Canyon Drake MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Drake
Abilities	Flying
Released	1997-10-14
Set symbol
Set name	Tempest
Set code	TMP
Power	1
Toughness	2
Number	166
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Quinton Hoover

Key Takeaways

Canyon Drake can turn land surplus into strength, offering tactical advantages in resource-heavy decks.
Despite its benefits, Canyon Drake’s effectiveness may be hindered by its reliance on Mountains and higher mana cost.
It offers flexible strategies and stands out in aerial combat, making it a worthwhile card for certain MTG decks.

Text of card

Flying o1, Discard a card at random: Canyon Drake gets +2/+0 until end of turn.

"These runes are tough enough without the distraction," Ertai muttered, one eye on the drake.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Canyon Drake has the potential to provide card advantage over an opponent by efficiently converting air superiority into pressure on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly affecting resources, Canyon Drake’s flying ability allows for consistent damage which can effectively accelerate the game towards your favor.

Instant Speed: Although Canyon Drake operates at sorcery speed, having it on the board means your opponent must always consider its presence, which can influence their playstyle and the pace of the game to your advantage.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Canyon Drake necessitates the discarding of a card to activate its ability, presenting a potential setback by depleting your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: With a casting requirement of two colorless and two red mana, Canyon Drake’s placement is mostly restricted to decks heavy on Mountain lands.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a demanding cost of four mana, the return on investment with Canyon Drake can fall short, particularly when assessed against other creatures at a similar cost threshold offering more impactful abilities or stats.

Reasons to Include Canyon Drake in Your Collection

Versatility: Canyon Drake stands out due to its ability to adapt to various gameplay styles. Its capacity to convert excess lands into a power boost makes it a handy tool for decks looking to capitalize on land draws.

Combo Potential: This Drake offers intriguing interactions with cards that put lands into your hand or the graveyard, enabling crafty players to construct potent synergies and amplify their board state.

Meta-Relevance: Given that flying creatures can often evade common ground-based defenses, Canyon Drake has potential merit in a meta where having an aerial threat gives you the upper hand against ground-focused strategies.

How to beat

Canyon Drake is a creature from the Magic: The Gathering universe that can present a unique challenge on the battlefield. As a flying creature, it holds a strategic advantage over non-flying units, making it a valuable asset for aerial control. To effectively counter Canyon Drake, it is essential to incorporate cards into your deck that can either remove flying abilities or neutralize aerial threats directly.

One effective strategy is to utilize spells that can deal with creatures regardless of flying, such as Murder or Doom Blade, which offer a straightforward solution to eliminate Canyon Drake. If targeting the enemy’s mana base is your preference, land destruction or land damping spells hamper their ability to deploy Canyon Drake. Additionally, for Blue players, a counter spell ready at hand can preempt the drake’s summoning, curbing it before it ever reaches the board. Lastly, including flyers of your own—with greater power, toughness, or valuable abilities—can help you gain air superiority, ensuring that Canyon Drake isn’t the deciding factor in a match. Engage these tactics, and the skies will remain clear on your path to victory.

Cards like Canyon Drake

Canyon Drake is a unique creature in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, offering an intriguing blend of abilities. It’s often compared to other flying creatures such as Skyship Stalker, which provides a flexible approach to combat with options to gain first strike or pump up its power. However, Canyon Drake brings its own twist with its ability to turn land cards from your hand into temporary mana acceleration and a potential power boost.

Looking at Stormwing Entity, we see a card that also benefits from casting spells, but in this case, it’s more focused on spell sling type decks with its prowess-like ability. The Entity shines in decks filled with noncreature spells, while Canyon Drake is better suited for decks with a lot of lands. Aerialists, another similar card, grants life gain on entering the battlefield. This is a bonus that Canyon Drake doesn’t have, yet the Drake may outclass it in terms of providing an ongoing mana advantage.

All considered, Canyon Drake has its niche within flying creatures in Magic: The Gathering, setting itself apart with its land-centric mechanics that offer both players strategic depth and a different kind of resource management in-game.

Cards similar to Canyon Drake by color, type and mana cost

Krark-Clan Engineers - MTG Card versions

Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Canyon Drake MTG card by a specific set like Tempest, 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 Canyon Drake and other MTG cards: