Isperia the Inscrutable MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Creature — Sphinx
Abilities Flying
Power 3
Toughness 6

Key Takeaways

  1. Isperia’s ability to fetch creatures after dealing damage gives players a tactical edge in MTG matches.
  2. Her casting cost requires a specific mana setup, potentially limiting deck-building flexibility.
  3. Despite her power, strategic countering can mitigate Isperia’s impact on the game.

Text of card

Flying Whenever Isperia the Inscrutable deals combat damage to a player, name a card. That player reveals his or her hand. If he or she reveals the named card, search your library for a creature card with flying, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Isperia the Inscrutable offers a unique approach to card advantage by allowing you to search your library for a card whenever damage is dealt to an opponent by Isperia, effectively providing you access to specific creatures when you need them.

Resource Acceleration: While Isperia itself doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, her ability to tutor creatures can indirectly lead to resource acceleration by fetching creatures that do provide mana or reduce casting costs on subsequent turns.

Instant Speed: Isperia may not be an instant, but her influence on the game encourages playing at instant speed. Knowing the contents of your opponent’s hand allows you to make more informed decisions, keeping mana open and interacting on your opponent’s turn with the confidence of her backing.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Isperia the Inscrutable demands that you reveal a card from your hand to search for a creature card with flying. This can be a setback as it forces you to give away part of your game plan to your opponents.

Specific Mana Cost: To summon Isperia, the deck must accommodate a strict mana requirement of two white and two blue mana. This can often constrain your deckbuilding options and makes it challenging to play in a multi-colored deck that may not support such requirements efficiently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana total, Isperia can be seen as an investment that might not pay off immediately in a game where pacing is critical. Other creatures or spells at or below this cost could potentially provide immediate impact or more versatile abilities.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Isperia the Inscrutable serves as a cornerstone in decks that prize information and flying tactics. As a key component in both casual and competitive formats, her ability to fetch creatures ensures her place in varied deck archetypes, bolstering strategies from control to bird tribal builds.

Combo Potential: The synergy between Isperia’s ability to reveal cards and the suite of cards enabling unblockable attacks or information gathering, like clairvoyance spells, enhances the opportunity to formulate powerful combos. This enables the user to maintain card advantage and board presence, making Isperia a linchpin in combos and intricate plays.

Meta-Relevance: In a gameplay environment where flyers can dominate and information is power, Isperia stands out. Her presence in a deck applies pressure on opponents to find answers to both an evasive threat and the consistent advantage garnered through her triggered ability, cementing her relevance in any meta that highlights tactical card play.


How to beat

Isperia the Inscrutable becomes a noteworthy challenge on the board in Magic: The Gathering. This card’s unique ability to seek out additional flyer creatures from your deck makes it a strategic asset. However, its strength can also be its downfall. Since the ability is triggered upon dealing combat damage to a player, countering Isperia the Inscrutable involves preventing this connection. Cards that can restrict combat damage or remove flyers from combat, such as Ghostly Prison or there are spells such as Polymorph’s Jest, that can effectively neutralize her ability by turning the potent flyers into harmless creatures without their crucial abilities.

Utilizing removal spells is another effective strategy. Targeted removal like Path to Exile or broader board wipes, such as Wrath of God, can clear Isperia off the board before her ability activates. Be mindful of the fact that she requires you to name a card upon attack, which means that keeping a diverse and unpredictable deck can keep your opponents second-guessing and decrease the chances of Isperia’s successful searches. Thus, while Isperia poses a threat on the battlefield, she is not unbeatable with the right strategies and cards.


Understanding Isperia the Inscrutable

Delving into the diverse roster of MTG creatures, Isperia the Inscrutable emerges as a unique flyer with an ability that rewards shrewd strategy. As a flyer, Isperia stands shoulder to wing with other notable aerial threats but with an intriguing twist – its guessing game that allows players to search their library for a creature card. This interaction positions Isperia differently compared to straightforward flyers like Serra Angel who offers vigilant beatdowns without the added layer of library manipulation.

Cards like Isperia the Inscrutable

Isperia the Inscrutable draws attention in MTG for its distinctive ability to fetch cards. When casting this card, savvy players can look to cards like Linvala, Keeper of Silence for a comparative understanding. Linvala similarly offers a flying presence but caters to a more controlling playstyle, inhibiting activated abilities of opponents’ creatures. Additionally, the strategy nuances of Isperia can be likened to creatures like Dragonlord Ojutai, which also grants card advantage but relies on dealing combat damage to a player to trigger the effect. While Isperia requires more guesswork and setup, its ability to pluck specific cards without combat positions it in a tactical niche of sky-based card advantage in MTG. Swift and strategic, Isperia gives players a methodical edge in controlling the field from above.

Linvala, Keeper of Silence - MTG Card versions
Dragonlord Ojutai - MTG Card versions
Linvala, Keeper of Silence - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Dragonlord Ojutai - Dragons of Tarkir (DTK)

Cards similar to Isperia the Inscrutable by color, type and mana cost

Tobias Andrion - MTG Card versions
Armored Guardian - MTG Card versions
Kangee, Sky Warden - MTG Card versions
Yorion, Sky Nomad - MTG Card versions
Windreaver - MTG Card versions
Sky Hussar - MTG Card versions
Whip-Spine Drake - MTG Card versions
Godhead of Awe - MTG Card versions
Glamer Spinners - MTG Card versions
Azor's Elocutors - MTG Card versions
Jelenn Sphinx - MTG Card versions
Lavinia of the Tenth - MTG Card versions
Dragonlord Ojutai - MTG Card versions
Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper - MTG Card versions
Cloudblazer - MTG Card versions
Azorius Knight-Arbiter - MTG Card versions
Shabraz, the Skyshark - MTG Card versions
Inniaz, the Gale Force - MTG Card versions
A-Metropolis Angel - MTG Card versions
The Council of Four - MTG Card versions
Tobias Andrion - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Armored Guardian - Invasion (INV)
Kangee, Sky Warden - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Yorion, Sky Nomad - Multiverse Legends (MUL)
Windreaver - RNA Guild Kit (GK2)
Sky Hussar - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Whip-Spine Drake - Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)
Godhead of Awe - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Glamer Spinners - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Azor's Elocutors - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Jelenn Sphinx - Battlebond (BBD)
Lavinia of the Tenth - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Dragonlord Ojutai - Secret Lair 30th Anniversary Countdown Kit (SLC)
Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper - Battle for Zendikar Promos (PBFZ)
Cloudblazer - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Azorius Knight-Arbiter - Ravnica Allegiance (RNA)
Shabraz, the Skyshark - The List (PLST)
Inniaz, the Gale Force - Jumpstart (JMP)
A-Metropolis Angel - Streets of New Capenna (SNC)
The Council of Four - Battle for Baldur's Gate Promos (PCLB)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Isperia the Inscrutable MTG card by a specific set like Dissension and RNA Guild Kit, 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 Isperia the Inscrutable and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Isperia the Inscrutable Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2006-05-05 and 2019-02-15. Illustrated by Greg Staples.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12006-05-05DissensionDIS 1142003normalblackGreg Staples
22019-02-15RNA Guild KitGK2 132015normalblackGreg Staples

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Isperia the Inscrutable has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2006-05-01 The card is named when the ability resolves. The named card can’t be played after it’s named but before the player’s hand is revealed.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks