Verduran Emissary MTG Card
Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
Mana cost | |
Converted mana cost | 3 |
Rarity | Uncommon |
Type | Creature — Human Wizard |
Abilities | Kicker |
Power | 2 |
Toughness | 3 |
Text of card
Kicker o1o R (You may pay an additional o1o R as you play this spell.) When Verduran Emissary comes into play, if you paid the kicker cost, destroy target artifact. It can't be regenerated.
Cards like Verduran Emissary
Verduran Emissary serves as a compelling piece in the realm of ramp strategies within Magic: The Gathering. This creature shares a kinship with cards like Farhaven Elf, which also facilitates mana growth by fetching a basic land onto the battlefield. However, Verduran Emissary’s distinction lies in its kicker mechanic, offering the versatility to destroy an artifact or enchantment at a supplemental cost.
In this same cluster, we observe Wood Elves. It shares the property of directly impacting the land base, yet it’s confined to forest cards and lacks the secondary ability of Emissary. Another analog is Reclamation Sage, a creature that also has an enter-the-battlefield trigger to deal with artifacts and enchantments but lacks the kicker option and doesn’t interact with the land count.
Considering the nuances and tactical flexibility, Verduran Emissary stands out in its category. The capacity to offer both mana acceleration and utility removal gives it an edge in the deckbuilder’s toolkit. Its unique blend of abilities ensures a balance between advancing your board state and disrupting your opponent’s strategy.
Cards similar to Verduran Emissary by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Verduran Emissary, when played, gives you the chance to destroy an opponent’s land. Although not directly drawing cards, this action can disrupt your opponent’s game plan and indirectly provide you with an advantage by keeping them from having the resources they need when they need them.
Resource Acceleration: When Verduran Emissary is kicked, which requires an additional investment of mana, you get to untap up to two lands. This kick ability not only hinders your opponent with land destruction but also ramps up your own resources, effectively accelerating your mana base and allowing you to deploy threats sooner.
Instant Speed: While Verduran Emissary itself does not work at instant speed, it can pave the way for instant speed plays. Destroying an opponent’s land at a crucial moment can prevent them from countering your spells or playing their own, allowing you to safely cast instant spells or hold mana up for responses without the fear of a critical spell getting countered.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Verduran Emissary will require you to part with another card from your hand to fully utilize its kicker ability. This can be a substantial setback when you’re trying to maintain card advantage or when your hand is already depleted.
Specific Mana Cost: Deploying Verduran Emissary needs a mix of green mana along with other colors. This specific requirement can constrain your deck-building options, favoring green-heavy decks which may not always align with your strategic goals or the current meta.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Catering to Verduran Emissary’s mana needs might slow you down, as it commands a significant amount of resources that might otherwise be allocated for other spells or creatures that pack a stronger punch for the same, or even a lesser, mana investment.
Reasons to Include Verduran Emissary in Your Collection
Versatility: Verduran Emissary serves as an adaptable piece in various deck builds. Its ability to destroy an enchantment upon being kicked makes it a multitalented card, providing both a creature presence on the board and artifact control.
Combo Potential: With its kicker mechanic, Verduran Emissary can synergize with decks that capitalize on casting spells with additional costs for enhanced effects. It can also be instrumental in setups focusing on enchantment removal to disrupt opponents’ strategies.
Meta-Relevance: As metagames shift, Verduran Emissary’s enchantment removal can become especially pertinent. With enchantments often playing key roles in popular deck archetypes, having accessible solutions like Verduran Emissary ensures your deck can adapt and challenge the prevailing trends.
How to beat Verduran Emissary
Verduran Emissary is a creature card that has found its niche in the realm of ramp strategies within Magic: The Gathering. This green creature offers the unique ability to destroy target land when it becomes the target of a spell or ability, facilitating mana acceleration for its controller. To effectively counter this card, players must take advantage of its conditional land destruction property. It requires being targeted by a spell or ability to trigger, thus, direct removal spells that don’t target, such as board wipes or cards with mass removal capabilities, are ideal ways to handle Verduran Emissary without the downside of losing a land.
Another strategy is to limit the card’s usefulness by using land-indistructible effects or cards that grant protection to your lands. Lastly, you can also bypass the land destruction ability by imposing exile effects or utilizing cards that force the player to sacrifice a creature, thereby neatly sidestepping Verduran Emissary’s targeted-trigger ability. Employing these tactics will help maintain your mana base and diminish the advantage Verduran Emissary might provide to your opponent, ultimately leading to a more controlled and favorable game state for you.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Verduran Emissary MTG card by a specific set like Invasion and Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs. the Coalition, 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 Verduran Emissary 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 Verduran Emissary Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2000-10-02 and 2010-03-19. Illustrated by Alton Lawson.
# | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2000-10-02 | Invasion | INV | 221 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Alton Lawson | |
2 | 2010-03-19 | Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs. the Coalition | DDE | 43 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Alton Lawson |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Verduran Emissary has restrictions
Format | Legality |
---|---|
Commander | Legal |
Legacy | Legal |
Paupercommander | Restricted |
Oathbreaker | Legal |
Premodern | Legal |
Vintage | Legal |
Duel | Legal |
Predh | Legal |