Tarpan MTG Card

Tarpan synergizes with sacrifice mechanics, enhancing its value beyond a simple creature card. Its low casting cost offers an early game presence and potential for resource ramping. While limited to green decks, Tarpan’s benefits in specific strategies justify its inclusion.

Ice Age (ICE)
1995-06-03 - Number 267

Fifth Edition (5ED)
1997-03-24 - Number 330

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Horse
Power	1
Toughness	1

Text of card

If Tarpan is put into the graveyard from play, gain 1 life.

"A good Tarpan will serve you, faithful and true. A bad one will kick you in the head." —General Jarkeld, the Arctic Fox

Cards like Tarpan

The Tarpan card holds a distinctive place in the realm of Magic: The Gathering due its historical context and simple dynamics. This one-mana creature card closely resembles the Savannah Lions, famed for their efficiency as a 2/1 creature for one white mana. While Tarpan’s power and toughness are lower, it compensates by benefiting its owner with one life upon dying, which the Lions do not.

Comparatively, the Healing Salve card can be seen echoing Tarpan’s lifegain theme, offering a choice between preventing damage or gaining life, but Tarpan’s creature status introduces strategic board presence. Mistmoon Griffin also mirrors Tarpan’s lifegain on death, yet it stands out with a higher mana cost and flying ability, affording a more aggressive board impact.

Thus, evaluating Tarpan alongside its similars showcases it as a modest yet potentially tactical choice for decks focused on early creatures and incremental life gains. While it may not be the powerhouse in strength, its synergy with sacrifice and death-triggered effects could be subtly advantageous in MTG gameplay.

Cards similar to Tarpan by color, type and mana cost

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Tarpan may not directly offer card draw, its inclusion in a deck synergizes well with various sacrifice mechanics, effectively converting the creature into another resource and potentially drawing cards indirectly through other card interactions.

Resource Acceleration: Tarpan itself doesn’t accelerate resources directly. However, its low casting cost enables early board presence and can be a catalyst for mechanics that ramp up mana or other resources through its sacrificial synergy with other cards.

Instant Speed: Tarpan’s effect takes place at sorcery speed, but its ability to sacrifice for benefits can occasionally align with the effects of instant speed cards, allowing players to manage their resources effectively during critical moments of gameplay.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Tarpan offers a unique aspect to gameplay, it does not have a discard requirement. However, it’s important to note that for other cards, a discard requirement can hinder strategic hand management.

Specific Mana Cost: Tarpan requires a single green mana to cast, which makes it accessible, but it also pigeonholes the card into green-centric decks, limiting versatility in various deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Though Tarpan’s mana cost is low, its overall utility may not justify even this minimal investment when compared to other one-mana creatures that offer more substantial abilities or stats.

Reasons to Include Tarpan in Your Collection

Versatility: Tarpan may seem unassuming, but it can slip into various deck types. It can surprise opponents in games that prize low-cost creatures or require sacrifices for larger benefits.

Combo Potential: With the right synergies, Tarpan could serve as a critical piece in a combo, providing an early target for sacrifice or death-triggered effects that help you gain an advantage on the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: Though not a standout in current competitive circles, understanding and experimenting with Tarpan can be a fun and educational experience, especially in casual or historical MTG formats where nostalgia and creative deck building are valued.

How to beat

Overcoming the Tarpan in Magic: The Gathering can be an interesting puzzle to solve given its status as a historical piece of the game’s early creature lineup. Tarpan, a humble one-mana creature, features a subtle ability that may not impact the current dynamic board states found in modern formats. When faced with this pony, the key to success lies in the strategic use of removal spells or leveraging creatures with higher power and toughness to simply overpower it in combat.

For those looking to address Tarpan directly, spells like Shock or Fatal Push offer efficient and cost-effective solutions to dispatch it from the field. Additionally, Tarpan’s ability, which grants a player life upon its death, should be considered a minor speed bump rather than a significant obstacle. In the larger scope of MTG’s complex battlefield, Tarpan tends to fall by the wayside as players advance their board state with more formidable and impactful creatures.

Whether you’re considering casual play or delving into deeper strategic formats, dealing with a creature like Tarpan often requires minimal resource investment, ensuring that your path to victory remains clear and unobstructed. It’s a reminder that not every threat in MTG requires elaborate planning to overcome.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tarpan MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Fifth Edition, 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 Tarpan and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Tarpan Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 1997-03-24. Illustrated by Margaret Organ-Kean.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1995-06-03	Ice Age	ICE		267	1993	Normal	Black	Margaret Organ-Kean
2	1997-03-24	Fifth Edition	5ED		330	1997	Normal	White	Margaret Organ-Kean

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Tarpan has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal