Silkweaver Elite MTG Card
2017-01-20 - Number 125
2019-11-07 - Number 1335
2020-09-26 - Number AER-125
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Elf Archer |
| Abilities | Reach,Revolt |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Key Takeaways
- Revolt ability offers card advantage if a permanent you controlled left the battlefield this turn.
- Enhances resource acceleration without producing mana, cycling through your deck faster.
- Instant speed interactions enable the Elite’s draw ability, ensuring a surprise element.
Text of card
Reach (This creature can block creatures with flying.) Revolt — When Silkweaver Elite enters the battlefield, if a permanent you controlled left the battlefield this turn, draw a card.
Elvish weavers use spidersilk to make everything from tapestries to rappelling ropes.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: When Silkweaver Elite enters the battlefield, if a permanent you controlled left the battlefield this turn, you get to draw a card. This synergizes well with other mechanics in your deck that may involve sacrificing or bouncing permanents, ensuring that you can retain card advantage over your opponent with its conditional draw ability.
Resource Acceleration: Although Silkweaver Elite does not directly produce mana or Treasure tokens, its Revolt ability can help cycle through your deck more quickly, bringing you closer to the resources and land drops needed to accelerate your gameplay. Having creatures that influence board state upon entering also means it has potential in decks that benefit from creature casts.
Instant Speed: While Silkweaver Elite itself doesn’t have Flash, it certainly benefits from instant-speed interactions. Playing instants that cause a permanent to leave the battlefield during your opponent’s turn can enable Silkweaver Elite’s card draw immediately on your next turn, integrating itself smoothly into strategies that operate at instant speed for maximum efficiency and surprise factor.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Silkweaver Elite requires you to have another permanent you control leave the battlefield to trigger its ability, which might not align with your game plan, especially if you’re aiming to maintain a strong board presence.
Specific Mana Cost: Silkweaver Elite’s casting cost demands one green mana, potentially restricting its inclusion to green-based or multicolored decks, thereby reducing its flexibility in mono-colored or other deck archetypes.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, including one green, and its ability contingent upon a specific trigger, Silkweaver Elite may be seen as costly for its stats and the conditional draw effect, especially when compared to other creatures in the same mana range that provide guaranteed value.
Reasons to Include Silkweaver Elite in Your Collection
Versatility: Silkweaver Elite caters to an array of deck styles, particularly those that exploit +1/+1 counters or have a focus on creature-based synergies, like elf tribal or green-based aggro decks, broadening your strategic options.
Combo Potential: As a card with revolt, Silkweaver Elite can become a draw engine in response to any permanent you controlled leaving the battlefield this turn, integrating well with sacrifice or blink strategies to maintain card advantage.
Meta-Relevance: Given the fluctuating meta, the inclusion of Silkweaver Elite can be a prudent choice against decks that force you to trade creatures often, ensuring you’re rewarded with card draw for playing into interactive games.
How to beat
Silkweaver Elite is an intriguing creature card with the potential to buff your MTG deck, thanks to its Revolt ability. Engaging with this card means understanding its mechanics – it draws you a card if a permanent you controlled left the battlefield this turn. To mitigate its value in gameplay, you should aim to control the pace and timing of permanents leaving the battlefield. Keeping Silkweaver Elite at bay simply involves limiting the opportunities for your opponent to trigger its Revolt ability.
Effective strategies include timing your removal spells to avoid sending an opponent’s permanent to the graveyard on their turn, or holding back until you can eliminate the Elite without activating its benefit. Another approach is employing graveyard hate that exiles cards instead of sending them to the graveyard, shutting down the card draw potential of the Elite even if a permanent does leave the field.
When facing down Silkweaver Elite, the key is to manage the battlefield carefully and think tactically about how to deflate the impact of Revolt. By doing so, you tilt the match in your favor and contain the bonus that Silkweaver Elite brings to the table.
Cards like Silkweaver Elite
Silkweaver Elite is an intriguing component for decks in Magic: The Gathering that look to capitalize on entering-the-battlefield effects. Mirroring this functionality, Elvish Visionary is a staple that also provides card draw upon its arrival. While Elvish Visionary guarantees a card with no additional conditions, Silkweaver Elite offers potential upside with revolt — drawing you a card if a permanent you controlled left the battlefield this turn.
Another card with a resemblance is Wall of Blossoms, which serves as a defensive tactic while also granting card draw. Unlike the conditional trigger of Silkweaver Elite, Wall of Blossoms provides the card benefit unconditionally. However, Silkweaver Elite boasts a notable advantage with its potential to swing in the air thanks to its reach ability, giving it a more flexible role in your deck’s strategy.
Evaluating these cards, Silkweaver Elite presents an interesting trade-off between reliability of card draw and tactical adaptability. Its ability to fill multiple roles, from card advantage to aerial defense, subtly elevates its position in the MTG landscape for decks capitalizing on synergistic revolt mechanics.
Cards similar to Silkweaver Elite by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Silkweaver Elite MTG card by a specific set like Aether Revolt 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 Silkweaver Elite 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 Silkweaver Elite Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2017-01-20 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Magali Villeneuve.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017-01-20 | Aether Revolt | AER | 125 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Magali Villeneuve | |
| 2 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 1335 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Magali Villeneuve | |
| 3 | The List | PLST | AER-125 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Magali Villeneuve |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Silkweaver Elite has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Silkweaver Elite card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2017-02-09 | All cards in the Aether Revolt set with triggered revolt abilities use an intervening “if” clause. A permanent you controlled must have left the battlefield earlier in the turn in order for these abilities to trigger; otherwise they do nothing. In other words, there’s no way to have the ability trigger if no permanent you controlled has left the battlefield that turn, even if you intend to have one do so in response to the triggered ability. |
| 2017-02-09 | Energy counters aren’t permanents. Paying won’t satisfy a revolt ability. |
| 2017-02-09 | Revolt abilities check only whether a permanent you controlled left the battlefield this turn or not. They don’t apply multiple times if more than one permanent you controlled left the battlefield. They don’t check whether the permanent that left the battlefield is still in the zone it moved to. |
| 2017-02-09 | Revolt abilities don’t care why the permanent left the battlefield, who caused it to move, or where it moved to. They’re equally satisfied by an artifact you sacrificed to pay a cost, a creature you controlled that was destroyed by Murder, or an enchantment you returned to your hand with Leave in the Dust. |
| 2017-02-09 | Tokens that leave the battlefield will satisfy a revolt ability. |
