Snow Hound MTG Card


Snow Hound - Ice Age
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Dog
Released1995-06-03
Set symbol
Set nameIce Age
Set codeICE
Power 1
Toughness 1
Number53
Frame1993
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byPat Lewis

Key Takeaways

  1. Fetches cards from the graveyard, boosting in-game advantage and strategic depth.
  2. Snow synergy in decks may lead to increased resource acceleration.
  3. Instant speed play allows strategic responses to opponents’ actions.

Text of card

o1,oc T: Return Snow Hound to owner's hand and target blue or green creature you control to owner's hand.

"If you're starving, eat your horses, your dead, or yourself—but *never* eat your dog." —General Jarkeld, the Arctic Fox


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Snow Hound’s ability to fetch a card from your graveyard directly to your hand can significantly boost card advantage. This is particularly valuable after a trade-off on the battlefield or when retrieving key pieces for your strategy.

Resource Acceleration: While Snow Hound itself may not directly provide mana, its synergies in snow-themed decks can lead to resource acceleration. By clearing the way for more powerful snow spells or by resurrecting key snow permanents, it can indirectly contribute to ramping up your available resources.

Instant Speed: The ability to play Snow Hound at instant speed gives you the flexibility to respond to your opponent’s moves on their turn. This adaptability allows you to maximize strategic decisions and maintain the element of surprise, keeping your opponents on their toes.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One potential drawback of the Snow Hound card is the discard requirement. In order to utilize its abilities, players often need to discard another card which can be a strategic setback, particularly if their hand is already sparse or if the discarded card is essential to their game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: Snow Hound’s casting cost requires snow mana, which demands a dedicated snow-based deck to optimize its usefulness. This prerequisite limits the card’s flexibility and can complicate deck construction, especially for those looking to include it in multi-color or non-snow archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The card comes with a relatively steep mana cost for its effects when compared to other creatures in the same mana range. This can affect the tempo of gameplay, as players might be foregoing the opportunity to play multiple spells or a more impactful card at the same cost.


Reasons to Include Snow Hound in Your Collection

Versatility: Snow Hound offers flexibility in deck building due to its dual nature as a creature and a source of snow mana. It can slip easily into decks that capitalize on snow synergies or simply benefit from mana dorks.

Combo Potential: With its ability to provide snow mana, Snow Hound can be a key piece in combos revolving around snow mechanics. It may activate abilities of snow permanents or facilitate casting powerful snow spells ahead of curve.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where snow strategies have a foothold, Snow Hound becomes a significant contributor to maintaining tempo and establishing board presence, particularly in formats where snow cards are prominent.


How to beat

Snow Hound, a creature card in Magic the Gathering, can be quite the adversary on the battlefield due to its synergies with snow permanents. To counter this card, focus on disrupting those synergies. Removal spells that can target any type of permanent such as Oblivion Ring or Universal Solvent can prove invaluable in dismantling the strategies built around Snow Hound. Moreover, preventing the accumulation of snow permanents on your opponent’s side through land destruction or counterspells can significantly weaken Snow Hound’s impact. Prioritize cards that can manage multiple permanents at once, such as board wipes, to reset the state of play and reduce the advantages that Snow Hound could provide to the opposing player.

Additionally, keep an eye on your opponent’s graveyard. Snow Hound may capitalize on cards with snow-related abilities that return from the graveyard to the battlefield. Graveyard hate cards like Relic of Progenitus or Tormod’s Crypt can help ensure that Snow Hound runs out of fuel, leaving it as nothing more than a simple creature on the board. By strategically managing the board and keeping the snow permanents in check, you can ensure that Snow Hound does not become a threat to your winning strategy.


Cards like Snow Hound

Snow Hound joins the ranks of creature cards in Magic: The Gathering with unique capabilities. Its closest relative in gameplay might be the beloved Watchwolf, a card that also offers a straightforward creature with no intricate abilities but with a strong presence on the battlefield due to its balanced power and toughness. However, unlike Watchwolf, Snow Hound introduces an additional layer with its snow synergy, allowing players to tap into the vast possibilities of snow mana and related effects.

Another similar card worth noting is Striped Bear, which provides a simple creature body with the upside of card draw upon entry. Snow Hound does not have this built-in advantage but compensates by fitting seamlessly into snow archetype decks, enhancing its strategical use in specific builds. Further, Icehide Golem is another snow creature that can be cast using snow mana, but its broader utility in decks that focus heavily on snow lands makes it distinctly different from Snow Hound’s general usefulness.

In essence, while Snow Hound may share common grounds with other creature cards, it finds its own niche within snow-based strategies, appealing to players who value thematic deck building and the flexibility offered by snow mechanics.

Watchwolf - MTG Card versions
Icehide Golem - MTG Card versions
Watchwolf - MTG Card versions
Icehide Golem - MTG Card versions

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Elvish Healer - MTG Card versions
Soraya the Falconer - MTG Card versions
Femeref Knight - MTG Card versions
Border Guard - MTG Card versions
Stern Marshal - MTG Card versions
Soltari Crusader - MTG Card versions
Town Sentry - MTG Card versions
Benalish Knight - MTG Card versions
Regal Unicorn - MTG Card versions
Wild Griffin - MTG Card versions
Pianna, Nomad Captain - MTG Card versions
Dogged Hunter - MTG Card versions
Sanctum Prelate - MTG Card versions
Diving Griffin - MTG Card versions
Faithful Squire // Kaiso, Memory of Loyalty - MTG Card versions
Kitsune Palliator - MTG Card versions
Freewind Equenaut - MTG Card versions
Sanctum Guardian - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Snow Hound MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age, 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 Snow Hound and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Snow Hound has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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