Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — Sphinx
Abilities Flying,Menace, Vigilance
Power 3
Toughness 5

Key Takeaways

  1. Yennett provides cost-free casting for odd CMC spells, offering significant card advantage on the battlefield.
  2. Despite being a resource accelerator, Yennett requires external support for maintaining a full hand.
  3. Inclusion in decks promises versatility and combo potential, essential for meta-relevant strategies.
Vigilance card art

Guide to Vigilance card ability

In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.

Text of card

Flying, vigilance, menace Whenever Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign attacks, reveal the top card of your library. You may cast it without paying its mana cost if its mana value is odd. If you don't cast it, draw a card.

She talks using riddles her disciples alone can unravel.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign’s ability to reveal the top card of your library and cast it without paying its mana cost if it has an odd converted mana cost provides a significant advantage. This effect not only bypasses the need for resources but also potentially places a high-impact spell directly onto the battlefield, surpassing normal casting limitations and giving you a substantial upper hand.

Resource Acceleration: By enabling you to cast high-cost spells for free, Yennett effectively accelerates your resource management. This ability can far exceed standard mana acceleration, as it disregards the mana cost entirely for odd-cost spells. This unique form of resource acceleration can quickly turn the tide of a game in your favor.

Instant Speed: While Yennett herself doesn’t operate at instant speed, the nature of her ability encourages you to include spells that can be. This allows you to maintain the element of surprise and flexibility, casting impactful spells during your opponent’s turn. This maximizes the use of your mana each turn, keeping your options open until the precise moment when an instant-speed response can have the greatest impact.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One drawback of using Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign in your deck is that she doesn’t directly grant card advantage. Unlike other commanders that provide card draw or discard outlets, Yennett requires an external source to keep your hand full, which can be a disadvantage after expending resources to cast high-cost spells.

Specific Mana Cost: Yennett comes with a stringent casting requirement of three specific colors, demanding blue, black, and white mana. This can be challenging to manage, especially in a format rife with color-intensive decks and can lead to color fixing issues if your mana base isn’t perfectly tuned.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Yennett’s mana value of five can be steep for decks wanting to hit the ground running. While she does offer a potentially game-changing ability in cheating odd-cost spells onto the battlefield, the setup required compared to other commanders with lower mana costs can put players at a tempo disadvantage.


Reasons to Include Yennett Cryptic Sovereign in Your Collection

Versatility: Yennett Cryptic Sovereign boasts a flexible nature, capable of slotting into a range of Commander and even casual decks. With the flying and menace abilities, Yennett evades common blockers, ensuring its impact on the game.

Combo Potential: Yennett’s unique ability to cheat spells into play can facilitate numerous combos. Unveiling high-cost spells without their mana cost can quickly turn the tides of a game, making Yennett a linchpin in decks that capitalize on this mechanic.

Meta-Relevance: Yennett aligns neatly with a meta that values cost-efficient top-end threats. As players strive to maximize the impact of each card played, Yennett exemplifies the premise of getting more value for the mana spent, effectively challenging opponents to find an answer or fall behind.


How to beat

Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign challenges players with its unique ability to cast spells for free when they are odd converted mana costs. Contending with Yennett requires a strategy that impedes this advantage. Control decks that utilize countermagic can be effective, as they can target and negate Yennett’s triggered ability or the spells it seeks to cast without payment. Removal spells that can bypass Yennett’s protection from creatures of even converted mana costs are particularly valuable, as they can eliminate Yennett before its ability becomes a threat.

Spot removals like Path to Exile or Rapid Hybridization offer an alternative by providing a means to deal with Yennett efficiently. Additionally, board wipes that don’t discriminate based on converted mana cost can reset the board and remove Yennett regardless of its protective stipulation. Playing around Yennett’s evasion is also key, as cards that can block or handle flying creatures will limit the damage Yennett can do. Overall, to triumph over Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign, include versatile removal, reliable control elements, and be prepared to counter the high-impact spells it can potentially unleash.


BurnMana Recommendations

Embracing the strategic depth of MTG can transform every duel into an enthralling narrative where cards like Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign play a pivotal role. By manipulating odd mana costs, you weave unpredictability into your matches, keeping opponents constantly on edge. With Yennett, the thrill of surprise plays and combo synergies is just the beginning. Gaining the upper hand in MTG takes knowledge, finesse, and a touch of cunning, all of which can be honed by integrating cards like Yennett into your arsenal. Join us in exploring the myriad tactics Yennett offers, enhancing your game, and seizing victory with strategic brilliance.


Cards like Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign

Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign emerges as a unique commander in the vast sea of options available to MTG players. With a part of its strength lying in casting high-cost spells for free, it’s reminiscent of the powerful capabilities found in cards like Narset, Enlightened Master, who also permits players to cast noncreature spells without paying their mana costs. However, Yennett’s limitation to odd-CMC cards offers a challenging twist on deck construction not seen in Narset’s more generic approach.

Another comparable card is Jeleva, Nephalia’s Scourge, which exiles cards from the top of everyone’s libraries and allows casting without paying their mana costs. While Jeleva affects all players and provides more variety in spell-casting opportunities, Yennett’s asymmetrical advantage focuses solely on benefiting the controlling player. Additionally, Jeleva’s ability triggers upon entering the battlefield or attacking, while Yennett’s is limited to combat damage to a player.

Parsing the specifics between these cards, Yennett carves out a strategic niche for players who appreciate an element of surprise and skill in crafting a deck that capitalizes on odd-CMC spells. The careful balance of evasion, power, and the nuances of deck building reinforce Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign’s solid position in MTG’s Commander format.

Narset, Enlightened Master - MTG Card versions
Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge - MTG Card versions
Narset, Enlightened Master - Khans of Tarkir Promos (PKTK)
Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge - Commander 2013 Oversized (OC13)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign MTG card by a specific set like Treasure Chest and Commander 2018, 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 Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2016-11-16 and 2023-08-04. Illustrated by Chris Rahn.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-11-16Treasure ChestPZ2 707472015normalblackChris Rahn
22018-08-09Commander 2018C18 512015normalblackChris Rahn
32023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 5962015normalblackChris Rahn
42023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 3632015normalblackChris Rahn

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-07-13 Because all attackers are chosen at once, a spell cast this way can’t affect which creatures you can attack with, but it can affect which creatures will be able to block.
2018-07-13 If a spell has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X if you cast it without paying its mana cost.
2018-07-13 If the revealed card doesn’t have an odd converted mana cost or if that card does but you choose not to cast it, you draw a card. Keep in mind that revealing a card doesn’t cause it to change zones. This means that the card you draw will be the card you revealed.
2018-07-13 If you cast a card “without paying its mana cost,” you can’t choose to cast it for any alternative costs, such as evoke costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, such as that of Tormenting Voice, those must be paid to cast it.
2018-07-13 If you wish to cast the revealed card without paying its mana cost, you must cast it while Yennett’s triggered ability is resolving; you can’t cast for free it later in the turn.

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