Nikara, Lair Scavenger MTG Card

Nikara offers card advantage by drawing upon creatures with counters leaving the battlefield. It indirectly accelerates resources, potentially improving mana development and plays. Despite high mana cost and color specificity, Nikara brings valuable synergy and adaptability.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Mythic
Type	Legendary Creature — Human Cleric
Abilities	Menace,Partner,Partner with
Released	2020-04-17
Set symbol
Set name	Commander 2020
Set code	C20
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	3
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Grzegorz Rutkowski

Text of card

Partner with Yannik, Scavenging Sentinel (When this creature enters the battlefield, target player may put Yannik into their hand from their library, then shuffle.) Menace Whenever another creature you control leaves the battlefield, if it had one or more counters on it, you draw a card and you lose 1 life.

Cards like Nikara, Lair Scavenger

Nikara, Lair Scavenger, offers unique value to commanders in MTG, much like its counterparts in the realm of partner cards. This card shines when paired with creatures that embody the same partner ability, enabling intriguing synergies. A notable comparison could be made with Reyhan, Last of the Abzan, which also interacts beneficially with counters and thrives in a synergistic partnership. While Reyhan focuses on retaining and manipulating +1/+1 counters, Nikara leverages the death of creatures with counters to your advantage, providing steady card advantage.

Another similar card is Tymna the Weaver, which also thrives in the partner dynamic, encouraging an aggressive strategy that rewards you with card draw. Tymna’s approach is more direct, with drawing capabilities triggered by combat damage to opponents. Nikara, on the other hand, requires a more controlled setup, relying on the death of creatures with counters to draw cards. Despite this, both cards offer a significant edge to the player and can be a major factor in gaining the upper hand.

When evaluating companions for your commander deck, Nikara stands out with its potential for card advantage and strategic depth, holding its own amongst other partner cards in MTG.

Reyhan, Last of the Abzan - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Nikara, Lair Scavenger by color, type and mana cost

Mischievous Poltergeist - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Nikara Lair Scavenger enables you to amass additional resources in your hand. Each time a creature you control leaves the battlefield, if it had a counter on it, you’re able to draw a card, thereby bolstering your options and maintaining a robust hand throughout the game.

Resource Acceleration: The scavenging aspect of Nikara’s ability can indirectly lead to resource acceleration. By drawing more cards when losing creatures with counters, you have a higher likelihood of hitting your land drops consistently or drawing into ramp spells, thus escalating your mana development and potential plays.

Instant Speed: Although Nikara herself does not operate at instant speed, her ability can be triggered during any phase of the game. This includes during your opponent’s turn, making her synergize well with instant-speed removal or flash creatures that can surprise your opponent and provide you with the benefit of her trigger when you lose them.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Nikara Lair Scavenger demands a card to be discarded whenever it or another non-token creature you control leaves the battlefield. This can be detrimental during a game where maintaining a healthy hand size is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both black and white mana, Nikara Lair Scavenger’s mana cost is relatively strict, potentially making it a less versatile choice for multi-colored decks that may not always have the right mana available.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of 5 mana, this card may come into play later than some prefer. While its abilities are beneficial, there are alternative creatures and cards that can be played earlier or provide more immediate board presence or advantage.

Reasons to Include Nikara, Lair Scavenger in Your Collection

Versatility: Nikara, Lair Scavenger belongs to a suite of MTG cards that excels in adaptability. With her ability to increase card advantage each time a creature you control leaves the battlefield, she can assimilate into various formats and commander decks, especially those that revolve around creature strategies.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes with numerous other cards, unlocking powerful combos. For instance, pairing Nikara with cards that sacrifice creatures for value creates a potent cycle of draw mechanics and strategic depth, which can turn the tide of gameplay markedly in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: In the shifting landscape of MTG metagames, cards that can interact efficiently with commonly played strategies are indispensable. Nikara’s draw ability helps replenish your hand, allowing for persistent pressure and resource advantage against opponents, which is quintessential in various meta scenarios.

How to beat Nikara, Lair Scavenger

Nikara, Lair Scavenger stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a unique card offering valuable card advantage and life gain. As a partner commander, it allows you to draw cards whenever a creature you control leaves the battlefield while gaining life simultaneously. To successfully counteract Nikara’s benefits, effective removal spells are key. Focus on using instant speed removal to disrupt the synergies before the card advantage becomes overwhelming.

Consider running graveyard hate cards that exile or prevent creatures from hitting the graveyard, nullifying the card draw trigger. Board wipes are also highly effective since they remove multiple creatures at once, minimizing the Nikara player’s chances to draw. Cards like Rest in Peace and Leyline of the Void are excellent solutions, as they can target the graveyard-centered strategies that often accompany Nikara decks.

