Moldervine Cloak MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Dredge,Enchant,Mill

Key Takeaways

  1. Grants ongoing power and toughness, enhancing battlefield dominance and creature durability.
  2. Instant speed attachment and dredge ability allow for tactical surprise and graveyard synergy.
  3. Needs careful management of mana and card resources to leverage its full potential.

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets +3/+3. Dredge 2 (If you would draw a card, instead you may put exactly two cards from the top of your library into your graveyard. If you do, return this card from your graveyard to your hand. Otherwise, draw a card.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Moldervine Cloak offers an inherent card advantage by granting the ability to return to the battlefield when the creature it’s attached to dies. This resilience ensures an ongoing presence on the board that continues to pressure your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana, the +3/+3 boost to a creature significantly accelerates your in-game resources by making your creature threats bigger and more durable. This can be overwhelming for opponents, particularly in combat scenarios where size matters.

Instant Speed: Moldervine Cloak can be attached to creatures at instant speed thanks to its Dredge feature, which allows you to replace a draw with the retrieval of Moldervine Cloak from the graveyard. This means that you can unexpectedly beef up a blocker or attacker during combat, catching an opponent off guard.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Moldervine Cloak can give your creatures a significant boost, it comes at a cost. This Aura has a built-in recursion ability that allows you to return it from your graveyard to your hand. However, to activate this feature, you must discard another card. If you’re already struggling for card advantage or you’re low on cards in hand, this requirement can hinder your overall strategy by depleting your resources even further.

Specific Mana Cost: Moldervine Cloak requires a specific mana arrangement to cast – one green and two of any color. This can be a roadblock in multicolored or color-intense decks where mana needs to be allocated carefully to support a diverse range of spells and abilities. Having to reserve three mana, including one that’s color-specific, might not always align with your turn’s plan, especially if you’re trying to maintain a curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, Moldervine Cloak is on the higher end of the spectrum for enchant creature cards. In fast-paced games or in environments where efficiency is key, investing three mana for a +3/+3 buff might not be the most economical play. There are alternative enchantments or equipment that grant similar bonuses for a lower cost or with additional benefits, potentially providing greater value for your mana spent.


Reasons to Include Moldervine Cloak in Your Collection

Versatility: Moldervine Cloak is a card that offers a significant boost in power and toughness with durable staying power, courtesy of its dredge ability. This allows it to be a stalwart addition to decks aiming to outmuscle their opponents or those relying on graveyard synergy.

Combo Potential: The dredge mechanic itself presents intriguing combo potential, as it can help recurring Moldervine Cloak from the graveyard while simultaneously fueling other graveyard-based strategies, creating synergies with various creature abilities and deck archetypes.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where creature combat is pivotal, the resilience provided by Moldervine Cloak can be a game-changer. This makes it a particularly valuable piece in formats where creatures are the linchpin of the majority of decks, adapting well to the shifting tides of the meta.


How to beat Moldervine Cloak

Moldervine Cloak is a card that can be a persistent nuisance in any MTG game, thanks to its ability to beef up a creature significantly and return from a graveyard to the battlefield with its dredge feature. When facing this card, instant-speed removal spells can be your best allies. Cards like Path to Exile or Assassin’s Trophy can remove the enhanced creature and counter the value gained from Moldervine Cloak’s recurring effect.

Another strategy involves using enchantment removal spells such as Disenchant or Naturalize the moment Moldervine Cloak hits the field, breaking the cycle before it starts. Lastly, graveyard disruption tools like Relic of Progenitus or Leyline of the Void can prevent Moldervine Cloak from returning, crippling your opponent’s game plan and giving you the upper hand.

Quick thinking and precise timing are essential when dealing with Moldervine Cloak. By disrupting either the creature it enchants or its ability to return from the graveyard, you can minimize the impact of this persistent aura and maintain control of the game.


Cards like Moldervine Cloak

Moldervine Cloak is a unique aura in Magic: The Gathering, offering a significant boost to creatures with its +3/+3 to power and toughness. It stands in line with other power-enhancing auras like Elephant Guide and Rancor. Elephant Guide grants a creature an additional +3/+3 and leaves behind a 3/3 Elephant token when the enchanted creature dies, providing lasting value. Rancor also offers a power increase, though less than Moldervine Cloak, giving a creature +2/+0 and returning to the owner’s hand when it goes to the graveyard.

What sets Moldervine Cloak apart is its dredge ability, allowing a player to retrieve it from the graveyard by replacing a draw and milling the top three cards of their library. This capability ensures that Moldervine Cloak can be a recurring threat, unlike Elephant Guide but in a way akin to Rancor’s resilience. It’s a notable benefit for decks that capitalize on graveyard synergy or require consistent threats on the board.

Evaluating the characteristics and strategic uses of these cards, Moldervine Cloak offers MTG players a sturdy and repeatable option for boosting their creatures, aligning well with strategies that embrace graveyard interaction and persistent board presence.

Elephant Guide - MTG Card versions
Rancor - MTG Card versions
Elephant Guide - Judgment (JUD)
Rancor - Urza's Legacy (ULG)

Cards similar to Moldervine Cloak by color, type and mana cost

Kudzu - MTG Card versions
Wanderlust - MTG Card versions
Thelon's Chant - MTG Card versions
Maddening Wind - MTG Card versions
Cycle of Life - MTG Card versions
Dense Foliage - MTG Card versions
Hall of Gemstone - MTG Card versions
Momentum - MTG Card versions
Ancestral Mask - MTG Card versions
Broken Fall - MTG Card versions
Lure - MTG Card versions
Food Chain - MTG Card versions
Howling Moon - MTG Card versions
The Dragon-Kami Reborn // Dragon-Kami's Egg - MTG Card versions
Squirrel Nest - MTG Card versions
Alpha Status - MTG Card versions
Lifegift - MTG Card versions
Blanchwood Armor - MTG Card versions
Rites of Flourishing - MTG Card versions
Raking Canopy - MTG Card versions
Kudzu - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
Wanderlust - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Thelon's Chant - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Maddening Wind - Ice Age (ICE)
Cycle of Life - Mirage (MIR)
Dense Foliage - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Hall of Gemstone - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Momentum - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Ancestral Mask - Eternal Masters (EMA)
Broken Fall - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Lure - Tenth Edition (10E)
Food Chain - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Howling Moon - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)
The Dragon-Kami Reborn // Dragon-Kami's Egg - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Promos (PNEO)
Squirrel Nest - World Championship Decks 2002 (WC02)
Alpha Status - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Lifegift - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Blanchwood Armor - The Brothers' War (BRO)
Rites of Flourishing - Future Sight (FUT)
Raking Canopy - Shadowmoor (SHM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Moldervine Cloak MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica: City of Guilds and Modern Masters, 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 Moldervine Cloak and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Moldervine Cloak Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2005-10-07 and 2024-01-12. Illustrated by Wayne England.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12005-10-07Ravnica: City of GuildsRAV 1732003normalblackWayne England
22013-06-07Modern MastersMMA 1552003normalblackWayne England
32024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 1502015normalblackWayne England
42024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 3521997normalblackWayne England

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Moldervine Cloak has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2013-06-07 Dredge lets you replace any card draw, not just the one during your draw step.
2013-06-07 Once you decide to replace a draw using a card’s dredge ability, that card can’t be removed from your graveyard “in response.” (Replacement effects don’t use the stack.)
2013-06-07 You can’t use dredge unless you’re going to draw a card and the card with dredge is already in your graveyard.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks