Silklash Spider MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 7 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Spider
Abilities Reach
Power 2
Toughness 7

Key Takeaways

  1. Air superiority can result in card advantage, with Silklash Spider neutralizing multiple flying threats.
  2. Instant speed activation of its ability allows flexibility and strategic defense during opponent’s turn.
  3. While mana-intensive, Silklash Spider’s consistency renders it invaluable in certain MTG metagames.

Text of card

Silklash Spider may block as though it had flying. o Xo Go G: Silklash Spider deals X damage to each creature with flying.

The only thing that flies over the Krosan Forest is the wind.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Silklash Spider provides valuable board control against flying creatures, effectively ensuring that you maintain air superiority. The ability to repeatedly clear the skies can equate to card advantage over the course of a match as it neutralizes multiple threats with a single card.

Resource Acceleration: Although Silklash Spider itself doesn’t accelerate resources, its presence can protect your other resources, like Planeswalkers or life total, by deterring attacks from airborne creatures. This indirect preservation helps you leverage those resources more effectively for game-winning moves.

Instant Speed: The Spider’s activated ability can be used at instant speed, providing a surprise defense against flying threats. This allows for strategic flexibility during your opponent’s turn, ensuring that you can respond to threats even outside of your own turn structure.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Silklash Spider does not have a discard requirement, maintaining relevant creatures and spells in hand is critical, and cards with discard requirements can disrupt your strategy to keep this spider in play.

Specific Mana Cost: Silklash Spider’s reliance on green mana might be restrictive for multicolored decks seeking a more flexible mana base. Its double green mana cost can be demanding in decks that utilize numerous colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of 3GG, Silklash Spider is a larger investment compared to other creatures or defensive spells which could offer immediate board impact or have lower mana requirements.


Reasons to Include Silklash Spider in Your Collection

Versatility: Silklash Spider is a card that can serve multiple roles within a deck. Its ability to destroy flying creatures ensures sky-clearing defense, which is crucial in many gameplay scenarios, particularly against decks that leverage aerial attacks.

Combo Potential: This card can be an integral part of combos, especially in green-based decks that focus on creatures and mana ramp. Its repeatable ability can be leveraged in combination with cards that untap creatures or generate extra mana, resulting in potentially game-altering plays.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that’s heavy with flying creatures, Silklash Spider becomes an essential tool. As it can fit into sideboards as a powerful counter to these strategies, its relevance becomes even more apparent when encountering popular flying-commander and angel-centric decks.


How to beat

Silklash Spider is renowned among the MTG community for its ability to decimate entire swarms of flying creatures with its distinctive activated ability. This green creature card shines as an effective defensive measure against aerial attacks. Crafty players know that going over, around, or even through the Silklash Spider’s web can be a rigorous task.

To counter this arachnid’s advantage, one must circumvent its ability by focusing on non-flying threats or employing removal spells that aren’t thwarted by its protection from flying. Spells like Murder or Doom Blade, which target creatures regardless of their abilities, can effectively bypass the spider’s defense. Additionally, edict effects, which force a player to sacrifice a creature, such as Diabolic Edict or Innocent Blood, offer a pathway to remove this eight-legged obstacle from the battlefield without engaging it directly. Lastly, capitalizing on moments when mana is scarce for your opponent could provide an opening to slip past the Silklash Spider’s grasp or to deploy removal without the fear of reprisal from this vigilant guardian of the skies.

Ultimately, Silklash Spider demands respect and strategic planning to defeat. Mastering your approach to this spider can mean the difference between victory and defeat, as it lurks in the green depths of MTG decks, ready to ensnare unsuspecting flyers in its silken trap.


