Spore Frog MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Frog
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Spore Frog saves mana and turns by protecting other creatures from removal.
  2. Instant speed sacrifice disrupts opponents and provides a defensive edge.
  3. Board presence vulnerability is a drawback when leveraging Spore Frog’s ability.

Text of card

Sacrifice Spore Frog: Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn.

The end of one life is merely the beginning of thousands more.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Spore Frog provides a strategic edge through its ability to protect your board presence repeatedly when paired with recursion mechanics, keeping your valuable creatures out of harm’s way and maintaining your battlefield position.

Resource Acceleration: Although Spore Frog itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, it can effectively save the mana and turns you might otherwise spend replaying creatures lost to removal, allowing you to invest more into developing your board or enacting your game plan.

Instant Speed: The Frog’s sacrifice ability can be activated at instant speed, providing reactive flexibility to halt a potential onslaught from your opponent, no matter the size of their attacking force—giving you crucial time to find answers or set up a winning move.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Spore Frog itself doesn’t necessitate discarding cards, it can indirectly lead to such a situation. Sacrificing Spore Frog to prevent damage might be necessary, but it can leave you short on board presence, making you more vulnerable to discard effects from your opponent’s disruption plays.

Specific Mana Cost: Spore Frog requires green mana to play. This requirement makes it exclusive to decks running green or those with a mana base flexible enough to accommodate multiple colors. It’s less convenient for those focusing on a mono-colored strategy that excludes green.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its notable ability to fog the battlefield, the recurring need to use Spore Frog can be mana-intensive over time. Each turn represents an investment of one green mana to defensively preserve your life total. In faster-paced games or when under mana constraints, this could diminish the overall efficiency of your strategy when compared to other lower-cost or passive defensive options.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Spore Frog has the unique ability to prevent all combat damage for a turn, making it a flexible addition to decks looking to control the pace of the game or to safeguard against aggressive strategies.

Combo Potential: With its sacrifice effect, Spore Frog can be paired with recursion cards to repeatedly fog the battlefield, forming a frustrating barrier for opponents and enabling various combo plays within your decks.

Meta-Relevance: Given its potential to disrupt combat-centric decks, Spore Frog can be highly relevant in metas where creature-based strategies prevail. This humble frog could be the difference between victory and defeat.


How to beat

Spore Frog is a unique creature card in Magic the Gathering, capable of frustrating many strategies with its simple but effective ability. To effectively bypass the defensive capability of Spore Frog, consider employing removal spells that can target it regardless of its potential to be sacrificed. Cards like Bojuka Bog can exile it from the graveyard to prevent recurring strategies. Additionally, utilizing spells that restrict your opponent’s actions, such as Silence or Teferi, Time Raveler, can stop the activation of its ability by limiting when your opponent can play spells or abilities.

Direct damage spells, like Shock or Lightning Bolt, can unequip Spore Frog from the board before its ability is used. In games where Spore Frog’s recursion is key, graveyard disruption with cards such as Leyline of the Void ensures that once the frog leaves the battlefield, it stays out of play. In sum, adapting your strategy to either prevent Spore Frog’s ability from activating, handling it directly, or attacking your opponent’s resources like their graveyard, stands as the best method to surpass this amphibian obstacle.


BurnMana Recommendations

Spore Frog is not just an average one-drop; it’s a tactical tool that can turn the tide of battle in MTG, especially when facing onslaughts where every turn counts. For those looking to harness the power of this versatile creature, understanding its strategic applications and potential interactions is key. With the ability to nullify combat damage and play well with graveyard recursion, Spore Frog could be the cornerstone of a defensive strategy or the lynchpin in a complex combo. Dive deeper into the role of Spore Frog within various deck archetypes and discover advanced tactics to dominate the battlefield. Delve into a reservoir of knowledge and bring a new depth to your MTG expertise alongside us.


Cards like Spore Frog

Spore Frog is a unique utility creature within the world of Magic: The Gathering. This unassuming one-mana green card is often compared to creatures like Kami of False Hope, which shares Spore Frog’s ability to sacrifice itself to prevent combat damage for a turn. While both cards have similar functionalities, Spore Frog’s residence in green decks allows it to synergize with common green themes like creature recursion and battlefield presence.

Examining other comparisons, Fog is an iconic spell that mimics Spore Frog’s damage prevention effect at the same mana cost, yet as an instant, it lacks the reusability of a creature. Dawn Charm also offers versatile protection and can prevent all combat damage for a turn, but with a slightly higher mana cost and as a part of white’s color pie.

Despite the presence of these similar cards, what sets Spore Frog apart is its creature type and the multitude of ways it can be exploited in-game, from being recurred from the graveyard to being a chump blocker. Its versatility in sacrifice and recursion strategies often makes it a preferred choice for decks that capitalize on such synergies.

Kami of False Hope - MTG Card versions
Fog - MTG Card versions
Dawn Charm - MTG Card versions
Kami of False Hope - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Fog - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Dawn Charm - Planar Chaos (PLC)

Cards similar to Spore Frog by color, type and mana cost

Scryb Sprites - MTG Card versions
Llanowar Elves - MTG Card versions
Ghazbán Ogre - MTG Card versions
Shanodin Dryads - MTG Card versions
Wall of Wood - MTG Card versions
Village Elder - MTG Card versions
Spike Drone - MTG Card versions
Skyshroud Elite - MTG Card versions
Elvish Berserker - MTG Card versions
Tree Monkey - MTG Card versions
Wild Dogs - MTG Card versions
Elvish Herder - MTG Card versions
Pouncing Jaguar - MTG Card versions
Taunting Elf - MTG Card versions
Llanowar Elite - MTG Card versions
Scavenger Folk - MTG Card versions
Willow Geist - MTG Card versions
Fyndhorn Elves - MTG Card versions
Nimble Mongoose - MTG Card versions
Sylvan Safekeeper - MTG Card versions
Scryb Sprites - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Llanowar Elves - 30th Anniversary History Promos (P30H)
Ghazbán Ogre - Masters Edition (ME1)
Shanodin Dryads - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Wall of Wood - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Village Elder - Mirage (MIR)
Spike Drone - Tempest (TMP)
Skyshroud Elite - Exodus (EXO)
Elvish Berserker - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Tree Monkey - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Wild Dogs - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Elvish Herder - Urza's Saga (USG)
Pouncing Jaguar - Urza's Saga (USG)
Taunting Elf - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Llanowar Elite - Invasion (INV)
Scavenger Folk - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Willow Geist - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Fyndhorn Elves - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Nimble Mongoose - The List (PLST)
Sylvan Safekeeper - World Championship Decks 2002 (WC02)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Spore Frog MTG card by a specific set like Prophecy and Modern Horizons, 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 Spore Frog and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Spore Frog Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2000-06-05 and 2019-12-02. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12000-06-05ProphecyPCY 1261997normalblackDonato Giancola
22019-06-14Modern HorizonsMH1 1802015normalblackDonato Giancola
32019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 6962015normalblackRiot Games

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Spore Frog has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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