Thornwatch Scarecrow MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Thornwatch Scarecrow, while not directly a card-drawing engine, maintains card advantage through its resilience. With the capability to dodge removal regularly, it ensures that your board presence is constant, avoiding the need to commit additional cards prematurely.

Resource Acceleration: This scarecrow is a key component in decks that utilize creature typing for synergies. Its intrinsic versatility can accelerate your game plan, as it often enables you to reap the benefits from cards that rely on having a diversity of creatures in play.

Instant Speed: An aspect often overlooked with Thornwatch Scarecrow is its instant-speed activation for gaining vigilance. This can catch opponents off-guard, turning it into both an offensive and defensive asset on your field, thereby controlling the tempo of the match with just one creature.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Thornwatch Scarecrow demands a specific condition to avoid being discarded, which can be burdensome if you’re short on scarecrow creatures or prefer a varied creature base.

Specific Mana Cost: The Thornwatch Scarecrow requires both generic and green mana to cast, which can be restrictive for those who are not running a deck that supports green mana efficiently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The card comes with a somewhat steep five mana value for its abilities, which may not align well with decks looking for faster or more impactful plays at that cost tier.

Reasons to Include Thornwatch Scarecrow in Your Collection

Versatility: Thornwatch Scarecrow offers versatility as it comes with a flexible casting cost and the ability to slot into multiple deck types. Its adaptability in both aggressive and control strategies makes it a wise choice for players who appreciate multifaceted cards.

Combo Potential: This scarecrow has innate synergies with decks focusing on creature types or artifact strategies. Its unique abilities can serve as a combo enabler, enhancing deck mechanisms and opening up avenues for creative gameplay.

Meta-Relevance: Considering the ever-shifting MTG metagame, Thornwatch Scarecrow has the potential to shine against certain popular deck archetypes. A card that can pivot roles based on the current meta can be a valuable asset for any discerning collector or player.

How to beat

Thornwatch Scarecrow is a unique artifact creature within Magic: The Gathering that can pose a challenge to overcome. With vigilance and the ability to gain deathtouch as long as you control another green creature, it’s a formidable defender that can also become a dangerous attacker. However, there are straightforward tactics you can employ to outmatch this scarecrow.

Direct removal spells are your first line of defense. Spells like Murder or Path to Exile can dispatch Thornwatch Scarecrow quickly and efficiently, bypassing its defensive capabilities. Enchantment-based removal such as Oblivion Ring also works wonders by exiling the Scarecrow without triggering any death effects it might possess.

Alternatively, you can leverage creature-based strategies. Since Thornwatch Scarecrow’s deathtouch ability is contingent on green creatures, bear in mind that diminishing green creatures on your opponent’s battlefield negates this advantage. Sweepers like Wrath of God can reset the board, leaving the Scarecrow without its vital support.

Finally, exploiting its artifact nature is another angle of attack. Artifact destruction cards such as Naturalize or Shatter can easily target and destroy Thornwatch Scarecrow, making it important to include such answers in your deck when facing artifact-heavy opponents.