Kianne, Dean of Substance // Imbraham, Dean of Theory MTG Card
2021-04-23 - Number 152
2021-04-23 - Number 326
2002-06-24 - Number 90244
2021-04-23 - Number 51
2021-04-23 - Number 51s
| Card sets | Released in 5 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Elf Druid |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Key Takeaways
- Kianne offers recurring creature access, building an army and providing consistent card advantage over time.
- Transforming into Inkcaster, she accelerates resources and boosts your board presence considerably.
- Kianne’s instant-speed interaction leverages mana efficiency, fitting well in fast-paced strategies.
Text of card
: Exile the top card of your library. If it's a land card, put it into your hand. Otherwise, put a study counter on it. : Create a 0/0 green and blue Fractal creature token. Put a +1/+1 counter on it for each different mana value among nonland cards you own in exile with study counters on them.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Kianne, Dean of Substance allows you to strategically extract value from your library. With her ability to exile the top card of your library at the beginning of your end step, she can potentially provide consistent access to additional creatures. This can quickly turn the tide by bolstering your army and providing a steady stream of card advantage.
Resource Acceleration: Kianne shines in her secondary role when transformed into Inkcaster, providing a means to accelerate your resources. As she distributes +1/+1 counters among your creatures, each of those counters represents an additional resource—a permanent boost to your creatures’ power and toughness. This incremental strengthening can significantly speed up your board presence and the time it takes to close out a game.
Instant Speed: Her characteristic to perform at instant speed is implicitly given through the interaction with cards she exiles. This allows her to fit seamlessly into a strategy that revolves around outmaneuvering opponents, conserving mana for reactions, and maximizing the value of each turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Kianne, Dean of Substance imposes a deckbuilding constraint, necessitating a certain number of creatures in your deck to fully capitalize on its ability to exile cards and create inkling tokens. This can result in awkward situations where you may need to discard advantageous spells or other non-creature cards to utilize its ability efficiently.
Specific Mana Cost: Kianne comes with a requirement for green and white mana, restricting this card’s integration into multi-colored decks. If your deck is not aligned with these colors, or if you’re facing a mana shortage in one of these specific colors, it can be challenging to cast Kianne, Dean of Substance on curve.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, including one green and one white, Kianne may not be the optimal choice for players looking for an immediate board impact. Considering other three-cost options available that might offer more immediate value or have lower mana flexibility, it may not always be the most mana-efficient play.
Reasons to Include Kianne, Dean of Substance in Your Collection
Versatility: Kianne, Dean of Substance weaves seamlessly into various decks, offering both a steady stream of creature generation and a tool to sift through the library, thus providing continuous utility in-game.
Combo Potential: This card’s ability to exile cards from the top of a library and later turn them into powerful creatures opens up myriad combinations, syncing well with strategies that capitalize on creature play and mana ramp.
Meta-Relevance: In a playing field often dominated by creature-based combat and value engines, Kianne offers an edge by creating board presence and card advantage, making it a relevant pick for today’s evolving gameplay.
How to beat
Kianne, Dean of Substance is a versatile card in MTG, embodying both utility and threat recognition. It flourishes in environments rich with land, amplifying its ability to churn out tokens and card advantage. As such, addressing Kianne goes beyond simply dispatching the card itself; one must also tackle the ecosystem that permits its prosperity.
Removing Kianne from the battlefield is primary—thus, instant-speed removal spells are pivotal. Cards like Fatal Push or Path to Exile disrupt her ability to generate value. Equally crucial is limiting her interaction with lands. Land destruction, or leverage against land-based strategies such as Blood Moon, confines Kianne’s capabilities.
Finally, Kianne’s Inklings boast a growing threat, making sweepers like Wrath of God or Doomskar essential in resetting the board. By combining spot removals, land disruption, and mass removals, opponents can diminish Kianne’s dominance and secure a more stable stance in the match.
Cards like Kianne, Dean of Substance // Imbraham, Dean of Theory
Kianne, Dean of Substance enters the stage as an intriguing multifaceted card in Magic: The Gathering. It shares traits with other mana dorks like Llanowar Elves, offering mana ramp to quickly escalate your game. Yet, Kianne does not merely tap for mana; upon reaching five lands, she also cultivates your deck, sifting through the top cards to potentially reveal a creature card comparable to the utility of Coiling Oracle. While Coiling Oracle allows for an immediate draw and possible land drop, Kianne’s ability builds up over time, offering more substantial board presence as the game progresses.
Moving towards card advantage, Kianne can be likened to Elvish Visionary, allowing players to draw a card upon entering the battlefield. Kianne’s strength is her evolving potential, creating an emblem with the ability to summon creature tokens tailored from cards in your library. This emblematic skill echoes the effects of Luminarch Aspirant in its capability to steadily increase your board’s threat level, despite Luminarch focusing on adding +1/+1 counters.
When evaluating utility and versatility in gameplay, Kianne stands out amongst her peers. She extends beyond a simple mana dork, manifesting as an engine of creature advantage and a transformative element on the battlefield that can shape the course of the game.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Kianne, Dean of Substance // Imbraham, Dean of Theory MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Strixhaven Art Series, 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 Kianne, Dean of Substance // Imbraham, Dean of Theory 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
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Printings
The Kianne, Dean of Substance // Imbraham, Dean of Theory Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2021-04-23 and 2021-04-23. Illustrated by Ryan Pancoast.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 90244 | 2015 | modal_dfc | black | Ryan Pancoast | ||
| 2 | Strixhaven Art Series | ASTX | 51 | 2015 | art_series | borderless | Ryan Pancoast | ||
| 3 | Strixhaven Art Series | ASTX | 51s | 2015 | art_series | borderless | Ryan Pancoast | ||
| 4 | 2021-04-23 | Strixhaven: School of Mages | STX | 152 | 2015 | modal_dfc | black | Ryan Pancoast | |
| 5 | 2021-04-23 | Strixhaven: School of Mages | STX | 326 | 2015 | modal_dfc | black | Ryan Pancoast |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Kianne, Dean of Substance // Imbraham, Dean of Theory has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Kianne, Dean of Substance // Imbraham, Dean of Theory card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-04-16 | Cards are exiled face up unless an effect states otherwise. |
| 2021-04-16 | Exiled cards with study counters on them retain their study counters even if Kianne or Imbraham leave the battlefield. |
| 2021-04-16 | The second abilities of both Kianne and Imbraham look at all cards you own in exile with study counters, even if they were exiled by a different permanent, such as another Kianne or Imbraham. |
| 2021-04-16 | You may choose 0 as the value of X as you activate Imbraham’s last ability. If you do, you will not exile any cards from your library. However, you may still put a card previously exiled with a study counter on it into your hand. |
