Swans of Bryn Argoll MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Bird Spirit
Abilities Flying
Power 4
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Swans of Bryn Argoll can turn damage received into a significant card draw advantage for players.
  2. Its unique ability to pair with instant-speed spells allows for a flexible and reactive gameplay style.
  3. Despite potential for high rewards, the card’s mana specificity and cost may limit deck compatibility.

Text of card

Flying If a source would deal damage to Swans of Bryn Argoll, prevent that damage. The source's controller draws cards equal to the damage prevented this way.

Any being that harms them quickly learns its lesson.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Swans of Bryn Argoll offers a unique advantage by turning any source of damage it receives into an opportunity for you to draw cards. This can significantly multiply your resources and overwhelm opponents with the number of options at your disposal.

Resource Acceleration: Combining the Swans with damage-dealing spells or effects provides an innovative way to accelerate your resources. Each point of damage becomes a new card, potentially unlocking more lands or spells to advance your board state faster than your opponent.

Instant Speed: Though Swans of Bryn Argoll itself is not an instant, it pairs excellently with instant speed spells. This enables reactive gameplay, allowing you to draw cards in response to instant speed interactions, keeping your hand filled and ready to adapt to the evolving game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Even though Swans of Bryn Argoll doesn’t require you to discard cards itself, it synergizes with decks that cause both you and your opponent to discard cards, potentially putting you at a resource disadvantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Swans of Bryn Argoll requires two hybrid blue/white mana, which could be constraining in multicolor decks that don’t focus on those specific colors, potentially reducing its overall flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana, including specific colors, there are scenarios where the card could be considered a slow play, especially in formats that favor quick-tempo strategies or lower-cost creatures with impactful abilities.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Swans of Bryn Argoll is a unique creature card that can serve a variety of roles in different decks. Capable of being both a defensive and offensive asset, its ability to absorb damage and convert it into card draw makes it an excellent addition to decks that prioritize either resource management or damage mitigation.

Combo Potential: This card shines in combinations where damage can be redirected or used creatively. Pairing Swans of Bryn Argoll with cards that deal damage to your own creatures can turn potential drawbacks into powerful advantages, essentially creating an engine for drawing additional cards.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames where aggressive strategies are prevalent, Swans of Bryn Argoll offers an exceptional countermeasure. Its damage prevention effect can stifle common burn tactics and force opponents to alter their plans, making it a strategic piece in the contemporary landscape where flexibility and adaptability are key.


How to beat Swans of Bryn Argoll

The Swans of Bryn Argoll card presents a unique challenge to Magic: The Gathering players due to its damage prevention ability, which converts potential harm into an opportunity for your opponent to draw cards. This makes traditional combat strategies less effective, as dealing damage to the Swans can inadvertently benefit the opposing player by bolstering their hand.

To effectively counter this card, players need to consider alternate methods of removal that bypass its damage prevention effect. Cards that force the opponent to sacrifice creatures or spells that exile directly can be key in this situation. Additionally, taking advantage of Swans of Bryn Argoll’s symmetrical ability by using it to your own advantage with controlled damage sources can assist in maintaining card parity. Strategies that revolve around reducing the opponent’s life total without dealing damage to creatures can circumvent the Swans’ ability, rendering it less of a threat.

Ultimately, understanding the unique mechanics of Swans of Bryn Argoll and adjusting your deck to include non-damaging removals or leveraging life-loss effects can turn the tide of the game in your favor without empowering your adversary’s hand.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering MTG’s intricate gameplay demands both shrewdness and adaptability. With Swans of Bryn Argoll, you’re given a card that’s not just a creature but a tool for strategic growth. Each damage absorbed is a new insight gained, each card drawn a step closer to victory. Embrace the nuances of this distinctive card, employing it to thwart aggressive foes or to construct your own card-drawing engine. Grasp the opportunity to enrich your collection and refine your strategy – it’s more than a single card; it’s a gateway to expanded horizons in MTG. Curious about how to integrate this multifaceted card into your next winning deck? Connect with us and unlock the full potential of your MTG experience.


Cards like Swans of Bryn Argoll

Swans of Bryn Argoll is a unique blue and white multicolored card in Magic: The Gathering known for its extraordinary damage prevention ability. It stands out due to its peculiar effect – when it is dealt damage, its controller draws that many cards. This makes it akin in concept to creatures like Boros Reckoner, which can redirect the damage it takes to an opponent or another creature. However, the Swans have the unusual twist of converting damage into a potential card advantage rather than dealing more damage.

Comparably, stuffy Doll is another creature that harnesses pain for gain, directing the damage it takes to a chosen opponent. It doesn’t provide card draw but can act as an effective deterrent or a combo piece. On the other end of the spectrum, we have creatures like Psychosis Crawler which benefits directly from card draw – growing in power and chipping away at opponents’ life totals each time you draw a card. While it synergizes with the Swans’ draw ability, it doesn’t offer the same direct protection.

Assessing each card’s strengths, Swans of Bryn Argoll presents a robust defense paired with the potential for a significant card draw advantage, a combination that is relatively rare, benefiting strategic plays within Magic: The Gathering.

Boros Reckoner - MTG Card versions
Stuffy Doll - MTG Card versions
Psychosis Crawler - MTG Card versions
Boros Reckoner - Gatecrash (GTC)
Stuffy Doll - Time Spiral (TSP)
Psychosis Crawler - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Swans of Bryn Argoll MTG card by a specific set like Shadowmoor 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 Swans of Bryn Argoll and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Swans of Bryn Argoll Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2008-05-02 and 2015-05-22. Illustrated by Eric Fortune.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12008-05-02ShadowmoorSHM 1512003normalblackEric Fortune
22015-05-22Modern Masters 2015MM2 1992015normalblackEric Fortune

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Swans of Bryn Argoll has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2008-05-01 If a creature with wither would deal damage to Swans of Bryn Argoll, that damage is treated just like any other damage. It’s prevented, and the creature’s controller draws cards. Swans of Bryn Argoll doesn’t get any -1/-1 counters.
2008-05-01 If a spell is causing damage to be dealt, that spell will always identify the source of the damage. In most cases, the source is the spell itself. For example, Burn Trail says “Burn Trail deals 3 damage to any target.”
2008-05-01 If an ability is causing damage to be dealt, that ability will always identify the source of the damage. The ability itself is never the source. However, the source of the ability is often the source of the damage. For example, Knollspine Invocation’s ability says “Knollspine Invocation deals X damage to any target.”
2008-05-01 If the source of the damage is a permanent, Swans of Bryn Argoll checks who that permanent’s controller is at the time that damage is prevented. If the permanent has left the battlefield by then, its last known information is used. If the source of the damage is a spell, its controller is obvious. If the source of the damage is a card from some other zone (such as a cycled Gempalm Incinerator), Swans of Bryn Argoll checks its owner rather than its controller.
2008-05-01 The source of combat damage is the creature that deals it.

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