Spring-Leaf Avenger MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Insect Ninja
Abilities Ninjutsu
Power 6
Toughness 5

Key Takeaways

  1. Spring-Leaf Avenger excels at card advantage and offers resource acceleration through additional land plays.
  2. It adds strategic depth with flash, allowing surprise plays and unexpected blocks.
  3. Demands discard for full effect and requires precise mana, potentially limiting versatility.

Text of card

Ninjutsu (, Return an unblocked attacker you control to hand: Put this card onto the battlefield from your hand tapped and attacking.) Whenever Spring-Leaf Avenger deals combat damage to a player, return target permanent card from your graveyard to your hand.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Spring-Leaf Avenger lets you return another creature to your hand upon dealing combat damage to a player, offering you a chance to reuse enter-the-battlefield effects or protect valuable creatures from removal, thereby maintaining your grip over the game.

Resource Acceleration: Thanks to its secondary ability that allows you to play an additional land on your turns, Spring-Leaf Avenger can significantly ramp up your resource base. This acceleration paves the way for casting high-impact spells earlier than usual, giving you a tactical edge.

Instant Speed: With the Spring-Leaf Avenger’s flash ability, it shines by providing the flexibility to surprise an opponent by entering the battlefield during their turn. This can disrupt their strategy, block unexpectedly, or position you advantageously for your next turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Spring-Leaf Avenger demands that you discard another card to harness its full potential. This condition puts you at risk of depleting valuable hand resources, possibly hindering your long-term strategic plays.

Specific Mana Cost: Fashioned with a precise mana composition, this card necessitates green mana, making it a less versatile option for decks that diversify beyond a single color scheme.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring a significant amount of mana to play, the Spring-Leaf Avenger may lag behind in race against decks aiming to execute faster, more impactful plays with less resource investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Spring-Leaf Avenger boasts the ability to adapt to a wide array of deck themes, ranging from aggressive builds to more midrange strategies. Its inherent flexibility ensures that it can serve multiple roles, often as both a threat and a utility creature.

Combo Potential: With its ability to reclaim a card from the graveyard, Spring-Leaf Avenger works wonders in strategies that revolve around maximizing card advantage, or that are set up to benefit from repeatable cast triggers.

Meta-Relevance: Not only does Spring-Leaf Avenger hold its own in a diverse gameplay landscape, but its potential to swing games by recurring key components makes it a relevant choice in various metagames, accommodating shifts and adapting to the ever-changing play environment.


How to beat

Overcoming the Spring-Leaf Avenger in your MTG matchups requires a keen understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. This Green creature excels in combat, especially when leveraging its renowned “ward” ability, making targeted removal a costlier affair. To turn the tide in your favor, consider using board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation, which circumvent the ward ability entirely, removing the need to pay extra.

Alternatively, strategic blockers can be very effective. Since Spring-Leaf Avenger relies on dealing combat damage to a player to trigger its card-drawing ability, creatures with high toughness or those with the ability to regenerate will prove to be formidable obstacles. Preventing the Avenger from making direct contact with your life points is crucial in stifling its ability to give your opponent card advantage. Lastly, don’t forget that sacrificing creatures can be an effective method to remove it from the battlefield as it bypasses the ward ability.

Using these tactics thoughtfully will help maintain control of the game and ensure that the Spring-Leaf Avenger’s potential is significantly diminished.


BurnMana Recommendations

The Spring-Leaf Avenger is a standout addition to any MTG player’s arsenal. It invites a dynamic approach to gameplay, thriving in decks that capitalize on creature effects and manage resources artfully. If you’re looking to exploit its versatile nature, consider integrating it into strategies that emphasize tempo and the value of each card in your hand. Embrace its unique role as a game-changer, adept at swinging the momentum in your favor. Keen on discovering synergies and optimizing your deck’s performance with Spring-Leaf Avenger at the helm? Step into a world where strategy meets ingenuity, and every match is a chance to outmaneuver your opponent. Learn more and sharpen your skills with us.