BurnMana Recommendations

Silklash Spider stands as a force of nature on the battlefield, a crucial sentinel in MTG that provides formidable defense against the aerial onslaughts. If you strive to maintain dominance over the skies and keep your opponents’ winged threats at bay, the green-favoring decks can benefit significantly from this card’s inclusion. And with its activation at instant speed, Silklash Spider gives you the unexpected edge that can sway the course of a game. Keep your decks adaptive and your strategy sharp; make space for Silklash Spider and other versatile MTG cards. Embark on the journey to elevate your game and join our community to discover more ways to harness the power of your MTG collection.


Cards like Silklash Spider

Delving into the realm of Magic: The Gathering, Silklash Spider emerges as a potent defender in green creature decks. It shares its creature type with other arachnid-inspired cards such as Spider Spawning, yet Silklash Spider distinguishes itself with its flexible utility on the battlefield, capable of wiping out flying creatures en masse. A stalwart comparison might be made to Arachnogenesis, an instant that both creates spider tokens and prevents damage from non-Spider creatures, offering a different kind of defensive strategy.

In contrast, we have Hurricane, a card that also deals damage to each creature with flying and each player. Hurricane stands as a notable alternative, bringing a purely offensive spell without the creature body. Silklash Spider invites a more strategic and enduring presence on the field, with the ability to repeatedly deal damage, assuming you have the mana available.

Ultimately, while other cards offer sporadic or singular solutions, Silklash Spider presents ongoing control against aerial threats, enhancing its standing as a valuable piece in Magic: The Gathering, especially for players focused on long-term board stability and control.

Spider Spawning - MTG Card versions
Arachnogenesis - MTG Card versions
Hurricane - MTG Card versions
Spider Spawning - Innistrad (ISD)
Arachnogenesis - Commander 2015 (C15)
Hurricane - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

Cards similar to Silklash Spider by color, type and mana cost

Thicket Basilisk - MTG Card versions
Cockatrice - MTG Card versions
Ironroot Treefolk - MTG Card versions
Elvish Bard - MTG Card versions
Durkwood Boars - MTG Card versions
Elven Riders - MTG Card versions
Redwood Treefolk - MTG Card versions
Spined Wurm - MTG Card versions
Rabid Wolverines - MTG Card versions
Deadly Insect - MTG Card versions
Vintara Elephant - MTG Card versions
Spring-Leaf Avenger - MTG Card versions
Okina Nightwatch - MTG Card versions
Primeval Force - MTG Card versions
Spitting Spider - MTG Card versions
Copperhoof Vorrac - MTG Card versions
Tel-Jilad Lifebreather - MTG Card versions
Llanowar Behemoth - MTG Card versions
Bramble Elemental - MTG Card versions
Indrik Stomphowler - MTG Card versions
Thicket Basilisk - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Cockatrice - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Ironroot Treefolk - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Elvish Bard - Alliances (ALL)
Durkwood Boars - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Elven Riders - Duels of the Planeswalkers (DPA)
Redwood Treefolk - Weatherlight (WTH)
Spined Wurm - Stronghold (STH)
Rabid Wolverines - Exodus (EXO)
Deadly Insect - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Vintara Elephant - Prophecy (PCY)
Spring-Leaf Avenger - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Okina Nightwatch - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Primeval Force - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Spitting Spider - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Copperhoof Vorrac - Mirrodin (MRD)
Tel-Jilad Lifebreather - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Llanowar Behemoth - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Bramble Elemental - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Indrik Stomphowler - Commander 2015 (C15)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Silklash Spider MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught and Ninth Edition, 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 Silklash Spider and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Silklash Spider Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2002-10-07 and 2017-06-09. Illustrated by Iain McCaig.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-10-07OnslaughtONS 2811997normalblackIain McCaig
22005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 2712003normalwhiteIain McCaig
32005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 271★2003normalblackIain McCaig
42012-07-13Magic 2013M13 1912003normalblackIain McCaig
52013-11-01Commander 2013C13 1692003normalblackIain McCaig
62014-11-07Commander 2014C14 2142015normalblackIain McCaig
72017-06-09Commander AnthologyCMA 1452015normalblackIain McCaig

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Silklash Spider has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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