Treetop Defense MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Rare
Type	Instant
Released	1997-05-01
Set symbol
Set name	Portal
Set code	POR
Number	190
Frame	1997
Layout	normal
Border	black
Illustred by	Zina Saunders

Key Takeaways

Offers indirect card advantage by protecting creatures from mass removal.
Instant speed ability grants surprise factor and flexible threat response.
Restrictive mana cost may limit use in multi-colored decks.

Text of card

Play Treetop Defense only after you're attacked, before you declare interceptors. This turn, all your creatures can intercept as though they had flying.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Treetop Defense offers a strategic edge by reacting to sweeper effects which try to clear multiple creatures. This can lead to a form of indirect card advantage, protecting your board and negating your opponent’s card’s intended impact.

Resource Acceleration: Though not directly contributing to mana production, preserving your creatures on the battlefield can equate to maintaining your resource acceleration, especially if those creatures have tap abilities for mana or other value-driven effects.

Instant Speed: The real power of Treetop Defense lies in its ability to be played at instant speed. This allows players to wait until the last possible moment before deciding whether to use it, offering the element of surprise and maintaining the flexibility to respond to threats as they arise.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Treetop Defense calls for a card to be discarded from your hand upon activation. In the heat of a match when your resources are waning, this requirement can hurt your strategic position, reducing your capacity to respond to future threats.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a rigid combination of green mana, which may not align with the mana base of multicolored decks. Players running a variety of colors might find the mana requirement of Treetop Defense inhibiting, restricting its versatility across various deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When analyzing the mana economy, Treetop Defense has a relatively steep cost associated with its effect. There are alternative cards that may offer protection or creature boosts at a lower mana investment, potentially offering a better value for players seeking to optimize their decks.

Reasons to Include Treetop Defense in Your Collection

Versatility: Treetop Defense is a unique card for any player looking to bolster their defenses in multi-player games. It fits seamlessly into decks that focus on creatures, especially those that deploy numerous tokens or summon an army of smaller creatures that can benefit from ambush-style protection.

Combo Potential: Its compatibility with strategies that revolve around “forestwalk” or “can’t be blocked” abilities means it has the potential to layer your offensive tactics with solid defense, ensuring your creatures remain on the battlefield to press the advantage.

Meta-Relevance: As the meta oscillates between aggressive and control archetypes, Treetop Defense holds its ground, offering protection against sweepers and targeted removal, which are common in environments with heavy creature-based strategies.

How to beat

Overcoming Treetop Defense in Magic: The Gathering requires a strategic approach. This enchantment offers an effective shield, fortifying creatures against a myriad threats. Crucially, its protection applies only to creatures on the defense, allowing them to dodge targeted spells or abilities used by opponents in an offensive play. It’s a safeguard that makes it especially tough to penetrate a player’s defense through conventional means.

To effectively circumvent Treetop Defense, players should consider spells that bypass creature targeting, such as those causing mass board damage or using global effects. Spells like Wrath of God, which destroy all creatures irrespective of protections, render Treetop Defense ineffective. Similarly, leveraging flying creatures or those with unblockable traits can help maintain an offensive strategy, as Treetop Defense does not protect against combat damage from unblocked attackers.

In summary, players facing Treetop Defense should adapt their strategies, relying less on targeted removal and more on universal solutions or evasive tactics to ensure victory on the battlefield.

Cards like Treetop Defense

The allure of tactical defense in MTG takes an interesting form with the Treetop Defense card. It offers a unique ability similar to cards that grant creatures invulnerability for the turn, like Make a Stand or Heroic Intervention. Treetop Defense brings its own twist with the condition of only protecting creatures with flying. This niche condition carves out its own space within the range of protective spells.

Examining alternatives, there’s Spidersilk Armor, which gives creatures +0/+1 and reach—an all-encompassing boon for the entire battlefield. This veers from Treetop Defense’s exclusivity yet still increases overall creature durability. Then, consider Canopy Cover, which equips a single creature with evasion from targeting and flying, a more individualized approach compared to the collective safeguard offered by Treetop Defense.

Ultimately, the value of Treetop Defense rests on its narrow but powerful safeguard against flying attackers. In this slice of the MTG repertoire, it exemplifies a focused strategic choice for players defending against decks heavy in aerial threats, standing out for its situational yet potent defensive capability.

Make a Stand - Oath of the Gatewatch (OGW)

Heroic Intervention - Aether Revolt (AER)

Spidersilk Armor - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)

Cards similar to Treetop Defense by color, type and mana cost

Might of the Nephilim - MTG Card versions

Tangle - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)

Might of the Nephilim - Dissension (DIS)

Tel-Jilad Defiance - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)

Tribute to the Wild - Commander Anthology Volume II (CM2)

Plummet - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)

Titanic Growth - Wilds of Eldraine (WOE)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Treetop Defense MTG card by a specific set like Portal, 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 Treetop Defense and other MTG cards: