Shire Scarecrow MTG Card


Shire Scarecrow enables consistent card advantage via its land-triggered draw mechanic, crucial for resource dominance. Flexibility and combo potential make it a valuable asset in land-centric deck strategies that leverage its scalability. Effective counters include exile and sacrifice effects, which are crucial to remember when facing this resilient card.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeArtifact Creature — Scarecrow
Abilities Defender
Power 0
Toughness 3

Text of card

Defender : Add one mana of any color. Activate only once each turn.

"How bright your garden looks!" —Gandalf


Cards like Shire Scarecrow

Shire Scarecrow adds its unique charm to the roster of artifact creatures in Magic: The Gathering. It’s often likened to fellow artifact creature Pilgrim’s Eye, as both are able to fetch a crucial land card from the library, ensuring land drops remain consistent. However, while Pilgrim’s Eye provides immediate value by placing the land into your hand, Shire Scarecrow takes a slight detour, allowing you to pluck a basic land and put it onto the battlefield tapped.

Another comparable card is the Skittering Surveyor, which like the Scarecrow, searches for a basic land. Yet, here it differs; the Surveyor puts the land into your hand rather than directly into play. This nuanced difference may tilt the scale in deck strategies that favor land plays from the hand. Then there’s Walking Atlas, a creature adept at putting those lands onto the battlefield, but it requires you to have the land in hand first, providing a synergy with the previous cards rather than a direct comparison.

To sum it up, Shire Scarecrow represents a valuable tool in MTG, offering a blend of resource ramp and artifact creature presence, carving its own distinct niche in deck-building strategies that emphasize on-the-fly land optimization.

Pilgrim's Eye - MTG Card versions
Skittering Surveyor - MTG Card versions
Walking Atlas - MTG Card versions
Pilgrim's Eye - MTG Card versions
Skittering Surveyor - MTG Card versions
Walking Atlas - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Shire Scarecrow by color, type and mana cost

Chaos Orb - MTG Card versions
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Ankh of Mishra - MTG Card versions
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Water Gun Balloon Game - MTG Card versions
Angel's Feather - MTG Card versions
Demon's Horn - MTG Card versions
Elsewhere Flask - MTG Card versions
Dragon's Claw - MTG Card versions
Chaos Orb - MTG Card versions
Winter Orb - MTG Card versions
Ankh of Mishra - MTG Card versions
Amulet of Kroog - MTG Card versions
Nacre Talisman - MTG Card versions
Howling Mine - MTG Card versions
Essence Bottle - MTG Card versions
Emerald Medallion - MTG Card versions
Scrying Glass - MTG Card versions
Cursed Totem - MTG Card versions
Tsabo's Web - MTG Card versions
Millikin - MTG Card versions
Ark of Blight - MTG Card versions
Surestrike Trident - MTG Card versions
Energy Chamber - MTG Card versions
Water Gun Balloon Game - MTG Card versions
Angel's Feather - MTG Card versions
Demon's Horn - MTG Card versions
Elsewhere Flask - MTG Card versions
Dragon's Claw - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Shire Scarecrow. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Walls ComboWalls Combo PauperWalls ComboPauper League 2024-03-30

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Shire Scarecrow offers a unique mechanic that can potentially draw you a card whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control. This naturally encourages repeatable card advantage over the course of a game, which is invaluable for any deck seeking to outpace opponents in resources.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing resource acceleration, Shire Scarecrow’s ability complements strategies that put multiple lands into play. Synergizing with landfall mechanics or cultivation spells can indirectly lead to greater acceleration by ensuring land drops and consequently additional draws.

Instant Speed: In most cases, Shire Scarecrow is a creature card designed for strategic deployment during your main phases. However, the nature of its abilities can pair well with instant speed land ramp spells, creating surprise card advantage and maintaining a threatening board presence while keeping options open for reactive play.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Shire Scarecrow introduces a challenge for players with its discard requirement, forcing a tangible sacrifice of hand advantage that can lead to difficult decisions, especially under tight game circumstances.

Specific Mana Cost: While flavorful and thematic, the specific mana cost of Shire Scarecrow demands a dedicated deck build. It is inherently restrictive, as it doesn’t easily slot into multicolored decks without a reliable mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When it comes to deploying creatures in the game, Shire Scarecrow stands on the higher end with a mana cost that could otherwise summon creatures with more impactful board presence or immediate effects, thus affecting deck tempo negatively.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Shire Scarecrow offers a flexible role across various deck types. Its ability to adapt its power and toughness in relation to the number of lands you control makes it a scalable threat in land-based strategies.

Combo Potential: Given its flexible nature, Shire Scarecrow can be an integral part of combos, especially within decks designed around landfall mechanics or those that manipulate the number of lands in play to maximize its effectiveness.

Meta-Relevance: In a MTG environment where board presence and dynamic threats are key, Shire Scarecrow can provide an evolving challenge for opponents. It is especially relevant in metas where its scalability can be fully utilized against various types of opposing decks.


How to beat

The Shire Scarecrow presents a unique challenge on the battlefield with its ability to continuously regenerate itself. It’s a remarkable defense asset, capable of dissuading opponents from attacking, thanks to its durability. Nevertheless, as with any strategy in Magic: The Gathering, there are ways to circumvent this resilient creature.

One effective approach is the use of exile effects. Cards that can exile Shire Scarecrow, such as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, can permanently remove it from the game, leaving regeneration moot. Similarly, leveraging sacrifice effects forces your opponent to choose and sacrifice the scarecrow, bypassing its regeneration. This can be seen in actions initiated by edict effects like Diabolic Edict or Liliana of the Veil.

Board wipes that don’t specifically destroy but rather change the state of all creatures on the battlefield, like Terminus or Cyclonic Rift, can clear the way without the scarecrow’s ability to regenerate becoming an issue. Lastly, direct player effects that prevent regeneration, such as Krosan Grip or Jund Charm, can directly target the key properties that make Shire Scarecrow a formidable foe. Therefore, understanding the options available in your deck to deal with persistent threats is essential for maintaining control of the game.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Shire Scarecrow MTG card by a specific set like The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth and The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, 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 Shire Scarecrow and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Shire Scarecrow Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2023-06-23 and 2023-06-23. Illustrated by Alexander Mokhov.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12023-06-23The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earthLTR 7002015NormalBlackAlexander Mokhov
22023-06-23The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earthLTR 2492015NormalBlackAlexander Mokhov

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Shire Scarecrow has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
TimelessLegal