Elspeth, Knight-Errant MTG Card


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

Key Takeaways

  1. Elspeth provides card advantage by creating tokens and buffing creatures, mimicking drawing extra cards.
  2. Her abilities foster board development, similar to ramping, by augmenting creatures and ensuring their survival.
  3. Despite her cost and potential deck constraint, Elspeth’s diverse strengths make her a coveted card.

Text of card

+1: Put a 1/1 white Soldier creature token into play. +1: Target creature gets +3/+3 and gains flying until end of turn. -8: For the rest of the game, artifacts, creatures, enchantments, and lands you control are indestructible.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Elspeth Knight-Errant shines by providing consistent card advantage without actually drawing cards. Her abilities to create Soldier tokens or give permanents indestructible until end of turn allow you to amass a powerful board presence over time, which can translate into drawing multiple cards worth of value.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly accelerating mana resources, Elspeth’s second ability effectively accelerates your battlefield development. By granting a creature +3/+3 and flying until end of turn, she pushes you ahead by enabling significant damage or providing a formidable blocker in the air, which can be tantamount to advancing your board state as though you had access to more mana.

Instant Speed: While Elspeth herself does not operate at instant speed, her ability to instantaneously buff a creature or make a permanent indestructible until end of turn can be used similarly to an instant. It provides a surprise element that can disrupt your opponent’s strategy during their turn, potentially saving a key piece from removal or turning a block into a favorable trade.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Elspeth Knight-Errant does not have a direct discard requirement, using her abilities to their fullest often involves sacrificing other spells or creatures you could be playing. This can feel like a hidden cost, leveraging your hand and field presence against gaining her benefits.

Specific Mana Cost: Her casting cost demands both white mana, which can be restrictive for multi-colored decks. Decks that struggle with mana fixing may find Elspeth less consistent to cast on curve than more flexible options.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana, she comes into play later than some other impactful planeswalkers or creatures. This can delay your game plan, especially in formats where speed is crucial. There are scenarios where deploying threats or defenses earlier might be more advantageous.


Reasons to Include Elspeth Knight-Errant in Your Collection

Versatility: Elspeth Knight-Errant is a powerful multifaceted planeswalker capable of bolstering your board presence through her ability to create soldier tokens, grant a creature a power boost, and provide an emblem for indestructibility that can turn the tides in any match.

Combo Potential: Renowned for its synergy with numerous decks, this card can integrate seamlessly into a “Superfriends” strategy, enhance “Voltron” style decks by making a single creature nearly unstoppable, or simply serve as a persistent threat that demands an answer.

Meta-Relevance: With the ever-shifting landscape of the game, Elspeth Knight-Errant’s utility remains consistently valuable. Against control decks, it applies pressure without overextending, while against more aggressive strategies, it can create blockers and fortify your defenses swiftly.


How to beat

Elspeth Knight-Errant is a powerful planeswalker card in Magic: The Gathering, renowned for its versatility and ability to provide a significant advantage on the battlefield. One of her key strengths is the creation of soldier tokens, which can quickly bolster your army, and her emblem can make your permanents indestructible—a formidable barrier against most removal spells.

To effectively counter Elspeth, it’s crucial to employ disruption early in the game. Direct damage spells can reduce her loyalty counters, and creatures with haste can apply immediate pressure. Moreover, counter spells are essential when she is cast. Tackling Elspeth’s tokens involves sweepers like Supreme Verdict, which sidestep the indestructible emblem. Targeted discard spells, such as Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek, can remove her from an opponent’s hand before she even takes the field.

In sum, staying proactive and having the right answers at the ready is paramount when facing Elspeth Knight-Errant. With a strategic approach that includes both pre-emptive and reactive measures, you can dismantle the advantages she brings and maintain control of the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

In the dynamic world of MTG, Elspeth Knight-Errant emerges as a versatile force—a planeswalker capable of turning the tide of any battle. Her unique set of abilities enhance your board presence, protect your assets, and can lead you to a decisive victory. Looking to bolster your strategy with Elspeth’s power or counter her influence in your matches? Embrace the depth of insights and tactics we offer to not only strengthen your play but also outmaneuver your rivals. Stay ahead of the game with a diverse array of strategies, insights, and card analyses. Embark on your journey to mastery with us and transform your MTG experience. Dive in to discover more and raise the stakes in your next duel.


