Martyr of Spores MTG Card

Boosts board presence by converting cards into creature tokens, enabling unexpected tactical plays. Limited by green mana and card discard; can be restrictive in deck construction and strategy. Combats with board control, removals, or hand-size reduction strategies to mitigate its impact.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Human Shaman
Released	2006-07-21
Set symbol
Set name	Coldsnap
Set code	CSP
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	113
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Dan Scott

Text of card

, Reveal X green cards from your hand, Sacrifice Martyr of Spores: Target creature gets +X/+X until end of turn.

"Weep not for me. I will rise with the spring's new growth."

Cards like Martyr of Spores

Martyr of Spores joins the multitude of green creatures that provide value beyond their presence on the battlefield. In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, she echoes the characteristics of other self-sacrificing creatures like Sakura-Tribe Elder. Both can be activated immediately to influence the game state, but while the Elder fetches a land to ramp, Martyr reveals cards to potentially summon a host of 1/1 green Saporling creature tokens.

Comparatively, Thallid is another creature that stands shoulder to shoulder with Martyr of Spores in creating Saproling tokens. However, Thallid’s token production is based on time counters and requires several turns to gather the necessary resources. Martyr’s advantage is the immediate impact, allowing a more aggressive and sudden token swarm strategy. Tukatongue Thallid also comes to mind, able to generate a token upon death—but only one, as opposed to the potentially numerous Saporlings from Martyr’s single activation.

These subtle variations underscore the importance of aligning card choices with your overall strategy. Within the MTG ecosystem, the choice between ramping, waiting, or instantaneous board presence can define the flow and outcome of the match, with Martyr of Spores carving out its niche by enabling a reactive token generation tactic.

Cards similar to Martyr of Spores by color, type and mana cost

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Martyr of Spores adds value by potentially putting multiple creature cards onto the battlefield from your hand, outweighing the single card used to activate the ability. This tactic can quickly tip the scales in your favor, keeping your hand presence on the board strong.

Resource Acceleration: Due to its low casting cost, Martyr of Spores is efficient for establishing early board presence. When combined with cards that benefit from creature tokens or sacrifices, it can accelerate your resource development significantly, making for a more robust and threatening strategy.

Instant Speed: The capacity to activate its ability at instant speed gives you the flexibility to respond to your opponent’s actions unexpectedly. Whether it’s during an attack or at the end of their turn, this flexibility ensures that you can maximize the impact of the Martyr of Spores, catching opponents off guard and optimizing your tactical plays.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Martyr of Spores necessitates a card discard to activate its crucial ability. This poses a problem when your hand is running low on cards, potentially forcing you to discard a valuable piece you would rather keep for later use.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s mana cost is tied specifically to green mana, which could restrict flexibility in deck building. Players not running green-heavy or mono-green decks may find it challenging to accommodate the Martyr without compromising their manabase.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that is on the higher end for what it delivers, Martyr of Spores might be outclassed by other options. Considering the range of creatures and spells across the meta, there are alternatives that might provide a stronger board presence or utility without the discard trade-off.

Reasons to Include Martyr of Spores in Your Collection

Versatility: Martyr of Spores offers flexibility in deck building due to its low mana cost and the utility of creating creature tokens. This makes it a potentially strong addition to green-based token strategies or decks that can capitalize on creature synergies.

Combo Potential: This card has inherent synergy with cards that care about the number of creatures you control or that benefit from saccing creatures. It can feed into powerful combos by quickly populating the field, working well with sacrifice outlets and engines that thrive on creature death triggers.

Meta-Relevance: Given the persistently creature-heavy metagame, Martyr of Spores can serve as an integral part of a defensive strategy, providing early game blockers or late-game swarms. The ability to potentially change the tide of battle with surprise blockers also makes it a card to reckon with.

How to beat Martyr of Spores

Martyr of Spores becomes a notable card to reckon with in MTG gaming circles for its potential to build a strong board presence. Its ability to convert cards in hand into numerous saproling creatures can shift the game significantly. To counter this card effectively, it’s pivotal to hinder the Martyr’s ability activation or to keep the opponent’s hand size in check, reducing the impact of the card’s sacrifice ability.

Strategies include using removal spells to deal with the Martyr before the activation cost is paid or employing discard effects to limit the resources available for the creation of saprolings. Keeping pressure on your opponent and controlling their creature count ensures that even if the Martyr’s ability is activated, the produced saprolings won’t be overwhelming. It’s also beneficial to have board sweepers ready, which can eradicate the saprolings in one fell swoop, negating the Martyr’s advantage.

Maintaining both proactive and reactive tactics in your deck allows you to stay ahead, turning Martyr of Spores from a potential threat to a manageable element of the match.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Martyr of Spores MTG card by a specific set like Coldsnap, 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 Martyr of Spores and other MTG cards:

BUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Martyr of Spores has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Martyr of Spores card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2006-07-15	A card that’s already revealed for another cost or because of an effect can be revealed to pay this cost.
2006-07-15	Each card that’s revealed to pay the cost remains revealed until the ability leaves the stack.
2006-07-15	If one of the cards that’s revealed to pay the cost leaves its owner’s hand before the ability resolves, it stops being revealed, but the value of X is not affected.