Prized Unicorn MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Prized Unicorn might not provide direct card draw, but its distinctive ability forces your opponents to block if able, often leading to advantageous board states where you clear multiple enemy creatures with just one attack.

Resource Acceleration: While Prized Unicorn itself does not facilitate resource acceleration in the conventional sense, its lure effect can be a catalyst for spells or abilities that benefit from the creature being unblocked, thereby accelerating your game plan.

Instant Speed: Although Prized Unicorn operates at sorcery speed due to being a creature, pairing it with spells or abilities that can be activated at instant speed creates opportunities to surprise your opponent and manipulate combat in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Prized Unicorn doesn’t have a direct discard requirement, its role in a deck often necessitates other cards to ensure its survival, leading to potential loss of card advantage if those protective measures are discarded or become unusable.

Specific Mana Cost: One of the limitations of Prized Unicorn is its specific mana cost, requiring two green mana. This can be restrictive for multicolored decks that might struggle with mana fixing or those that prefer a more flexible mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For the ability to attract blockers and facilitate favorable trades, the cost of Prized Unicorn might be considered high. At a total of four mana to cast, there are other creatures or spells that offer more strategic versatility or lower-cost alternatives for attracting blockers.

Reasons to Include Prized Unicorn in Your Collection

Versatility: Prized Unicorn’s ability to force all creatures your opponents control to block it can be remarkably flexible. This utility allows Prized Unicorn to serve as an efficient way to clear a path for other creatures to attack your opponent directly.

Combo Potential: The card’s unique ability creates opportunities for combination plays. When you pair Prized Unicorn with cards that benefit from creatures dying, like those with the Morbid ability, or effects that trigger when damage is dealt, you can turn its forced block into a tactical advantage.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where board states can become cluttered with creatures, Prized Unicorn can be a game-changer. By compelling unfavorable blocks, it can break stalemates and can serve as a tactical asset in creature-heavy matchups.

How to Overcome Prized Unicorn in Play

Prized Unicorn is a unique creature card in MTG, well-known for its ability to become the sole focus of blockers when attacking. This means that when the unicorn charges, every able creature your opponent controls must block it if possible. Navigating this forced blocking mechanic can be tricky, but there are several effective strategies available.

To effectively beat Prized Unicorn, it is essential to manage your battlefield tactically. The use of instant-speed removal spells before declaring blockers can turn the tides in your favor, making the Unicorn’s ability a nonfactor. Cards like Murder or Fatal Push can efficiently deal with the Unicorn before it becomes a problem.

Another strategy lies in the realm of counterplay. You can employ cards like Essence Scatter to prevent Prized Unicorn from ever entering the battlefield. Additionally, if the Unicorn is already galloping around, effects that grant your creatures protection from creatures, such as those from Mother of Runes, can prevent them from being forced to block, giving you an edge.

Master these methods and the Prized Unicorn, while a formidable foe, can be bested, strengthening your position in the game and leading you towards victory.