Splendor Mare MTG Card


Splendor Mare’s cycling creates lifelink tokens, enhancing board presence with potential multiple creatures. Its instant-speed cycling offers strategic flexibility, adapting plays to the ever-changing battlefield. Despite its mana cost, Splendor Mare’s attributes make it a valuable addition for lifegain decks.
Splendor Mare - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Elk Unicorn
Abilities Cycling,Lifelink
Released2020-04-24
Set symbol
Set nameIkoria: Lair of Behemoths
Set codeIKO
Power 3
Toughness 3
Number32
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byLucas Graciano

Text of card

Lifelink Cycling (, Discard this card: Draw a card.) When you cycle Splendor Mare, put a lifelink counter on target creature you control.


Cards like Splendor Mare

Splendor Mare shines in the vast universe of lifegain creatures in MTG. It holds a mirror to cards like Ajani’s Pridemate that also grow more potent as you gain life. However, Splendor Mare carves out its niche with its cycling ability, offering versatility in gameplay. While Ajani’s Pridemate becomes a formidable creature over time, Splendor Mare gives you the option to draw a new card and potentially acquire a significant life boost instantly.

Another peer in the lifegain category is Healer’s Hawk, which boasts both lifelink and flying. Although it doesn’t increase in size as Splendor Mare might, the Hawk swoops in as a regular life increment and an aerial threat. On the other hand, Lone Rider transforms into a stronger entity after gaining life in a single turn, echoing the essence of rewarding good health. Yet unlike Splendor Mare, it doesn’t provide the immediate benefit you get from cycling.

Delving into these comparisons, it’s apparent that Splendor Mare holds its own amongst its contemporaries. Its cycling mechanic edges it out as a more adaptable card, suitable for diverse strategies and on-the-fly decisions, ensuring it stays relevant in the dynamic gameplay of MTG.

Ajani's Pridemate - MTG Card versions
Healer's Hawk - MTG Card versions
Ajani's Pridemate - MTG Card versions
Healer's Hawk - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Splendor Mare offers intrinsic value by creating an additional lifelink token when cycled, essentially offering two potential creatures from a single card and enhancing your board presence.

Resource Acceleration: While Splendor Mare itself doesn’t generate mana or tokens, it integrates efficiently with decks that capitalize on lifegain strategies, potentially accelerating your game plan by triggering synergistic effects or enhancing creatures’ abilities.

Instant Speed: The cycling ability of Splendor Mare can be activated at instant speed, providing flexibility in game play. This allows players to respond to an opponent’s actions or end-of-turn decisions, maintaining the element of surprise and conserving resources for the most opportune moment.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Splendor Mare has no discard requirement, which can be an advantage in preserving hand resources.

Specific Mana Cost: The card comes with a white mana cost which means it fits better in white or multicolored decks, potentially restricting deck-building options.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Splendor Mare’s three mana value may be considered steep for its initial stats and abilities compared to other creatures in the same mana range.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Splendor Mare offers flexibility to various deck builds, shining in those that capitalize on both life gain strategies and the need for evasive creatures.

Combo Potential: Its cycling ability provides a way to draw cards and bolster other creatures with lifelink, potentially synergizing with strategies that favor counters or lifegain triggers.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where small creature strategies are prevalent, Splendor Mare stands out as an efficient tool to gain life and sustain momentum against aggressive decks.


How to beat Splendor Mare

Splendor Mare has carved its niche within the MTG community as a versatile card, particularly in decks that capitalize on lifelink and cycling abilities. Its chief strength lies in granting creatures lifelink, which can be a game-changer in prolonged matches where sustaining life totals is crucial. However, its power is not insurmountable.

To effectively counter Splendor Mare, players should consider timing and removal. For instance, instant-speed removal spells that can be played in response to its cycling ability help ensure the creature never gets a chance to have an impact on the board. Cards like Murderous Rider or Heartless Act are clean answers to Splendor Mare before its lifelink granting ability can be a nuisance. Additionally, strategies employing graveyard disruption can curb the advantage gained from cycling, making pieces like Grafdigger’s Cage unexpectedly effective against this seemingly innocuous equine.

Ultimately, while Splendor Mare can provide significant value in the right setup, it is by no means unbeatable. By making well-informed deck choices and staying one step ahead of the play, you can restrain the Mare’s splendor and maintain control over the game state.


BurnMana Recommendations

As you’ve learned, Splendor Mare isn’t just a creature; it’s a multipurpose card that can enrich your MTG gameplay experience. Whether it’s accelerating your life gain strategy or acting as a flexible creature to maintain board presence, this card is a valuable addition to a variety of decks. Understanding the nuances of when to cycle for impact or when to develop your board presence is key. Delve deeper with us into strategy optimization and discover more insights to harness the full potential of Splendor Mare. Enhance your collection and strategy; come join our community of passionate players.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Splendor Mare MTG card by a specific set like Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, 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 Splendor Mare and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Splendor Mare has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2020-04-17 Some cards with cycling have an ability that triggers when you cycle them, and some cards have an ability that triggers whenever you cycle any card. These triggered abilities resolve before you draw from the cycling ability.
2020-04-17 Triggered abilities from cycling a card and the cycling ability itself aren’t spells. Effects that interact with spells (such as that of Cancel) won’t affect them.
2020-04-17 You can cycle a card even if it has a triggered ability from cycling that won’t have a legal target. This is because the cycling ability and the triggered ability are separate. This also means that if either ability is countered (with Disallow, for example), the other ability will still resolve.