Spitting Sliver MTG Card


Spitting Sliver - Planar Chaos
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Sliver
Released2007-02-02
Set symbol
Set namePlanar Chaos
Set codePLC
Power 3
Toughness 3
Number80
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred bySteve Ellis

Key Takeaways

  1. Spitting Sliver offers tactical advantages by granting all Slivers first strike temporarily with mana investment.
  2. It fits well in Sliver decks, boosting the synergy and combat potential of your Sliver creatures significantly.
  3. Despite its benefits, its discard requirement and specific mana cost may limit its effectiveness in some decks.

Text of card

All Slivers have first strike.

"Our lances' reach had been our saving grace in our fight against the hive. Now even that advantage is taken from us." —Adom Capashen, Benalish knight


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Spitting Sliver bestows an additional layer of strategy by enhancing all Slivers in play, allowing players to potentially overtake opponents through cumulative power boosts and unrelenting pressure. By refining the synergy between Slivers, players enhance their board state, often gaining a significant edge in card effectiveness.

Resource Acceleration: In a Sliver-centric deck, Spitting Sliver can be a key component in escalating the game’s pace. As Slivers are known for their communal strengths, this card accelerates the value gained from each Sliver played, compounding the resources at your disposal and enabling a rapid development of your playing field.

Instant Speed: While Spitting Sliver itself is not an instant, it complements decks that operate at instant speed. The intrinsic threat of what could come when playing a Sliver creates a natural tension, forcing opponents to consider the potential instant-speed interactions that could follow, such as buffing creatures in the midst of combat or enabling surprise defenses.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Spitting Sliver necessitates a card discard to activate its ability. This can lead to a strategic setback, especially if your hand is already running low on cards, limiting your options for play and reducing your overall hand advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: This sliver creature’s mana cost may become cumbersome in multicolored or non-Red centered decks. Its requirement for one red mana means it can often only fit seamlessly into a deck that comfortably generates that specific color of mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing four mana might be considered on the higher side when weighed against other slivers or creatures that provide similar benefits. Players could find themselves in a position where the mana invested into casting Spitting Sliver could have been allocated to multiple spells or creatures with a greater impact on the game’s progress.


Reasons to Include Spitting Sliver in Your Collection

Versatility: Spitting Sliver adds a unique layer to Sliver decks, empowering each Sliver with the first strike ability. This allows for more tactical plays during combat and increases the resilience of your Sliver swarm against various threats.

Combo Potential: As part of the extensive Sliver family, Spitting Sliver benefits from and contributes to the synergy-driven combos that Sliver archetypes are known for. With first strike in the mix, you can outmaneuver opponents when they least expect it.

Meta-Relevance: Especially in games with a focus on creature exchanges and combat interactions, providing your Slivers with an extra edge could be the deciding factor. Incorporating Spitting Sliver into your strategy could well position you to dominate the “red zone” when facing creature-heavy decks.


How to beat

Spitting Sliver is a creature card that can be a tough nut to crack within the realm of MTG. The challenge lies in its ability to give all Slivers you control the power to deal 1 damage to any target. It’s a card that demands immediate attention on the battlefield, lest you find yourself overwhelmed by an ever-growing Sliver legion.

To counter this slippery Sliver, removal spells are your best friend. Consider using board wipes like Wrath of God or single target removals such as Path to Exile to keep the sliver numbers in check before they become a larger threat. Additionally, using control cards like Counterspell can preempt its arrival on the battlefield altogether.

Blocking its use of activated abilities is another effective measure. Pithing Needle can shut down the Spitting ability directly, making it nothing more than a regular creature. It’s crucial to stay ahead—act swiftly and decisively, and your deck could negate the Spitting Sliver’s advantage, maintaining control of the game.


Cards like Spitting Sliver

Examining the Spitting Sliver within the broad spectrum of Magic: The Gathering’s creatures reveals several parallels. It’s akin to the synergy-driven Slivers like the Muscle Sliver, which bolsters the strength of fellow Slivers. Still, Spitting Sliver carves its niche by granting all Sliver creatures the ability to gain first strike until end of turn, provided you have the mana to spare.

Looking at the Predatory Sliver, both share the same mana cost and purpose of empowering other Slivers. The key variance lies in Predatory’s persistent +1/+1 boost, which does not require additional mana investments. Contrastingly, Striking Sliver offers a permanent first strike to all Slivers at just one mana, making it an economical alternative for that specific ability.

Upon evaluating the options, Spitting Sliver is a flexible option for MTG Sliver-themed decks. It combines tactical adaptability with the communal strengthening of Sliver strategies. Although it may not be as mana-efficient as its counterparts, its real-time combat advantage can offer unexpected turns in a tightly contested match.

Muscle Sliver - MTG Card versions
Predatory Sliver - MTG Card versions
Striking Sliver - MTG Card versions
Muscle Sliver - Tempest (TMP)
Predatory Sliver - Magic 2014 (M14)
Striking Sliver - Magic 2014 (M14)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Spitting Sliver MTG card by a specific set like Planar Chaos, 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 Spitting Sliver and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Spitting Sliver has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2013-07-01 Abilities that Slivers grant, as well as power/toughness boosts, are cumulative. However, for some abilities, like flying, having more than one instance of the ability doesn’t provide any additional benefit.
2013-07-01 If the creature type of a Sliver changes so it’s no longer a Sliver, it will no longer be affected by its own ability. Its ability will continue to affect other Sliver creatures.

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