Cards like Spring-Leaf Avenger

Spring-Leaf Avenger is a fresh breeze in the Magic: The Gathering roster of creatures. When considering its unique blend of attributes, it conjures thoughts of other renowned green creatures. For instance, let’s look at Llanowar Elves, the classic mana dork celebrated for its mana acceleration capabilities. Although Spring-Leaf Avenger doesn’t directly assist in ramping mana, its notable draw and discard ability provides strategic depth and resource cycling reminiscent of the Elves’ contribution to board development.

Another leaf from the same deck would be the Elvish Visionary. While it offers a direct card draw upon entering the battlefield, what makes Spring-Leaf Avenger stand out is its repeatable effect each time it deals combat damage to a player. This can lead to a potentially higher volume of card advantage over time. Yet, the Avenger demands a more aggressive approach, encouraging players to engage in combat for rewards.

At the end of the day, Spring-Leaf Avenger holds its own among fellow green-inspired cards. Its synergy between combat and card advantage carves out a unique niche, offering MTG players a creature that isn’t just about strength in battle but also strategic depth for those who thrive on tactical gameplay.

Llanowar Elves - MTG Card versions
Elvish Visionary - MTG Card versions
Llanowar Elves - MTG Card versions
Elvish Visionary - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Spring-Leaf Avenger by color, type and mana cost

Thicket Basilisk - MTG Card versions
Cockatrice - MTG Card versions
Ironroot Treefolk - MTG Card versions
Elvish Bard - MTG Card versions
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Ashaya, Soul of the Wild - MTG Card versions
Seedborn Muse - MTG Card versions
Primeval Force - MTG Card versions
Thicket Basilisk - MTG Card versions
Cockatrice - MTG Card versions
Ironroot Treefolk - MTG Card versions
Elvish Bard - MTG Card versions
Durkwood Boars - MTG Card versions
Elven Riders - MTG Card versions
Panther Warriors - MTG Card versions
Redwood Treefolk - MTG Card versions
Spined Wurm - MTG Card versions
Rabid Wolverines - MTG Card versions
Deadly Insect - MTG Card versions
Vintara Elephant - MTG Card versions
Crashing Boars - MTG Card versions
Kavu Climber - MTG Card versions
Kavu Chameleon - MTG Card versions
Okina Nightwatch - MTG Card versions
Consuming Blob - MTG Card versions
Ashaya, Soul of the Wild - MTG Card versions
Seedborn Muse - MTG Card versions
Primeval Force - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Spring-Leaf Avenger MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Promos, 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 Spring-Leaf Avenger and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Spring-Leaf Avenger Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2022-02-18 and 2022-02-18. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 980272015NormalBlackWisnu Tan
22022-02-18Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty PromosPNEO 208p2015NormalBlackWisnu Tan
32022-02-18Kamigawa: Neon DynastyNEO 4812015NormalBlackWisnu Tan
42022-02-18Kamigawa: Neon DynastyNEO 2082015NormalBlackWisnu Tan
52022-02-18Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty PromosPNEO 208s2015NormalBlackWisnu Tan
62022-02-18Kamigawa: Neon DynastyNEO 3492015NormalBlackHirokorin

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Spring-Leaf Avenger has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2022-02-18 Although the Ninja is attacking, it was never declared as an attacking creature (for purposes of abilities that trigger whenever a creature attacks, for example).
2022-02-18 As you activate a ninjutsu ability, you reveal the Ninja card in your hand and return the attacking creature. The Ninja card stays revealed and isn't put onto the battlefield until the ability resolves. If it leaves your hand before then, it won't enter the battlefield at all.
2022-02-18 If a creature in combat has first strike or double strike, you can activate the ninjutsu ability during the first-strike combat damage step. The Ninja will deal combat damage during the regular combat damage step, even if it has first strike.
2022-02-18 Puff of smoke not included.
2022-02-18 The creature with ninjutsu enters the battlefield attacking the same player or planeswalker that the returned creature was attacking. This is a rule specific to ninjutsu; in other cases, when a creature is put onto the battlefield attacking, that creature's controller chooses which player or planeswalker it's attacking.
2022-02-18 The ninjutsu ability can be activated during the declare blockers step, combat damage step, or end of combat step. In most cases (see below), if you wait until the combatdamage step or end of combat step, it will be after combat damage has been dealt, so the Ninja won't deal combat damage.
2022-02-18 The ninjutsu ability can be activated only after blockers have been declared. Before then, attacking creatures are neither blocked nor unblocked.