Ethercaste Knight MTG Card

Alara Reborn (ARB)
2009-04-30 - Number 3

Ethercaste Knight - Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)

Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)
2015-05-22 - Number 175

Ethercaste Knight - Mystery Booster (MB1)

Mystery Booster (MB1)
2019-11-07 - Number 1422

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number MM2-175

Card sets	Released in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Artifact Creature — Human Knight
Abilities	Exalted
Power	1
Toughness	3

Key Takeaways

Ethercaste Knight offers strategic advantage without direct card draw or mana acceleration.
Its ability to boost creatures’ attack potency at a low cost accelerates deck tempo.
Fits in Esper decks, enhancing both artifact and Exalted mechanics synergistically.

Text of card

Exalted (Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)

"We coat ourselves in steel every day. What is etherium but the next logical step?"

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ethercaste Knight doesn’t directly offer card draw, but it provides a reliable creature presence on the board. As a multi-facility card due to its Exalted ability, each creature attack potentially becomes more potent, effectively giving you more value from each of your attacking creatures.

Resource Acceleration: While the Ethercaste Knight doesn’t produce additional mana or Treasure tokens, its low casting cost makes it a quick addition to the battlefield. This enables faster deck tempo, allowing you to capitalize on its Exalted ability early in the game to speed up your win condition.

Instant Speed: Ethercaste Knight operates at sorcery speed. However, its presence amplifies the threat of any single creature attacking alone; it encourages strategic combat decisions, which in MTG, provides a form of psychological advantage by putting constant pressure on your opponent every combat phase.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Ethercaste Knight doesn’t make you discard cards directly, but playing it means one less card in your hand, which could impact your strategy, especially if your deck relies on having numerous options at hand.

Specific Mana Cost: This card has a hybrid mana cost that requires white and blue, potentially limiting the decks it can fit into without affecting the mana base. Decks that don’t run these colors won’t be able to take advantage of Ethercaste Knight’s capabilities.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While not excessively expensive, Ethercaste Knight does come with a mana cost that can be considered high for its stats and abilities. There are more cost-efficient creatures that could provide a better return on your mana investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: The Ethercaste Knight card offers a unique blend of mana efficiency and utility. Its ability to provide a relevant body for blocking early threats, while simultaneously boosting another creature’s power, makes it a good fit in decks that are both aggressive and defensive in nature.

Combo Potential: Encased in the colors of Esper, Ethercaste Knight can be a linchpin in artifact-centric strategies or decks that capitalize on the Exalted mechanic. Synergies with cards that benefit from creatures being tapped or multiplicities of artifacts on the battlefield reveal its intricate combo potential.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that favors interactive, tempo-based plays, Ethercaste Knight can offer significant advantages. Its moderate casting cost associated with its potential to swiftly turn the tide of battle by powering up a single, unblocked attacker can be quite apt in a dynamic battlefield landscape.

How to beat

Ethercaste Knight stands as an intriguing addition to Magic: The Gathering’s array of artifact creatures with its unique blend of white and blue mana influences. Its Exalted ability is a strategic advantage, boosting the power of whichever creature is swinging solo in a given turn. Given this, it requires a tactical approach to outmaneuver its potential for strengthening single-creature attacks.

Effective tactics against Ethercaste Knight include the employment of removal spells that specifically target artifacts, such as Naturalize or Shatter. By sidestepping its Exalted trigger, you eliminate the threat without the need to confront it in combat. Creature-based strategies can also prevail by outpacing the individual boost it provides, deploying multiple threats to overwhelm Ethercaste Knight’s singular focus. Board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation are especially potent, clearing the battlefield of all creatures, including those benefiting from Exalted.

In essence, overcoming Ethercaste Knight boils down to either preemptive action, like artifact removal, or enforcing overwhelming force through multiple creatures or comprehensive board control effects. This systematic dismantling ensures the Knight’s enhancements are rendered moot, paving the way to victory.

Cards like Ethercaste Knight

When evaluating the unique offerings of Ethercaste Knight in Magic: The Gathering, a clear comparison emerges with other artifact creatures that blend defensive resilience with offensive potential. Aethercast Knight brings to the game a synergy of Exalted – a bonus that grants a creature an additional power during its attack when alone. This knight shares its battlefield role with Court Homunculus, which also grows stronger with the aid of other artifacts. However, Ethercaste Knight offers the additional utility of the Exalted mechanic.

Mirror Entity is another ally with a transformative effect on the game board. Although not an artifact creature, it adjusts the dynamics of the entire creature line-up with its ability to change all creature types. Mirror Entity requires a larger mana investment but can potentially lead to overwhelming attacks. Nevertheless, Ethercaste Knight stands out owing to its low-cost, making it an efficient choice for early game strategy builds.

Across the expanse of MTG cards, it’s these intricate comparisons that determine which piece fits into the complex puzzle of deck building. Ethercaste Knight certainly carves its niche within the roster of artifact creatures, providing a strategic edge with its blend of Exalted mechanic and low-cost deployment.

Cards similar to Ethercaste Knight by color, type and mana cost

Talisman of Progress - MTG Card versions

Shield of the Righteous - MTG Card versions

Gold-Forged Thopteryx - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ethercaste Knight MTG card by a specific set like Alara Reborn and Modern Masters 2015, 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 Ethercaste Knight and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ethercaste Knight Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2009-04-30 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Steven Belledin.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2009-04-30	Alara Reborn	ARB	3	2003	Normal	Black	Steven Belledin
2	2015-05-22	Modern Masters 2015	MM2	175	2015	Normal	Black	Steven Belledin
3	2019-11-07	Mystery Booster	MB1	1422	2015	Normal	Black	Steven Belledin
4	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST	MM2-175	2015	Normal	Black	Steven Belledin