Sky Ruin Drake MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Drake |
| Abilities | Flying |
| Released | 2009-10-02 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Zendikar |
| Set code | ZEN |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 5 |
| Number | 66 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Izzy |
Key Takeaways
- Scry ability aids in tailoring your draws to prepare for strategic plays.
- Instant speed deployment offers flexible reactions during opponent’s turns.
- A specific mana blend for casting may restrict deck diversity and flexibility.
Text of card
Flying
"Hold up your spears. And try not to look like food." —Tarsa, Sea Gate sell-sword
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The soaring Sky Ruin Drake brings card advantage to the table with its ability to scry, setting up your draws and increasing the likelihood of drawing into the solutions you need when you need them.
Resource Acceleration: With an affinity for lands, this drake may offer indirect resource acceleration by smoothing out your land draws, ensuring you hit your land drops consistently to play higher-cost spells sooner.
Instant Speed: Its ability to swoop in at instant speed provides a tactical edge, allowing you to decide the best moment to deploy it while keeping up mana for other instant speed interactions during your opponent’s turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Sky Ruin Drake requires you to have another card to discard, which might not be ideal when you’re trying to maintain card advantage.
Specific Mana Cost: This creature’s casting cost demands a specific blend of mana, which could challenge deck flexibility, especially in multicolored decks that may struggle with the mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment for Sky Ruin Drake might be steep given its overall impact on the game, potentially making it less appealing compared to other creatures or spells at a similar or lower cost threshold.
Reasons to Include Sky Ruin Drake in Your Collection
Versatility: Sky Ruin Drake offers an adaptable element to any deck built to leverage flying creatures or benefit from the defense in the air. It can slot into various blue-focused strategies, enhancing your game plan’s adaptability.
Combo Potential: This card harmonizes well with mechanics that capitalize on flying creatures, such as cards that buff fliers or benefit from creatures with flying entering the battlefield, thus having synergy in decks designed around these themes.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where evasion is key, Sky Ruin Drake’s presence in the skies can be a significant game changer. Its relevance can shift depending on the popularity of aerial threats and defenses in the current competitive scene.
How to beat
Sky Ruin Drake, a formidable flier in Magic the Gathering, can dominate the skies in the right deck. With its considerable defense stats, it can be a challenging card to overcome in aerial combat. However, crafting a strategy against it is not insurmountable. Ground-based creatures must rely on reach or other abilities like flash to take down the drake as it soars above most blockers.
One reliable method is to employ instant-speed removal spells. Cards like Doom Blade or Path to Exile can dispatch Sky Ruin Drake efficiently before it establishes board control. Additionally, countering the card upon casting can prevent it from ever entering the battlefield, with spells like Cancel or Mana Leak being perfect for that role. Lastly, enchantments that pacify or lockdown creatures can neutralize the drake without resorting to combat, such as through the use of Pacifism or Arrest.
Overall, while Sky Ruin Drake can be a threat, a prepared player has several paths to mitigating its impact. By keeping up mana for the right moment or including versatile response options in your deck, you can ensure that the drake’s tenure in the skies is short-lived.
Cards like Sky Ruin Drake
Sky Ruin Drake is known for its place in the flying creature lineup of Magic: The Gathering. When compared to cards like Wind Drake, both feature the ability to soar over the battlefield, making them ideal for maintaining aerial control. However, where the Sky Ruin Drake excels is in its significantly larger body, capable of both taking hits and delivering a more potent punch in combat. Conversely, Wind Drake stands as a more accessible card due to its lower casting cost.
Another relative of the Sky Ruin Drake is the Cloudreader Sphinx. Both creatures share a similar utility in their ability to provide a significant presence in the sky. While the Cloudreader Sphinx offers scrying utility, the Sky Ruin Drake enters play with a more intimidating presence on the board due to its higher toughness. This can make a substantial difference in surviving common damage-based removal spells.
Considering these comparisons, Sky Ruin Drake offers unique advantages in MTG’s roster of flying creatures. It combines the key element of evasion with durability, marking its place in the sky as a formidable threat that can dictate pacing and offer long-term value in matches.
Cards similar to Sky Ruin Drake by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Sky Ruin Drake MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar, 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 Sky Ruin Drake and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Sky Ruin Drake has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |