Shineshadow Snarl MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 10 setsSee all
RarityRare
TypeLand

Key Takeaways

  1. Shineshadow Snarl bolsters mana consistency, pivotal in sustaining fluid gameplay and staving off tempo loss.
  2. Its versatility in mana types accelerates access to necessary resources for diverse, multicolored decks.
  3. Instant mana availability from Shineshadow Snarl ensures tactical responses remain unhindered during play.

Text of card

As Shineshadow Snarl enters the battlefield, you may reveal a Plains or Swamp card from your hand. If you don't, Shineshadow Snarl enters the battlefield tapped. : Add or .


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Shineshadow Snarl has an efficient way to ensure you maintain a smooth flow of mana, which indirectly contributes to sustaining card advantage. By meeting its land reveal condition, you avoid the tempo loss associated with a land entering the battlefield tapped.

Resource Acceleration: Versatility in mana generation is another strength of Shineshadow Snarl. This land taps for two types of mana, allowing for better color fixing and thus accelerating your access to crucial resources needed to cast diverse spells in your deck.

Instant Speed: While Shineshadow Snarl itself isn’t an instant, its ability to provide mana at instant speed is pivotal. It guarantees that you have the potential to respond to your opponents’ actions during their turn without the hindrance of a tapped land. This adaptability makes it a valuable asset in any game situation, ensuring your mana base remains as responsive as your strategy requires.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Shineshadow Snarl necessitates the reveal of a basic land card from your hand to enter untapped. If unable to comply, your mana flow can be delayed, which is detrimental during early game tempo or critical turns.

Specific Mana Cost: Catering specifically to Orzhov (black and white) decks, its utility is confined. Players not running these particular colors will find Shineshadow Snarl less beneficial, thus restricting deck-building options and versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Shineshadow Snarl doesn’t have a mana cost itself, its need for other specific lands can tie up your resources. This is especially true when compared to other dual lands that either enter the battlefield untapped or have alternative methods to ensure their usability without such stringent requirements.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Shineshadow Snarl is a flexible land card that can tap for either black or white mana, making it an essential piece in multicolor decks that run these colors. Its adaptability allows it to cater to a diverse range of mana needs, seamlessly integrating into various deck archetypes.

Combo Potential: In decks that aim for color consistency, Shineshadow Snarl works wonders. It’s particularly valuable in strategies that revolve around activating abilities with specific mana requirements, or when constructing a reliable mana base for combo decks that need precise execution.

Meta-Relevance: With the constantly evolving landscape of Magic the Gathering, having a reliable mana source that can adjust to different game plans is crucial. Shineshadow Snarl holds up well in various metas, proving to be a useful asset whether you’re facing off against aggressive, control, or other stylized decks.


Understanding Shineshadow Snarl

Shineshadow Snarl is a unique land card that’s captured the interest of many players. This card is a part of a cycle known for its dual land capabilities. Functioning slightly differently than typical dual lands, Shineshadow Snarl will enter the battlefield either tapped or untapped, depending on a condition you must meet – revealing a specific land type from your hand.

How to Beat Shineshadow Snarl

While Shineshadow Snarl offers strategic mana fixing, it is not without its weaknesses. Its full potential is hinged on the state of your hand, requiring you to reveal an Island or Swamp to avoid coming into play tapped. This predictability can be an advantage for opponents savvy to your possible mana base restrictions. Ensuring your deck has ample land destruction or versatile counterspells to manipulate or target your opponent’s mana base effectively can diminish the advantage Shineshadow Snarl provides. Prioritizing mana efficiency and disrupting your opponent’s curve are key strategies in overwhelming the tactical adaptability that Shineshadow Snarl may offer.

To cap it off, a proper assessment of Shineshadow Snarl reveals its strength in the right deck but also highlights the importance of a balanced strategy to prevent reliance on such conditions. Keen awareness and tactical disruption are essential in overcoming this innovative land’s subtleties.


Cards like Shineshadow Snarl

Shineshadow Snarl is an intriguing land card in Magic: The Gathering, fitting seamlessly within the Snarl land series which includes other options like Brightclimb Pathway and Blightstep Pathway. Like its counterparts, Shineshadow Snarl offers a dual-color land that can come into play untapped, given you reveal an appropriate land card from your hand. This particular feature provides strategic mana flexibility reminiscent of other dual lands such as the Check Lands or Shock Lands.

However, when it comes to mana fixing, each land carries its nuances. Shock Lands like Hallowed Fountain, for instance, have the option to come into play untapped at the cost of life—a price not required by the Snarl series. On the flip side, Check Lands such as Glacial Fortress depend on controlling an Island or Plains to enter untapped, which can sometimes be less certain than revealing a card from hand. Shineshadow Snarl thus occupies a unique position with a reveal mechanism that bridges the gap between certainty and cost-effectiveness.

Considering the interplay of advantages and trade-offs among these land options, Shineshadow Snarl stands out for players who prioritize dependable mana access with minimal conditional requirements, thereby making it a valued piece in MTG decks that straddle the two colors it represents.

Hallowed Fountain - MTG Card versions
Glacial Fortress - MTG Card versions
Hallowed Fountain - Dissension (DIS)
Glacial Fortress - Magic 2010 (M10)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Shineshadow Snarl MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Strixhaven: School of Mages, 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 Shineshadow Snarl and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Shineshadow Snarl Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 2021-04-23 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 903442015normalblackSam Burley
22021-04-23Strixhaven: School of MagesSTX 3642015normalblackSam Burley
32021-04-23Strixhaven: School of MagesSTX 2722015normalblackSam Burley
42021-04-24Strixhaven: School of Mages PromosPSTX 272p2015normalblackSam Burley
52021-04-24Strixhaven: School of Mages PromosPSTX 272s2015normalblackSam Burley
62023-02-03Phyrexia: All Will Be One CommanderONC 1642015normalblackSam Burley
72023-04-21March of the Machine CommanderMOC 4222015normalblackSam Burley
82023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 3312015normalblackJonas De Ro
92023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 10332015normalblackSam Burley
102023-11-17The Lost Caverns of Ixalan CommanderLCC 3512015normalblackSam Burley

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Shineshadow Snarl has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-04-16 If a land card with an appropriate subtype is entering the battlefield from your hand at the same time as one of these lands, you may reveal the other land to have the "Snarl" enter untapped.
2021-04-16 If an effect instructs you to put one of these lands onto the battlefield tapped, it will still enter the battlefield tapped even if you reveal a land card from your hand.
2021-04-16 The "Snarl" itself doesn't have any land subtypes. You can't reveal one to satisfy the ability of another.
2021-04-16 You may reveal any land card with either or both of the appropriate subtypes. It doesn't have to be a basic land card.

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