Okina Nightwatch MTG Card
2005-01-01 - Number 7
2005-06-03 - Number 140
2002-06-24 - Number 36290
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Human Monk |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Text of card
As long as you have more cards in hand than each opponent, Okina Nightwatch gets +3/+3.
Only the most skilled budoka could protect the Okina Shrine. Only the best of these protectors took the night watch.
Cards like Okina Nightwatch
Within the strategic depths of Magic: The Gathering, Okina Nightwatch stands out for its dedication to green’s might. Much like the renowned Serra Angel, Okina Nightwatch offers a creature that becomes significantly stronger as you secure your position. However, unlike the flying and vigilance attributes of Serra Angel, Okina Nightwatch depends on having more life than your opponent to switch on its power boost, transforming from a humble 3/3 to a formidable 5/5.
Another card with a similar lifelink is Ageless Entity, which grows stronger with each life gained, yet requires an additional setup to get stronger, making Okina Nightwatch more straightforward in its condition. Then we have Voracious Wurm, a card with potential for a much more aggressive early gain in stats, proportionate to your life-gained prior to casting it. Yet, its power is a one-time boost, contrasting with Okina Nightwatch’s potentially repeatable state of dominance.
Assessing creature dynamics, Okina Nightwatch may not boast evergreen abilities like some of its peers, but in a life-gaining deck, it can consistently pose a sizable threat, reshaping the board presence with its continuous potential for power.
Cards similar to Okina Nightwatch by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Okina Nightwatch offers strategic depth in deck building, capitalizing on the increased power it gains when you have more life than an opponent. This makes it a valuable asset for life-gain strategies that aim for a consistent card edge.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly offering resource acceleration, the presence of Okina Nightwatch on the battlefield can indirectly influence the board state, encouraging you to streamline your resources into life-gain mechanics to fully activate its benefits.
Instant Speed: While Okina Nightwatch itself doesn’t have an instant speed ability, its place in a deck that includes other instant speed tricks amplifies its threat level. Keeping mana open for instant speed life-gain spells can suddenly boost Okina Nightwatch’s power during combat, turning it into a formidable adversary when least expected.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One notable downside of the Okina Nightwatch is the obligation to dismiss another card from your hand to activate its strengths. This trade-off can be burdensome, especially when your hand is already dwindling, leaving you at a card disadvantage against your adversary.
Specific Mana Cost: With a mana cost requiring both green and other specific colors, incorporating Okina Nightwatch seamlessly into your deck can be challenging. It narrows your strategy, potentially clashing with decks that thrive on a more diverse mana base or those that are color-intensive.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Five mana for a creature that does not have immediate board impact can be costly. In the evolving landscape of the game, where efficiency is key, there are alternative creatures that provide more immediate or versatile benefits for the same or lower mana investment.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Okina Nightwatch is a flexible card that can be a valuable addition to green decks looking to capitalize on high life totals. As a creature that grows stronger while you’re ahead, it can serve both as a formidable blocker and an aggressive attacker.
Combo Potential: This card shines in life-gain decks, potentially pairing with other cards that manipulate life totals for significant power boosts. Its ability to become a 5/5 simply by having more life than your opponent makes it an excellent combo piece in strategies focusing on life manipulation.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where maintaining a higher life total is achievable, Okina Nightwatch can become a consistent threat. It works well against decks that may struggle to deal with larger creatures, ensuring that decks that prioritize life gain have a reliable, scaling threat as the game progresses.
How to beat
Confronting the Okina Nightwatch on the battlefield requires a sound understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. This creature gains significant power boost as long as you have more life than your opponent. Therefore, the key to neutralizing its benefit lies in maintaining life parity or ensuring that your opponent has more life than you. This can be achieved through life-draining spells, redirecting their aggressive play back at them, or employing creatures and artifacts that balance or tip the life scales in your favor.
Strategies involving damage prevention and life gain on your part will deter the Nightwatch from reaching its potential power. Also, consider removal spells or pacifism effects that can sideline the Nightwatch without emphasizing the life difference. Direct damage spells, bounce spells, or effects that alter combat math, like giving your creatures first strike or deathtouch, are also effective tools in handling the Nightwatch’s threat.
In essence, defeating Okina Nightwatch doesn’t just require you to tackle the creature itself but to mindfully manage the overall dynamics of life totals on the battlefield, neutralizing one of its principal advantages and rendering it a far less formidable foe.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Okina Nightwatch MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Arena League 2005, 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 Okina Nightwatch and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
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Printings
The Okina Nightwatch Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2005-01-01 and 2005-06-03. Illustrated by Heather Hudson.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 36290 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Heather Hudson | ||
| 2 | 2005-01-01 | Arena League 2005 | PAL05 | 7 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Heather Hudson | |
| 3 | 2005-06-03 | Saviors of Kamigawa | SOK | 140 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Heather Hudson |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Okina Nightwatch has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |