Defiant Falcon MTG Card


Defiant Falcon - Nemesis
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Rebel Bird
Abilities Flying
Released2000-02-14
Set symbol
Set nameNemesis
Set codeNEM
Power 1
Toughness 1
Number6
Frame1997
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byHeather Hudson

Key Takeaways

  1. Defiant Falcon is crucial for fetching Rebels, enhancing deck consistency and strategic depth.
  2. Despite its benefits, the reliance on Rebels and white mana can limit deck diversity.
  3. Versatile and relevant, Defiant Falcon optimizes gameplay in creature-focused meta.

Text of card

Flying o4, oc T: Search your library for a Rebel card with converted mana cost 3 or less and put that card into play. Then shuffle your library.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Defiant Falcon offers a repeatable way to search your library for a specific type of card, helping you find key pieces to your strategy or increasing your options for responding to your opponent’s moves.

Resource Acceleration: As a card that helps thin your deck by searching for Rebel cards, Defiant Falcon effectively accelerates the availability of your resources by increasing the likelihood of drawing into non-land cards in subsequent turns.

Instant Speed: Defiant Falcon’s activated ability can be used at instant speed, providing the strategic advantage of deploying creatures on your opponent’s turn. This flexibility lets you adjust to the board state more reactively and maximize your mana efficiency across turns.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: A notable drawback of Defiant Falcon is its reliance on the Rebel mechanic, which necessitates leveraging your hand to fetch other Rebels, potentially depleting your card advantages.

Specific Mana Cost: Defiant Falcon’s cost is tethered to white mana, demanding a deck centered around or heavily featuring this color, thus pigeonholing it into specific archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While its ability to search for other Rebel cards is handy, the converted mana cost of the Defiant Falcon can be seen as steep for its 1/1 stat line, especially when pitted against other creatures that offer more board presence for the same or lesser investment.


Reasons to Include Defiant Falcon in Your Collection

Versatility: Defiant Falcon brings flexibility to your deck by having the ability to search for Rebel cards, increasing your strategic options as the game unfolds. Its low casting cost also makes it a suitable card for various white deck styles, from aggro to control builds.

Combo Potential: With its search ability, Defiant Falcon can be a linchpin in a Rebel tribal deck. It enables combinations with other cards like Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero, or Cho-Manno, Revolutionary, creating a potent deck synergy that can outpace opponents.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature-based strategies prevail, Defiant Falcon serves a crucial role. Not only does it help establish board presence, but it also ensures that key pieces of your strategy can be put into action consistently, keeping your gameplay relevant and competitive.


How to Beat

Defiant Falcon is a unique card in the realm of MTG, known for its role in fetching key Rebel cards directly onto the battlefield. This ability can quickly overflow the board with powerful creatures, making it a force to contend with. However, strategic plays can effectively nullify the Falcon’s advantage.

Removal spells are your first line of defense. Swift answers like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can eliminate Defiant Falcon before its ability is activated. Counterspells are equally effective; a well-timed Mana Leak or Counterspell will prevent the Falcon from ever taking flight. Artifact removal is also handy, as equipment often used to boost the Falcon’s search capability becomes useless without its wearer.

Besides direct removal, controlling the battlefield with board sweeping spells such as Wrath of God or Damnation can reset the game state, wiping clean the advantage gained by a Rebel build-up. Lastly, graveyard manipulation tricks can disrupt the Falcon’s synergy, stunting its search ability and leaving your opponent with fewer options.

Overall, while Defiant Falcon can be a linchpin in a Rebel deck, a combination of targeted removal, counterspells, and board control strategies can effectively counteract its potential—ensuring your victory against this feathered tactician.


Cards like Defiant Falcon

Defiant Falcon occupies a unique niche in the Magic: The Gathering realm as a searcher for the Rebel cards. Comparable to the Falcon is Amrou Scout, which shares the ability to tutor for other Rebel creatures. However, Defiant Falcon’s flying attribute provides an advantageous edge in evasion over the Scout. Another card that echoes this mechanism is Ramosian Lieutenant, with the same mana cost and Rebel tutoring ability, though it lacks the flying trait of the Falcon as well.

Not to be overlooked in this comparison is Lin Sivvi, Defy Tyrant, the Rebel leader herself who brings more firepower to the Rebel searching strategy. While Defiant Falcon offers an economical and airborne option, Lin Sivvi brings the robustness of Rebel recruiting to a whole new level with a beefier stat line and heightened searching capabilities. Nonetheless, the simplicity and utility of the Defiant Falcon have its own merits in specific deck strategies centered around flying and cost efficiency.

To summarize, while there are several cards within Magic: The Gathering that share similarities with Defiant Falcon in terms of rebel-searching, the Falcon remains a versatile option due to its evasion capability and favorable cost-to-effect ratio, carving out its place in the Rebel-themed decks.

Amrou Scout - MTG Card versions
Ramosian Lieutenant - MTG Card versions
Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero - MTG Card versions
Amrou Scout - MTG Card versions
Ramosian Lieutenant - MTG Card versions
Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Defiant Falcon by color, type and mana cost

White Knight - MTG Card versions
Soul Shepherd - MTG Card versions
Soltari Monk - MTG Card versions
Keeper of the Light - MTG Card versions
Faith Healer - MTG Card versions
Angelic Page - MTG Card versions
Spirit Weaver - MTG Card versions
Voice of the Blessed - MTG Card versions
Stoneforge Mystic - MTG Card versions
Drannith Magistrate - MTG Card versions
Leonin Lightscribe - MTG Card versions
Silver Knight - MTG Card versions
Longbow Archer - MTG Card versions
Silverflame Squire // On Alert - MTG Card versions
Flumph - MTG Card versions
Cloudreach Cavalry - MTG Card versions
Samite Healer - MTG Card versions
Kor Firewalker - MTG Card versions
Revered Dead - MTG Card versions
Starlight Invoker - MTG Card versions
White Knight - MTG Card versions
Soul Shepherd - MTG Card versions
Soltari Monk - MTG Card versions
Keeper of the Light - MTG Card versions
Faith Healer - MTG Card versions
Angelic Page - MTG Card versions
Spirit Weaver - MTG Card versions
Voice of the Blessed - MTG Card versions
Stoneforge Mystic - MTG Card versions
Drannith Magistrate - MTG Card versions
Leonin Lightscribe - MTG Card versions
Silver Knight - MTG Card versions
Longbow Archer - MTG Card versions
Silverflame Squire // On Alert - MTG Card versions
Flumph - MTG Card versions
Cloudreach Cavalry - MTG Card versions
Samite Healer - MTG Card versions
Kor Firewalker - MTG Card versions
Revered Dead - MTG Card versions
Starlight Invoker - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Defiant Falcon MTG card by a specific set like Nemesis, 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 Defiant Falcon and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Defiant Falcon has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2004-10-04 This card is both a Rebel and a Bird.
2004-10-04 You do not have to find a Rebel card if you do not want to.

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