Scavenging Harpy MTG Card

Scavenging Harpy can disrupt opponent’s graveyard strategies, providing a subtle edge. The card’s dependency on an opponent’s hand and graveyard can be situational and restrictive. Its versatility makes it an interesting option for decks that manipulate graveyards or require flyers.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Harpy
Abilities	Flying
Released	2020-01-24
Set symbol
Set name	Theros Beyond Death
Set code	THB
Power	2
Toughness	1
Number	114
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Daniel Ljunggren

Text of card

Flying When Scavenging Harpy enters the battlefield, exile target card from an opponent's graveyard.

Desecrating the dead is a convenient way for harpies to expand their foul collections.

Cards like Scavenging Harpy

Scavenging Harpy emerges in Magic: The Gathering as an intriguing creature card with the ability to impact both the battlefield and the graveyard. It bears a resemblance to cards like Burglar Rat which forces opponents to discard a card upon entering the battlefield. However, Scavenging Harpy offers a different edge with its flying ability, offering evasion in combat scenarios where Burglar Rat cannot.

Another card in close comparison is Fell Specter, which also leverages the loss of an opponent’s card. While the Specter deals direct damage to an opponent whenever they discard a card, Scavenging Harpy places more focus on creature combat with its flying trait. Yarok’s Fenlurker expands on the theme of affecting opponents’ hands by having each opponent exile a card from their hand. Though it doesn’t fly, it offers an exile effect rather than a discard.

Assessing these cards alongside Scavenging Harpy underlines how each card offers unique advantages for various strategies within the game, highlighting the versatility of creature cards that interact with an opponent’s hand and graveyard in MTG.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Scavenging Harpy enables you to pluck a card from an opponent’s graveyard upon its entry to the battlefield, subtly tilting the card advantage in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Although it won’t directly ramp your mana, removing key cards from the opposing graveyard can disrupt their resource acceleration plans.

Instant Speed: While Scavenging Harpy itself is not an instant, it can effectively respond to instant-speed graveyard strategies, helping to keep the pace of your own game plan.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Scavenging Harpy presents a condition upon entering the battlefield where an opponent must discard a card. This might not always be beneficial as it assumes your opponent has a valuable card in hand, which is not always the case, especially in the late game.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost to summon Scavenging Harpy includes both black and generic mana. This can sometimes be restrictive, as it requires you to play in colors that support black mana, potentially limiting its integration in multi-color or colorless decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Having to spend three mana for a 2/1 creature might not represent the best value, especially comparing Scavenging Harpy to other cards within the same mana range that could offer greater board presence or additional abilities.

Reasons to Include Scavenging Harpy in Your Collection

Versatility: Scavenging Harpy offers a flexible role in many deck builds, easily fitting into strategies that require aerial attackers, creature removal, or graveyard disruption.

Combo Potential: The Harpy’s ability to exile an opponent’s card from their graveyard upon entering the battlefield makes it a potential piece in combo decks, interacting with various mechanics that benefit from graveyard manipulation.

Meta-Relevance: With graveyard-based strategies often prevalent in certain metagames, Scavenging Harpy has the advantage of hindering opponents’ plans, making it a worthy consideration for sideboards or even main deck inclusion depending on the environment.

How to beat

Scavenging Harpy presents a unique challenge among creatures in Magic: The Gathering. With its ability to make an opponent exile a card from their graveyard upon entering the battlefield, it is especially potent in formats where graveyard strategies prevail. This flying Harpy can be a thorn in the side of those relying heavily on their graveyard for synergy.

To successfully navigate against Scavenging Harpy, one effective strategy is the use of instant-speed removal. By removing the Harpy before it can attack and start generating value, its impact is minimized. Another tactic is to render its ability moot by utilizing cards that benefit from being in the graveyard or simply by maintaining a graveyard with fewer high-value targets. Cards that can replace themselves or provide value even when exiled can also mitigate the disruption caused by the Harpy.

Overall, the key to overcoming the challenges posed by Scavenging Harpy lies in a combination of preparedness and quick response, ensuring that its presence on the board is as inconsequential as possible to your strategy. Maintaining a flexible game plan and having the right answers at the right time will greatly reduce the Harpy’s potential to disrupt your game.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Scavenging Harpy MTG card by a specific set like Theros Beyond Death, 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 Scavenging Harpy and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Scavenging Harpy has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal