Spirit of the Aldergard MTG Card


Increases hand options and synergizes with snow mechanics, offering significant card advantage. Enhances mana generation from snow sources, key for early high-cost spell casting. Requires precise mana types for casting, potentially limiting its deck compatibility.
Spirit of the Aldergard - Kaldheim
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeSnow Creature — Bear Spirit
Released2021-02-05
Set symbol
Set nameKaldheim
Set codeKHM
Power 0
Toughness 4
Number195
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byLars Grant-West

Text of card

When Spirit of the Aldergard enters the battlefield, search your library for a snow land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle. Spirit of the Aldergard gets +1/+0 for each other snow permanent you control.


Cards like Spirit of the Aldergard

Spirit of the Aldergard is a noteworthy creature card in the realm of deck builds that focus on land-based strategies within Magic: The Gathering. Similar in essence to cards such as Beanstalk Giant, it boasts the ability to grow stronger with the number of lands a player controls. While Beanstalk Giant allows you to search for a basic land card when it’s an adventure, Spirit of the Aldergard provides a snow land search capability, enhancing decks that favor snow permanents.

Another companion in this genre is Scute Swarm, though it takes a different approach. Instead of personal growth, it proliferates itself based on landfall, burgeoning your army with its many copies. However, unlike the robust single entity that Spirit of the Aldergard presents, Scute Swarm relies on quantity over individual quality.

Both Arboreal Grazer and Azusa, Lost but Seeking have similarities with Spirit of the Aldergard as well. They share an affinity for lands but focus more on land deployment than enhancing their own power. Their approach speeds up your game by getting more lands in play but doesn’t provide the same formidable creature advantage.

Assessing the advantages, Spirit of the Aldergard holds a unique position for those who value a scalable threat that also synergizes with snow land strategies, making it a distinct choice for certain MTG deck archetypes.

Scute Swarm - MTG Card versions
Arboreal Grazer - MTG Card versions
Azusa, Lost but Seeking - MTG Card versions
Scute Swarm - MTG Card versions
Arboreal Grazer - MTG Card versions
Azusa, Lost but Seeking - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Spirit of the Aldergard by color, type and mana cost

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Giant Spider - MTG Card versions
Marsh Viper - MTG Card versions
Scarwood Bandits - MTG Card versions
Carnivorous Plant - MTG Card versions
Erhnam Djinn - MTG Card versions
War Mammoth - MTG Card versions
Aurochs - MTG Card versions
Lhurgoyf - MTG Card versions
Jackalope Herd - MTG Card versions
Rootwater Alligator - MTG Card versions
Golden Bear - MTG Card versions
Argothian Swine - MTG Card versions
Elvish Piper - MTG Card versions
Erithizon - MTG Card versions
Skyshroud Cutter - MTG Card versions
Ulvenwald Oddity // Ulvenwald Behemoth - MTG Card versions
Fungusaur - MTG Card versions
Viridian Lorebearers - MTG Card versions
Monkey Monkey Monkey - MTG Card versions
Matsu-Tribe Birdstalker - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Spirit of the Aldergard shines when it comes to drawing cards because of its ability to look at the top four cards of your library and reveal a snow card, thus adding it to your hand. This not only increases options in your hand but also synergizes with decks that utilize snow mechanics, ensuring you’re not left without resources.

Resource Acceleration: One of the key strengths of Spirit of the Aldergard is its capacity to boost your mana resources. As a snow permanent itself, it increases the amount of mana you can generate from other snow sources, which can be pivotal for casting high-cost spells earlier in the game or activating powerful abilities.

Instant Speed: While Spirit of the Aldergard does not operate at instant speed, its in-built resource acceleration and card advantage compensate for it. Plus, it adds a substantial body to the board, helping to fortify your defenses.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Spirit of the Aldergard necessitates parting with an additional card, which can be particularly detrimental if your hand is already depleted or you’re playing a card-advantage strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: As a card steeped in a particular color identity, Spirit of the Aldergard requires a precise combination of mana types to cast. This can be restrictive and might not fit seamlessly into multicolored decks that can struggle with consistent mana bases.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring a sizeable amount of resources to get onto the battlefield, the cost of Spirit of the Aldergard may appear steep when other creatures or spells at similar mana points provide more immediate impact or versatility in a match.


Reasons to Include Spirit of the Aldergard in Your Collection

Versatility: Spirit of the Aldergard has a solid place in a variety of decks, particularly those that capitalize on snow permanents. Its ability to scale with the number of snow lands you control makes it a flexible addition to your board.

Combo Potential: This creature card synergizes with snow-based strategies, enhancing deck mechanics that benefit from revealing cards or caring about the types of lands you play.

Meta-Relevance: Given the fluctuating nature of the MTG meta, Spirit of the Aldergard remains relevant in environments that appreciate a sizeable body on the field, which can also serve as top-deck manipulation, improving the quality of your draws.


How to beat

Spirit of the Aldergard may appear imposing with its potential to beef up its power and toughness through the number of snow lands you control. In many MTG decks, it can serve as a solid defensive wall or even as a growing threat if not addressed swiftly. To efficiently counter this creature, consider utilizing removal spells that can bypass its size, such as Ravenform or Doom Blade, depending on the color of your deck.

Another strategic approach involves limiting the snow lands’ impact. Cards like Blood Moon can transform all nonbasic lands into basic Mountains, thus nullifying the Spirit of the Aldergard’s growth mechanic and making it far less daunting. Additionally, keep an eye out for snow land destruction or control cards that can directly hamper your opponent’s land strategy, ensuring that the Spirit remains manageable throughout the game.

When piloting against a deck featuring the Spirit of the Aldergard, it’s crucial to maintain a balance between board presence and reactive spells. This will allow you to prevent your opponent from establishing a dominant position with their snow-based synergies while preserving your resources to counter key threats like the Spirit of the Aldergard itself.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the nuances of Spirit of the Aldergard within the MTG realm can be a game-changer for your deck strategy. From enhancing your resource acceleration to diversifying your card advantage, this creature spells opportunity for those who wield it effectively. Given its unique position in snow-based decks, incorporating Spirit of the Aldergard can be a strategic play that shapes the battlefield in your favor. Interested in optimizing your deck with this formidable creature or looking to refine your approach against it? Dive deeper with us, where we unpack strategies and insights for players aiming to conquer their next match. Start elevating your MTG experience today.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Spirit of the Aldergard MTG card by a specific set like Kaldheim, 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 Spirit of the Aldergard and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Spirit of the Aldergard has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2021-02-05 Snow is a supertype, not a card type. It has no rules meaning or function by itself, but spells and abilities may refer to it.
2021-02-05 Snow isn’t a type of mana. If an effect says you may spend mana as though it were any type, you can’t pay for {S} using mana that wasn’t produced by a snow source.
2021-02-05 Some cards have additional effects for each {S} spent to cast them. You can cast these spells even if you don’t spend any snow mana to cast them; their additional effects simply won’t do anything.
2021-02-05 The Kaldheim set doesn’t have any cards with mana costs that include {S}, but some previous sets do. If an effect says such a spell costs less to cast, that reduction doesn’t apply to any {S} costs. This is also true for activated abilities that include {S} in their activation costs and effects that reduce those costs.
2021-02-05 The {S} symbol is a generic mana symbol. It represents a cost that can be paid by one mana that was produced by a snow source. That mana can be any color or colorless.