Mausoleum Harpy MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Harpy
Abilities	Ascend,Flying
Released	2018-01-19
Set symbol
Set name	Rivals of Ixalan
Set code	RIX
Power	3
Toughness	3
Number	78
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Randy Vargas

Key Takeaways

Mausoleum Harpy provides card advantage and resource acceleration in creature-centric decks.
Instant-speed interactions enhance this card’s board presence and surprise factor.
The Harpy’s ascend keyword offers additional benefits in a deck with ample permanents.

Text of card

Flying Ascend (If you control ten or more permanents, you get the city's blessing for the rest of the game.) Whenever another creature you control dies, if you have the city's blessing, put a +1/+1 counter on Mausoleum Harpy.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mausoleum Harpy can be a reliable source of card advantage in the right deck. Whenever another creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it dies, you draw a card. This interaction can be particularly powerful in decks focused on counters, turning each creature’s demise into a potential new draw.

Resource Acceleration: By leveraging the death of creatures with +1/+1 counters, the Harpy can also accelerate your resources through its second ability. Each time a creature dies, you put a +1/+1 counter on Mausoleum Harpy, potentially making it a larger and more formidable threat on the battlefield quicker. This growth can translate into an accelerated pace of play and increased pressure on your opponents.

Instant Speed: While Mausoleum Harpy itself isn’t an instant, it benefits greatly from instant-speed interactions. Because its ability triggers whenever a creature dies, instant-speed removal or sacrifice effects can turn an opponent’s turn into an opportunity for you to grow your Harpy and draw cards when they least expect it. The ability to respond to your opponent’s actions and gain advantages on their turn is a tactical asset.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Mausoleum Harpy can put you at a disadvantage with its ability that triggers each time another creature you control dies, leading you to make tough decisions on what creatures to sacrifice or when to hold back.

Specific Mana Cost: With its colored mana cost demanding both black and general mana, building a mana base that consistently provides the necessary resources can be tricky, especially in multicolored decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Sitting at a five mana value slot, the Harpy competes with other impactful cards, and though it provides flying and potential to grow stronger, it’s initially a modest-sized creature that might not always justify its cost.

Reasons to Include Mausoleum Harpy in Your Collection

Versatility: Mausoleum Harpy offers recognizable value in decks centered around +1/+1 counters or creature deaths. Its flying ability also makes it a useful option for aerial strategies and evasion tactics.

Combo Potential: This card excels in combos with cards that generate creature tokens or have afterlife. With each creature death, the Harpy grows stronger, thus fueling potent synergies in the right deck.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment with numerous creature-based strategies, Mausoleum Harpy can turn the tides by gaining counters and applying pressure from the air. It’s particularly effective in limited formats or in any deck that can consistently exploit its ascend keyword.

How to beat

Mausoleum Harpy presents a unique challenge on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. It’s a creature that leverages the power of +1/+1 counters and can quickly become a threat if left unchecked due to its ability to grow with each instance of creature death. Compared to other creatures that might require specific board states or conditions to blossom, Mausoleum Harpy is more straightforward – it thrives in environments where creatures are dying frequently, making it a perfect fit for decks with sacrifice themes or high creature turnover.

Defeating this winged menace requires a multipronged approach. Managing the board to minimize creature deaths is one strategy, as it stifles the Harpy’s growth. Spot removals like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can handle the Harpy before it gets out of control. Alternatively, exile effects ensure that it doesn’t return from the graveyard, providing a long-term solution. Cards like Rest in Peace can also negate graveyard-based strategies, which indirectly weakens the Harpy’s potential. In essence, timely intervention and strategic board management are your best tools to clip the wings of this threatening flier before it soars out of reach.

Ultimately, understanding the dynamics of your deck and anticipating your opponent’s plays will be indispensable in outmaneuvering Mausoleum Harpy, a card that, while formidable, can be grounded with the right tactics.

Cards like Mausoleum Harpy

Mausoleum Harpy is a unique inclusion within the array of creatures that Magic: The Gathering has to offer. It shares space with cards like Bloodthirsty Aerialist, which also gains counters whenever you gain life. Yet, Mausoleum Harpy stands out with ascend, a property that could grant you extra benefits if you control ten or more permanents. Bloodthirsty Aerialist doesn’t provide this potential advantage.

When comparing it to cards like Syndicate Enforcer, another creature that thrives on opponent life loss, Mausoleum Harpy elevates the strategy by being airborne. Its ability to fly allows it to evade many ground-based defenses, offering increased flexibility. However, Syndicate Enforcer has the benefit of extort, which can steadily drain opponents over time, although it isn’t as directly impactful in boosting its own power.

Ultimately, when considering gameplay dynamics and deck synergy, Mausoleum Harpy presents itself as a powerful option for players leveraging the power of ascension and life loss mechanics in Magic: The Gathering. Its combination of flying and potential for quick growth can make it a formidable presence on the battlefield.

Bloodthirsty Aerialist - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mausoleum Harpy MTG card by a specific set like Rivals of Ixalan, 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 Mausoleum Harpy and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mausoleum Harpy has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2018-01-19	A permanent is any object on the battlefield, including tokens and lands. Spells and emblems aren’t permanents.
2018-01-19	Ascend on a permanent isn’t a triggered ability and doesn’t use the stack. Players can respond to a spell that will give you your tenth permanent, but they can’t respond to getting the city’s blessing once you control that tenth permanent. This means that if your tenth permanent is a land you play, players can’t respond before you get the city’s blessing.
2018-01-19	If another creature you control is dealt lethal damage at the same time that Mausoleum Harpy is dealt lethal damage, Mausoleum Harpy won’t be saved by the +1/+1 counter that would have been put on it.
2018-01-19	If you cast a spell with ascend, you don’t get the city’s blessing until it resolves. Players may respond to that spell by trying to change whether you get the city’s blessing.
2018-01-19	If you control ten permanents but don’t control a permanent or resolving spell with ascend, you don’t get the city’s blessing. For example, if you control ten permanents, lose control of one, then cast Golden Demise, you won’t have the city’s blessing and the spell will affect creatures you control.
2018-01-19	If your tenth permanent enters the battlefield and then a permanent leaves the battlefield immediately afterwards (most likely due to the “Legend Rule” or due to being a creature with 0 toughness), you get the city’s blessing before it leaves the battlefield.
2018-01-19	Once you have the city’s blessing, you have it for the rest of the game, even if you lose control of some or all of your permanents. The city’s blessing isn’t a permanent itself and can’t be removed by any effect.
2018-01-19	Some cards have triggered abilities with an intervening “if” clause that checks whether you have the city’s blessing. These are worded “ -rigger condition], if you have the city’s blessing, -ffect].” You must already have the city’s blessing in order for these abilities to trigger; otherwise they do nothing. In other words, there’s no way to have the ability trigger if you don’t have the city’s blessing, even if you intend to get it in response to the triggered ability.