Sabertooth Nishoba MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With its protection from blue and from red, Sabertooth Nishoba can bypass common removal spells in those colors, helping to maintain your board presence without losing card equity.

Resource Acceleration: Although not a direct source of resource acceleration, its formidable stats means it can quickly end games, reducing the need for additional resources.

Instant Speed: While Sabertooth Nishoba itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, its protections allow for safe end-of-turn plays without the fear of being easily countered or removed by specific instant speed interactions in those colors.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While the Sabertooth Nishoba doesn’t force a discard itself, it demands careful hand management. Accumulating the necessary mana to play it might mean holding onto cards longer, risking having to discard other valuable pieces in the mid to late game when facing hand-size limits.

Specific Mana Cost: Sabertooth Nishoba’s cost includes both green and white mana, making it a stricter fit for decks. It’s particularly challenging for multicolored decks that may have inconsistent mana bases, as having the right colors at the right time is crucial for casting it efficiently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three generic, one green, and two white mana, this card can be a steep investment. In a meta that often prizes speed and efficiency, allocating six mana to a single creature could be a setback, as it potentially takes a whole turn’s worth of resources, delaying other plays and impacting the game’s tempo.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Sabertooth Nishoba presents a multi-faceted threat with its trample and protection from blue and from red, making it a resilient choice against a variety of decks that rely on these colors for control or direct damage.

Combo Potential: It has natural synergy with effects that capitalize on its ability to deal damage without being easily blocked or targeted, bolstering its impact in creature-focused strategies.

Meta-Relevance: Given its inherent safeguards against popular removal spells, Sabertooth Nishoba can thrive in environments where blue and red spells dominate, securing its position as a formidable presence on the battlefield.

How to beat Sabertooth Nishoba

Sabertooth Nishoba may appear daunting with its blend of trample and protection from blue and from red, making it a formidable presence on the battlefield. To successfully navigate against this beast, it’s crucial to step outside the realm of conventional damage-based removal that typically originates from blue or red spells. Look towards black or white removal spells such as Path to Exile or Murder, which can effectively target Sabertooth Nishoba despite its protections. In terms of combat, since the protection does not extend to every color, creatures in black or white can also serve as apt blockers or can use spells like Doom Blade to remove it from the board.

It’s also worth noting enchantments such as Pacifism or control effects like Turn to Frog, which can nullify Sabertooth Nishoba’s potent abilities without having to remove it from play. Edict effects that force a sacrifice, such as Diabolic Edict, can also bypass its protections since sacrifices do not target. By focusing on these alternative strategies, the once intimidating Sabertooth Nishoba can be swiftly addressed, ensuring your position on the battlefield remains secure.