Nissa, Vastwood Seer // Nissa, Sage Animist MTG Card


Offers card advantage by ensuring land draws and increasing hand size via forest fetching. Ramps mana resources and accelerates gameplay with her Planeswalker transformation abilities. Instant impact potential, turning into a Planeswalker allows for responsive play strategies.
Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — Elf Scout
Abilities Transform
Power 2
Toughness 2

Text of card

When Nissa, Vastwood Seer enters the battlefield, you may search your library for a basic Forest card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle. Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, if you control seven or more lands, exile Nissa, then return her to the battlefield transformed under her owner's control.


Cards like Nissa, Vastwood Seer // Nissa, Sage Animist

Nissa, Vastwood Seer stands out as a transformational force in Magic: The Gathering, echoing elements from cards like Farhaven Elf and Borderland Ranger. Farhaven Elf aligns closely with Nissa’s ability to bring land onto the battlefield, but unlike the seer, it lacks the transformative planeswalker upside. Borderland Ranger offers a similar land fetch mechanic, yet it also doesn’t change forms or provide the ongoing value that a flipped Nissa, Sage Animist does.

Diluvian Primordial could be considered a distant cousin in the world of impactful creature cards, capable of harnessing the power of instants and sorceries in graveyards. While it doesn’t fetch land or become a planeswalker, the primordial shares the trait of having a significant effect upon entering the battlefield, which is a key aspect of Nissa’s design philosophy.

In reflecting upon these comparisons, Nissa, Vastwood Seer offers a unique blend of initial value with her land-fetching entry, followed by a robust planeswalker form which provides a continuous advantage, making her a distinctive and formidable card in player decks.

Farhaven Elf - MTG Card versions
Borderland Ranger - MTG Card versions
Diluvian Primordial - MTG Card versions
Farhaven Elf - MTG Card versions
Borderland Ranger - MTG Card versions
Diluvian Primordial - MTG Card versions

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Nissa Vastwood Seer excels at ensuring you make the most of your draws. Upon entering the battlefield, she allows you to search for a basic Forest card and add it to your hand, indirectly increasing your hand size and enabling you to hit your land drops consistently.

Resource Acceleration: The transformation into Nissa, Sage Animist provides a further benefit by generating additional resources. Her +1 ability not only allows you to reveal the top card of your library and potentially put a land onto the battlefield, but it also directly contributes to ramping up your mana resources for bigger threats and spells earlier in the game.

Instant Speed: While Nissa Vastwood Seer herself doesn’t function at instant speed, her nature as a legendary creature with a flip ability means she can profoundly impact the board the moment your lands reach the threshold. This allows seasoned players to craft their game plan to pivot instantly as Nissa transforms, effectively utilizing her abilities akin to instant speed actions by remaining responsive to the game state.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Nissa Vastwood Seer necessitates a shift in how you play from early to later turns in the game, contingent on your strategy. Unlike some other cards, the transformation into a Planeswalker requires not just the landfall trigger but also a condition of having seven or more lands, which can be restrictive compared to more immediately impactful creatures.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana requirements for this card demand a specific commitment to green mana, which may clash with multicolor deck strategies requiring a more flexible mana base. This particular need can impose constraints on deck building and the sequencing of plays throughout a match.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Nissa enters the field at a reasonable three mana, her transformation and the realization of her full potential hinge on a more long-term game plan. This pacing contrasts with other three-mana creatures that might provide more instantaneous board presence or utility, potentially setting you at a tempo disadvantage against decks aiming to win more rapidly.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Nissa Vastwood Seer can seamlessly transition into many green-centric decks. Her ability to fetch a basic Forest helps with land consistency, while her transformation into Nissa, Sage Animist provides valuable card advantage.

Combo Potential: This Planeswalker’s flip side can work wonders with landfall mechanics and offers combo synergies with cards that benefit from additional land drops or creatures entering the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where the battlefield evolves rapidly, Nissa offers an adaptable solution. As both a creature and Planeswalker, she stays relevant across various metas, especially ones that favor ramping up to powerful late-game threats.


How to beat

Nissa Vastwood Seer is known for her transformative ability within the decks of Magic: The Gathering. She initially allows players to search for a basic Forest card when she enters the battlefield, morphing into Nissa, Sage Animist once a player controls seven or more lands. To effectively counter her, having removal spells ready is crucial. Cards that can unconditionally remove creatures at instant speed, like Hero’s Downfall or Path to Exile, are ideal to disrupt the card advantage and field presence she provides.

Additionally, keeping land destruction or land controlling strategies at hand can prevent her transformation altogether. Strategizing with cards that limit land plays per turn, such as Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin, can keep your opponent from reaching that pivotal seventh land, stalling Nissa’s ultimate form. Control decks that can assert dominance over the board state through counterspells and board wipes also prove effective as they can manage the threats both before and after her transformation into the powerful planeswalker.

