battlefield presence. In contrast, Fettergeist concentrates more on being a standalone threat due to its formidable power and toughness ratio for its mana cost, without directly supporting other creatures. Another relative in this spectral comparison is Dungeon Geists, which also flies but leans towards a control strategy by locking down opponent creatures.

Scrutinizing the spectral family displays Fettergeist’s strength in decks that prize aerial might and a minimal creature strategy. As a rare blend of early game power spike and a mana regulator for deck strategy, Fettergeist carves out its own ghostly niche in MTG’s vast array of cards.

Spectral Sailor - MTG Card versions
Drogskol Captain - MTG Card versions
Dungeon Geists - MTG Card versions
Spectral Sailor - MTG Card versions
Drogskol Captain - MTG Card versions
Dungeon Geists - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Fettergeist by color, type and mana cost

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Wall of Water - MTG Card versions
Prodigal Sorcerer - MTG Card versions
Apprentice Wizard - MTG Card versions
Homarid - MTG Card versions
Daring Apprentice - MTG Card versions
Time Elemental - MTG Card versions
Rootwater Shaman - MTG Card versions
Wind Drake - MTG Card versions
Volrath's Shapeshifter - MTG Card versions
Stronghold Biologist - MTG Card versions
Quicksilver Wall - MTG Card versions
Wall of Air - MTG Card versions
Phantom Warrior - MTG Card versions
Wormfang Drake - MTG Card versions
Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - MTG Card versions
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro - MTG Card versions
Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar - MTG Card versions
Queen of Ice // Rage of Winter - MTG Card versions
Svyelun of Sea and Sky - MTG Card versions
Mistform Warchief - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Fettergeist has a unique dynamic in which it can potentially allow you to maintain a low creature count, thus offering indirect card advantage by not needing to commit as much to the board while still putting pressure on your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: While Fettergeist doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, it’s a cost-effective flyer—providing substantial board presence for a relatively low mana investment, which can free up your resources for other spells and abilities.

Instant Speed: Though not an instant itself, Fettergeist’s presence on the battlefield can influence your instant speed plays. With a flying blocker at the ready, you can afford to be more strategic with your instants, dictating the pace of combat on your opponent’s turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Fettergeist’s upkeep cost demands a player to discard a card unless they control a specific number of creatures. This can become a strategic Achilles’ heel, especially in decks where creature presence is minimal or inconsistent.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost for Fettergeist is particularly color-weighted, requiring two blue mana alongside one colorless. This restricts its inclusion to decks with a strong blue mana base, potentially limiting its overall versatility in multicolored deck strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that sits at three mana, Fettergeist could be considered costly for its 3/4 stat line. When assessing the card against others in its mana bracket, players might find alternative spirit creatures or control elements that provide a greater impact on the board state without the recurring cost.


Reasons to Include Fettergeist in Your Collection

Versatility: Fettergeist boasts utility in a variety of blue-centric decks, particularly those that capitalize on a lower creature count. Its ability to be a low-cost flyer makes it a suitable addition to control or tempo strategies.

Combo Potential: This spirit offers combo enthusiasts a piece that can easily fit into synergistic puzzle games. Fettergeist’s potential to conform with other spells that manipulate creature counts or benefit from spirits adds a layer of strategic depth to your gameplay.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creatures tend to dominate, having a cost-effective flyer like Fettergeist can provide the necessary edge. It remains a relevant choice for players looking to tackle creature-heavy decks while maintaining a streamlining board presence.


How to beat

Fettergeist is a unique specter in the realm of MTG, known for its flying ability and the unusual upkeep cost it demands from the player, scaling on the number of creatures they control. It’s a card that can apply early game pressure due to its size for its mana cost. Despite this, there are strategies and card choices that can turn the tide against this eerie adversary. Efficient removal spells like Doom Blade or Path to Exile can easily dispatch Fettergeist without much fuss. If you’re aiming to bypass the creature entirely, cards that grant hexproof or shroud such as Swiftfoot Boots or Asceticism will prevent Fettergeist from becoming a problem by protecting your key creatures.

Alternatively, keeping a lean board state limits the upkeep cost, turning Fettergeist’s strength into its own drawback. This encourages a strategy of quality over quantity, prioritizing fewer high-impact creatures. Last but not least, utilizing enchantments that restrict actions, such as Pacifism or Claustrophobia, can neutralize Fettergeist without having to remove it, bypassing its otherwise formidable presence on the battlefield.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Fettergeist MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored, 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 Fettergeist and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Fettergeist has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2012-05-01 The amount of mana you need to pay is determined when the triggered ability resolves.