Urza's Avenger MTG Card
1994-03-04 - Number 74
1995-04-01 - Number 355
1995-04-01 - Number 355
1995-08-01 - Number 144
1995-08-01 - Number 164
1997-03-24 - Number 405
| Card sets | Released in 6 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Artifact Creature — Shapeshifter |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Text of card
: Avenger loses -1/-1 and gains one of your choice of flying, banding, first strike, or trample until end of turn. Attribute losses and ability gains are cumulative.
Unable to settle on just one design, Urza decided to create one versatile being.
Cards like Urza's Avenger
Within the vast library of creatures in Magic: The Gathering, Urza’s Avenger is not without its analogues. It shares the ability to become a Swiss Army knife of combat capabilities with Morphling, another card known for its versatility in battle. Where Urza’s Avenger can adjust its stats and abilities at a variable cost, Morphling requires a blue mana for each adjustment, yet its powers can be activated at instant speed, offering increased flexibility in response to threats.
Comparatively, Clockwork Avian resembles Urza’s Avenger in its mechanical theming and modifiable attributes. However, this avian artifact creature operates with a different mechanism, losing counters with each attack and hence, reducing its strength over time, a weakness not shared by Urza’s Avenger. Additionally, Arcbound Overseer offers adaptable utility in its modular nature, able to distribute its strength posthumously, but lacking in Urza’s on-demand adaptability.
When considering Urza’s Avenger in the context of its contemporaries, it is not just the chameleon-like capacity to alter combat roles that makes it unique, but also the player’s ability to tailor its abilities specifically for each challenge faced, balancing its use between defensive stalwart and aggressive challenger in the MTG arena.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Urza’s Avenger offers a unique form of adaptability, able to alter its abilities to best suit the current game state. This utility can provide a tactical edge, effectively giving you the right tool for various situations and keeping your hand flexible.
Resource Acceleration: Though the Avenger itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, its ability to become a 4/4 creature ensures it stays relevant throughout the game, potentially reducing the need for additional creatures and freeing up mana for other strategic plays.
Instant Speed: While Urza’s Avenger doesn’t operate at instant speed, its ability to adjust its powers and toughness during your upkeep lends a dynamic reaction to the evolving board state, retaining mana for instant-speed responses in your arsenal.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: To harness Urza’s Avenger’s ability to change its power, toughness, and gain abilities, you’re compelled to pay life. This act of powering up can significantly hamper your life total, putting you in a precarious position, especially against aggressive strategies.
Specific Mana Cost: Urza’s Avenger requires a specific blend of mana, including two colorless and two blue, to cast. This requirement can be restrictive, tying the card’s potential to decks that can generate both types of mana reliably – a hurdle not all deck fabrics can overcome.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of six mana to summon Urza’s Avenger, you may encounter pacing issues. Similar creatures in MTG with powerful modular abilities or impactful presence often come with lower casting costs, which can lead deck builders to prefer those alternatives for a more efficient mana curve.
Reasons to Include Urza’s Avenger in Your Collection
Versatility: Urza’s Avenger boasts a flexible skill set that allows it to adapt on the fly. Its ability to modify its stats and gain a variety of simple abilities makes it a useful tool in an assortment of deck builds, capable of addressing various threats or bolstering your offensive line as needed.
Combo Potential: Its assortment of potential abilities enables Urza’s Avenger to synergize with a multitude of cards and strategies. Whether it’s becoming the cornerstone of intricate mechanical synergies or bolstering your battlefield presence, its adaptability opens the door to creative and powerful combinations.
Meta-Relevance: In the shifting landscape of the metagame, a card like Urza’s Avenger can quickly become a staple by fitting into multiple strategies. As a chameleon on the battlefield, it can counter or complement prevalent deck themes, retaining its usefulness even as trends evolve.
How to beat
Urza’s Avenger is a versatile combatant known for its ability to temporarily alter its power and toughness while also gaining various abilities. For players facing this shapeshifter, it’s crucial to understand effective strategies to subdue this cunning adversary on the battlefield. One efficient method to defeat Urza’s Avenger is to use instant-speed removal spells, such as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, which can exile the creature before it becomes a significant threat.
Another tactic involves countering the very abilities that make Urza’s Avenger formidable. Cards with static abilities preventing activation—such as Pithing Needle or Phyrexian Revoker—can nullify the Avenger’s versatile defense mechanism. Board wipes are also good options during a full swing of creatures or after Urza’s Avenger has modified its abilities, as most board wipes circumvent the Avenger’s protections. It’s about timing and recognizing when to strike, ensuring the Avenger’s tactical advantages are properly thwarted.
Remember, while Urza’s Avenger can adapt to various situations, it remains vulnerable to precise and well-timed responses. Familiarizing yourself with the breadth of your deck’s removal and control spells is key to gaining the upper hand against this adaptive construct.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Urza's Avenger MTG card by a specific set like Antiquities and Fourth Edition, 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 Urza's Avenger 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 Urza's Avenger Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 1994-03-04 and 1997-03-24. Illustrated by Amy Weber.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1994-03-04 | Antiquities | ATQ | 74 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Amy Weber | |
| 2 | 1995-04-01 | Fourth Edition | 4ED | 355 | 1993 | Normal | White | Amy Weber | |
| 3 | 1995-04-01 | Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border | 4BB | 355 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Amy Weber | |
| 4 | 1995-08-01 | Rinascimento | RIN | 144 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Amy Weber | |
| 5 | 1995-08-01 | Renaissance | REN | 164 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Amy Weber | |
| 6 | 1997-03-24 | Fifth Edition | 5ED | 405 | 1997 | Normal | White | Amy Weber |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Urza's Avenger has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Oldschool | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Urza's Avenger card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | The -1/-1 is not permanent. It lasts until the end of the turn as do the abilities that are granted. |