Merrow Harbinger MTG Card


Facilitates strategic play by fetching essential Merfolk, enabling advanced planning and hand sculpting. Enhances draw efficiency and deck thinning leading to resource acceleration and maintaining lead. Synergizes with instant-speed interactions, allowing for surprise plays and complex battlefield tactics.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Merfolk Wizard
Abilities Islandwalk,Landwalk
Power 2
Toughness 3

Text of card

Islandwalk When Merrow Harbinger comes into play, you may search your library for a Merfolk card, reveal it, then shuffle your library and put that card on top of it.


Cards like Merrow Harbinger

Merrow Harbinger is a unique creature card that finds its niche in Magic: The Gathering as a tutor for merfolk cards, placing them on top of your library. When compared to other tutor cards such as Mystical Tutor, which can search for any instant or sorcery, Merrow Harbinger’s scope is narrower, focusing exclusively on merfolk tribal synergy.

It shares similarities with Seahunter, another creature that facilitates direct access to merfolk cards, albeit Seahunter puts them directly onto the battlefield, whereas Merrow Harbinger has a deferred effect. Silvergill Douser, while not a tutor, actively supports merfolk strategies just like Merrow Harbinger, setting up advantageous board states favoring merfolk interaction and combat prowess.

Evaluating Merrow Harbinger alongside these allied cards showcases its role in a merfolk-centric deck, emphasizing strategic planning with its ability to sift through the deck for key pieces, ensuring a robust merfolk presence as the game progresses.

Seahunter - MTG Card versions
Silvergill Douser - MTG Card versions
Mystical Tutor - MTG Card versions
Seahunter - MTG Card versions
Silvergill Douser - MTG Card versions
Mystical Tutor - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Merrow Harbinger by color, type and mana cost

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Phantasmal Forces - MTG Card versions
Phantom Monster - MTG Card versions
Wall of Vapor - MTG Card versions
Tradewind Rider - MTG Card versions
Archivist - MTG Card versions
Extravagant Spirit - MTG Card versions
Thieving Magpie - MTG Card versions
Inga Rune-Eyes - MTG Card versions
Sakashima of a Thousand Faces - MTG Card versions
Laboratory Drudge - MTG Card versions
Undercover Operative - MTG Card versions
Archmage Emeritus - MTG Card versions
Hisoka, Minamo Sensei - MTG Card versions
Johnny, Combo Player - MTG Card versions
Dream Prowler - MTG Card versions
Clone - MTG Card versions
Cytoplast Manipulator - MTG Card versions
Crookclaw Transmuter - MTG Card versions
Dreamborn Muse - MTG Card versions
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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Merrow Harbinger provides a strategic advantage by allowing you to search your library for a particular Merfolk card, ensuring that you get the card you need when you need it. This is especially useful for sculpting your hand to plan several turns ahead, enhancing your gameplay.

Resource Acceleration: By fetching a Merfolk from your deck, the Merrow Harbinger effectively thins your deck, increasing the chances of drawing into other crucial cards. This form of resource acceleration ensures more efficient draws in subsequent rounds, keeping you ahead in resources.

Instant Speed: Although the Merrow Harbinger itself isn’t an instant, it synergizes well with other cards that can be played at instant speed. This creates opportunities to surprise your opponent with unexpected plays, especially since Merfolk decks often contain a variety of instant-speed interactions.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Leveraging Merrow Harbinger effectively necessitates a strategic plan for hand management. Players must be cognizant of their hand size as this card offers no immediate advantage if it requires discarding crucial resources from a limited hand.

Specific Mana Cost: The nature of Merrow Harbinger’s mana cost gears it towards a more niche deck-building approach. Its cost stipulates a combination of blue and other mana, which may not seamlessly integrate into multi-colored decks, potentially limiting its versatility across varied MTG strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Merrow Harbinger’s summoning cost may deter players seeking a more mana-efficient creature to fulfill a similar tutor role. With four mana for a 2/2 creature, it competes for a slot in your deck against other lower-cost tutors or creatures with a stronger board presence.


Reasons to Include Merrow Harbinger in Your Collection

Versatility: Merrow Harbinger can adapt to a variety of blue and multicolor decks that focus on Merfolk synergy, fetching key creatures to streamline your game plan.

Combo Potential: As a tutor on legs, this card can search for combo pieces within a Merfolk build, ensuring you have the right creature at the right time to execute powerful plays.

Meta-Relevance: Given its proficiency in tribal setups, Merrow Harbinger remains relevant in metas that favor creature-based strategies, assisting your deck in maintaining tempo and consistency.


How to beat

Merrow Harbinger is a strategic creature card in Magic: The Gathering, part of the intricate tapestry of merfolk synergies. This card’s strength comes from its ability to tutor up other merfolk cards from your deck, creating a smoother gameplay experience for merfolk tribal enthusiasts. While the Harbinger can set up a potent line of play, its effectiveness can be diminished by disrupting merfolk cohesion or manipulating library searches.

One approach to challenge a deck leveraging Merrow Harbinger is to employ removal or counterplay strategies at the right moment. Making use of instant-speed removal can cut the chain of merfolk before they generate value. In addition, cards that reshuffle the opponent’s library or exile cards from their hand can frustrate the tutor effect of the Harbinger. A well-timed Thoughtseize or a Counterbalance can disrupt the setup that Merrow Harbinger aims to achieve by removing key merfolk from the game or countering significant plays.

Ultimately, overcoming a Merrow Harbinger deck hinges on timing and disrupting the merfolk tribal synergies, which can be at the heart of many Magic: The Gathering strategies that focus on creature-based tactics and decks designed around specific creature types.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into the world of MTG where every card holds potential and the Merrow Harbinger beckons to those adept in the merfolk tribal dance. Masterful execution of this card can weave a net of advantage, crafting a game that’s as fluid as the waters the merfolk inhabit. Deck thinning and strategic tutoring are key, and the Harbinger is your ally in the quest for consistency. Balance is essential; recognizing both strengths and weaknesses can turn the tide in your favor. Embrace the depth of strategy with us. Optimize your deck’s potential – learn how Merrow Harbinger can be your guide to MTG triumphs.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Merrow Harbinger MTG card by a specific set like Lorwyn and The List, 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 Merrow Harbinger and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Merrow Harbinger Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2007-10-12 and 2007-10-12. Illustrated by Steve Prescott.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12007-10-12LorwynLRW 732003NormalBlackSteve Prescott
22020-09-26The ListPLST LRW-732003NormalBlackSteve Prescott

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Merrow Harbinger has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal