Lymph Sliver MTG Card
2007-05-04 - Number 26
2021-03-19 - Number 25
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Sliver |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Text of card
All Sliver creatures have absorb 1. (If a source would deal damage to a Sliver, prevent 1 of that damage.)
Its skin remains in a flowing, liquid state that keeps its body coated with potent restorative lymph.
Understanding Lymph Sliver
Lymph Sliver is another distinctive entry in the incredibly synergistic lineup of Sliver creatures in Magic: The Gathering. Players familiar with the Sliver tribe know that each creature offers a unique enhancement to all Slivers on the battlefield. Lymph Sliver grants all Sliver creatures you control the ability to regenerate for a small cost, providing a layer of defense that can be vital in maintaining board presence.
Cards like Lymph Sliver
Lymph Sliver has counterparts that also focus on creature resilience, such as Clot Sliver and Crypt Sliver. Both Slivers come with their own regeneration abilities, but Lymph Sliver stands out by not requiring the Sliver to tap in order to regenerate. This allows for more aggressive play and defense without forsaking attacks or other tap abilities.
Clot Sliver requires mana as well but dictates that the Sliver must tap to regenerate, which can limit offensive strategies. Crypt Sliver, while allowing for tap-free regeneration, requires the controller to tap another Sliver they control which can leave them open to attacks. Thus, the strengths of Lymph Sliver become apparent, providing both defensive capabilities and maintaining offensive pressure.
Certainly, in a deck centered around Slivers, including Lymph Sliver can significantly increase the toughness of your Sliver army, making it a noteworthy component in this tribe’s dynamic ecosystem.
Cards similar to Lymph Sliver by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Lymph Sliver provides a unique form of card advantage not by drawing cards but by protecting your existing ones. By granting all Slivers you control the ability to regenerate, it effectively saves your creatures from destruction, keeping your board presence and thwarting your opponent’s attempts to remove your threats.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting mana resources, Lymph Sliver’s effect can indirectly lead to resource acceleration. By preserving your Sliver creatures, you ensure that any mana-producing Slivers remain on the battlefield to accelerate your resource availability, enabling you to deploy more threats with ease.
Instant Speed: Although Lymph Sliver itself is not an instant, the regeneration ability it grants can be used at instant speed. This allows for strategic and unexpected saves during combat or in response to removal, keeping your opponents guessing and your Sliver legion resilient against surprise plays.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: This sliver’s synergy relies on having a sliver-centric deck, potentially requiring you to discard other valuable cards to maintain its presence on the battlefield.
Specific Mana Cost: Lymph Sliver demands a precise mana alignment, needing both white and any other color, which might not blend seamlessly into all sliver or multi-color decks.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that might be considered steep for its protective abilities, some players might opt for slivers that contribute more aggressively to board control for the same cost or less.
Reasons to Include Lymph Sliver in Your Collection
Versatility: Lymph Sliver is a functional addition to any Sliver deck, providing essential protection that can safeguard your Slivers from targeted removal, a common pitfall in creature-based strategies.
Combo Potential: When paired with abilities from other Slivers that grant indestructibility or regeneration, Lymph Sliver’s shield effect makes your board nearly impervious to most threats, setting up powerful defensive combos.
Meta-Relevance: In metas where spot removal and control decks are prevalent, Lymph Sliver’s ability to grant all your Slivers protection can be a game changer, giving your swarm sustainability against targeted spells. Its presence can tilt matchups in your favor, disrupting your opponent’s plan to dismantle your Sliver synergies.
How to beat
Lymph Sliver is a unique creature in the MTG universe that offers defensive utility through its ability to grant other Sliver creatures you control lifelink. This means any amount of damage those slivers deal, you gain that much life, making them difficult to handle in a prolonged game. Countering Lymph Sliver’s effect demands a strategy that disrupts the synergy among Slivers.
One efficient way to outpace Lymph Sliver is through removal spells that can target multiple creatures at once before the lifelink becomes overwhelming. Board wipes such as Wrath of God or Damnation eliminate all creatures, breaking the Slivers’ united front. Additionally, single-target removals like Path to Exile or Assassin’s Trophy can remove Lymph Sliver before its ability impacts the game significantly.
It’s also strategic to use control elements that limit the opponent’s ability to cast creature spells, thus preventing Slivers from hitting the battlefield in the first place. Cards like Counterspell or Damping Sphere can be critical in keeping Sliver decks at bay. Keeping these strategies in mind, players can prepare to face the resilience of Lymph Sliver and potentially move towards securing their victory.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Lymph Sliver MTG card by a specific set like Future Sight and Time Spiral Remastered, 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 Lymph Sliver and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
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Printings
The Lymph Sliver Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2007-05-04 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by Ittoku.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2007-05-04 | Future Sight | FUT | 26 | future | Normal | Black | Ittoku | |
| 2 | 2021-03-19 | Time Spiral Remastered | TSR | 25 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Ittoku |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Lymph Sliver has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Lymph Sliver card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2013-07-01 | Abilities that Slivers grant, as well as power/toughness boosts, are cumulative. However, for some abilities, like flying, having more than one instance of the ability doesn’t provide any additional benefit. |
| 2013-07-01 | If the creature type of a Sliver changes so it’s no longer a Sliver, it will no longer be affected by its own ability. Its ability will continue to affect other Sliver creatures. |
| 2021-03-19 | If multiple replacement effects apply to a creature being dealt damage, the controller of the creature chooses the order to apply them, not the controller of the source of damage. |
| 2021-03-19 | If multiple sources would deal damage to a Sliver at once, prevent 1 damage from each of those sources. |