In essence, direct removal, graveyard disruption, and strategic board wipes form the trifecta of effective methods in diminishing Nikara, Lair Scavenger’s impact on the game. Implement these tactics aptly, and you’ll enhance your chances of staying ahead of this MTG card’s value generation potential.

BurnMana Recommendations

MTG enthusiasts looking to harness the nuanced abilities of Nikara Lair Scavenger will find it a formidable addition to their collection. With its inherent capability to turn losses into opportunities by offering card advantage, Nikara serves as a linchpin in decks built around counters. Its synergies are particularly potent in commander formats, where it can combine with partners for greater strategic depth. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of Nikara is key, and we provide insights on maximizing card potential in every match. Ready to explore the layers of benefits Nikara brings to your MTG gameplay? Dive deeper with us and add a whole new level of complexity to your decks.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Nikara, Lair Scavenger MTG card by a specific set like Commander 2020, 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 Nikara, Lair Scavenger and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Nikara, Lair Scavenger has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2020-04-17	A creature with a “partner with” ability can’t partner with any creature other than its designated partner. Losing a partner ability during the game doesn’t cause either to cease to be your commander.
2020-04-17	Auras attached to the exiled creature will be put into their owners’ graveyards. Any Equipment will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled creature will cease to exist. When the card returns to the battlefield, it will be a new object with no connection to the card that was exiled.
2020-04-17	Both commanders start in the command zone, and the remaining 98 cards of your deck are shuffled to become your library.
2020-04-17	If Yannik leaves the battlefield before its triggered ability resolves, you won’t exile any creature you control. Yannik’s reflexive triggered ability won’t trigger.
2020-04-17	If a creature with +1/+1 counters on it receives an equal number of -1/-1 counters and this causes it to be destroyed by lethal damage or put into its owner’s graveyard for having 0 or less toughness, Nikara’s last ability triggers. That’s because the ability checks the creature as it last existed on the battlefield, and it still had those counters on it at that point.
2020-04-17	If a creature with counters on it leaves the battlefield at the same time as Nikara, Nikara’s ability triggers for that creature.
2020-04-17	If a token is exiled this way, it will cease to exist and won’t return to the battlefield. It will still let the ability distribute counters.
2020-04-17	If one of the target creatures becomes an illegal target in response to the reflexive triggered ability, the +1/+1 counters that would have been put on that creature are lost. They can’t be put on another legal target.
2020-04-17	If your Commander deck has two commanders, you can only include cards whose own color identities are also found in your commanders’ combined color identities. If Haldan and Pako are your commanders, your deck may contain cards with blue, red, and/or green in their color identity, but not cards with white or black.
2020-04-17	Nikara’s last ability causes you to draw only one card and lose only 1 life, no matter how many counters or kinds of counters that creature had on it.
2020-04-17	Note that the target player searches their library (which may be affected by effects such as that of Stranglehold) and that the card they find is revealed, even though these words aren’t included in the ability’s reminder text.
2020-04-17	Once the game begins, your two commanders are tracked separately. If you cast one, you won’t have to pay an additional the first time you cast the other. A player loses the game after having been dealt 21 damage from one of them, not from both of them combined. Command Beacon’s effect puts one into your hand from the command zone, not both.
2020-04-17	The second ability represented by the “partner with -ame]” keyword modifies the rules for deck construction in the Commander variant and has no function outside of that variant. If a legendary creature card with “partner with -ame]” is designated as your commander, the named legendary creature card can also be designated as your commander.
2020-04-17	The triggered ability of the “partner with” keyword still triggers in a Commander game. If your other commander has somehow ended up in your library, you can find it. You can also target another player who might have that card in their library.
2020-04-17	Use the power of the creature as it last existed on the battlefield to determine how many +1/+1 counters to distribute.
2020-04-17	Yannik can be the target of its own reflexive triggered ability.
2020-04-17	Yannik’s triggered ability doesn’t target the creature you control. That creature is chosen as the triggered ability resolves. After it’s exiled, the reflexive triggered ability triggers and targets are chosen to receive the counters.
2020-04-17	You choose how the counters will be distributed as you put the reflexive triggered ability onto the stack. Each target creature must be assigned at least one counter.
2020-04-17	You may choose zero target creatures for Yannik’s reflexive triggered ability. If you do, no creature receives +1/+1 counters.
2020-04-17	“Partner with -ame]” represents two abilities. The first is a triggered ability: “When this permanent enters the battlefield, target player may search their library for a card named -ame], reveal it, put it into their hand, then shuffle their library.”