Coral Fighters MTG Card
1996-10-08 - Number 59
2012-03-30 - Number 4
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Merfolk Soldier |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Key Takeaways
- Effective in long games, Coral Fighters offers a steady stream of card draw, expanding strategic options.
- This card’s utility in deck filtering potentially speeds up resource accumulation, complementing mana strategies.
- Coral Fighters pairs well with instant-speed spells, obfuscating your true game plan from opponents.
Text of card
If Coral Fighters attacks and is not blocked, look at the top card of defending player's library. You may choose to put that card on the bottom of that player's library.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Coral Fighters thrives in long games where drawing extra cards is vital. Each successful hit not only chips away at your opponent’s life total but also digs deeper into your deck for answers or threats, keeping your hand full and options open.
Resource Acceleration: While not a direct ramp tool, the ability to sift through your deck can indirectly lead to resource acceleration. By drawing into land cards or mana-producing spells more consistently, Coral Fighters can help ensure you have the mana you need when you need it.
Instant Speed: Though Coral Fighters operates at sorcery speed, it harmonizes well with instant-speed spells. It demands attention on the board, allowing you to resolve instants with less scrutiny as your opponents focus on mitigating the consecutive damage and card advantage Coral Fighters provides.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: To utilize Coral Fighters to its full potential, you must discard a card which can be a setback when your hand is already dwindling.
Specific Mana Cost: Coral Fighters demands blue mana for casting, which can potentially restrict its integration in multi-colored or colorless decks.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a two-mana cost, this card may consume valuable early-game resources that could be allocated to more impactful board development.
Reasons to Include Coral Fighters in Your Collection
Versatility: Coral Fighters offers utility across multiple deck types with its potentially endless card draw engine, particularly effective in blue-based decks focused on hand advantage.
Combo Potential: Its synergy with islandwalk and other cards that grant unblockability can become a formidable combo, ensuring consistent damage and card filtration to gain the upper edge.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta teeming with island-based decks, Coral Fighters can exploit opponents’ mana bases while providing consistent card draw, keeping your hand full and ready to respond to threats or to build up your game-winning strategy.
How to Beat Coral Fighters
Coral Fighters, the elusive blue creature from Magic: The Gathering, brings a unique dynamic to the battlefield with its ability to manipulate draw outcomes based on land cards. Players versed in MTG know that understanding an opponent’s deck plays a pivotal role in countering their strategies. Coral Fighters is most vulnerable when its ability is rendered ineffective, essentially when the battlefield is deprived of land-based interactions that trigger its draw effect.
To efficiently counter this card, consider employing strategies that restrict land drops or include cards that manipulate the top deck without triggering Coral Fighters’ ability. Spot removal spells are universally effective in dealing with creatures like Coral Fighters. Since it is a blue creature, having instant-speed removal ensures that you can address the threat before its ability can impact the game significantly. Control decks excel in this regard, keeping the board clear and maintaining card advantage without reliance on land-based triggers.
In conclusion, by disrupting the synergy Coral Fighters relies on and being proactive with removal, you can mitigate the card’s impact on the game. Recognizing the opportune moment to act will preserve your board position and prevent your opponent from leveraging any strategic draws Coral Fighters may attempt.
Cards like Coral Fighters
Coral Fighters is an intriguing creature card in MTG, drawing comparisons with cards like Thieving Magpie. Coral Fighters shares the ability to draw a card upon dealing combat damage to an opponent; however, it distinguishes itself with its synergy with island cards. Thieving Magpie has the sturdiness with higher toughness but lacks the nuanced interaction with specific land types.
Merfolk Spy is another card with similarities, granting an opportunity to peek at the opponent’s hand when it deals combat damage, contributing to the strategic advantage, although it does not draw a card like Coral Fighters. Lastly, considering Cold-Eyed Selkie, with a potent ability that draws a card for each damage dealt, one can see varied levels of utility and power when analyzing Coral Fighters in relation to its aquatic peers in the game.
Delving into the arsenal of MTG creature cards with card draw capabilities reveals Coral Fighters’ unique place, where it can provide a flow of card advantage while potentially benefitting from island-type lands on the battlefield.
Cards similar to Coral Fighters by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Coral Fighters MTG card by a specific set like Mirage and Duel Decks: Venser vs. Koth, 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 Coral Fighters 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 Coral Fighters Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1996-10-08 and 2012-03-30. Illustrated by Steve Luke.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1996-10-08 | Mirage | MIR | 59 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Steve Luke | |
| 2 | 2012-03-30 | Duel Decks: Venser vs. Koth | DDI | 4 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Steve Luke |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Coral Fighters has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Coral Fighters card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2013-04-15 | An ability that triggers when something “attacks and isn’t blocked” triggers in the declare blockers step after blockers are declared if (1) that creature is attacking and (2) no creatures are declared to block it. It will trigger even if that creature was put onto the battlefield attacking rather than having been declared as an attacker in the declare attackers step. |
