Sparkhunter Masticore MTG Card
2020-07-03 - Number 384
2020-07-03 - Number 240
2002-06-24 - Number 81998
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Artifact Creature — Masticore |
| Abilities | Protection |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Key Takeaways
- Offers card advantage and instant-speed versatility, crucial for dynamic MTG gameplay.
- Demands careful resource management due to upkeep discard and specific mana costs.
- Targets planeswalkers efficiently, making it a valuable asset in diverse deck strategies.
Text of card
As an additional cost to cast this spell, discard a card. Protection from planeswalkers : Sparkhunter Masticore deals 1 damage to target planeswalker. : Sparkhunter Masticore gains indestructible until end of turn.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Sparkhunter Masticore allows you to gain trading opportunities by discarding a card that may not currently serve your strategy. It effectively enables you to sift through your deck, improving the quality of your hand and pushing towards your key cards.
Resource Acceleration: While this creature does not produce additional mana or tokens, its activation cost can help manage resources by giving you a productive outlet for excess lands or unneeded cards in hand, which makes your resource allocation more efficient throughout the match.
Instant Speed: One of Sparkhunter Masticore’s abilities can be activated at instant speed, offering the flexibility to respond to threats or create them during your opponent’s turn. This can disrupt their plans and give you a significant advantage during the gameplay, affecting the board state without waiting for your turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Sparkhunter Masticore necessitates a card discard at the beginning of your upkeep. This can deplete important hand resources, making it challenging to maintain card advantage.
Specific Mana Cost: This artifact creature demands one generic and two colorless mana, which could be restrictive in a multicolored or color-intensive deck not optimized for artifact mana.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a three-mana cost and an additional activation fee to gain indestructible, players may find Sparkhunter Masticore’s overall investment demanding compared to other available three-drop creatures or artifacts with immediate impact or lower upkeep costs.
Reasons to Include Sparkhunter Masticore in Your Collection
Versatility: Sparkhunter Masticore showcases flexible usage as it can operate independently as a formidable creature or as a defensive mechanism against planeswalkers—an asset for numerous deck archetypes.
Combo Potential: Its ability to discard a card for indestructibility plays well with graveyard strategies or decks that profit from cycling cards.
Meta-Relevance: With planeswalkers frequently steering the game’s pace, having a card that can directly target these pivotal pieces keeps your deck competitive and reactive to the evolving battlefield.
How to beat
Sparkhunter Masticore presents a unique challenge on the battlefield with its ability to become indestructible at a moment’s notice. The key to outmaneuvering this formidable artifact creature lies in circumventing its strengths. Unlike other creatures, traditional removal spells won’t always suffice due to its indestructibility. Therefore, players must think strategically, employing alternative strategies such as using enchantments like Pacifism to neutralize its combat abilities or employing sacrifice effects which don’t target the creature, compelling its controller to act against it.
Another effective approach involves countering Sparkhunter Masticore before it can assert its presence on the board. Coupled with the right timing, spells that prevent artifact activation can stifle its abilities, ensuring it remains an ordinary creature. Similarly, exile effects can permanently remove it from the game, bypassing its indestructible nature. It’s crucial for players to consider these methods at deck construction to ensure they’re not caught off guard by this mechanical beast. Anticipating your opponent’s move and having a response ready is the essence of overcoming powerful cards like Sparkhunter Masticore.
Ultimately, while Sparkhunter Masticore poses a significant threat, its weaknesses can be exploited with smart play and deck building. By carefully considering your removal options and staying one step ahead, you can effectively neutralize it and maintain control of the game.
Cards like Sparkhunter Masticore
Sparkhunter Masticore stands out in the vast array of creature cards in Magic: The Gathering. It offers a unique blend of abilities that allow players to target and destroy planeswalkers, a rare feature seen in creature cards. This makes it a specialized tool in any player’s deck who anticipates confrontations with such formidable opponents. Looking at other similar cards, we can compare it with the likes of Solemn Simulacrum, which also provides utility beyond the battlefield with its ramp and card draw capabilities upon entering and leaving the field.
Additionally, we find the card Steel Hellkite, which shares the ability to deal with multiple types of permanents, albeit through damage and activation costs. However, unlike Sparkhunter Masticore, it requires a significant amount of mana to activate this ability, highlighting Sparkhunter Masticore’s more efficient access to its planeswalker control. Lastly, Triskelion enters the conversation as a creature able to distribute damage across multiple targets. Nevertheless, Triskelion’s flexibility in damage distribution doesn’t directly combat the planeswalker threat as effectively as Sparkhunter Masticore does.
Therefore, Sparkhunter Masticore earns its place as a specialized piece against planeswalkers, with its inherent damage immunity and specific removal capabilities that set it apart in Magic: The Gathering’s creature landscape.
Cards similar to Sparkhunter Masticore by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Sparkhunter Masticore MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Core Set 2021, 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 Sparkhunter Masticore 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 Sparkhunter Masticore Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-07-03 and 2020-07-03. Illustrated by Randy Vargas.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 81998 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Randy Vargas | ||
| 2 | 2020-07-03 | Core Set 2021 | M21 | 384 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Randy Vargas | |
| 3 | 2020-07-03 | Core Set 2021 | M21 | 240 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Randy Vargas |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Sparkhunter Masticore 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 |
