Sprite Dragon MTG Card
2020-04-24 - Number 211
2020-04-24 - Number 369
2020-04-24 - Number 382
2022-06-10 - Number 852
1995-01-02 - Number 39
2002-06-24 - Number 80933
| Card sets | Released in 6 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Faerie Dragon |
| Abilities | Flying,Haste |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Key Takeaways
- Sprite Dragon excels by transforming spells into permanent power, creating substantial board leverage over time.
- Its instant-speed interaction allows for surprise offensive maneuvers, making it a versatile combatant.
- Despite its strengths, the Sprite Dragon’s dual mana requirement and initial stats can be challenging.
Text of card
Flying, haste Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, put a +1/+1 counter on Sprite Dragon.
Size of a pixie, rage of a hellkite.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Sprite Dragon accumulates +1/+1 counters with each noncreature spell you cast, building a significant advantage over time without the need for additional cards.
Resource Acceleration: By incentivizing the casting of cheap cantrips and mana-efficient spells, Sprite Dragon effectively turns these into power and toughness boosts, bypassing the need for conventional resource acceleration.
Instant Speed: Sprite Dragon benefits greatly from instants, allowing you to surprise your opponents by growing your dragon swiftly during their turn or right before it deals combat damage.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While the Sprite Dragon doesn’t have an inherent discard cost, it may compel you to play other spells to grow its power and toughness, which can deplete your hand quickly. This can be especially challenging if you don’t have card draw mechanisms in place.
Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both blue and red mana, Sprite Dragon demands a commitment to a dual-color mana base, which can be a restriction for decks that aren’t built around these colors, potentially causing it to be a dead card in hand if the necessary mana isn’t available.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a two-mana creature, the initial 1/1 stats may seem underwhelming compared to other options at the same cost. Given that its power level depends on casting other noncreature spells, it may not always represent the immediate board presence that some decks require early in the game.
Reasons to Include Sprite Dragon in Your Collection
Versatility: Sprite Dragon is a dynamic card that fits seamlessly into multiple decks, including aggressive Izzet spellslinger and tempo-focused strategies, making it a staple for players who enjoy rapid and tactical gameplay.
Combo Potential: With each spell cast, Sprite Dragon earns a +1/+1 counter, synergizing beautifully with decks that cast numerous spells in a single turn. This creates explosive turns where the Dragon quickly becomes a formidable threat.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta that favours spells and interactive play, Sprite Dragon emerges as a high-impact card. Its ability to rapidly grow in power makes it a significant player in both aggressive and counter-based decks, keeping it relevant and often seeing competitive play.
How to Defeat Sprite Dragon
Sprite Dragon emerges as a dynamic threat within the roster of creatures in Magic: The Gathering. Its prowess ability allows it to effectively scale in power and toughness with every noncreature spell cast, potentially turning it into an increasingly formidable force each turn. However, there are numerous strategies to effectively counter this feisty flyer.
Removal spells that are both inexpensive and instant-speed, such as Fatal Push or Path to Exile, can easily dispatch Sprite Dragon before it grows out of control. It’s crucial to deal with it swiftly, as delayed responses will only leave you facing a larger, more challenging creature to overcome. Additionally, board wipes like Wrath of God or Supreme Verdict can reset the board, nullifying the threat of a powered-up Sprite Dragon altogether.
For those favoring a less confrontational approach, enchantments like Pacifism or Frogify can neutralize Sprite Dragon without outright destroying it, thereby bypassing certain protection mechanics it may have. In summary, while Sprite Dragon can swiftly evolve into a powerful adversary, there exists a suite of effective measures to ensure this dragon’s flight is short-lived on the battlefield.
Cards like Sprite Dragon
Within the pantheon of prowess creatures in Magic: The Gathering, Sprite Dragon carves out a unique niche. Like its counterparts, it gains power with each noncreature spell cast, but what makes it distinctive is its flying ability and the accruing +1/+1 counters rather than a temporary power boost. As we delve into comparisons, consider Monastery Swiftspear, a widely recognized prowess creature. Although it shares the prowess mechanic, it doesn’t have flying, and the strength is temporary, resetting each turn.
Stormchaser Mage boasts both flying and prowess. However, it only gains a temporary pump for the turn. On the other hand, Sprite Dragon’s continual growth potential can create an increasingly dangerous permanent as the game progresses. Lastly, Soul-Scar Mage may have a prowess like mechanism, and it does offer a static ability that places -1/-1 counters on creatures dealt damage, but again, it lacks the persistent growth and evasive capabilities of Sprite Dragon.
Assessing these similar mechanic holders, Sprite Dragon stands out as a powerful threat in aerial combat and a formidable choice for a deck seeking to capitalize on casting numerous noncreature spells to grow a single threat.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Sprite Dragon MTG card by a specific set like Media Inserts and Magic Online 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 Sprite Dragon 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 Magic products
Printings
The Sprite Dragon Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2020-04-24 and 2022-06-10. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Media Inserts | PMEI | 39 | 2015 | normal | black | Gabor Szikszai | ||
| 2 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 80933 | 2015 | normal | black | Simon Dominic | ||
| 3 | 2020-04-24 | Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths | IKO | 211 | 2015 | normal | black | Gabor Szikszai | |
| 4 | 2020-04-24 | Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths | IKO | 369 | 2015 | normal | black | Gabor Szikszai | |
| 5 | 2020-04-24 | Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths | IKO | 382 | 2015 | normal | borderless | Simon Dominic | |
| 6 | 2022-06-10 | Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate | CLB | 852 | 2015 | normal | black | Gabor Szikszai |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Sprite Dragon has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sprite Dragon card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2020-04-17 | An ability that triggers when a player casts a spell resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger. It resolves even if that spell is countered. |
