Halo Scarab MTG Card

Provides card draws to gain an upper hand, ensuring more tactical options at your disposal. Facilitates speedier deployment of threats or combos with additional resource acceleration. Offers disruptive potential with its capability to be played at instant speed.
Halo Scarab - Streets of New Capenna
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeArtifact Creature — Insect
Abilities Treasure
Released2022-04-29
Set symbol
Set nameStreets of New Capenna
Set codeSNC
Power 2
Toughness 1
Number239
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byKhurrum

Text of card

, Exile Halo Scarab from your graveyard: Create a Treasure token. (It's an artifact with ", Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.")

It pulses with the colors that best complement the wearer's outfit.

Cards like Halo Scarab

Halo Scarab stakes its claim in the pantheon of utility creatures within Magic: The Gathering. Its main allure lies in its rare blend of graveyard interaction and board presence. Comparable to creatures like Scavenging Ooze, Halo Scarab offers the ability to exile cards from graveyards, which is pivotal in disrupting opponent strategies. Unlike the Ooze, it lacks the capacity for growth in power and toughness but compensates with a life gain feature for each card exiled.

Moving to other similarities, Deathrite Shaman also navigates the graveyard for advantage but operates mana acceleration and varied abilities based on card types exiled. While Halo Scarab is not a mana dork, the consistent life gain it affords for each exiled card makes it a contending choice in sustainability. Then, we must consider Withered Wretch, a straightforward graveyard exile tool which, much like Halo Scarab, serves as a tactical piece for controlling opponents’ graveyard resources but without the beneficial life gain Halo Scarab provides.

After surveying the landscape of graveyard-focused creatures, Halo Scarab emerges as a strong contestant, especially in metagames where graveyard strategies thrive. Its ability to impact life totals while managing graveyard states carves a unique niche for it in deck-building considerations.

Scavenging Ooze - MTG Card versions
Deathrite Shaman - MTG Card versions
Withered Wretch - MTG Card versions
Scavenging Ooze - MTG Card versions
Deathrite Shaman - MTG Card versions
Withered Wretch - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Halo Scarab card offers a strategic edge by potentially drawing you into more powerful spells or necessary land drops. This keeps your hand filled with options, ensuring you’re well-prepared to face whatever your opponent throws at you.

Resource Acceleration: With Halo Scarab, you may gain additional resources, allowing for a quicker deployment of your threats or enabling combo setups. It’s a way to outpace your opponent by making more efficient use of your mana pool.

Instant Speed: The power to play Halo Scarab at instant speed gives you the flexibility to react during your opponent’s turn. This element of surprise can disrupt their strategy while optimizing your own tactical plays without committing to a main phase action.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Halo Scarab card necessitates discarding another card, which can hinder your hand advantage, especially during the critical moments of the game where each card in hand could represent a strategic option.

Specific Mana Cost: It requires a combination of specific mana colors to cast, which can make it a challenge to incorporate into multicolored decks efficiently. This may constrain deck-building options and limit its versatility across various playstyles.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The casting cost for Halo Scarab is relatively high when compared to other creatures in the same mana range. This elevated cost means it competes with other high-impact plays that could potentially offer immediate board presence or game-altering effects.

Reasons to Include Halo Scarab in Your Collection

Versatility: Halo Scarab is a dynamic card that can adapt to various strategies and deck themes. It offers flexibility in playstyle, whether you’re looking to enhance your defense or capitalize on creature synergies.

Combo Potential: This card’s unique abilities can be a linchpin for inventive combos. By using its text as a springboard, you can create unexpected interactions that throw opponents off balance and give you a competitive edge.

Meta-Relevance: Staying ahead in the shifting sands of the game’s meta can be crucial. Halo Scarab’s relevance in current gameplay can significantly influence matches, especially in environments where its abilities counter popular strategies or provide you with crucial advantages.

How to beat

Halo Scarab is a card that can dominate the battlefield with its persistent presence in MTG. To successfully overcome this card, it’s crucial to apply the right strategy. One effective approach is using removal spells that can exile or permanently deal with creatures without triggering death-related abilities. Cards like Path to Exile or Murderous Rider offer a clean solution to eliminate Halo Scarab without it recurring. Board wipes are also useful, ensuring Halo Scarab doesn’t return to the fray.

Countering Halo Scarab before it hits the board is another viable tactic. Keep mana open for counterspells like Cancel or Mana Leak while maintaining a cautious playstyle. Playing around Halo Scarab’s casting cost is key to ensuring it does not resolve. Alternatively, leveraging graveyard hate with cards like Rest in Peace or Relic of Progenitus can negate the recursive feature that gives Halo Scarab its resilience, removing the threat altogether.

Adaptability is essential, as the dynamics of the game may change. Matching your response to the evolving state of the game can mean the difference between victory or defeat when facing this formidable foe. Keep your defenses up and remain versatile in your strategy.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Halo Scarab MTG card by a specific set like Streets of New Capenna, 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 Halo Scarab and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Halo Scarab has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal