Dormant Sliver MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Sliver
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Dormant Sliver enhances Sliver decks with its card drawing feature, making it a value engine in play.
  2. Demands a multicolor mana base and thoughtful play, as its high cost and defender trait affect deck dynamics.
  3. Its unique contribution to Sliver synergy makes it worthwhile for longer games where resources are crucial.

Text of card

All Slivers have defender and "When this creature comes into play, draw a card."

"It triggers the hive's period of Ætheric fertility—a time when even feeding is a lower priority than reproduction." —Rukarumel, field journal


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dormant Sliver offers substantial card advantage by allowing you to draw a card each time a Sliver comes into play under your control. This ability synergizes extremely well with a Sliver-heavy deck, turning each Sliver cast into a potential draw mechanism and refilling your hand consistently.

Resource Acceleration: The card benefits your mana curve by being a 4 mana cost creature that can streamline your game plan. Even though Dormant Sliver itself doesn’t directly generate mana, its card draw effect accelerates your access to other resources, ensuring that you’ll have a steady flow of Slivers and lands to play.

Instant Speed: While Dormant Sliver itself is not played at instant speed, the cards you draw off of its ability can include instant speed interactions. This gives you the flexibility to respond to opponents’ threats or optimize your plays during their turn, thus improving your tactical advantages.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Dormant Sliver compels you to tuck away a creature card each turn, which can systematically deplete your hand, especially detrimental if you’re facing resource scarcity and need to keep options open for strategic plays.

Specific Mana Cost: Calling upon a blend of green and blue mana, Dormant Sliver demands a tailored mana base, which confines its integration to multicolor decks harmonizing with its mana needs and may not mesh with monochromatic or other combinations.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting necessity of four mana, including two that are color-specific, the Sliver proves to be a pricier investment in contrast to other creatures within the same mana spectrum that may provide immediate impact without the accompanying constraints.


Reasons to Include Dormant Sliver in Your Collection

Versatility: Dormant Sliver offers a unique function by granting all Slivers the ability to draw a card when they come into play. This creature can easily be included in Sliver decks to turn your Slivers into engines of card advantage, enabling you to draw into your deck more efficiently and access your key pieces when you need them.

Combo Potential: This Sliver shines in combinations with other Slivers, especially ones that allow you to sacrifice creatures for a benefit. This synergy lets players exploit the card draw ability while circumventing the downside of Dormant Sliver, which is not allowing your Slivers to attack. It fits seamlessly into a Sliver tribal strategy, enhancing both your board presence and hand resources.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that consists of longer, grindier games where accumulating resources is key, Dormant Sliver proves its worth. It can provide a steady stream of card advantage that could make all the difference in outpacing control strategies or going toe-to-toe with other creature-heavy decks.


How to beat

The Dormant Sliver presents a unique challenge on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. With its ability to grant all Slivers the capacity to draw a card, this creature embodies an advantage that can quickly tilt the game in favor of Sliver decks. Its defender capability, however, is a double-edged sword, preventing it from attacking and potentially stalling its controller’s offensive momentum.

To overcome the Dormant Sliver’s influence, the focus should be on removing it from the field, thus negating its card-drawing benefit to the Sliver collective. Enchantment removal or exile effects are effective since they can bypass the common protection abilities that Slivers often possess. Additionally, strategies that limit the number of cards an opponent can draw will dampen the Dormant Sliver’s impact, making cards like Narset, Parter of Veils or Notion Thief valuable assets.

In essence, confronting the Dormant Sliver requires a blend of tactics geared towards disrupting the Sliver synergy and diminishing the draw potential it provides. By combining removal with draw control, players can effectively dismantle the Sliver strategy and reclaim the advantage.


BurnMana Recommendations

Assimilating the nuances of MTG deck building and gameplay can be deeply rewarding, particularly when uncovering how specific cards like Dormant Sliver can tip the scales in your favor. Maximizing the card draw advantage while mitigating potential drawbacks, such as the inability to attack, requires strategic deck composition and a keen understanding of the meta. If you wish to harness the true potential of Dormant Sliver, consider incorporating sacrifice or flicker mechanics to negate its limitations and maintain pressure on your opponent. Dive deeper with us into the MTG realm to refine your strategies and fortify your collection, ensuring each duel is a display of skillful mastery.


Cards like Dormant Sliver

Dormant Sliver slides into the unique niche Slivers occupy in the Magic: The Gathering ecosystem. Much like the Hive Lord or Manaweft Sliver, it bolsters fellow Slivers with an ability, in this case, card draw. Every time a Sliver enters the battlefield, you draw a card, a valuable ability not commonly found among Sliver cards. Unlike its kin, the Hive Lord that grants indestructibility, Dormant Sliver has a significant downside – your Slivers can’t attack.

Comparing it to other Slivers like Gemhide Sliver which provides mana fixing, Dormant Sliver is less about aggression and more about building card advantage. Synapse Sliver is perhaps the closest comparison, also rewarding you with card draw upon Slivers dealing combat damage, which is inherently more geared towards offensive strategies. Dormant Sliver sets itself apart by turning your Sliver into an army of Ohran Vipers, allowing for a potential card draw avalanche under the right conditions.

When it comes to gathering resources and cycling through your deck, Dormant Sliver offers a persistent, if pacifistic, advantage in Sliver decks that no other Sliver can. This attribute places it in a unique position among its brethren in Magic: The Gathering.

Manaweft Sliver - MTG Card versions
Gemhide Sliver - MTG Card versions
Synapse Sliver - MTG Card versions
Ohran Viper - MTG Card versions
Manaweft Sliver - MTG Card versions
Gemhide Sliver - MTG Card versions
Synapse Sliver - MTG Card versions
Ohran Viper - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dormant Sliver MTG card by a specific set like Planar Chaos and Time Spiral Remastered, 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 Dormant Sliver and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dormant Sliver Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2007-02-02 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by Lars Grant-West.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12007-02-02Planar ChaosPLC 1562003NormalBlackLars Grant-West
22021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 2502015NormalBlackLars Grant-West

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dormant Sliver has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Dormant Sliver card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2013-07-01 Abilities that Slivers grant, as well as power/toughness boosts, are cumulative. However, for some abilities, like flying, having more than one instance of the ability doesn’t provide any additional benefit.
2013-07-01 If the creature type of a Sliver changes so it’s no longer a Sliver, it will no longer be affected by its own ability. Its ability will continue to affect other Sliver creatures.
2021-03-19 The controller of the Sliver that enters the battlefield draws a card, not necessarily the controller of Dormant Sliver.
2021-03-19 The last ability Dormant Sliver grants itself triggers when it enters the battlefield.

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