Thrummingbird MTG Card
Card sets | Released in 11 setsSee all |
Mana cost | |
Converted mana cost | 2 |
Rarity | Uncommon |
Type | Creature — Phyrexian Bird Horror |
Abilities | Flying,Proliferate |
Power | 1 |
Toughness | 1 |
Text of card
Flying Whenever Thrummingbird deals combat damage to a player, proliferate. (You choose any number of permanents and/or players with counters on them, then give each another counter of a kind already there.)
Cards like Thrummingbird
Thrummingbird serves as a keystone in proliferate strategies within Magic: The Gathering, similar to other cards that enhance counters on your permanents. Flight of Fancy, for instance, is also a blue card that empowers the board but takes a different route by granting card draw upon entering the battlefield. While Thrummingbird can repeatedly bolster the number of counters, Flight of Fancy provides a one-time advantage.
Analogous capabilities can be found in Viral Drake, another card that proliferates. However, Viral Drake distinguishes itself with its Infect ability, transforming the distribution of counters into a potential win condition. Still, it demands a higher mana investment in comparison to Thrummingbird’s cost-efficient profile. Grateful Apparition is another creature with a recurring proliferate trigger, echoing the Thrummingbird’s intent, albeit without flying over blockers.
In analyzing these cards, Thrummingbird’s blend of low cost and efficient proliferate mechanic provides it with a unique standing. It’s a useful creature that can steadily tip the battlefield in your favor, a testament to its enduring popularity in decks that rely on counter manipulation.
Cards similar to Thrummingbird by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Thrummingbird. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
# | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bant Toxic | Standard | Bant Poison | ReCQ - Standard - SCG CON Hartford - Saturday - 2:00 pm (Bronze) | |
UB | Pauper | Pauper Challenge 64 2023-12-17 |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Thrummingbird contributes to card advantage through its proliferate ability. This can enhance planeswalkers’ loyalty counts or increase the number of counters on your permanents, indirectly granting you more resources and overwhelming board presence.
Resource Acceleration: The ability to proliferate also serves as resource acceleration. By increasing the number of +1/+1 counters on your creatures or even charge counters on artifacts like Everflowing Chalice, Thrummingbird helps you ramp up your resources efficiently without requiring extra mana investment.
Instant Speed: Although not an instant itself, Thrummingbird often prompts opponents to react at instant speed. This can shift the pace of the game, as opponents might be forced to use removal on it swiftly to prevent you from accumulating too much advantage, effectively serving as a threat that demands an immediate answer.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Thrummingbird boasts the ability to proliferate counters on your permanents, it requires a strategic setup on the board to harness its full potential. Without other cards in play that use counters, its prowess is significantly diminished.
Specific Mana Cost: The hybrid mana cost of blue and/or colorless adds flexibility to deck building but still necessitates a commitment to blue mana sources. This requirement might restrict its integration into multicolor decks not focused on blue or proliferate strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Thrummingbird costs two mana, which may appear low, it competes for early game plays with other impactful two-drops. Additionally, its 1/1 body can be relatively easy for opponents to remove before it can begin to propagate its proliferate effect.
Reasons to Include Thrummingbird in Your Collection
Versatility: The appeal of Thrummingbird lies in its ability to adapt to various strategies. Its unique proliferate ability is a fantastic tool for decks focused on counters, be they +1/+1, loyalty, or otherwise, making it a multi-use card for numerous deck builds.
Combo Potential: In the right setup, Thrummingbird can become a powerhouse. Combining it with cards that add counters to any permanent or player can lead to exponential growth and game-swinging combos, from increasing energy reserves to bolstering infect counters.
Meta-Relevance: Its relevance in the current meta cannot be understated. In a game state where evolving threats and flexible responses are crucial, Thrummingbird provides a persistent mechanism for enhancing your board position against a wide array of decks.
How to beat
Thrummingbird is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering known for its capability to proliferate, which means it can amplify the number of counters on players’ permanents. Its synergy with cards that benefit from additional counters, such as those with charge, +1/+1, or loyalty abilities, makes it a card that can escalate threats rapidly if left unchecked.
To effectively counteract Thrummingbird’s influence, removal spells are the easiest solution. Any instant-speed removal like Path to Exile or Doom Blade can dispatch the bird before it has a chance to spread those extra counters. Playing creatures with reach or flying can also provide a defensive blockade against the Thrummingbird by matching it in the aerial battlefield where it operates.
Additionally, strategic players will negate the benefit Thrummingbird brings to the table by focusing on removing key cards that depend on counters. This approach minimizes the impact even if the Thrummingbird manages to proliferate. Moreover, dampening proliferation’s effectiveness through cards that prevent placing counters or abilities from activating keeps the flying threat at bay.
BurnMana Recommendations
Dive deeper into the mechanics of Thrummingbird and master the art of the proliferate ability. Whether working to increase your planeswalkers’ loyalty, doubling up on +1/+1 counters, or simply outmaneuvering opponents with strategic plays, Thrummingbird is a small creature with big potential for your deck. Learn to maximize this card’s synergy with other counter-dependent cards and outpace your opposition. If you’re looking to amplify your MTG gameplay with nuanced strategies and build dynamic decks around proliferate mechanics, unlock the full potential of Thrummingbird. Join us for in-depth insights and rise to the challenge in your upcoming matches.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Thrummingbird MTG card by a specific set like Scars of Mirrodin and Modern Masters 2015, 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 Thrummingbird and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Printings
The Thrummingbird Magic the Gathering card was released in 9 different sets between 2010-10-01 and 2023-08-04. Illustrated by 3 different artists.
# | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2010-10-01 | Scars of Mirrodin | SOM | 47 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Efrem Palacios | |
2 | 2015-05-22 | Modern Masters 2015 | MM2 | 65 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Efrem Palacios | |
3 | 2016-11-11 | Commander 2016 | C16 | 100 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Efrem Palacios | |
4 | 2018-06-08 | Commander Anthology Volume II | CM2 | 52 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Efrem Palacios | |
5 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 523 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Efrem Palacios | |
6 | The List | PLST | CM2-52 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Efrem Palacios | ||
7 | 2022-04-29 | New Capenna Commander | NCC | 236 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Efrem Palacios | |
8 | 2023-02-03 | Phyrexia: All Will Be One | ONE | 432 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Flavio Girón | |
9 | 2023-02-03 | Phyrexia: All Will Be One | ONE | 288 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Flavio Girón | |
10 | 2023-02-03 | Phyrexia: All Will Be One | ONE | 72 | 2015 | Normal | Black | José Parodi | |
11 | 2023-08-04 | Commander Masters | CMM | 858 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Efrem Palacios |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Thrummingbird has restrictions
Format | Legality |
---|---|
Standard | Legal |
Historicbrawl | Legal |
Historic | Legal |
Legacy | Legal |
Paupercommander | Legal |
Oathbreaker | Legal |
Gladiator | Legal |
Alchemy | Legal |
Pioneer | Legal |
Commander | Legal |
Modern | Legal |
Pauper | Legal |
Future | Legal |
Vintage | Legal |
Duel | Legal |
Explorer | Legal |
Predh | Legal |
Brawl | Legal |
Penny | Legal |
Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Thrummingbird card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
Date | Text |
---|---|
2023-02-04 | An ability that triggers "Whenever you proliferate" triggers even if you chose no permanents or players while doing so. |
2023-02-04 | If a permanent ever has both +1/+1 counters and -1/-1 counters on it at the same time, they're removed in pairs as a state-based action so that the permanent has only one of those kinds of counters on it. |
2023-02-04 | If a player or permanent has more than one kind of counter on it, and you choose for it to get additional counters, it must get one of each kind of counter it already has. You can't have it get just one kind of counter it already has and not the others. |
2023-02-04 | Players can respond to a spell or ability whose effect includes proliferating. Once that spell or ability starts to resolve, however, and its controller chooses which permanents and players will get new counters, it's too late for anyone to respond. |
2023-02-04 | To proliferate, you can choose any permanent that has a counter, including ones controlled by opponents. You can choose any player who has a counter, including opponents. You can't choose cards in any zone other than the battlefield, even if they have counters on them. |
2023-02-04 | You don't have to choose every permanent or player that has a counter, only the ones you want to add another counter to. Since "any number" includes zero, you don't have to choose any permanents at all, and you don't have to choose any players at all. |