Cards like Elspeth, Knight-Errant

Elspeth Knight-Errant has left an indelible mark on the landscape of Planeswalker cards in MTG. Its counterparts, like Ajani Goldmane, share a likeness in bolstering creature strength. However, Elspeth distinguishes itself with a versatility that spans generating Soldier tokens, granting individual creatures a power-up, or providing an emblem that ensures indestructibility of permanents.

Other Planeswalkers like Gideon, Ally of Zendikar also echo Elspeth’s token-generation ability, yet Elspeth offers a greater potential for protection and board impact thanks to her emblem. Additionally, while Gideon focuses on aggressive strategies by becoming a creature, Elspeth’s ability to elevate a creature’s resilience and survivability can turn the tide in prolonged engagements.

Elspeth, Sun’s Champion, another variant in Elspeth’s lineage, carves out a niche with her sweeping battlefield clear and significant token-making ability. Yet, it’s Elspeth Knight-Errant’s lower mana cost and immediate board influence that often merit a player’s preference for inclusion in decks that require early and consistent player and permanent protection.

Ajani Goldmane - MTG Card versions
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar - MTG Card versions
Elspeth, Sun's Champion - MTG Card versions
Ajani Goldmane - Lorwyn (LRW)
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar - Battle for Zendikar Promos (PBFZ)
Elspeth, Sun's Champion - Theros (THS)

Cards similar to Elspeth, Knight-Errant by color, type and mana cost

The Wanderer - MTG Card versions
Grand Master of Flowers - MTG Card versions
Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis - MTG Card versions
Ajani Goldmane - MTG Card versions
The Wandering Emperor - MTG Card versions
Gideon, Champion of Justice - MTG Card versions
Ajani Steadfast - MTG Card versions
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar - MTG Card versions
Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants - MTG Card versions
Serra the Benevolent - MTG Card versions
Ajani, Strength of the Pride - MTG Card versions
Ajani Goldmane // Ajani Goldmane - MTG Card versions
Teyo, Aegis Adept - MTG Card versions
Archangel Elspeth - MTG Card versions
The Wanderer - Commander Masters (CMM)
Grand Master of Flowers - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Promos (PAFR)
Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis - Theros Beyond Death Promos (PTHB)
Ajani Goldmane - Magic 2011 (M11)
The Wandering Emperor - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)
Gideon, Champion of Justice - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Ajani Steadfast - Commander Masters (CMM)
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar - Regional Championship Qualifiers 2022 (PRCQ)
Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants - Core Set 2019 Promos (PM19)
Serra the Benevolent - Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)
Ajani, Strength of the Pride - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Ajani Goldmane // Ajani Goldmane - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Teyo, Aegis Adept - Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)
Archangel Elspeth - March of the Machine Promos (PMOM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Elspeth, Knight-Errant MTG card by a specific set like Shards of Alara and Modern Masters, 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 Elspeth, Knight-Errant and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Elspeth, Knight-Errant Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2008-10-03 and 2019-12-02. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12008-10-03Shards of AlaraALA 92003normalblackVolkan Baǵa
22013-06-07Modern MastersMMA 132003normalblackVolkan Baǵa
32014-05-30Modern Event Deck 2014MD1 132003normalblackVolkan Baǵa
42018-10-05Mythic EditionMED GR12015normalborderlessZack Stella
52019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 7012015normalblackVolkan Baǵa
62019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 10012015normalblackVolkan Baǵa

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Elspeth, Knight-Errant has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2011-01-01 Emblems behave similarly to enchantments: They have an ability that, in a general sense, continually affects the game. The primary difference between them is that emblems aren’t permanents and don’t exist on the battlefield. Nothing in the game can remove an emblem, simply because no other spell or ability references them. Once you get an emblem, you keep it for the rest of the game. Emblems have no color, name, card type, or other characteristics beyond the listed ability.
2013-07-01 Lethal damage and effects that say “destroy” won’t cause a permanent with indestructible to be put into the graveyard. However, a permanent with indestructible can be put into the graveyard for a number of reasons. The most likely reasons are if it’s sacrificed, if it’s a creature whose toughness is 0 or less, or if it’s an Aura that’s either unattached or attached to something illegal.

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