Eight-and-a-Half-Tails Avatar MTG Card

Rarity	Rare
Type	Vanguard
Released	2003-01-01
Set symbol
Set name	Magic Online Avatars
Set code	PMOA
Number	45
Frame	2015
Layout	Vanguard
Border	Black
Illustred by	UDON

Key Takeaways

Grants significant protection, allowing safeguard against targeted removal and altering the dynamics of any match.
Enhances decks focused on control and is central to combos that leverage its color-change and protection abilities.
Demands mana specificity and careful play due to its heavier investment and tailored deck requirements.

Text of card

: Until end of turn, target permanent you control gains protection from a color chosen at random from colors it doesn't have protection from.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Eight-and-a-Half-Tails provides a notable edge by potentially protecting your valuable creatures from removal, effectively negating opponents’ targeted spells and keeping your hand presence solid.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly providing mana, its ability to apply its effects by paying white mana empowers mono-white or white-inclusive decks, potentially accelerating your game plan while leaving resources for further developments.

Instant Speed: The versatility of Eight-and-a-Half-Tails shines at instant speed, permitting reactive plays that can alter combat outcomes, disrupt enemy tactics, and fortify your board state on the fly.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Eight-and-a-Half-Tails Avatar demands a certain playstyle where discarding cards is feasible. This can hinder players who are already struggling to maintain a strong hand, potentially setting them back even further.

Specific Mana Cost: This iconic creature card requires white mana for both its casting and ability activations. This mana specificity means it fits primarily into mono-white or two-color decks, potentially limiting its versatility in broader deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The investment of two white mana for its initial casting, plus additional mana for each use of its ability, makes Eight-and-a-Half-Tails Avatar a heavier commitment compared to other options. This can be particularly challenging in faster-paced games where mana efficiency is key.

Reasons to Include Eight-and-a-Half-Tails in Your Collection

Versatility: Eight-and-a-Half-Tails offers a unique range of protective abilities, allowing players to shield their creatures from targeted spells or to change the color of permanents, fitting seamlessly into various control and midrange decks.

Combo Potential: With the ability to interact with color-specific spells and effects, this card is capable of enabling combos that take advantage of protection and color manipulation, providing a tactical edge during gameplay.

Meta-Relevance: Given its capacity to protect valuable creatures and other permanents in a meta where targeted removal is prevalent, Eight-and-a-Half-Tails remains a relevant choice for defensive strategies aiming to outmaneuver opponents’ tactics.

How to beat

Eight-and-a-Half-Tails is a well-designed figurehead in the realm of creature protection in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to grant protection from colors for itself or other permanents shapes the battlefield’s dynamics. Eight-and-a-Half-Tails stands out, much like the stalwart Mother of Runes, by safeguarding your board and complicating the opponent’s removal plans.

Surpassing this unique defender requires a strategy that sidesteps its color protection. Cards like Ugin, the Spirit Dragon hold the key, as they bring colorless answers to the table, neutralizing the influence of Eight-and-a-Half-Tails’ abilities. Engineered Explosives is another effective tool, cleansing the board without concern for the colors protected. Global effects or ones that don’t explicitly target, such as Supreme Verdict, also shine in piercing through the defense that Eight-and-a-Half-Tails offers.

In essence, overcoming the challenges posed by Eight-and-a-Half-Tails demands a thoughtful approach to deck building and in-game tactics. An awareness of non-targeting removal options or colorless spells could be the decisive factor that outmaneuvers the protective prowess this distinctive avatar brings to Magic: The Gathering matches.

Cards like Eight-and-a-Half-Tails Avatar

The power to control and protect is at the heart of the Eight-and-a-Half-Tails Avatar in MTG. Within the world of creature cards that provide defense and evasion, Eight-and-a-Half-Tails shines with its unique ability to turn any permanent white, thus allowing for a strategic defense or enabling evasion tactics. Its closest relatives in terms of functionality include Mother of Runes and Giver of Runes, both of which can grant creatures protection from colors of your choice.

Mother of Runes, however, only offers protection to other creatures, while Eight-and-a-Half-Tails expands this capability to any permanent, including itself. Giver of Runes adds another layer by granting not only protection from a color but also from colorless, though it does not have the self-targeting option. Comparing their mana cost, Eight-and-a-Half-Tails requires more investment but offers broader protective measures, while the others are more mana-efficient but slightly more limited in scope.

Analyzing the balance between cost and versatility, Eight-and-a-Half-Tails emerges as a potent tool for players who seek a more comprehensive shield for their permanents, thus carving out its distinct niche among MTG’s protective creature cards.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Eight-and-a-Half-Tails Avatar MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Avatars, 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 Eight-and-a-Half-Tails Avatar and other MTG cards: