Yavimaya Dryad MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Dryad
Abilities Forestwalk
Power 2
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Yavimaya Dryad offers card advantage by fetching forests, improving future draws.
  2. It aids in mana acceleration and can unexpectedly provide instant speed land.
  3. Despite usefulness, it can be mana-costly and requires careful deck integration.

Text of card

Forestwalk When Yavimaya Dryad comes into play, you may search your library for a Forest card and put it into play tapped under target player's control. If you do, shuffle your library.

The parched earth still shielded those few souls with the heart to call it home.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Yavimaya Dryad’s ability to fetch a forest card from your library and put it onto the battlefield under your control is a subtle form of card advantage. This not only ensures a land drop but also thins your deck to improve the quality of your future draws.

Resource Acceleration: The Dryad’s forest-putting ability can be seen as a form of resource acceleration. It aids in your deck’s mana development, potentially unlocking higher cost spells earlier in the game. Moreover, it facilitates splashing of colors by obtaining the forest type you need, whether it’s a basic Forest or even a dual land with a forest subtype.

Instant Speed: While Yavimaya Dryad itself does not operate at instant speed, the forest it searches for enters the battlefield untapped. This allows for immediate use of that land for instant speed interactions, giving you both a surprise blocker or the necessary mana for other instant speed spells in the midst of combat or at the end of your opponent’s turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike cards that generate advantage upon entering the battlefield, Yavimaya Dryad doesn’t present an immediate benefit without sacrificing another resource. This need to discard can be particularly stifling when you’re already behind or managing a tight hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Yavimaya Dryad requires both green and generic mana to be played. This specificity means that in mana-thirsty decks or those with a stringent color pie, the Dryad may be challenging to cast on curve, reducing its effectiveness and overall flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, including one green, the Dryad’s benefits might be overshadowed by other three-drops in the same slot. For the same investment, players might favor other creatures or spells that offer more immediate impact, defensive capabilities, or utility in the game. The cost-benefit analysis often leads players to seek alternatives with lower mana costs or more powerful effects.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Yavimaya Dryad is a flexible addition to green-centric decks, capable of serving multiple roles. Its ability to fetch a Forest card ensures land drops remain consistent, supporting strategies that rely on landfall triggers or require a stable mana base.

Combo Potential: With the capacity to put a Forest card onto the battlefield tapped and under the control of a chosen player, Yavimaya Dryad can function within land-related combo setups or work with effects that trigger when opponents gain lands, highlighting tactical depth.

Meta-Relevance: As games evolve and the emphasis on interaction with lands intensifies, Yavimaya Dryad stands out. It can subtly shift opponents’ mana bases or be instrumental in enabling your own land-based synergies, making it a valuable card in various metagame scenarios.


How to beat

When facing off against the Yavimaya Dryad in MTG, it’s important to understand its capabilities and your own defensive strategies. Known for its forestwalk ability and the power to locate a Forest card, this card can be a subtle yet strategic threat. To counteract the Dryad’s influence, you might want to minimize the number of Forests you have in play if possible. Additionally, an efficient removal spell such as Path to Exile or Fatal Push could prove to be a highly effective solution, as it removes the Dryad from play before its ability has a substantial impact on the game.

Another tactic is to include cards in your deck that can block or neutralize creatures with landwalk abilities. For example, running cards that alter the land type or employing creatures with reach can offset the advantages the Yavimaya Dryad provides. It’s also valuable to have instant-speed interaction to surprise an opponent banking on the unblockability granted by forestwalk. This way, not only do you manage the immediate threat of the Dryad, but you also maintain a posture prepared for various creature-based strategies your opponent may deploy.

