Apprentice Sharpshooter MTG Card
2021-11-19 - Number 185
2022-01-28 - Number 452
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Archer |
| Abilities | Reach,Training |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Key Takeaways
- Can control the board by dealing with small creatures, maintaining card advantage and an open mana pool.
- Instant speed untap ability provides strategic flexibility and surprise defense during opponent’s turn.
- While versatile in decks, its specific mana cost and discard requirement may limit some strategies.
Text of card
Reach Training (Whenever this creature attacks with another creature with greater power, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.)
Innistrad's best archers are trained by the Quiver of Kessig, an order of cathars who specialize in ranged combat.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Apprentice Sharpshooter can create card advantage by consistently dealing with smaller creatures, effectively giving you a one-for-none exchange and thinning out your opponent’s board presence without costing you additional cards.
Resource Acceleration: While the Apprentice Sharpshooter doesn’t directly ramp, it enables resource acceleration by keeping mana open. You can deploy other spells while controlling the board, ensuring your mana is efficiently utilized every turn.
Instant Speed: This sharpshooter operates at instant speed, with the ability to untap whenever another creature enters the battlefield, providing a constant threat to the opposing creatures and allowing for surprise interactions during your opponent’s turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Apprentice Sharpshooter may necessitate discarding another card from your hand which can deplete your hand quickly, especially in decks that already prioritize card advantage.
Specific Mana Cost: This card requires both green and another type of mana, making it less flexible for decks that can’t consistently provide multiple mana colors.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The cost to get Apprentice Sharpshooter on the battlefield can be steep compared to other creatures with similar abilities, potentially slowing down your game tempo.
Reasons to Include Apprentice Sharpshooter in Your Collection
Versatility: Apprentice Sharpshooter is a flexible card that can be easily integrated into a range of deck types, thanks to its ability to pick off smaller creatures or accumulate +1/+1 counters, enhancing its strength on the battlefield.
Combo Potential: This card has great synergy with strategies that involve +1/+1 counters or those that require tapping and untapping creatures for value, enabling diverse tactical plays.
Meta-Relevance: With the presence of small utility creatures in many meta-games, Apprentice Sharpshooter can serve as an excellent counter to these strategies, ensuring its relevance in current deck builds.
How to beat
The Apprentice Sharpshooter, with its ability to utilize counters to bolster its power, presents a unique challenge in battles. The card is designed to grow stronger as the game progresses, especially when combined with mechanics that proliferate or add extra counters. To effectively counter this card, it’s essential to act swiftly. Prioritize removal spells that can target creatures regardless of their size, such as Path to Exile or Fatal Push, which can dispose of the Sharpshooter before it becomes too large a threat.
Another strategy is to limit the counters’ impact by restricting the ability to add them. Employing cards that negate abilities or prevent counters from being placed, like Solemnity, can impair the Apprentice Sharpshooter’s growth. In addition, keeping the board clear of creatures that support or benefit from counters will also help keep this card in check. Lastly, using cards with deathtouch, such as Foulmire Knight, can deter attacks from an empowered Apprentice Sharpshooter since its owner will be wary of losing the creature in combat.
Overall, the key to overcoming the Apprentice Sharpshooter lies in early elimination, ability disruption, and strategic combat tactics, ensuring the Sharpshooter remains just an apprentice in the face of your game plan.
Cards like Apprentice Sharpshooter
Apprentice Sharpshooter is a notable creature card in Magic: The Gathering, bringing versatility to any deck it joins. If we draw a comparison, the Llanowar Elves come to mind, sharing the creature type and an ability that taps for mana. Yet, the Sharpshooter steers away with its Reach ability, providing a defensive advantage over flying adversaries.
Analogously, Elvish Mystic mirrors the mana-generating aspect of the Sharpshooter, but without the utility of Reach. This aspect gives Apprentice Sharpshooter an edge, particularly in matches against decks loaded with flying creatures. Another similar card is Arboreal Grazer, which grants an immediate land drop, but lacks the continuous mana ability that the Sharpshooter offers over time. While the Grazer provides an early game land advantage, the Sharpshooter can be a persistent contributor on the battlefield.
Each card carries its strategic implications in a game. Skeletal analysis of Apprentice Sharpshooter highlights its place amid mana dorks with the added benefit of Reach, enhancing its defensive capacity. It’s a card that subtlely enhances both the mana curve and the fortification of your side of the board.
Cards similar to Apprentice Sharpshooter by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Apprentice Sharpshooter MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad: Crimson Vow and Innistrad: Double Feature, 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 Apprentice Sharpshooter 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
Printings
The Apprentice Sharpshooter Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-11-19 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Steve Prescott.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021-11-19 | Innistrad: Crimson Vow | VOW | 185 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Steve Prescott | |
| 2 | 2022-01-28 | Innistrad: Double Feature | DBL | 452 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Steve Prescott |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Apprentice Sharpshooter has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Apprentice Sharpshooter card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-11-19 | A creature's training ability triggers only when both that creature and a creature with greater power are declared as attackers. Increasing a creature's power after attackers are declared won't cause a training ability to trigger. |
| 2021-11-19 | Once a creature's training ability has triggered, destroying the other attacking creature or reducing its power won't stop the creature with training from getting a +1/+1 counter. |