Understanding the timing to disrupt Nissa Vastwood Seer is key. Players should aim to respond quickly to her library searching trigger or right before the seventh land drops, to prevent their opponent from capitalizing on the untamed magic she wields.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring MTG is a blend of skill, knowledge, and adaptability, and Nissa Vastwood Seer is a prime example of versatility and strategic depth in action. With her ability to aid land consistency and offer a significant flip into a beneficent Planeswalker, she’s a powerful ally. Adaptability is critical, and in a game that prizes ingenuity, this card is a valuable asset in green-centric decks, offering you numerous avenues for victory. If you’re eager to expand your MTG horizons and harness the full potential of this transformative planeswalker, let us guide you further into the art of mastering your deck with Nissa by your side. Uncover the intricacies of this card and others to enhance your gameplay and strategy.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Nissa, Vastwood Seer // Nissa, Sage Animist MTG card by a specific set like San Diego Comic-Con 2015 and Magic Origins, 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 Nissa, Vastwood Seer // Nissa, Sage Animist and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Nissa, Vastwood Seer // Nissa, Sage Animist Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2015-07-09 and 2023-05-08. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12015-07-09San Diego Comic-Con 2015PS15 1892015TransformBlackWayne Reynolds
22015-07-17Magic OriginsORI 1892015TransformBlackWesley Burt
32015-07-17Magic Origins PromosPORI 189s2015TransformBlackWesley Burt
42017-11-24From the Vault: TransformV17 152015TransformBlackWesley Burt
52023-05-08From Cute to BrutePCTB 332015TransformBlackWesley Burt

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Nissa, Vastwood Seer // Nissa, Sage Animist has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Nissa, Vastwood Seer // Nissa, Sage Animist card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2015-06-22 A Magic Origins planeswalker that enters the battlefield because of the ability of its front face will enter with loyalty counters as normal.
2015-06-22 A double-faced card enters the battlefield with its front face up by default, unless a spell or ability instructs you to put it onto the battlefield transformed, in which case it enters with its back face up.
2015-06-22 Each face of a double-faced card has its own set of characteristics: name, types, subtypes, power and toughness, loyalty, abilities, and so on. While a double-faced card is on the battlefield, consider only the characteristics of the face that’s currently up. The other set of characteristics is ignored. While a double-faced card isn’t on the battlefield, consider only the characteristics of its front face.
2015-06-22 If a double-faced card is manifested, it will be put onto the battlefield face down (this is also true if it’s put onto the battlefield face down some other way). Note that “face down” is not synonymous with “with its back face up.” A manifested double-faced card is a 2/2 creature with no name, mana cost, creature types, or abilities. While face down, it can’t transform. If the front face of a manifested double-faced card is a creature card, you can turn it face up by paying its mana cost. If you do, its front face will be up. A double-faced card on the battlefield can’t be turned face down.
2015-06-22 If a land becomes a creature but hasn’t continuously been under its controller’s control since that player’s most recent turn began, it won’t be able to attack and its abilities with in the cost (including mana abilities) won’t be able to be activated. In other words, look at how long the permanent itself has been under your control, not how long it’s been a creature.
2015-06-22 In some rare cases, a spell or ability may cause one of these five cards to transform while it’s a creature (front face up) on the battlefield. If this happens, the resulting planeswalker won’t have any loyalty counters on it and will subsequently be put into its owner’s graveyard.
2015-06-22 Nissa, Vastwood Seer is exiled as a result of her second triggered ability. If she enters the battlefield while you control seven or more lands, she won’t automatically be exiled and transform.
2015-06-22 The back face of a double-faced card (in the case of Magic Origins, the planeswalker face) can’t be cast.
2015-06-22 The converted mana cost of a double-faced card not on the battlefield is the converted mana cost of its front face.
2015-06-22 You can activate Nissa, Sage Animist’s second ability even if you already control an Ashaya, the Awoken World. Just after the second token is created, you’ll choose one to remain on the battlefield. The other will be put into your graveyard and subsequently cease to exist.
2015-06-22 You can activate one of the planeswalker’s loyalty abilities the turn it enters the battlefield. However, you may do so only during one of your main phases when the stack is empty. For example, if the planeswalker enters the battlefield during combat, there will be an opportunity for your opponent to remove it before you can activate one of its abilities.
2016-04-08 The back face of a double-faced card doesn’t have a mana cost. A double-faced permanent with its back face up has a converted mana cost equal to the converted mana cost of its front face. Each back face has a color indicator that defines its color.
2016-07-13 For more information on double-faced cards, see the Shadows over Innistrad mechanics article (http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/shadows-over-innistrad-mechanics).
2017-09-29 You can control two of this permanent, one front-face up and the other back-face up, at the same time.