Flailing Drake MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Drake
Abilities	Flying
Released	1997-10-14
Set symbol
Set name	Tempest
Set code	TMP
Power	2
Toughness	3
Number	227
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Heather Hudson

Key Takeaways

Flailing Drake provides a steady stream of card advantage while pressuring opponents with its flying ability.
Its restrictive mana requirements and discard cost demand strategic deck building and playstyle considerations.
With removal spells and anti-targeting tactics, Flailing Drake’s strength can be cleverly mitigated.

Text of card

Flying If Flailing Drake blocks or is blocked by any creature, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

Too many choices will always distract a greedy beast.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Flailing Drake offers the potential for consistent card advantage, as its ability allows its controller to potentially draw an additional card each turn, provided the Drake deals combat damage to an opponent. This helps to refill your hand and maintains pressure on your opponent by threatening additional card draws with every successful attack.

Resource Acceleration: While Flailing Drake does not directly generate resources, its presence can accelerate your game by applying pressure on your opponents and forcing them to allocate resources to deal with it. This indirect resource acceleration can be useful in overwhelming your opponents or drawing out their removal spells, paving the way for other threats in your deck to shine.

Instant Speed: While Flailing Drake itself is a creature and not an instant, it benefits from being played in decks that operate at instant speed. The Drake can be a formidable threat after you’ve kept mana open for instant-speed interaction, thereby allowing you to dictate the pace of the game. If no immediate threat arises, deploying Flailing Drake at the end of your opponent’s turn maximizes your mana efficiency and provides a window to advance your board state uncontested.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging a creature in battle is the essence of MTG, but certain cards like Flailing Drake come with a steep price. For Flailing Drake to take flight, you must discard another card, which could put you at a disadvantage, especially when your hand is nearing empty. It’s a trade that needs careful consideration — card advantage often leads to victory, and discarding can quickly tip the scales against you.

Specific Mana Cost: Ensuring Flailing Drake takes its rightful place on the battlefield means tapping into a very specific type of mana. This creature demands not just any mana, but blue mana to soar. This requirement might restrict its synergy in decks that aren’t heavily invested in Islands. Deck builders beware: diversity in mana is key, but Flailing Drake insists on a monochromatic presence in your mana pool.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When casting spells in MTG, mana efficiency can make or break your game plan. Flailing Drake comes at a cost — four mana, a number that could arguably summon creatures with greater impact or more daunting abilities. It stands at a crossroads of mana investment; there are certainly other flyers or creatures that may provide a greater bang for your mana buck at this cost threshold.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Flailing Drake brings a dynamic edge to various deck builds with its flying ability, allowing your strategies to soar over ground-based defenses. This feature grants a tactical advantage in combat, positioning Flailing Drake as a valuable addition for any collection aiming for aerial control.

Combo Potential: The Drake synergizes with effects that trigger upon creatures with flying, whether it’s bolstering your own air force or disrupting opponent’s tactics. Its potential to be utilized in combos that capitalize on its creature type makes it a card worth considering for thematic or tribal decks.

Meta-Relevance: With a shifting landscape that often values creatures with evasion, having Flailing Drake in your repertoire can be a game-changer. It’s particularly relevant in metas where flying creatures can dominate battles with less risk of being blocked, ensuring you stay ahead in ever-evolving gameplay.

How to Beat Flailing Drake

Flailing Drake, in the realm of MTG, presents a unique challenge with its flying ability and the propensity to grow stronger whenever it is targeted by spells or abilities. That inherent strength though can be turned into a vulnerability by savvy players. The first and most straightforward strategy is using removal spells that don’t target, such as board wipes. Cards like Wrath of God or Damnation bypass the Drake’s ability altogether, effectively removing it without any stat boosts.

Another tactic involves playing around the targeting aspect. Cards that prevent targeting altogether, like Shroud or Hexproof granting abilities, nullify the strength of Flailing Drake. Equipments or auras such as Swiftfoot Boots or Robe of Mirrors can be game-changers in this scenario. Lastly, since Flailing Drake shines in mid-air combat, leveraging creatures with ‘reach’ can equalize the battlefield or direct damage spells that deal damage without targeting, like Earthquake or Pyroclasm, keep the Drake in check without making it more threatening.

Understanding the range of strategies and card synergies is key in MTG, and knowing how to neutralize cards such as Flailing Drake can be the difference between victory and defeat. By carefully considering your deck construction and in-game decisions, you’ll be well-equipped to clip the wings of the Drake and keep the skies clear for your conquest.

Cards like Flailing Drake

Flailing Drake is an intriguing creature card in the realm of MTG, comparable to cards with flying and the “flailing” mechanic. One card that comes to mind is Flailing Soldier, which shares the characteristic that lets opponents increase the creature’s cost or power. An advantage that Flailing Drake offers over its ground-based counterpart is its flying ability, giving it an edge in air superiority.

Examining other creatures with evasion abilities, we can compare it to Thieving Magpie. While the Magpie provides the added bonus of card draw upon dealing damage to a player, it lacks the potential power boost Flailing Drake has. On the other hand, Snapping Drake is a straightforward flyer without any additional abilities, providing a more consistent, but less flexible option than Flailing Drake.

Ultimately, each card offers unique strategic options. Flailing Drake may be the choice for players seeking a creature with the potential to become a formidable flyer with its variable power level, which can be useful in dynamic gameplay situations.

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

Ulvenwald Oddity // Ulvenwald Behemoth - MTG Card versions

Monkey Monkey Monkey - MTG Card versions

Matsu-Tribe Birdstalker - MTG Card versions

Order of the Sacred Bell - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Flailing 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 Flailing Drake and other MTG cards: