Tolarian Drake MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Drake |
| Abilities | Flying,Phasing |
| Released | 1997-06-09 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Weatherlight |
| Set code | WTH |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 4 |
| Number | 55 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Mark Harrison |
Text of card
Flying, phasing
Many have been lost just in staring at its wings. What's seen differs from account to account, but madness is always part of the story.
Cards like Tolarian Drake
Exploring the dynamics of flying creatures in Magic: The Gathering, Tolarian Drake stands out for its presence in the battlefield. Flying creatures like Tolarian Drake share the skies with the likes of Spire Monitor and Scrapskin Drake. Each has a differing mana cost and toughness, yet they all provide a tactical advantage with their ability to evade many ground-based defenders.
Tolarian Drake offers players a middle-ground option with a reasonable casting cost and the Power-to-Toughness ratio. Spire Monitor, while slightly more expensive, brings the added flexibility of flash, allowing for surprise blocks or end-of-turn plays. Scrapskin Drake is a cheaper alternative, demanding less from your mana pool but offering lower toughness, thus more susceptible to removal when compared with Tolarian Drake.
All in all, Tolarian Drake may not be the flashiest card within its category, but its balanced approach makes it a reliable choice for players looking to bolster their aerial assault or defend against opponents’ airborne threats.
Cards similar to Tolarian Drake by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Tolarian Drake provides a notable tactical edge by offering repeatable scrying with each attack, which sharpens your game plan by filtering the next draws to ensure you access the spells you need when you need them.
Resource Acceleration: As a creature that can attack and untap lands with its ability, Tolarian Drake can effectively recoup some mana spent on casting it, potentially freeing up resources for additional plays within the same turn.
Instant Speed: While Tolarian Drake itself isn’t an instant, its flying ability allows it to be a nimble blocker against unexpected aerial threats during your opponent’s turn, making it a versatile card in both offense and defense.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Tolarian Drake demands you sacrifice another creature as part of its summoning cost. Such a requisite could put you at a disadvantage, especially if your battlefield presence is already minimal.
Specific Mana Cost: This card has a strict mana requirement that includes both blue and generic mana, potentially restricting its integration into decks that aren’t tailored for blue mana sources.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that may be considered steep for its abilities, players may find other creatures or spells with lower mana requirements to be more efficient choices for their decks.
Reasons to Include Tolarian Drake in Your Collection
Versatility: Tolarian Drake serves as a flexible piece in blue-based decks, offering a flying creature that can be a persistent threat in the air while adeptly blocking opposing creatures in aerial combat.
Combo Potential: This card can work well within strategies based around flying and can interact favorably with cards that care about creatures with flying or that trigger upon creatures entering the battlefield.
Meta-Relevance: In a game setting where flying is underutilized or defenses against it are low, Tolarian Drake could consistently chip away at an opponent’s life total, positioning itself as a sleeper card in specific match-ups or as a sideboard option against decks weak to flyers.
How to beat
Tolarian Drake represents a unique challenge in the realm of blue flyers within Magic: The Gathering. This particular drake, boasting a solid size and formidable flying ability, can be a real threat on the board. Its evasive maneuvers make it tough for ground creatures to block, which often necessitates a tailored strategy to overcome it.
To effectively neutralize Tolarian Drake, a well-thought-out mix of removal spells, flying blockers, or reach creatures are typically key. Targeted removal like Doom Blade or Path to Exile can easily dispatch the drake without much fuss. Alternatively, creatures with reach such as Silklash Spider can effectively block and eliminate the Drake, despite its airborne advantage. Moreover, including spells with the capacity to return creatures to their owner’s hand, such as Unsummon, can disrupt your opponent’s board presence, buying you crucial time to swing the game’s momentum in your favor.
All things considered, despite Tolarian Drake being a potent force in the game, knowledge of its weaknesses and the right tactical measures can ensure that this flying adversary swiftly becomes a non-issue on your journey to victory.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Tolarian Drake MTG card by a specific set like Weatherlight, 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 Tolarian Drake 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
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Tolarian Drake has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |