Anaba Spirit Crafter MTG Card
1995-10-01 - Number 68
2009-09-07 - Number 87
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Minotaur Shaman |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Key Takeaways
- Gives card advantage and increased gameplay options through drawing mechanics and interactions.
- Instant speed casting allows surprise plays and effective responses during an opponent’s turn.
- The mana cost may be steep, but its ability to ramp up Minotaur power is a game-changer.
Text of card
All Minotaurs get +1/+0.
"The Spirit Crafters sing of all our people. They sing of those lost, of those found, and of those who are yet to be." —Onatah, Anaba Shaman
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Anaba Spirit Crafter card is designed to fortify your hand by enabling interactions that could lead to drawing more cards, effectively giving you a leg-up against your opponent by increasing your options each turn.
Resource Acceleration: By boosting your resource pool, this card can significantly speed up your gameplay, allowing you to outpace your opponents with more powerful spells or creatures ahead of schedule, thus shifting the momentum of the match in your favor.
Instant Speed: With the ability to cast at instant speed, this card gives you the flexibility to respond effectively to your opponents’ actions during their turn, or to execute surprise plays that can disrupt their strategy and keep you in control of the game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Anaba Spirit Crafter’s ability may often require you to discard a card to generate an advantage. This can put you at a significant disadvantage in terms of card advantage, particularly if your hand is already low on cards.
Specific Mana Cost: This card’s casting requirements are fairly specific, needing both red and other colors of mana. This may restrict its inclusion to only those decks that can reliably produce the necessary mana combinations, potentially limiting its versatility in a broader range of strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment to get Anaba Spirit Crafter on the field is not insubstantial. Considering that many red decks aim to be quick and efficient, the cost of this card might be seen as steep relative to the immediate impact it has on the game, especially when stacked up against other cards in the same mana range.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Anaba Spirit Crafter offers flexibility across various deck builds. As a Lord effect for Minotaurs, it enhances tribal strategies, seamlessly integrating with creatures of this type to bolster your board presence.
Combo Potential: Its ability to incrementally increase the power of Minotaurs sets the stage for powerful synergies. Pair it with cards that create Minotaur tokens or those that benefit from higher power creatures to unleash devastating attacks or trigger potent effects.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where Minotaurs are part of the metagame, Anaba Spirit Crafter proves its worth. It can transform an unassuming Minotaur deck into a formidable contender, giving it the extra edge against various match-ups.
How to beat
Anaba Spirit Crafter is a niche card that bolsters the power of Minotaur creatures on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. For those facing this tribal enhancer, disruption is key. Targeted removal spells can efficiently dispatch this powerful Minotaur, curtailing its impact on the game. Look for spells akin to Swords to Plowshares or Doom Blade that can take the Spirit Crafter off the board before its effect becomes overwhelming.
Counter magic is another effective tactic. Counterspells such as Cancel or Mana Leak can prevent Anaba Spirit Crafter from ever entering the battlefield, eliminating the threat preemptively. Additionally, board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation can clear multiple creatures at once, reducing the cumulative advantage that this card provides to a Minotaur-centric deck.
The versatility of these approaches allows you to minimize the impact of Anaba Spirit Crafter, ensuring that the Minotaur buffs don’t tip the scales too far in your opponent’s favor. In controlling the board and leveraging your removal strategically, you stand a great chance at maintaining dominance in the game.
Cards like Anaba Spirit Crafter
Anaba Spirit Crafter from Magic: The Gathering holds a unique spot in the realm of Minotaur tribal decks. It stands shoulder to shoulder with cards like Rageblood Shaman, a noted kin that also offers a strength boost to fellow Minotaur creatures. Rageblood Shaman, however, brings trample to the table, enhancing the aggression of your herd. Despite this, Anaba Spirit Crafter doesn’t necessitate the same red mana commitment, enabling a broader deck-building scope.
Looking at another similar MTG card, Ragemonger makes for an interesting comparison to Anaba Spirit Crafter. While Ragemonger doesn’t offer a direct power and toughness enhancement, it does make casting other Minotaur spells easier by reducing their mana costs. This can be a decisive advantage in a more aggressively slanted Minotaur strategy, ensuring a dominating board presence faster than one could achieve with Anaba Spirit Crafter.
When evaluating both support and synergy within the Minotaur archetype, Anaba Spirit Crafter maintains its significance through its ability to bolster creatures’ stats. This can turn an average board into a lethal one, underlining its strategic value in creature-focused decks within Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Anaba Spirit Crafter by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Anaba Spirit Crafter MTG card by a specific set like Homelands and Masters Edition III, 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 Anaba Spirit Crafter and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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 Magic products
Printings
The Anaba Spirit Crafter Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1995-10-01 and 2009-09-07. Illustrated by Anson Maddocks.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1995-10-01 | Homelands | HML | 68 | 1993 | normal | black | Anson Maddocks | |
| 2 | 2009-09-07 | Masters Edition III | ME3 | 87 | 1997 | normal | black | Anson Maddocks |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Anaba Spirit Crafter has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Anaba Spirit Crafter card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2009-10-01 | Anaba Spirit Crafter’s ability affects all Minotaurs, including Anaba Spirit Crafter itself. |
