Anthousa, Setessan Hero MTG Card
2013-09-21 - Number 149★
2013-09-27 - Number 149
2002-06-24 - Number 50124
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Human Warrior |
| Abilities | Heroic |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 5 |
Key Takeaways
- Anthousa offers card advantage by converting lands into threat multipliers while preserving your hand.
- This Hero demands specific mana yet poses summoning challenges with her high casting cost.
- Inclusion reasoning highlights Anthousa’s versatility, combo potential, and meta-relevance in MTG.
Text of card
Heroic — Whenever you cast a spell that targets Anthousa, Setessan Hero, up to three target lands you control each become 2/2 Warrior creatures until end of turn. They're still lands.
The warriors she leads can rarely keep pace with her, and neither can the tales.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Anthousa, Setessan Hero offers a unique form of card advantage by turning lands into potent warriors without costing you additional cards from your hand. This enables you to multiply the threats on your board while maintaining a full grip of spells to outmaneuver opponents.
Resource Acceleration: By converting lands into creatures, Anthousa enhances your board state, potentially accelerating your path to victory. While this doesn’t directly add to your mana pool, it effectively utilizes your resources to develop a faster, more intimidating presence on the battlefield.
Instant Speed: Although Anthousa herself doesn’t operate at instant speed, her ability to animate lands pairs exceptionally well with instant-speed spells and tactics. This allows for strategic surprise attacks during combat or on the opponent’s turn, catching them off-guard and maximizing the utility of your lands-turned-creatures.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Anthousa, Setessan Hero doesn’t ask players to discard directly, its ability hinges on casting spells that could deplete your hand, leaving fewer options as the game progresses.
Specific Mana Cost: This Hero’s call to the battlefield demands a trio of green mana symbols, making the card a less flexible option for multi-colored decks that might struggle with such stringent mana requirements.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that sums up to five mana, Anthousa enters the fray for a heftier price than other creatures with potentially more impactful or immediate abilities, posing a substantial investment in slower-paced formats.
Reasons to Include Anthousa, Setessan Hero in Your Collection
Versatility: Anthousa, Setessan Hero offers a unique dynamic to any deck designed to capitalize on creature-based strategies. Her ability to turn lands into creatures enables creative plays and can surprise opponents unprepared for such transformation.
Combo Potential: With Anthousa in play, lands suddenly become potential combatants, which can be combined with cards that benefit from creatures entering the battlefield or those that boost creature capabilities, amplifying the strength of your board presence.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where board control and adaptability are key, Anthousa can shine by converting otherwise passive lands into aggressive entities. This can disrupt standard meta plays, as opponents are forced to deal with an ever-evolving army that was simply mana base moments before.
How to beat
Anthousa, Setessan Hero brings a unique dynamic to the battlefield in MTG. Recognized for her ability to turn lands into powerful attacking creatures, Anthousa can swiftly change the tides of a match. However, like all cards, there are strategies to effectively counter her influence in the game.
Targeted removal spells are your best bet when facing Anthousa. Since she relies on a hefty amount of mana to activate her ability, it’s wise to use removal spells like Path to Exile or Murder before she can create an army of lands. Board wipes such as Wrath of God or Damnation also serve as effective methods to deal with both Anthousa and her land creatures in one fell swoop. Keeping counter spells at the ready can prevent your opponent from successfully casting her in the first place. Tempo plays, such as bouncing Anthousa back to the hand after lands have been turned into creatures, force your opponent to rebuild, giving you a significant advantage.
Overall, managing Anthousa requires a blend of proactive disruption and smart card choices. Always be ready to react to her activation to maintain control over the game.
Cards like Anthousa, Setessan Hero
Anthousa, Setessan Hero offers a unique dynamic to the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. She mirrors cards like Kazandu Tuskcaller in her ability to leverage lands into offensive tools. Anthousa, however, converts lands on a larger scale each time you cast a spell that targets her, whereas Kazandu Tuskcaller needs to be leveled up to create individual beast tokens.
Comparatively, Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper is another card that animates lands. Noyan Dar, with its awaking ability, creates 3/3 Elementals every time you cast an instant or sorcery, but it’s more selective with the lands it targets. Anthousa stands out by potentially animating multiple lands with a single triggered ability.
Heroes’ Bane and Anthousa also share thematic and mechanical similarities as both belong to the Heroic archetype from Theros. Whereas Heroes’ Bane focuses on self-growth, Anthousa converts her strength into an army of lands ready to charge. Both cards showcase the rich versatility of Green’s design in empowering players with formidable forces grown from simple beginnings.
Cards similar to Anthousa, Setessan Hero by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Anthousa, Setessan Hero MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Theros Promos, 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 Anthousa, Setessan Hero 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 MTG Products
Printings
The Anthousa, Setessan Hero Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2013-09-21 and 2013-09-27. Illustrated by Howard Lyon.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 50124 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Howard Lyon | ||
| 2 | 2013-09-21 | Theros Promos | PTHS | 149★ | 2003 | Normal | Black | Howard Lyon | |
| 3 | 2013-09-27 | Theros | THS | 149 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Howard Lyon |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Anthousa, Setessan Hero has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Anthousa, Setessan Hero 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 | Heroic abilities will resolve before the spell that caused them to trigger. |
| 2013-09-15 | Heroic abilities will trigger only once per spell, even if that spell targets the creature with the heroic ability multiple times. |
| 2013-09-15 | Heroic abilities won't trigger when a copy of a spell is created on the stack or when a spell's targets are changed to include a creature with a heroic ability. |
| 2013-09-15 | If a land that hasn't been under your control continuously since your last turn began becomes a creature, it can't attack and its activated abilities that include can't be activated. Notably, it can't be tapped for mana that turn. |
