Sindbad MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Sindbad provides card advantage through potential additional draws, enhancing strategic play options.
  2. Integrating top-deck control cards can convert Sindbad’s ability to pseudo-instant speed, offering tactical depth.
  3. It shines in decks designed for card draw and graveyard mechanics, despite its specific mana requirements.

Text of card

Tap to draw a card from your library, but discard that card if it is not a land.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sindbad works wonders in strategies aiming for sustained card draw. Each turn, you can activate Sindbad’s ability to potentially draw an additional card, keeping your hand full and your options open.

Resource Acceleration: In combination with decks that benefit from card draw or graveyard filling, Sindbad can be an unassuming source of resource acceleration. He synergizes particularly well with library manipulation, ensuring you get the most out of your deck’s potential each turn.

Instant Speed: Although Sindbad’s ability is not at instant speed, integrating cards that allow you to peek at the top card of your library can create pseudo-instant speed interactions. This strategic layer can be pivotal, allowing you to make informed decisions about when to activate Sindbad for optimal impact.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Sindbad demands that you discard a card upon activation. While useful in some strategies, this can deplete your hand quickly, leaving you in a challenging position if you’re unable to draw into more resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Sindbad’s casting requirement needs a precise combination of one blue and one generic mana. This requisite can be restrictive, especially in multi-colored decks that might struggle with mana consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a two-mana setup for an ability that only conditionally draws cards, there are more cost-effective draw engines available. This can make Sindbad less appealing when deck building, as players often seek the most efficient card draw mechanisms to gain an edge in the game.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Sindbad offers utility in decks that capitalize on card draw mechanisms. Its ability to peek at the top card of your library and draw if it’s a land means smoother land drops for your game plan.

Combo Potential: This card shows synergy with library manipulation and graveyard strategies. Pairing Sindbad with ways to control the top card of your library can convert potential drawbacks into powerful advantages.

Meta-Relevance: In formats where keeping a stable mana base is crucial, Sindbad can ensure consistent land plays. This makes it a suitable inclusion in slower, more strategic formats where establishing your resources is key to outlasting opponents.


How to beat Sindbad

Sindbad, a card hailing from Magic: The Gathering’s earlier sets, presents an intriguing set of abilities focused on card draw. Its uniqueness lies in its ability to potentially draw an extra card at the beginning of your upkeep. However, Sindbad’s power is balanced by the caveat of needing a land card reveal to actually draw. If a land isn’t shown, the top card of the library is sent to the graveyard.

When facing Sindbad, disrupting the opponent’s deck setup is key. Employing hand disruption or graveyard manipulation are effective strategies to offset Sindbad’s advantages. Cards capable of reshuffling the opponent’s library can impede their ability to set up beneficial draws with cards like Sensei’s Divining Top, thus dealing a blow to Sindbad’s consistency.

Ultimately, exploiting Sindbad’s dependence on deck manipulation and utilizing discard or shuffle effects can mitigate its impact on the game. This approach helps ensure that while your opponent might have access to more cards, the overall quality and usefulness of their draws may be reduced, giving you a tactical edge in the match.


Cards like Sindbad

Sindbad, as a unique card from the world of Magic the Gathering, offers an intriguing card draw ability that ensures players’ hands are consistently filled. Cards like Merfolk Looter bear a resemblance to Sindbad with their ability to draw cards, however, Merfolk Looter requires tapping and the discard is mandatory, unlike Sindbad which is conditional on the drawn card being a land. Nonetheless, Sindbad does share a kindred spirit with Dakra Mystic, both having the element of top deck manipulation, giving a slight insight into the future draws.

Sea Gate Oracle also earns a spot in the comparison for its ability to look into the upcoming cards and provide card selection, albeit in a one-time manner upon entering the battlefield, different from Sindbad’s ongoing potential advantage every turn. Then, there’s the famed Oracle of Mul Daya which not only allows you to play an additional land on each turn but also play with the top card of your library revealed, advancing both land drops and draw strategy similar to Sindbad’s.

Assessing these similar cards, Sindbad stands out for its combination of deck exploration and the potential for a consistent draw engine, particularly intriguing for players who appreciate a systematic approach to resource accumulation in Magic the Gathering.

Merfolk Looter - MTG Card versions
Dakra Mystic - MTG Card versions
Sea Gate Oracle - MTG Card versions
Oracle of Mul Daya - MTG Card versions
Merfolk Looter - Exodus (EXO)
Dakra Mystic - Journey into Nyx (JOU)
Sea Gate Oracle - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Oracle of Mul Daya - Zendikar (ZEN)

Cards similar to Sindbad by color, type and mana cost

Vodalian Soldiers - MTG Card versions
Zephyr Falcon - MTG Card versions
Giant Albatross - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Sphere - MTG Card versions
Skyshroud Condor - MTG Card versions
School of Piranha - MTG Card versions
Coral Merfolk - MTG Card versions
Wu Light Cavalry - MTG Card versions
Sea Eagle - MTG Card versions
Overtaker - MTG Card versions
Hazy Homunculus - MTG Card versions
Darting Merfolk - MTG Card versions
Thought Eater - MTG Card versions
Spellstutter Sprite - MTG Card versions
Sneaky Homunculus - MTG Card versions
Coral Eel - MTG Card versions
Storm Crow - MTG Card versions
Aquamoeba - MTG Card versions
Soratami Cloudskater - MTG Card versions
Minamo Sightbender - MTG Card versions
Vodalian Soldiers - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Zephyr Falcon - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Giant Albatross - Homelands (HML)
Phantasmal Sphere - Alliances (ALL)
Skyshroud Condor - Tempest (TMP)
School of Piranha - Exodus (EXO)
Coral Merfolk - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Wu Light Cavalry - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Sea Eagle - Starter 1999 (S99)
Overtaker - Mercadian Masques Promos (PMMQ)
Hazy Homunculus - Prophecy (PCY)
Darting Merfolk - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Thought Eater - Odyssey (ODY)
Spellstutter Sprite - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Sneaky Homunculus - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Coral Eel - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Storm Crow - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Aquamoeba - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Soratami Cloudskater - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Minamo Sightbender - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sindbad MTG card by a specific set like Arabian Nights and Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border, 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 Sindbad and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sindbad Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 1993-12-17 and 2006-10-06. Illustrated by Julie Baroh.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11993-12-17Arabian NightsARN 211993normalblackJulie Baroh
21995-04-01Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border4BB 1001993normalblackJulie Baroh
31995-04-01Fourth Edition4ED 1001993normalwhiteJulie Baroh
41995-08-01RenaissanceREN 411993normalblackJulie Baroh
51995-08-01RinascimentoRIN 311993normalblackJulie Baroh
62006-10-06Time Spiral TimeshiftedTSB 311997normalblackJulie Baroh

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sindbad has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2006-09-25 If the draw is replaced by another effect, none of the rest of Sindbad’s ability applies, even if the draw is replaced by another draw (such as with Enduring Renewal).
2006-09-25 To avoid confusion, reveal the card you draw before putting it with the rest of the cards in your hand.

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