Oboro Envoy MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Moonfolk Wizard |
| Abilities | Flying |
| Released | 2005-06-03 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Saviors of Kamigawa |
| Set code | SOK |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 3 |
| Number | 49 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Rob Alexander |
Key Takeaways
- Oboro Envoy grants card draw with land plays, enhancing strategic hand management and providing game longevity.
- Synergizes with land-centric decks, though the specific mana cost and discard aspect may limit its versatility.
- Despite higher costs, its unique ability to manipulate game dynamics makes it a worthy addition for deck strategies.
Text of card
Flying , Return a land you control to its owner's hand: Target creature gets -X/-0, where X is the number of cards in your hand.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Oboro Envoy encourages strategic hand management by offering you a unique way to ensure a steady flow of cards. Every time you play a land, you can tap it to draw a card, thus facilitating a continuous supply of new options and plays.
Resource Acceleration: This card synergizes well with decks that capitalize on playing multiple lands in a turn or returning lands to your hand to play them again. This interaction can effectively accelerate your resources, giving you access to more mana and plays as the game progresses.
Instant Speed: While the Envoy itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, it complements instant-speed strategies by providing additional draw opportunities. This means you can keep mana available for spells at crucial moments without compromising your chance to add to your hand, ensuring you’re never falling behind in options.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Oboro Envoy necessitates discarding a card to activate its key ability, making it a challenging option when your hand is already depleted or the resources you hold are too valuable to lose.
Specific Mana Cost: This creature card demands a specific mana alignment, in this case, blue. This requirement can limit deck compatibility, confining it mostly to mono-blue or two-color decks where blue is a major component.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that leans towards the higher side for its effect, players might find that Oboro Envoy doesn’t provide enough impact on the game relative to other card choices in the same mana range.
Reasons to Include Oboro Envoy in Your Collection
Versatility: Oboro Envoy is a flexible addition to any deck that thrives on manipulating creatures’ power and toughness. Its ability to adjust stats can be critical for overcoming stalemates or surprise blocking strategies.
Combo Potential: This card is an excellent enabler for combos, melding seamlessly with mechanics that are triggered by targeting creatures, like prowess, or that benefit from repeated casting, thanks to its low cost and reusable nature.
Meta-Relevance: With a format that often shifts between aggressive and controlling playstyles, Oboro Envoy maintains relevance by providing a recurring tactical advantage, whether by buffing your creatures or weakening opponents’ key threats.
How to beat Oboro Envoy
Oboro Envoy presents a unique challenge on the battlefield with its ability to alter power and toughness of creatures. This can lead to strategic advantage for your opponent, where they’re capable of fine-tuning creatures for trades or evading removal spells. To effectively counter this nuanced ability, it’s essential to prioritize removal spells that bypass power and toughness alterations.
Direct removal spells like Path to Exile or Murder are excellent choices, as they can eliminate Oboro Envoy regardless of the power and toughness modifications it dictates. Moreover, sweepers like Wrath of God can clear the board without having to target specific creatures, which circumvents the Envoy’s influence altogether. It’s also worth considering countermagic; countering Oboro Envoy before it hits the playing field keeps its ability off the table.
Lastly, keeping pressure with aggressive strategies can force your opponent to use the Envoy defensively, limiting its effectiveness. Board presence and timing are crucial. By addressing the Envoy punctually and maintaining a robust line of creatures, you ensure minimal impact from its ability and maintain control over the course of the game.
Cards like Oboro Envoy
Oboro Envoy is an interesting card to explore in the context of Magic: The Gathering. This creature card provides a level of versatility that can be compared to other utility creatures in the game. Akin to the envoy, Man-o’-War also manipulates the board state by returning target creatures to their owner’s hand, though the envoy offers the unique benefit of being able to target and shrink opposing creatures, potentially turning the tide of combat in your favor.
Another comparison can be drawn with Mistmeadow Witch. While the witch also allows for manipulation of creatures by flickering them in and out of the battlefield, Oboro Envoy gives continuous control every turn as long as you can pay its activation cost. This repetitive use can mean sustained board control. In addition, the envoy allows you to continually weaken an opponent’s creature, a subtlety that can be advantageous during a prolonged game.
When sizing up Oboro Envoy against its peers, it stands out for its repeatable utility and control capabilities within the game of Magic: The Gathering. Players using this card can expect a strategic advantage in altering the battlefield that may well tip the balance towards victory.
Cards similar to Oboro Envoy by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Oboro Envoy MTG card by a specific set like Saviors of Kamigawa, 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 Oboro Envoy 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
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Oboro Envoy has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Oboro Envoy card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2005-06-01 | The X will usually include the land returned to pay the ability’s cost. |
| 2005-06-01 | The errata makes the ability temporary. As printed, the effect didn’t end. |