Leafcrown Dryad MTG Card

Enhances board presence by turning one card into two potential creature threats. Offers cost-efficiency with bestow, acting as a resilient enchantment or creature. Provides a crucial tactical edge by granting reach to block flying attackers.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment Creature — Nymph Dryad
Abilities	Bestow,Reach
Released	2013-09-27
Set symbol
Set name	Theros
Set code	THS
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	161
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Volkan Baǵa

Text of card

Bestow (If you cast this card for its bestow cost, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. It becomes a creature again if it's not attached to a creature.) Reach Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has reach.

Cards like Leafcrown Dryad

Leafcrown Dryad stands out in Magic: The Gathering as an elegant example of versatility provided by enchantment creatures. Much like the card Spider Umbra, it offers players both a creature and an aura, which can confer reach to another creature. However, while Spider Umbra provides a toughness boost and the Totem Armor ability, Leafcrown Dryad’s bestow mechanic allows it to serve as a creature itself in the absence of a host.

Diving deeper into the pool of comparable options, there’s also the card Oakenform. This aura costs one more mana than the Dryad’s bestow cost, but it grants an impressive +3/+3 to the enchanted creature. Oakenform lacks the flexibility of gameplay that Leafcrown Dryad offers, being only an aura without the alternative of turning into a creature on the battlefield.

Another enchantment to consider is Nyxborn Shieldmate. While it too has the bestow mechanic and can similarly function as either a creature or an aura, it differs in its bestowed abilities, focusing on a power boost rather than providing reach. These differences highlight Leafcrown Dryad’s unique place within Magic: The Gathering, balancing cost efficiency, flexibility, and utility to enhance strategic gameplay.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Leafcrown Dryad offers a unique approach to card advantage by allowing you to potentially control two creatures with a single card. When played as an Aura, it enhances any creature on the battlefield, turning it into a more formidable threat and maximizing the utility of your cards in play.

Resource Acceleration: With its low casting cost and bestow mechanic, the Dryad accelerates your board presence without demanding extensive resources. Moreover, when the enchanted creature is dealt with, Leafcrown Dryad sticks around as a creature itself, providing resource efficiency and resilience on the battlefield.

Instant Speed: While Leafcrown Dryad is a creature and an Aura, the ability to bestow it at instant speed would make it exceptionally versatile, it’s important to note that Leafcrown Dryad can only be cast at sorcery speed. However, its reach ability grants a tactical edge during your opponent’s turn by deterring flyers from attacking unopposed.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: This card doesn’t impose a discard stipulation, and while that may seem advantageous, it means that you miss an opportunity for synergistic interactions in decks designed to benefit from discarding, such as those that harness graveyard strategies.

Specific Mana Cost: Leafcrown Dryad demands green mana, which could restrict its inclusion in multicolored decks that may not have the flexibility or resources to consistently produce the required green mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While casting Leafcrown Dryad for its bestowed cost provides versatility, the total cost to bestow may seem steep. Players could potentially leverage other enchantments or creatures with a lower mana investment to achieve similar or greater board presence effects.

Reasons to Include Leafcrown Dryad in Your Collection

Versatility: Leafcrown Dryad stands out as a flexible enchantment creature suitable for a variety of decks. Able to function both as a 2/2 creature or an aura that enhances another creature, it seamlessly adapts to the needs of the game.

Combo Potential: This card has synergy with decks that capitalize on enchantment-related mechanics, potentially unlocking powerful combinations with cards that react to enchantments entering the battlefield or targeting specific creatures.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where flying creatures dominate, Leafcrown Dryad offers an efficient response. By bestowing it onto any creature, you can swiftly elevate your defense game and maintain a competitive edge.

How to beat

Leafcrown Dryad stands out in MTG as a versatile enchantment creature that can either be a standalone threat or a way to enhance other creatures with its bestow ability. Defeating this card requires strategic handling as it not only boosts a creature’s stats but provides the valuable reach ability, allowing it to block flying creatures effectively.

To outmaneuver Leafcrown Dryad, prioritise removal spells that specifically target enchantments or creatures, such as Naturalize or Doom Blade, dependent on its status as a creature or an aura. Board wipes like Wrath of God can also clear the field whether Leafcrown Dryad is bestowed or not. Additionally, countering it upon casting with spells like Negate can prevent it from ever impacting the board—a crucial move when pacing is key. Remember that its bestow is an aura spell, so cards that deal with enchantments still apply even when cast for its bestow cost.

Ultimately, flexibility in your removal options and timing your responses are paramount when facing Leafcrown Dryad. Keep your deck armed with a mix of targeted and universal solutions to maintain control of the game.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Leafcrown Dryad MTG card by a specific set like Theros, 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 Leafcrown Dryad and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Leafcrown Dryad has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-09-15	Auras attached to a creature don't become tapped when the creature becomes tapped. Except in some rare cases, an Aura with bestow remains untapped when it becomes unattached and becomes a creature.
2013-09-15	If a permanent with bestow enters the battlefield by any method other than being cast, it will be an enchantment creature. You can't choose to pay the bestow cost and have it become an Aura.
2013-09-15	On the stack, a spell with bestow is either a creature spell or an Aura spell. It's never both, although it's an enchantment spell in either case.
2013-09-15	Unlike other Aura spells, an Aura spell with bestow isn't countered if its target is illegal as it begins to resolve. Rather, the effect making it an Aura spell ends, it loses enchant creature, it returns to being an enchantment creature spell, and it resolves and enters the battlefield as an enchantment creature.
2013-09-15	Unlike other Auras, an Aura with bestow isn't put into its owner's graveyard if it becomes unattached. Rather, the effect making it an Aura ends, it loses enchant creature, and it remains on the battlefield as an enchantment creature. It can attack (and its abilities can be activated, if it has any) on the turn it becomes unattached if it's been under your control continuously, even as an Aura, since your most recent turn began.