Screeching Silcaw MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Bird
Abilities	Flying,Metalcraft,Mill
Released	2010-10-01
Set symbol
Set name	Scars of Mirrodin
Set code	SOM
Power	1
Toughness	2
Number	42
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Mike Bierek

Key Takeaways

Screeching Silcaw grants card advantage by drawing cards when dealing combat damage.
Its flash ability introduces surprise elements and combat trick opportunities.
The requirement to discard can be a strategic downside to consider.

Text of card

Flying Metalcraft — Whenever Screeching Silcaw deals combat damage to a player, if you control three or more artifacts, that player puts the top four cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.

It's adaptively deaf to its own cries.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Screeching Silcaw provides an excellent opportunity to maintain card superiority. By evoking card draw upon dealing combat damage to a player, it allows you to replenish your hand, ensuring a continuous flow of resources throughout the game.

Resource Acceleration: Given its low casting cost, this card integrates seamlessly into your mana curve, boosting your ability to play high-impact spells sooner. Accelerating your resources in this manner can give you a significant edge over your opponent.

Instant Speed: The ability to flash in Screeching Silcaw adds a layer of complexity and surprise to your game plan. It enables you to adapt to the evolving game state and potentially disrupt your opponent’s strategy by presenting an unexpected blocker or attacker at the most opportune moment.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Screeching Silcaw requires a card to be discarded for its ability to be activated. This could potentially deplete your hand, reducing your options as the game progresses.

Specific Mana Cost: With a mana cost that includes blue mana, Screeching Silcaw is not a universally flexible card and might not fit effortlessly into multicolored decks that are short on blue sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Considering its mana cost relative to its abilities, Screeching Silcaw might not be the most mana-efficient flyer available, especially when there are other creatures that come with built-in evasion or stronger stat lines for a similar investment.

Reasons to Include Screeching Silcaw in Your Collection

Versatility: Screeching Silcaw offers a unique mix of evasion and milling. It’s a useful addition to decks that aim to win through damage in the air or those looking to disrupt an opponent’s library. Its ability to adapt to various game plans makes it a flexible pick.

Combo Potential: With flying and the capacity to force a mill whenever it hits the opponent, Screeching Silcaw can synergize with cards that capitalize on opponents’ graveyard contents. It teams up well with mechanics like Delve and Flashback, or anything that benefits from cards being in your opponent’s graveyard.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where graveyard strategies are prevalent or where flying creatures can swing games, Screeching Silcaw can become an unexpected ace. It’s especially potent in Limited formats or as a sideboard choice against decks weak to incidental milling or flying threats.

How to Beat Screeching Silcaw

Screeching Silcaw emerges as a versatile flyer in MTG, with the potential to disrupt an opponent’s game plan. As a card that features milling ability coupled with flying, it is designed to challenge your battlefield strategy. To effectively counter this card, focusing on removal spells that can target creatures regardless of their ability to fly is crucial. Options such as Murder or Doom Blade can provide an immediate solution to the threat posed by Screeching Silcaw. Alternatively, employing creatures with reach or any form of anti-aircraft abilities can deter or eliminate Screeching Silcaw from the equation without using spells from your hand. It’s key to address this card swiftly, as allowing it to persist unchecked can slowly, but surely, wear down your library and threaten you with a loss via milling.

Another strategy to consider is to utilize graveyard shuffle effects that can thwart the milling strategy associated with Screeching Silcaw. Cards like Elixir of Immortality can counteract the mill mechanism by recycling your graveyard into your library, negating the card’s potential impact. With these tactics, you can maintain control of the game and prevent Screeching Silcaw from gaining a strategic advantage.

Cards like Screeching Silcaw

Screeching Silcaw offers a unique presence in the skies for players who treasure flying threats in their creature line-up. When you compare this feathered denizen with other flyers in Magic: The Gathering, cards like Suntail Hawk first come to mind. Both feature the flying ability, but Screeching Silcaw advances this with an additional layer—its mill mechanic, which sends cards from the top of your opponent’s library to their graveyard. Suntail Hawk, while a reliable low-cost creature, does not exert the same kind of strategic pressure on an opponent’s deck.

Looking at cards with a similar milling effect, Thought Harvester provides an intriguing parallel. Though it has a higher casting cost compared to Screeching Silcaw, it also blends flying with the ability to exile cards from an opponent’s library, raising the stakes by potentially removing their tools for good. Nevertheless, the lower cost of Screeching Silcaw might make it a preferred choice for an aggressive early game strategy.

Understanding the nuances and potential interactions among Magic: The Gathering cards is essential. Screeching Silcaw carves out its niche effectively by providing both an evasive creature and a method to disrupt an opponent’s game plan right from the skies.

Cards similar to Screeching Silcaw by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Screeching Silcaw MTG card by a specific set like Scars of Mirrodin, 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 Screeching Silcaw and other MTG cards: