Sleek Schooner MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Artifact — Vehicle |
| Abilities | Crew |
| Released | 2017-09-29 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Ixalan |
| Set code | XLN |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 3 |
| Number | 247 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Mark Winters |
Key Takeaways
- The card provides board presence versatility, becoming a valuable attacker or blocker as needed.
- Early play and pressure application help efficiently utilize mana and resources.
- Sleek Schooner pairs well with creature-heavy strategies, reinforcing its board impact.
Text of card
Crew 1 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 1 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)
The pirates had left the open sea behind, but they were still in their element: reckless adventure.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While the Sleek Schooner itself doesn’t draw cards directly, it can quickly become a creature thanks to its Crew ability, potentially giving you an additional attacker or blocker. This versatility helps maintain presence on the board, which can be indirectly translated into card advantage as it forces your opponents to deal with it.
Resource Acceleration: As a low-cost artifact, Sleek Schooner can be played early in the game. Once it becomes a creature, it can accelerate your game plan by attacking and applying pressure or by simply being a cost-effective threat that demands an answer. This can lead to a more efficient use of your mana and resources over the course of the game.
Instant Speed: Though the Sleek Schooner doesn’t have abilities that operate at instant speed, its flexibility in combat as a crewed vehicle means you can adapt swiftly to the changing game state. You could crew it during your opponent’s turn, preserving the element of surprise and making it harder for them to plan their blocks and attacks.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: In the case of Sleek Schooner, the crew mechanic demands you tap any number of creatures you control with total power 1 or more. This can be a setback as it requires deployment of additional resources, which could otherwise be used for defense or other actions.
Specific Mana Cost: While it costs only three generic mana to cast, its specific crew cost demands a bit of planning. This cost must be covered by the power of the creatures you commit, potentially limiting your strategic options, especially in the early game.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When you’re considering vehicle cards in your arsenal, the mana investment in Sleek Schooner might not always equate to immediate impact on the game. Given its particular requirements and the setup needed to utilize it effectively, it’s possible to find more efficient cards to fit in that deck slot.
Reasons to Include Sleek Schooner in Your Collection
Versatility: Sleek Schooner is easily adaptable across various deck builds, serving as a reliable vehicle card for players looking for swift and effective board presence without heavy mana investment.
Combo Potential: This card’s ability to transform into a creature provides synergies with strategies that capitalize on artifact and creature interactions, making it a functional piece in combo setups.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where tempo plays are crucial, Sleek Schooner can be an excellent addition, offering speed and resilience to removal, which can be decisive in many game scenarios.
How to beat
The Sleek Schooner is a unique vehicle card within Magic: The Gathering that can swiftly strengthen your board presence. With its relatively low crew cost and the ability to become a creature, it can be a formidable asset during gameplay. Yet, there are strategies to sail smoothly against this vessel. Artifact removal spells are a straightforward resolution; consider cards like Abrade that can destroy the Schooner before it transforms into a creature, or use sorcery spells like Shatter to dismantle it on your terms.
Controlling the creatures is another avenue; keep the opponent’s board clear, ensuring they lack the necessary crew to activate the Schooner’s conversion into a creature. Cards like Doom Blade or Fatal Push work efficiently in removing potential crew members. Counterspells also come in handy, particularly when your opponent is attempting to cast the Schooner. A well-timed Negate or Essence Scatter can prevent it from ever hitting the battlefield, thereby anchoring this potential threat permanently.
Ultimately, facing off with the Sleek Schooner boils down to timing and keeping control. Managing both the artifact and its supporting crew members can leave your opponent adrift and secure your victory on the high seas of Magic: The Gathering.
Cards like Sleek Schooner
Sleek Schooner sails into the world of Magic: The Gathering as a unique vehicle card with its own merits and comparisons. It bears a resemblance to cards like Smuggler’s Copter, which also requires a crew to become an artifact creature with flying. While Smuggler’s Copter has a lower crew cost and the ability to loot when it attacks or blocks, Sleek Schooner offers a slightly beefier body that can survive more encounters.
Another vessel in this fleet is Skysovereign, Consul Flagship. This behemoth of the skies comes with a larger crew requirement and a higher power. It also provides a direct way to deal damage upon entering the battlefield or attacking, something the Sleek Schooner lacks. However, the difference in mana cost between these two cards is significant, making Sleek Schooner a more accessible option for many decks.
Comparing these cards, Sleek Schooner stands out due to its low mana cost and moderate crew requirement, which allows it to align well with creature-heavy strategies. Its ability to become a sizeable creature quickly can be pivotal in many game scenarios, demonstrating that even in a sea of options, Sleek Schooner holds its own.
Cards similar to Sleek Schooner by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Sleek Schooner MTG card by a specific set like Ixalan, 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 Sleek Schooner 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 Sleek Schooner has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sleek Schooner card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2017-09-29 | Any untapped creature you control can be tapped to pay a crew cost, even one that just came under your control. |
| 2017-09-29 | Creatures that crew a Vehicle aren’t attached to it or related in any other way. Effects that affect the Vehicle, such as by destroying it or giving it a +1/+1 counter, don’t affect the creatures that crewed it. |
| 2017-09-29 | Each Vehicle is printed with a power and toughness, but it’s not a creature. If it becomes a creature (most likely through its crew ability), it will have that power and toughness. |
| 2017-09-29 | For a Vehicle to be able to attack, it must be a creature as the declare attackers step begins, so the latest you can activate its crew ability to attack with it is during the beginning of combat step. For a Vehicle to be able to block, it must be a creature as the declare blockers step begins, so the latest you can activate its crew ability to block with it is during the declare attackers step. In either case, players may take actions after the crew ability resolves but before the Vehicle has been declared as an attacking or blocking creature. |
| 2017-09-29 | If a permanent becomes a copy of a Vehicle, the copy won’t be a creature, even if the Vehicle it’s copying has become an artifact creature. |
| 2017-09-29 | If an effect causes a Vehicle to become an artifact creature with a specified power and toughness, that effect overwrites the Vehicle’s printed power and toughness. |
| 2017-09-29 | Once a Vehicle becomes a creature, it behaves exactly like any other artifact creature. It can’t attack unless you’ve controlled it continuously since your turn began, it can block if it’s untapped, it can be tapped to pay a Vehicle’s crew cost, and so on. |
| 2017-09-29 | Once a player announces that they are activating a crew ability, no player may take other actions until the ability has been paid for. Notably, players can’t try to stop the ability by changing a creature’s power or by removing or tapping a creature. |
| 2017-09-29 | Vehicle is an artifact type, not a creature type. A Vehicle that’s crewed won’t normally have any creature type. |
| 2017-09-29 | When a Vehicle becomes a creature, that doesn’t count as having a creature enter the battlefield. The permanent was already on the battlefield; it only changed its types. Abilities that trigger whenever a creature enters the battlefield won’t trigger. |
| 2017-09-29 | You may activate a crew ability of a Vehicle even if it’s already an artifact creature. Doing so has no effect on the Vehicle. It doesn’t change its power and toughness. |
| 2017-09-29 | You may tap more creatures than necessary to activate a crew ability. |
