Oakheart Dryads MTG Card


Oakheart Dryads - Journey into Nyx
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment Creature — Nymph Dryad
Abilities Constellation
Released2014-05-02
Set symbol
Set nameJourney into Nyx
Set codeJOU
Power 2
Toughness 3
Number133
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byJohann Bodin

Key Takeaways

  1. Oakheart Dryads provide card advantage, strengthening creatures with enchantment synergy.
  2. Their ability enables aggressive strategies and enhances instant-speed tricks.
  3. Despite these strengths, the Dryads face challenges like targeted removal.

Text of card

Constellation — Whenever Oakheart Dryads or another enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

"I do not know if the forest was different after they passed. But I know I was." —Ianthe, Setessan hunter


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Oakheart Dryads can enhance your board presence by automatically putting a +1/+1 counter on a target creature whenever you play an enchantment. This synergistic effect can quickly turn the tide of the game by strengthening your creatures and applying consistent pressure on your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: Playing Oakheart Dryads in a deck with numerous enchantments can significantly accelerate your gameplay, providing you with an increasing number of buffed creatures. This allows you to be more aggressive early on and limits your opponent’s ability to stabilize and build their own resources.

Instant Speed: Although Oakheart Dryads operate at sorcery speed, they complement instant-speed enchantments and tricks in your deck. This opens up strategic plays where you can enchant during your opponent’s turn to surprise them with boosted creatures, potentially turning blocks and attacks in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Oakheart Dryads necessitates a permanent commitment to the battlefield for its constellation ability to trigger, which can be disadvantageous when facing removal-heavy decks that frequently clear the board.

Specific Mana Cost: Oakheart Dryads comes with a specific mana requirement that includes green, potentially restricting its inclusion to green-based or two-color decks that can generate green mana consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana for a creature that provides a modest stat line and an ability that is conditional on enchantment plays, some players may find more immediate or impactful uses for that mana investment elsewhere in their deck.


Reasons to Include Oakheart Dryads in Your Collection

Versatility: Oakheart Dryads are a nimble addition to Green-based decks, easily fitting into enchantment-themed strategies or as a curve filler in aggressive decks. Their ability to give a creature a modest power boost when casting another enchantment offers incremental advantages, making them multifunctional.

Combo Potential: These Dryads can synergize well with cards that benefit from enchantment casts or creatures entering the battlefield. They can also help enable constellation mechanics, empowering other creatures as you weave an intricate tapestry of spells and abilities.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where enchantments are prevalent or in formats like Pauper, Oakheart Dryads can be an unsung hero, adding consistent value as you cast other spells. Particularly in a setting where players are committing many creatures to the board, the ability to give creatures a bit more reach can turn the tide of a game.


How to beat

Oakheart Dryads is a unique enchantment creature card in MTG that can create a notable impact on the board, especially in limited formats like draft or sealed. Its constellation ability, which grants a targeted creature +1/+1 until end of turn each time an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, can quickly scale up your creatures and overwhelm your opponents. However, like every card in Magic, it has its vulnerabilities.

One effective way to handle Oakheart Dryads is through removal spells that can bypass its potential buffs. Direct removal like Doom Blade, Path to Exile, or Abrupt Decay can efficiently dispose of the Dryads before they exert too much influence. Also, since its ability hinges on enchantments, playing cards like Deicide or Back to Nature that target enchantments can disrupt the game plan of a deck relying on this synergy. Moreover, since Oakheart Dryads needs other enchantments to be effective, control decks that can limit enchantment casts or creature spells can stifle the card’s utility. Counterspells and heavy removal tactics are key in handling Oakheart Dryads and ensuring it doesn’t tip the scales in your opponent’s favor.


Cards like Oakheart Dryads

Oakheart Dryads stand out in MTG as efficient creatures boosting your battlefield presence, notably for decks leveraging enchantment synergies. Resembling other cards like Nylea’s Disciple, they share the trait of offering a secondary advantage upon entering the battlefield. Nylea’s Disciple grants life proportionate to your devotion to green, making it a favorite for more monochrome strategies.

Comparatively, we can look to cards like Courser of Kruphix, which similarly bolsters an enchantment-centric strategy. While Courser doesn’t directly influence other creatures, it provides incremental value by revealing the top card of your library and playing lands from there, smoothing out your draws and land drops. On another note, Setessan Oathsworn can be another relevant comparison, where the heroic mechanic enhances the creature itself when targeted by spells, becoming quickly a larger threat.

Ultimately, Oakheart Dryads carve a niche within the constellation of MTG enchantment creatures, offering a unique way to consistently empower your board state, solidifying its position in decks that capitalize on enchantments to gain incremental advantages and control the pace of the game.

Nylea's Disciple - MTG Card versions
Courser of Kruphix - MTG Card versions
Setessan Oathsworn - MTG Card versions
Nylea's Disciple - Theros (THS)
Courser of Kruphix - Born of the Gods (BNG)
Setessan Oathsworn - Born of the Gods (BNG)

Cards similar to Oakheart Dryads by color, type and mana cost

Kudzu - MTG Card versions
Wanderlust - MTG Card versions
Maddening Wind - MTG Card versions
Cycle of Life - MTG Card versions
Hall of Gemstone - MTG Card versions
Dense Foliage - MTG Card versions
Momentum - MTG Card versions
Ancestral Mask - MTG Card versions
Broken Fall - MTG Card versions
Lure - MTG Card versions
Food Chain - MTG Card versions
Howling Moon - MTG Card versions
The Dragon-Kami Reborn // Dragon-Kami's Egg - MTG Card versions
Squirrel Nest - MTG Card versions
Alpha Status - MTG Card versions
Lifegift - MTG Card versions
Blanchwood Armor - MTG Card versions
Rites of Flourishing - MTG Card versions
Raking Canopy - MTG Card versions
Fyndhorn Pollen - MTG Card versions
Kudzu - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
Wanderlust - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Maddening Wind - Ice Age (ICE)
Cycle of Life - Mirage (MIR)
Hall of Gemstone - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Dense Foliage - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Momentum - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Ancestral Mask - Eternal Masters (EMA)
Broken Fall - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Lure - Tenth Edition (10E)
Food Chain - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Howling Moon - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)
The Dragon-Kami Reborn // Dragon-Kami's Egg - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)
Squirrel Nest - World Championship Decks 2002 (WC02)
Alpha Status - Scourge (SCG)
Lifegift - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Blanchwood Armor - The Brothers' War (BRO)
Rites of Flourishing - Future Sight (FUT)
Raking Canopy - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Fyndhorn Pollen - Masters Edition II (ME2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Oakheart Dryads MTG card by a specific set like Journey into Nyx, 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 Oakheart Dryads and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Oakheart Dryads has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Oakheart Dryads card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2014-04-26 A constellation ability triggers whenever an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control for any reason. Enchantments with other card types, such as enchantment creatures, will also cause constellation abilities to trigger.
2014-04-26 An Aura spell without bestow that has an illegal target when it tries to resolve won't resolve and will be put into its owner's graveyard. It won't enter the battlefield and constellation abilities won't trigger. An Aura spell with bestow won't be countered this way. It will revert to being an enchantment creature and resolve, entering the battlefield and triggering constellation abilities.
2014-04-26 When an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, each constellation ability of permanents you control will trigger. You can put these abilities on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one that resolves.

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