Sun-Crowned Hunters MTG Card
2017-09-29 - Number 164
2019-11-07 - Number 1074
2020-09-26 - Number XLN-164
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Dinosaur |
| Abilities | Enrage |
| Power | 5 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Key Takeaways
- Sun-Crowned Hunters provides consistent pressure, serving as a repeatable damage source on opponents.
- Flexible enrage triggers offer strategic advantages, simulating instant speed effects during gameplay.
- Despite a high mana cost, the card’s presence can significantly impact dinosaur-centric or enrage-focused decks.
Text of card
Enrage — Whenever Sun-Crowned Hunters is dealt damage, it deals 3 damage to target opponent.
One alone is dangerous, and they are never alone.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Sun-Crowned Hunters can potentially provide repeated damage effects to the opponent’s life total, functioning as a form of advantage through consistent pressure.
Resource Acceleration: While the card itself doesn’t accelerate resources, its enrage mechanic can pair well with other cards that trigger off dealing damage, indirectly leading to resource gains.
Instant Speed: Although not an instant, the enrage trigger of Sun-Crowned Hunters can be activated during any turn, much like an instant, if damage is deceptively applied to it, ensuring flexibility in strategic plays.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Sun-Crowned Hunters requires the player to sacrifice a resource to trigger its enrage ability, which might deplete your hand when you need options during crucial turns.
Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a heavy red commitment of three red mana, making it less flexible for multicolored decks that might not always have the necessary red mana available.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Six mana is a steep price, and in a fast-paced game, it can be a significant drawback to wait this long to deploy your threats. Other creatures at or below this cost can provide equal or greater immediate impact on the board state without the need for specific triggering conditions.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Sun-Crowned Hunters bring an impressive presence to any dinosaur-focused deck, as well as in builds that require formidable creatures to hold the line or close out games.
Combo Potential: Partnering with enrage triggers and damage doublers, Sun-Crowned Hunters can be a key component in combos that deal substantial damage to opponents.
Meta-Relevance: With a shift towards slower controlling decks in the meta, Sun-Crowned Hunters provide a threat that can deter opponents from using damage-based board clears, securing your late-game dominance.
How to Beat Sun-Crowned Hunters
Sun-Crowned Hunters presents itself as a creature that deals damage to opponents when it’s injured, a dynamic that can turn the tables in matches. Understanding the mechanics of enrage is key to tackling this card. Essentially, it rewards the creature with a trigger when it’s dealt damage, making it a potential problem if not addressed swiftly.
To effectively neutralize the threat, consider using removal spells that can take the creature out of play without dealing damage, such as “Path to Exile” or “Swords to Plowshares.” These offer clean solutions to bypass the enrage functionality. Additionally, board wipes like “Damnation” or “Wrath of God” serve to clear the board, again averting the enrage trigger. If using damage-based removal, do it in a single shot to avoid multiple enrage triggers. It’s important to manage your spells and creature interactions thoughtfully, keeping their potential enrage consequences in mind.
Keeping control of the board and staying ahead of your opponent’s strategy becomes crucial when Sun-Crowned Hunters is in play. With careful planning and judicious use of resources, overcoming this challenge can help pave your path to victory.
Cards like Sun-Crowned Hunters
Sun-Crowned Hunters is an intriguing creature card that has found its niche within the Magic: The Gathering dinosaur archetype. It stands shoulder to shoulder with other high-damage dinosaurs such as Charging Monstrosaur. Both creatures boast substantial power that can significantly impact the battlefield. However, Sun-Crowned Hunters offers an additional punch with its enrage ability, dealing 3 damage to any target once it’s hurt. This added effect can potentially swing the game by not only providing a creature on the board but also a direct source of damage.
Comparatively, we can look at Ripjaw Raptor, another dinosaur that takes advantage of the enrage mechanic. Though it comes at a lower casting cost and provides card draw upon being damaged, it lacks the direct offensive capability of Sun-Crowned Hunters. Then, there’s Silverclad Ferocidons, a heavy-hitter that forces each opponent to sacrifice a permanent when it’s injured. It’s a costly card but can devastate an opponent’s board presence.
Overall, when examining these cards, Sun-Crowned Hunters offers a unique blend of aggression and utility, making it a viable piece in strategic deck building that leverages the enrage mechanic within the expansive universe of Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Sun-Crowned Hunters by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Sun-Crowned Hunters MTG card by a specific set like Ixalan and Mystery Booster, 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 Sun-Crowned Hunters 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 Magic products
Printings
The Sun-Crowned Hunters Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2017-09-29 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Aaron Miller.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017-09-29 | Ixalan | XLN | 164 | 2015 | normal | black | Aaron Miller | |
| 2 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 1074 | 2015 | normal | black | Aaron Miller | |
| 3 | The List | PLST | XLN-164 | 2015 | normal | black | Aaron Miller |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Sun-Crowned Hunters 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 |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sun-Crowned Hunters 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 | If your life total is brought to 0 or less at the same time that Sun-Crowned Hunters is dealt damage, you lose the game before its enrage ability resolves. |
| 2018-01-19 | If lethal damage is dealt to a creature with an enrage ability, that ability triggers. The creature with that enrage ability leaves the battlefield before that ability resolves, so it won’t be affected by the resolving ability. |
| 2018-01-19 | If multiple sources deal damage to a creature with an enrage ability at the same time, most likely because multiple creatures blocked that creature, the enrage ability triggers only once. |
