Helica Glider MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Nightmare Squirrel |
| Released | 2020-04-24 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths |
| Set code | IKO |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
| Number | 15 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Jehan Choo |
Key Takeaways
- Helica Glider’s mutation can turn the tide of the game by conferring flying, crucial for resource advantage.
- With a moderate cost, the creature pressures opponents and adds depth to your offensive strategy.
- Flexibility at key moments makes gameplay dynamic; it’s a potent addition to both competitive and casual decks.
Text of card
Helica Glider enters the battlefield with your choice of a flying counter or a first strike counter on it.
It could subsist on seeds but its preferred fare is your face.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Utilizing mutations to upgrade Helica Glider provides a pathway to gaining card advantage. By enhancing the power of your creatures on board, you effectively allow for more potent draws with each turn, keeping you ahead in the race for resources.
Resource Acceleration: With its moderate casting cost and flying ability, Helica Glider can swiftly increase your offensive potential, putting pressure on your opponents. This quick threat can be a form of indirect resource acceleration as it forces the opponent to deal with it, thereby preserving your more valuable creatures for later battles.
Instant Speed: Although Helica Glider itself does not operate at instant speed, its flexible mutation ability conforms to your strategy at crucial moments. You can adapt to the state of the game and mutate under a non-human creature as the situation requires, making your gameplay more dynamic and unpredictable.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Helica Glider requires you to have another non-Human creature on the battlefield to gain flying until end of turn. This can be a hindrance when your board is cleared or you’re struggling to maintain a presence.
Specific Mana Cost: Helica Glider’s mana cost includes generic and white mana, which may not align with multicolored or non-white decks, reducing its versatility across different types of playstyles.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: For three mana, Helica Glider only offers a 2/2 body, which is a steep investment considering there are other creatures at the same cost that provide better stats or additional abilities.
Reasons to Include Helica Glider in Your Collection
Versatility: Helica Glider presents a flexible choice for a variety of decks, offering a mutable role with its mutating ability. This enables adaptation to the current board state, whether you’re in need of evasion or a power boost.
Combo Potential: With its mutating capability, Helica Glider can initiate a range of combos, interacting with permanents that benefit from mutating or creatures entering the battlefield, and setting off a cascade of powerful plays.
Meta-Relevance: Given the ever-shifting landscape of competitive play, Helica Glider remains relevant by being a cost-efficient creature that can easily fit into flying-themed decks or those that capitalize on the mutate mechanic.
How to beat
Helica Glider is a unique flying creature in the vast world of MTG. Its Mutate ability allows it to become a genuine threat by merging with other non-Human creatures. What makes Helica Glider stand out is its flexible Mutation cost and the fact that upon mutation, it grants the creature flying, which can be a game-changer in aerial combat.
To effectively counter Helica Glider, removal spells are key. Having instant-speed removal like Cast Down or Heartless Act can dismantle a stack of creatures fused through Mutate before they can deal damage. Board wipes such as Shatter the Sky can also reset the battlefield. Moreover, preventing the Glider from mutating by using creature counters or exile effects, found in cards like Essence Scatter or Path to Exile, can stop the threat before it takes off.
It’s crucial to manage the Glider early on or have a strategy for removing flying creatures. As with many flying threats, having your own set of airborne defenders or reach-equipped creatures could help you maintain control of the skies. Ultimately, the ability to quickly disrupt or neutralize the Helica Glider’s mutate capability will be key in overcoming its potential impact in the game.
Cards like Helica Glider
The Helica Glider enters the arena of Magic: The Gathering as an interesting piece in the suite of flying creatures. It shares the sky with cards like Healer’s Hawk and Faerie Guidemother, both known for their low cost and swift access to flying. Yet, where Helica Glider shines is in its flexibility, courtesy of the mutate mechanic, allowing players to stack it onto a non-Human creature they own and in essence, gain an airborne advantage in later stages of the game.
Compare it to Gust of Wind, which, while it also relates to the theme of aviation, takes a different approach by disrupting the opponent’s board and drawing a card. The aspect of drawing could result in a more significant immediate impact whereas Helica Glider provides a permanent creature boost. Sky Theater Strix is another card that can take to the skies with a low cost, however, unlike the Glider, it relies on spellcasting to beef up its attack, requiring a more spell-centric gameplay to truly excel.
Ultimately, Helica Glider offers unique versatility ways to outmaneuver opponents from above. Players must weigh the benefits of immediate utility against Helica Glider’s potential for longer-term strategic developments in their flying creature arsenal.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Helica Glider 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 Helica Glider 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 MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Helica Glider has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
