Nahiri, the Harbinger MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Planeswalker — Nahiri
Loyalty 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Nahiri refines hands by allowing the swap of cards, maximizing in-game strategic flexibility and consistency.
  2. Her ability to exile tapped artifacts or creatures accelerates the board’s impact, aiding direct paths to victory.
  3. She can summon creatures at instant speed with her ultimate, unexpectedly altering the battlefield and game outcome.

Text of card

+2: You may discard a card. If you do, draw a card. −2: Exile target enchantment, tapped artifact, or tapped creature. −8: Search your library for an artifact or creature card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library. It gains haste. Return it to your hand at the beginning of the next end step.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Nahiri the Harbinger offers unique card filtering by letting you discard unwanted cards and then draw, refining your hand’s quality each turn. This can be critical in outmaneuvering opponents by ensuring you have access to the answers or threats you need when you need them.

Resource Acceleration: With the ability to exile tapped artifacts, creatures, or enchantments, Nahiri accelerates your resource impact on the board by removing potential blockers or threats, allowing for a smoother pathway to victory.

Instant Speed: While Nahiri herself is a planeswalker and not an instant, her ultimate ability puts a creature card from your hand onto the battlefield, ready to attack immediately, creating sudden shifts in the game state that can catch opponents off guard and turn the tides in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Nahiri the Harbinger demands a careful balancing act when utilizing her -2 ability. This loyalty ability requires you to discard a card in order to draw another, a trade-off that can sometimes hinder your card advantage if not managed correctly.

Specific Mana Cost: Casting Nahiri the Harbinger in your deck means committing to a precise mana arrangement. With a casting cost that includes both white and red mana, her inclusion is naturally more fluent in certain types of decks, potentially limiting her versatility across the broad spectrum of MTG archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a cost of four mana including two specific colors, Nahiri finds herself at a higher mana tier. While her abilities can be game-changing, it’s essential to consider if her cost aligns with your deck’s tempo and whether her impact justifies her place over more cost-effective cards.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Nahiri the Harbinger boasts a wide range of abilities, making her a formidable inclusion in various strategies. With the power to exile enchantments, tapped creatures, or tapped artifacts, she seamlessly fits into control and midrange decks.

Combo Potential: Nahiri’s ultimate ability allows you to fetch any creature card from your library and put it onto the battlefield. This can be paired with numerous game-ending creatures to tilt the match in your favor, showcasing her outstanding combo potential.

Meta-Relevance: Given her ability to deal with a spectrum of threats and her synergy with graveyard strategies, Nahiri has proven to be a relevant planeswalker in different metagame scenarios. Her loyalty abilities cater to the ever-evolving meta, making her a wise choice for players aiming to stay competitive.


How to beat Nahiri the Harbinger

In the intricate dance of Magic: The Gathering, Nahiri the Harbinger poses a challenging presence on the battlefield. This versatile planeswalker has the ability to exile enchantments, tapped artifacts, or tapped creatures, disrupting well-laid plans with ease. Moreover, her ultimate ability can be devastating, summoning a game-ending threat straight into play. Countering such versatility requires strategy.

Direct damage spells or creature abilities that can target planeswalkers act as your frontline defense. Consider lightning-fast spells like Lightning Bolt or Murderous Rider to quickly reduce Nahiri’s loyalty counters. Playing around her -2 ability demands clever maneuvering; only commit key creatures when you’re ready to protect them or when Nahiri’s loyalty is too low to pose an immediate threat.

Denying resources and controlling the pace are vital. Discard spells to strip this threat from your opponent’s hand before they can cast it or countermagic to prevent Nahiri from entering the field in the first place can be particularly effective. In a pinch, overwhelming the board with creatures to pressure life total can divert attention from Nahiri’s abilities, allowing you to steadily tip the scales in your favor. Each game differs, but with the right approach, Nahiri the Harbinger can be overcome.


