Thermal Glider MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Human Rebel
Abilities	Flying,Protection
Released	1999-10-04
Set symbol
Set name	Mercadian Masques
Set code	MMQ
Power	2
Toughness	1
Number	53
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Mark Zug

Key Takeaways

Thermal Glider can enhance card advantage by protecting key creatures with its evasion and protection abilities.
Its low-cost nature and evasion skill hasten board presence, posing continuous pressure on opponents.
Protection from red bestows Thermal Glider with staying power against widespread instant-speed removals.

Text of card

Flying, protection from red

"The Mercadians are too busy looking down on us to see us coming." —Cho-Arrim rebel

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Despite not directly allowing a draw, Thermal Glider can potentially lead to card advantage by protecting your more valuable creatures or outmaneuvering blockers due to its evasion ability.

Resource Acceleration: As a low-cost creature, Thermal Glider fits into your curve easily without demanding a lot of resources, effectively accelerating your board presence and maintaining pressure on the opponent.

Instant Speed: While Thermal Glider itself isn’t an instant, its protection from red grants it resilience against a large swath of instant-speed removal spells, meaning it can persist on the board when other creatures might not.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the notable downsides of the Thermal Glider card is the lack of any discard mechanics to synergize with graveyard strategies. Without this element, it misses potential value in decks that capitalize on discarding and recursion themes.

Specific Mana Cost: Thermal Glider requires one white mana specifically, which can potentially restrict its inclusion to only white or two-color decks. This requirement can hinder deck-building flexibility and may be less desirable for players running multicolored or colorless decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For its mana cost of three, including one white, Thermal Glider offers modest stats that may not match the impact of other creatures or spells at a similar cost point. Other options might provide more offensive or defensive utility, making the Thermal Glider less efficient in certain gameplay scenarios.

Reasons to Include Thermal Glider in Your Collection

Versatility: Thermal Glider offers a unique position in deck building with its evasion ability. Its protection from red attribute makes it a strong inclusion in white-based decks facing red-heavy metas, where red spells and creatures dominate.

Combo Potential: Besides its standalone qualities, Thermal Glider can serve as a key component in decks that capitalize on creature synergies. Its flying ability also makes it a suitable candidate for strategies focusing on aerial dominance and evasion tactics.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where red aggro or control decks are prevalent, Thermal Glider can be a strategic sideboard card. Its innate protection allows it to slip past common red removal spells, enabling it to hold the board against one of the most common removal colors in MTG.

How to Beat

Thermal Glider presents an intriguing challenge on the battlefield with its flying ability and protection from red spells in Magic: The Gathering. This card’s evasion makes it difficult for opponents relying heavily on red to interact with it effectively, providing players a persistent threat in the air regardless of red removal spells or creatures.

However, despite its strengths, Thermal Glider is not without counters. Black spells, which typically offer a range of removal options, can bypass the protection from red. Cards like Doom Blade or Go for the Throat can easily remove this creature from the game. Additionally, white has its own assortment of exile spells such as Path to Exile, allowing players to deal with Thermal Glider regardless of its color protections. Blue’s counter magic can also stop Thermal Glider before it enters the battlefield, making a well-timed Counterspell or Mana Leak a solid preventative measure.

Using these tactics, players can navigate the skies unthreatened, ensuring that Thermal Glider does not impede their path to victory. Knowing how and when to employ these strategies against protection abilities like those of Thermal Glider could be crucial for maintaining control of the match.

Cards like Thermal Glider

Thermal Glider holds a niche place among Magic the Gathering’s array of creature cards. It mirrors the evasion abilities seen in fellow cards like Stormfront Pegasus, both providing a creature with flying, presenting obstacles to ground-based defense strategies. However, Thermal Glider offers protection from red, allowing it to withstand certain spells and effects that would normally be catastrophic for creatures like Stormfront Pegasus.

Comparatively, Suntail Hawk comes into play as another low mana cost creature that can hit the skies early in the game. While it boasts the flying attribute, it doesn’t share the same protective trait against red spells and abilities that make Thermal Glider a strategic pick in certain matchups. Moreover, Aven Squire also competes in this space with its exalted ability, empowering other attackers on your battlefield. Although it amplifies your offensive strategy, it lacks the defensive resilience provided by Thermal Glider’s unique protection ability.

Evaluating Thermal Glider in conjunction with its counterparts highlights the importance of strategic utility in MTG. Especially for decks that face heavy red threats, this card’s defensive shield against a prevalent color can be instrumental in safeguarding your aerial advantage on the battlefield.

Cards similar to Thermal Glider by color, type and mana cost

Pianna, Nomad Captain - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Thermal Glider MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques, 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 Thermal Glider and other MTG cards: