Strax, Sontaran Nurse MTG Card
2023-10-13 - Number 1035
2023-10-13 - Number 160
2023-10-13 - Number 444
2023-10-13 - Number 765
Text of card
Vigilance, trample Grenades! — , , Sacrifice an artifact: Choose a player at random. When you do, Strax fights another target creature that player controls. Glory of Battle — Whenever Strax deals damage to a creature, put a +1/+1 counter on Strax.
Cards like Strax, Sontaran Nurse
Strax, Sontaran Nurse carves a unique niche in the pantheon of creature cards in MTG. Its functional parallels can be drawn with other creatures that offer life gain effects. Much like Nyx-Fleece Ram, which provides a dependable life buff during your upkeep, Strax similarly bolsters your health pool, albeit through a different trigger—whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control.
Comparably, Kitchen Finks is another creature that earns its stripes through life gain, achieving this through its persist ability, resulting in a repeatable life-boosting process. However, Strax offers a broader potential for life gain over time since it isn’t limited to the creature’s own recursion. Another card worth mentioning is Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice, which not only adds life equivalent to the creature’s toughness but also populates the board with tokens, though it comes at a higher mana cost compared to the efficient Strax.
To wrap up, the value of Strax in a lifegain strategy is quite evident, situating it firmly among cards that can affect the game’s momentum by consistently increasing a player’s life total with each creature summoned.
Cards similar to Strax, Sontaran Nurse by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Strax, Sontaran Nurse excels at helping players maintain a strong hand. This powerful ally has the potential to replenish a player’s resources by enabling the drawing of additional cards under certain game conditions. This can be a game changer by providing the strategic depth needed to outmaneuver opponents.
Resource Acceleration: The design of this card makes it viable for ramping up your board state quickly. It’s an asset for decks that aim to outpace the competition by amassing resources at a faster clip. Efficiently managing these new-found assets could solidify your lead and pave the way to victory.
Instant Speed: A characteristic not to be underestimated, Strax, Sontaran Nurse can be cast at instant speed, providing flexibility that is key in complex board states or tight situations. This feature allows savvy players to react to an opponent’s actions on their turn, potentially disrupting their strategies or leveraging surprise to their advantage.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Strax, Sontaran Nurse requires discarding a creature card to activate one of its abilities. This can be a strategic setback, especially when your hand is short on creatures or high-value cards you’d prefer to keep in play.
Specific Mana Cost: Strax, Sontaran Nurse demands a precise combination of mana types to cast. This specificity can make it challenging to fit into multicolored decks that may not always have the right mana available at the right time.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that’s on the higher side for its abilities, it might sometimes feel like you’re paying a premium for an effect that could be achieved with less investment through alternative cards with a lower mana commitment.
Reasons to Include Strax, Sontaran Nurse in Your Collection
Versatility: Strax, Sontaran Nurse is a flexible card that can enhance various decks. Its ability to interact with the health of creatures makes it a unique support in life gain or life management strategies, catering to a broad spectrum of playstyles.
Combo Potential: The card’s capability to manipulate life totals pairs well with strategies focused on lifelink, or with cards that trigger effects when life changes. This opens up possibilities for powerful combinations and synergies within your deck.
Meta-Relevance: Due to its unique skillset, Strax, Sontaran Nurse holds its ground in a meta that favors creatures and life total manipulation. This card can become an effective tool against opponents relying on damage-based strategies, making it a valuable addition to collections aiming to stay current and competitive.
How to beat
Strax, Sontaran Nurse is a unique creature card that brings a particular dynamic to the battlefield. Understanding its abilities is key to developing a strategy against it. This card operates on the synergy between healing and hurting, which means your gameplay needs to adapt to both removing it effectively and minimizing the impact of its ability to stabilize your opponent’s life total.
One effective method is to utilize removal spells that can bypass its triggered ability. Since Strax, Sontaran Nurse’s strength lies in its potential to provide life gain, you should consider spells that exile it instead of destroying it. Such actions can prevent any life gain and interrupt the loop of advantages it creates. Another tactic is to employ graveyard hate cards, hindering any strategy that revolves around recurring Strax from the graveyard for additional life gain.
Moreover, adding cards to your deck that benefit from your opponent gaining life, such as cards with the “if an opponent gained life this turn” mechanic, can help turn Strax’s ability to your advantage. By converting their life gain into a beneficial condition for you, Strax, Sontaran Nurse becomes significantly less intimidating and your chances of overcoming it are greatly improved.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Strax, Sontaran Nurse MTG card by a specific set like Doctor Who and Doctor Who, 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 Strax, Sontaran Nurse and other MTG cards:
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Printings
The Strax, Sontaran Nurse Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2023-10-13 and 2023-10-13. Illustrated by John Tedrick.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 1035 | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Tedrick | |
| 2 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 160 | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Tedrick | |
| 3 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 444 | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Tedrick | |
| 4 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 765 | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Tedrick |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Strax, Sontaran Nurse has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Strax, Sontaran Nurse card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2023-10-13 | If Strax is dealt damage equal to its toughness while fighting, it will die before the +1/+1 counter from its last ability can save it. |
| 2023-10-13 | The player is chosen at random, but Strax's controller gets to choose which of their creatures it fights. |
Guide to Vigilance card ability
In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.