In essence, by having a diverse range of responses and minimizing the value of the Dryad’s abilities, you can mitigate the advantages it bestows upon your opponent and maintain control of the game’s pace and your path to victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Embarking on the path of MTG mastery encompasses learning the nuances of every card, including the versatile Yavimaya Dryad. With its unique abilities to tweak land drops and advance your mana base, it’s a card that should not go unnoticed. While it may not always be the standout pick in every deck, it has the potential to synergize beautifully with certain strategies and metagames. Boost your collection’s diversity and harness the land-centric powers of the Dryad. Dive deeper into the rich tactical possibilities it offers and refine your deck-building skills with us. Enhance your gameplay and secure your victories with key insights and strategies from the MTG landscape. Prepare to discover more and make every match an expression of skill and deep understanding.


Cards like Yavimaya Dryad

Exploring the forests of MTG, Yavimaya Dryad stands out with its unique ability to sneak lands onto the battlefield. Terrain Generator is a land with a similar effect, allowing players to put a land from their hand onto the battlefield at instant speed. However, neither the directness of Yavimaya Dryad in providing land advantage nor the instant speed of Terrain Generator match the simplicity of Rampant Growth. This spell straightforwardly searches for a basic land and puts it into play tapped.

Another card worth mentioning is Wood Elves, which shares the Dryad’s ability to fetch a Forest card and put it into play, potentially untapped. Although similar in effect, the Dryad offers the tactical advantage of targeting any player. This is something the Wood Elves lack, making Yavimaya Dryad a strategic choice in multiplayer games for both ramp and political play. Furthermore, the Dryad’s forestwalk makes it a more evasive threat in comparison to its counterparts.

Evaluating these choices against each other, Yavimaya Dryad not only aids in land development but also serves as a subtle tool for control and pressure, especially in games involving multiple players where its versatile land distribution can become a significant advantage.

Rampant Growth - MTG Card versions
Wood Elves - MTG Card versions
Terrain Generator - MTG Card versions
Rampant Growth - Mirage (MIR)
Wood Elves - Portal (POR)
Terrain Generator - Nemesis (NEM)

Cards similar to Yavimaya Dryad by color, type and mana cost

Cat Warriors - MTG Card versions
Rysorian Badger - MTG Card versions
Sabertooth Cobra - MTG Card versions
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Femeref Archers - MTG Card versions
Lydari Druid - MTG Card versions
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Topiary Stomper - MTG Card versions
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Wirewood Savage - MTG Card versions
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Pincher Beetles - MTG Card versions
Awakener Druid - MTG Card versions
Brindle Boar - MTG Card versions
Wood Elves - MTG Card versions
Cat Warriors - Legends (LEG)
Rysorian Badger - Homelands (HML)
Sabertooth Cobra - Mirage (MIR)
Quirion Druid - Visions (VIS)
Hungry Hungry Heifer - Unglued (UGL)
Titania's Chosen - Urza's Saga (USG)
Taoist Mystic - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Femeref Archers - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Lydari Druid - Sega Dreamcast Cards (PSDG)
Steel Leaf Champion - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Realmwalker - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC)
Topiary Stomper - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Territorial Scythecat - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Wirewood Savage - Onslaught (ONS)
Reki, the History of Kamigawa - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Timberwatch Elf - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Pincher Beetles - Tenth Edition (10E)
Awakener Druid - Magic 2011 (M11)
Brindle Boar - Magic 2011 (M11)
Wood Elves - New Capenna Commander (NCC)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Yavimaya Dryad MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral and Archenemy, 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 Yavimaya Dryad and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Yavimaya Dryad Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2006-10-06 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by Rebecca Guay.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12006-10-06Time SpiralTSP 2352003normalblackRebecca Guay
22010-06-18ArchenemyARC 752003normalblackRebecca Guay
32020-04-17Commander 2020C20 1972015normalblackRebecca Guay
42021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 2472015normalblackRebecca Guay

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Yavimaya Dryad has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-03-19 In a multiplayer game, if you leave the game, the Forest you own leaves as well. If instead another player who received your Forest from Yavimaya Dryad leaves the game, that land is exiled.
2021-03-19 You can be the target of Yavimaya Dryad’s triggered ability.

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