BurnMana Recommendations

With Nahiri the Harbinger, you harness the power to outmaneuver your MTG opponents through strategic discarding and on-the-spot exiling. Her transformative impact can redefine the game, offering both challenges and opportunities in deck building and during play. Balancing her abilities with your strategy is key, and understanding her strengths and weaknesses will sharpen your competitive edge. The intricate world of MTG is a puzzle that Nahiri fits into superbly. Explore the full potential of this planeswalker and discover how she can escalate your game. Dive deeper with us, unlock advanced plays, and stay ahead in the MTG arena.


Cards like Nahiri, the Harbinger

Nahiri, the Harbinger is a versatile planeswalker card in Magic: The Gathering that stands out in any deck featuring red and white colors. It bears similarities to other planeswalkers like Ajani Vengeant, which can also control the battlefield with direct damage and creature lockdown capabilities. Nahiri, however, boasts the unique ability to exile enchantments, tapped artifacts, or tapped creatures, giving players an edge by dealing with immediate threats on the board.

In comparison, Chandra, Torch of Defiance provides a similar spectrum of options, although catering more towards mana acceleration and card advantage. While Chandra excels in raw power and damage output, Nahiri offers a more tactical approach with her ultimate ability that fetches a powerful creature or artifact straight to the battlefield. Additionally, Elspeth, Sun’s Champion creates many creature tokens and features a wide-reaching destruction effect but lacks Nahiri’s capacity for precise and versatile exiling.

Nahiri, the Harbinger holds a firm place among red and white planeswalkers, providing unique removal options and an ultimate ability that can be a game-changer, affirming her utility in a variety of gameplay situations.

Ajani Vengeant - MTG Card versions
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - MTG Card versions
Elspeth, Sun's Champion - MTG Card versions
Ajani Vengeant - Shards of Alara (ALA)
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Kaladesh (KLD)
Elspeth, Sun's Champion - Theros (THS)

Cards similar to Nahiri, the Harbinger by color, type and mana cost

Nahiri, Storm of Stone - MTG Card versions
Ajani Vengeant - MTG Card versions
Nahiri, Heir of the Ancients - MTG Card versions
A-Nahiri, Heir of the Ancients - MTG Card versions
Comet, Stellar Pup - MTG Card versions
Nahiri, the Unforgiving - MTG Card versions
Nahiri, Storm of Stone - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Ajani Vengeant - Duel Decks: Ajani vs. Nicol Bolas (DDH)
Nahiri, Heir of the Ancients - Zendikar Rising Promos (PZNR)
A-Nahiri, Heir of the Ancients - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Comet, Stellar Pup - Unfinity (UNF)
Nahiri, the Unforgiving - Phyrexia: All Will Be One (ONE)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Nahiri, the Harbinger MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad and Shadows over Innistrad Promos, 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 Nahiri, the Harbinger and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Nahiri, the Harbinger Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2016-04-08 and 2023-08-04. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-04-08Shadows over InnistradSOI 2472015normalblackAleksi Briclot
22016-04-08Shadows over Innistrad PromosPSOI 247s2015normalblackAleksi Briclot
32018-10-05Mythic EditionMED WS72015normalborderlessKieran Yanner
42020-04-17Commander 2020C20 2232015normalblackAleksi Briclot
52023-03-21Shadows over Innistrad RemasteredSIR 2382015normalblackAleksi Briclot
62023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 9292015normalblackAleksi Briclot

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Nahiri, the Harbinger has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Nahiri, the Harbinger card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2016-04-08 If the artifact or creature put onto the battlefield with Nahiri’s third ability leaves the battlefield before the next end step, it won’t be returned to your hand from its new zone.
2016-04-08 If you find a noncreature artifact with Nahiri’s third ability, it will still gain haste, even though it won’t be meaningful unless that artifact becomes a creature.
2016-04-08 You can activate Nahiri’s first ability with no intention of discarding a card just to add loyalty to Nahiri.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks