Sapphire Dragon // Psionic Pulse MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 7 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Instant — Adventure |
| Released | 2022-06-10 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate |
| Set code | CLB |
| Number | 94 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Adventure |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Joe Slucher |
Key Takeaways
- Card advantage from combat damage keeps your hand filled, bolstering your decking strategies.
- Resource acceleration and instant playability enable swift and flexible gameplay.
- Flash ability surprises opponents and allows for strategic combat responses.
Text of card
Counter target noncreature spell. (Then exile this card. You may cast the creature later from exile.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Sapphire Dragon bolsters your hand, letting you soar ahead by drawing additional cards whenever it deals combat damage to an opponent. This ability is a gem for decking strategy, ensuring you rarely run low on options.
Resource Acceleration: Notably, this mythical creature accelerates your resources each time it takes to the skies and lands a blow. This can translate to faster plays, keeping the tempo in your favor as the tides of the game shift.
Instant Speed: With its flash ability, the Sapphire Dragon can make a grand entrance at the most opportune moment. By enabling you to pass turns without committing mana, it keeps adversaries guessing and allows for responsive play during the heat of battle.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Sapphire Dragon necessitates a discard from the player’s hand, which could be a setback during stages of the game where maintaining card advantage is crucial.
Specific Mana Cost: This creature demands a specific blue mana alignment, which restricts deck flexibility and may impede its integration into multi-color strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The imposing mana expenditure required to summon Sapphire Dragon can be a hindrance, especially when faster, more impactful board presences are needed to keep pace with opponents.
Reasons to Include Sapphire Dragon in Your Collection
Versatility: Sapphire Dragon can be a game-changer in various deck archetypes. Due to its flying ability, it provides a reliable offensive and defensive aerial threat that fits seamlessly into blue-focused or multicolor dragon decks.
Combo Potential: This dragon presents a multitude of synergy opportunities, particularly with cards that capitalize on flying creatures or those that reward you for playing dragons, amplifying your in-game strategy.
Meta-Relevance: Given its substantial presence on the battlefield, in a meta with decks that struggle to handle robust flyers, Sapphire Dragon can be a cornerstone in your deck, outmaneuvering opponents and cementing your board dominance.
How to beat
The allure of the Sapphire Dragon in Magic: The Gathering is undeniable, with its flying ability rendering it out of reach for many ground-based defenses. To effectively counter this formidable creature, adapting your strategy is key. Incorporating targeted removal spells such as Rapid Hybridization or Path to Exile can swiftly address the threat it poses without requiring combat. It’s critical to have removal ready, given that once the Sapphire Dragon is on the battlefield, it can dominate the skies unless promptly managed.
Another efficient approach involves exploiting its mana cost. As a higher-cost creature, the Sapphire Dragon can be hindered by mana denial strategies or cards that delay its casting, like Damping Sphere and Frost Titan. By restricting your opponent’s resources or increasing the cost to play creatures, you lower the chances of the Sapphire Dragon making an early and influential appearance. Preparing these strategies in your deck will enable you to maintain control of the game and ultimately lead you to victory over the majestic Sapphire Dragon.
BurnMana Recommendations
Mastering the sky battles and resource management in MTG can be as exhilarating as it is strategic. With the Sapphire Dragon, you harness the power to draw cards and accelerate your resources, all while maintaining the surprise element with its flash ability. Balancing its strengths with the challenges of specific mana requirements and higher cost is part of what makes deck building an art. Enhance your gameplay experience and explore the intricate dance of power and strategy with this mythical dragon. Ready to refine your deck and optimize your strategy? Dive deeper into the tactical nuances of MTG with us.
Cards like Sapphire Dragon // Psionic Pulse
Sapphire Dragon is a creature that commands attention on the battlefield within the Magic: The Gathering arena. Its striking similarity to cards like Shivan Dragon is evident, where both dragons offer a boost in power for an investment of mana. Yet, Sapphire Dragon stands out with its flying ability, making it unblockable by creatures without flying or reach, an advantage in aerial combat.
Next in comparison is Frost Breath Dragon, painting another picture of what a high-cost, impactful flyer can represent in a player’s deck. This winged behemoth also flies high, but brings along the chilling ability to tap opposing creatures, potentially freezing out an adversary’s defense. Despite this, Sapphire Dragon’s agility in the air and its power boost potential often tip the scales in its favor during a high-stakes match.
Considering all angles, Sapphire Dragon shines within its category, flexing its aerial dominance and scaling threat level. Its place amongst its draconic peers is secure, not merely for its power but for how it can dictate the pace of play from the skies, a true testament to its might in the world of Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Sapphire Dragon // Psionic Pulse by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Sapphire Dragon // Psionic Pulse MTG card by a specific set like Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate, 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 Sapphire Dragon // Psionic Pulse and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Sapphire Dragon // Psionic Pulse has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sapphire Dragon // Psionic Pulse card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2022-06-10 | An adventurer card is a permanent card in every zone except the stack, as well as while on the stack if not cast as an Adventure. Ignore its alternative characteristics in those cases. For example, while it’s in your graveyard, Altar of Bhaal is an artifact card whose mana value is 2. |
| 2022-06-10 | An effect may refer to a card, spell, or permanent that “has an Adventure.” This refers to a card, spell, or permanent that has an adventurer card’s set of alternative characteristics, even if they’re not being used and even if that card was never cast as an Adventure. |
| 2022-06-10 | Casting a card as an Adventure isn’t casting it for an alternative cost. Effects that allow you to cast a spell for an alternative cost or without paying its mana cost may allow you to apply those to the Adventure. |
| 2022-06-10 | If a spell is cast as an Adventure, its controller exiles it instead of putting it into its owner’s graveyard as it resolves. For as long as it remains exiled, that player may cast it as a permanent spell. If an Adventure spell leaves the stack in any way other than resolving (most likely by being countered or by failing to resolve because its targets have all become illegal), that card won’t be exiled and the spell’s controller won’t be able to cast it as a permanent later. |
| 2022-06-10 | If an adventurer card ends up in exile for any other reason than by exiling itself while resolving, it won’t give you permission to cast it as a permanent spell. |
| 2022-06-10 | If an effect copies an Adventure spell, that copy is exiled as it resolves. It ceases to exist as a state-based action; it’s not possible to cast the copy from exile. |
| 2022-06-10 | If an effect instructs you to choose a card name, you may choose the alternative Adventure name. Consider only the alternative characteristics to determine whether that is an appropriate name to choose. |
| 2022-06-10 | If an object becomes a copy of an object that has an Adventure, the copy also has an Adventure. If it changes zones, it will either cease to exist (if it’s a token) or cease to be a copy (if it’s a nontoken permanent), and so you won’t be able to cast it as an Adventure. |
| 2022-06-10 | If you cast an adventurer card as an Adventure, use only its alternative characteristics to determine whether it’s legal to cast that spell. |
| 2022-06-10 | When casting a spell as an Adventure, use the alternative characteristics and ignore all of the card’s normal characteristics. The spell’s color, mana cost, mana value, and so on are determined by only those alternative characteristics. If the spell leaves the stack, it immediately resumes using its normal characteristics. |
| 2022-06-10 | You must still follow any relevant timing rules for the permanent spell you cast from exile. Normally, you’ll be able to cast it only during your main phase while the stack is empty. |