Frillscare Mentor MTG Card


Frillscare Mentor - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human Warrior
Released2020-04-24
Set symbol
Set nameIkoria: Lair of Behemoths
Set codeIKO
Power 3
Toughness 2
Number121
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byJason A. Engle

Key Takeaways

  1. Frillscare Mentor enhances board presence, giving creatures with menace an edge in battles.
  2. Acts as an implicit resource accelerator, pressuring opponents’ resources and defenses.
  3. Increases combat trick efficacy, leveraging menace for crucial combat moments.

Text of card

When Frillscare Mentor enters the battlefield, put a menace counter on target non-Human creature you control. (It can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.) , : Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control with menace.

Fortune favors the ferocious.


Card Pros

When it comes to the Frillscare Mentor, players have a distinct advantage as the card brings unique aspects to the table, enhancing both strategy and gameplay. Understanding these benefits is key to optimizing your deck’s performance.

Card Advantage: Frillscare Mentor shines by allowing you to put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control with menace, effectively boosting your board presence. This ability can lead to significant card advantage as your enhanced creature can become harder to block and can potentially enable profitable trades.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly increasing your resources, Frillscare Mentor helps accelerate your game plan. By giving your creatures greater staying power through menace, it makes your opponent expend more resources to deal with your threats. This implicit resource acceleration can pressure your opponent’s defenses and deplete their hand while you maintain a robust presence on the board.

Instant Speed: Though the mentor itself does not operate at instant speed, it influences other cards that do. By boosting a creature with menace, you can make your instant-speed removal or combat tricks more effective during combat. With an enhanced creature, your instants carry more weight, potentially tilting combat in your favor at crucial moments.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Frillscare Mentor requires a player to discard a creature card to activate its ability. This can be a significant drawback when your hand is already depleted or when every card in hand is vital for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: With a casting cost that demands both black and green mana, Frillscare Mentor can prove to be inflexible, especially in multicolored decks that may struggle with mana consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring a total of three mana, including one black and one green, Frillscare Mentor’s investment might not align with the tempo of faster-paced decks, making it a potentially sluggish play compared to other options in the cost range.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Frillscare Mentor offers flexibility in deck-building, fitting comfortably within decks that capitalize on +1/+1 counters. Its ability to bolster other creatures makes it a valuable inclusion in various creature-focused strategies.

Combo Potential: By enhancing creatures with counters, the Mentor synergizes well with mechanics that interact with +1/+1 counters, like proliferate or evolve, opening up avenues for powerful combinations.

Meta-Relevance: As the metagame evolves, cards that interact efficiently with counters can become increasingly important. Frillscare Mentor can play a key role in decks that aim to outpace the opposition through creature growth and combat advantages.


How to Beat

Frillscare Mentor stands out in the creature lineup with its ability to bolster other creatures’ abilities. It enhances not just itself but also other creatures’ power through its mentor ability. If you’re facing it across the battlefield, your strategy hinges on minimizing the effectiveness of this mentoring capacity.

One effective tactic is to manage the battlefield with removal spells that can target the Frillscare Mentor before its mentor ability activates, thus preserving the balance of power. Spells like Fatal Push or Path to Exile are well-suited for quickly dispatching this threat. Additionally, board wipes such as Wrath of God can reset the playing field, removing the Mentor along with any buffed allies it may have supported.

Counterspells also provide a proactive approach to stop the Mentor in its tracks, disrupting your opponent’s plans before they manifest on the battlefield. Beyond these, it’s crucial to stay ahead in the creature count or build a sizable presence to overwhelm and surpass the boosted creatures, reducing the impact Frillscare Mentor could have. By focusing on tempo and control, you can neutralize this card’s potential and secure your advantage during gameplay.


Cards like Frillscare Mentor

Frillscare Mentor stands out in the crowd of buffing creatures within the MTG universe. As a creature that bolsters your army by granting counters to another target creature with menace, it compares to other mentors like Goblin Motivator, which gives a creature haste until end of turn. Frillscare Mentor, however, offers a more lasting advantage by not only enabling a creature to become more difficult to block but also strengthening it permanently.

Examining Merfolk Windrobber, we notice it harnesses a different kind of strategy. It may not provide a direct power boost but it offers a card advantage once it dies, provided an opponent has eight or more cards in their graveyard. While it doesn’t change creature stats, it aligns with Frillscare Mentor in playing the long game.

The Redcap Training is another mentor-like card that promotes aggression by giving a creature +1/+0 and haste until end of turn. Though its effect is more transient than Frillscare Mentor’s, their mana costs are similar. Each card expands options for creature-centric strategies, yet Frillscare Mentor’s persistent threat makes it an intriguing option for players aiming to build and maintain a formidable battlefield presence.

Goblin Motivator - MTG Card versions
Merfolk Windrobber - MTG Card versions
Goblin Motivator - MTG Card versions
Merfolk Windrobber - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Frillscare Mentor MTG card by a specific set like Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, 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 Frillscare Mentor and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Frillscare Mentor has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

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