River Hoopoe MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Bird
Abilities Flying
Power 1
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. This card provides a sustainable card draw, perfect for maintaining a firm grip on long games.
  2. Instant speed activation allows strategic plays that keep the game in your favor.
  3. Despite potential drawbacks, its life gain and versatility make it a worthy addition.

Text of card

Flying : You gain 2 life and draw a card.

"It's a cruel thing to give such a sad song to such a colorful creature." —Sana, former Ahn-crop initiate


Card Pros

Card Advantage: River Hoopoe provides consistent card draw capability that keeps your hand filled with options. With its activated ability, you have the power to draw an extra card each turn, ensuring you never run out of steam in long matches.

Resource Acceleration: Not only does River Hoopoe offer card advantage, but its life gain ability can be a crucial resource in stabilizing your health total. This can effectively buy you more time to deploy your strategy, aligning well with control or midrange decks that thrive on a game going long.

Instant Speed: The beauty of River Hoopoe lies in the flexibility of its activated ability, which can be used at instant speed. This means you can smartly manage your resources, waiting until the end of your opponent’s turn to draw a card or gain some life, keeping your options open and your gameplay unpredictable.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: River Hoopoe does not have a discard requirement. However, for players looking to maintain card advantage, trading a card for this creature’s activation could hinder your game plan, especially if faced with hand disruption strategies.

Specific Mana Cost: River Hoopoe’s initial casting cost is split between green and blue mana, which can restrict the card’s inclusion to only multicolored decks, potentially limiting the range of strategies it can reinforce.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Though its ability to draw a card and gain life is beneficial, the combined cost of five mana (three generic, one green, one blue) for this effect may be deemed too steep. This is particularly notable when measured against other MTG creatures with similar abilities at a lower cost threshold, affecting its overall utility.


Reasons to Include River Hoopoe in Your Collection

Versatility: River Hoopoe is a multicolored card that serves dual purposes. It’s a creature that can attack and block, but its true value lies in the ability to gain life and draw cards which is beneficial for any deck that aims for longevity and resource advantage.

Combo Potential: With its activated ability, the card pairs well with strategies that untap creatures or generate a lot of mana, allowing you to draw and gain life multiple times a turn. This can significantly enhance engine-style decks focused on card advantage.

Meta-Relevance: In any meta where games go long, the consistent life gain and card draw from River Hoopoe can out-value opponents. Its low casting cost also means it’s easily slotted into decks without compromising the curve.


How to beat

River Hoopoe is a unique creature card that provides both life gain and card draw, a combination that can give your opponents a continuous advantage in longer games. One effective way to overcome this card is by disrupting your opponent’s mana base, making it difficult for them to pay for River Hoopoe’s activated ability. Cards like Blood Moon or Field of Ruin can hinder their ability to produce the necessary mana colors, shutting down the hoopoe’s advantage.

Dealing with the hoopoe directly is an alternative approach. Removal spells that can target creatures with flying, like Murder or Fatal Push, prove very useful in this case. Since the hoopoe itself doesn’t have any inherent protection, a single removal spell can take it out of the equation before it starts generating value for your opponent. Additionally, countering it upon casting with spells like Counterspell or Mana Leak prevents it from ever impacting the board.

Keep in mind that timely removal and counterplays are key. Delaying this card’s visit to the battlefield or swiftly removing it upon arrival, cuts short its potential to tip the game in your opponent’s favor. By understanding the dynamics and having the right answers, you can mitigate the River Hoopoe’s otherwise substantial influence on the match.


Cards like River Hoopoe

The River Hoopoe stands out in MTG as a charming combination of life gain and card draw. It invites comparisons with Courser of Kruphix, which also provides a steady advantage over time. While Courser of Kruphix gives you life incrementally with each land drop and allows for deck manipulation, River Hoopoe requires mana investment to draw a card and gain life. This bird from the Hour of Devastation set is akin to Staff of the Mind Magus in terms of incremental life gain, but it adds the benefit of bolstering your hand directly.

Further comparisons bring Azure Mage to mind, which, like River Hoopoe, is a creature that can also draw cards. However, the Mage lacks the life gain that makes the Hoopoe so versatile. Thrasios, Triton Hero presents another parallel, giving an option between card draw and putting a land onto the battlefield, though it comes without the life gain and requires a four color identity for optimization.

All things considered, while other cards in MTG can mimic aspects of River Hoopoe’s utility, few blend the life gain and card draw mechanics so seamlessly. This gives the River Hoopoe a unique appeal to players who thirst for both life stability and strategic depth in their game.

Courser of Kruphix - MTG Card versions
Staff of the Mind Magus - MTG Card versions
Azure Mage - MTG Card versions
Thrasios, Triton Hero - MTG Card versions
Courser of Kruphix - Born of the Gods (BNG)
Staff of the Mind Magus - Magic 2014 (M14)
Azure Mage - Magic 2012 (M12)
Thrasios, Triton Hero - Commander 2016 (C16)

Cards similar to River Hoopoe by color, type and mana cost

Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy - MTG Card versions
Coiling Oracle - MTG Card versions
Thrasios, Triton Hero - MTG Card versions
Kiora's Follower - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Heretic - MTG Card versions
Nimbus Swimmer - MTG Card versions
Zameck Guildmage - MTG Card versions
Skyrider Elf - MTG Card versions
Plaxmanta - MTG Card versions
Merfolk Mistbinder - MTG Card versions
Hydroid Krasis - MTG Card versions
Biomancer's Familiar - MTG Card versions
Ice-Fang Coatl - MTG Card versions
Verazol, the Split Current - MTG Card versions
Maraleaf Pixie - MTG Card versions
Quandrix Apprentice - MTG Card versions
Lonis, Cryptozoologist - MTG Card versions
Shambleshark - MTG Card versions
Suspicious Stowaway // Seafaring Werewolf - MTG Card versions
Rootcoil Creeper - MTG Card versions
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy - From Cute to Brute (PCTB)
Coiling Oracle - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Thrasios, Triton Hero - Commander Legends (CMR)
Kiora's Follower - The List (PLST)
Vedalken Heretic - Alara Reborn (ARB)
Nimbus Swimmer - Duel Decks: Elspeth vs. Kiora (DDO)
Zameck Guildmage - RNA Guild Kit (GK2)
Skyrider Elf - Battle for Zendikar (BFZ)
Plaxmanta - Commander 2015 (C15)
Merfolk Mistbinder - Rivals of Ixalan (RIX)
Hydroid Krasis - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Biomancer's Familiar - Ravnica Allegiance Promos (PRNA)
Ice-Fang Coatl - Modern Horizons 1 Timeshifts (H1R)
Verazol, the Split Current - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Maraleaf Pixie - The List (PLST)
Quandrix Apprentice - Strixhaven: School of Mages (STX)
Lonis, Cryptozoologist - Modern Horizons 2 (MH2)
Shambleshark - Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)
Suspicious Stowaway // Seafaring Werewolf - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)
Rootcoil Creeper - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase River Hoopoe MTG card by a specific set like Hour of Devastation and Mystery Booster, 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 River Hoopoe and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The River Hoopoe Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2017-07-14 and 2022-07-08. Illustrated by Ryan Pancoast.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12017-07-14Hour of DevastationHOU 1432015normalblackRyan Pancoast
22019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 14772015normalblackRyan Pancoast
32020-08-13Amonkhet RemasteredAKR 2562015normalblackRyan Pancoast
42020-09-26The ListPLST HOU-1432015normalblackRyan Pancoast
52022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 2692015normalblackRyan Pancoast

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where River Hoopoe has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

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