Vivien's Arkbow MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Artifact

Key Takeaways

  1. Enables card advantage by deploying creatures without traditional draw requirements.
  2. Offers instant speed play, allowing flexibility and strategic depth in games.
  3. Demands green mana and introduces a discard cost, restricting its versatility.

Text of card

, , Discard a card: Look at the top X cards of your library. You may put a creature card with mana value X or less from among them onto the battlefield. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Vivien’s Arkbow, players can delve into their deck to put creatures right onto the battlefield. This process bypasses the need for drawing and then playing creatures the traditional way, which can give a significant edge in maintaining a hand full of options.

Resource Acceleration: This card efficiently utilizes mana of any color, allowing players to convert unused mana at the end of turns into potential threats on the board. It makes every unspent mana a resource for advancing your board state, effectively accelerating your ability to influence the game.

Instant Speed: The ability to activate Vivien’s Arkbow at instant speed gives players the liberty to wait until the most opportune moment, such as the end of an opponent’s turn, to introduce new creatures to the fray. This flexibility can keep opponents guessing and allows for the element of surprise, often disrupting their strategies.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Vivien’s Arkbow mandates that you discard another card as part of its activation cost. This can become a critical disadvantage, especially during late-game scenarios when your hand may already be depleted, potentially forcing you to choose between holding key spells or using the Arkbow’s ability.

Specific Mana Cost: Although the initial cast is flexible with generic mana, the activation of Vivien’s Arkbow requires green mana. This restricts its seamless inclusion across various deck archetypes, predominantly confining it to green-centric or green-compatible decks where such mana is readily available.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For setup and utilization, Vivien’s Arkbow demands a considerable mana investment. Not only does it cost one green and one generic mana to play, but its activation cost also scales with the creature you wish to fetch. In matches where tempo plays a crucial role, the mana you invest into the Arkbow could arguably be better spent on immediate board presence or interaction.


Reasons to Include Vivien’s Arkbow in Your Collection

Versatility: Vivien’s Arkbow offers a dynamic tool for creature-based decks, allowing players to dig through their library for the right creature card at any given moment, ensuring they’re never without a potential threat or key tactical piece on the board.

Combo Potential: This card has excellent synergy with untap effects, graveyard fillers, and can be used to instantly throw a surprise blocker or end-of-turn threat onto the battlefield, making it a linchpin for tricky and unpredictable combos.

Meta-Relevance: Given that creature strategies remain a staple in many formats, having an artifact like Vivien’s Arkbow means you can adapt to an ever-changing battlefield, ensuring that whatever the current trends or dominant deck types are, you have a responsive and impactful asset at your disposal.


How to Beat

Vivien’s Arkbow presents MTG players with a unique challenge, boasting the ability to dig deep into a library to cheat creatures onto the battlefield. To outmaneuver this artifact, awareness of your opponent’s mana reserve is key, as the Arkbow’s power hinges on this resource. Engaging in strategies that limit your opponent’s mana can disrupt their Arkbow’s efficacy.

Moreover, considering the Arkbow’s reliance on the discard of a card, hand disruption tactics can significantly reduce its threat. Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek can pluck key creatures from your opponent’s grasp before they even have a chance to use the Arkbow. In addition, having instant speed removal or counterspells ready when your opponent activates the Arkbow can nullify the threat of any creature they might attempt to put into play.

Lastly, artifact removal spells such as Abrade or Nature’s Claim offer direct solutions, allowing you to destroy or exile the Arkbow itself. This not only prevents future threats but might also leave your opponent with fewer cards in hand, reducing their overall potential to impact the game.


Cards like Vivien's Arkbow

Vivien’s Arkbow is an intriguing card within the MTG arsenal, introducing a unique twist in creature deployment. It stands in comparison with other artifact cards like Aether Vial, which also puts creatures onto the battlefield without paying their mana costs. Vivien’s Arkbow, however, allows for greater flexibility, offering the choice to discard a card and pay X to seek a creature with converted mana cost X or less directly from the deck, effectively bypassing both hand and graveyard.

Likewise, we see similitudes with Collected Company. Both cards aim to whisk creatures into play by circumventing traditional casting. Albeit Collected Company brings creatures into play directly from the top six cards of the deck for a set cost, lacking the selective control Vivien’s Arkbow provides. Then there’s Lurking Predators, which can also be a surprise trove of creatures, though it relies on opponents’ spells to trigger its effect rather than strategic choice.

In essence, while these alternatives share the ambition of cheating creatures onto the battlefield, Vivien’s Arkbow’s ability to dig for the perfect creature match at the right moment sets it apart, enhancing its strategic fit within the vast landscape of MTG cards designed for creature-focused decks.

Aether Vial - MTG Card versions
Collected Company - MTG Card versions
Lurking Predators - MTG Card versions
Aether Vial - Darksteel (DST)
Collected Company - Dragons of Tarkir (DTK)
Lurking Predators - Magic 2010 (M10)

Cards similar to Vivien's Arkbow by color, type and mana cost

Moss Diamond - MTG Card versions
Kolvori, God of Kinship // The Ringhart Crest - MTG Card versions
Copper Myr - MTG Card versions
Horned Helm - MTG Card versions
Wall of Tanglecord - MTG Card versions
Narnam Cobra - MTG Card versions
Woodweaver's Puzzleknot - MTG Card versions
Verdant Automaton - MTG Card versions
Bag of Tricks - MTG Card versions
Ranger's Longbow - MTG Card versions
Belt of Giant Strength - MTG Card versions
Pool of Vigorous Growth - MTG Card versions
Bramble Armor - MTG Card versions
Boxing Ring - MTG Card versions
Mask of the Jadecrafter - MTG Card versions
Ozolith, the Shattered Spire - MTG Card versions
Timber Paladin - MTG Card versions
Tough Cookie - MTG Card versions
Explorer's Cache - MTG Card versions
Power Fist - MTG Card versions
Moss Diamond - Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate (CLB)
Kolvori, God of Kinship // The Ringhart Crest - From Cute to Brute (PCTB)
Copper Myr - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Horned Helm - The List (PLST)
Wall of Tanglecord - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Narnam Cobra - Kaladesh Remastered (KLR)
Woodweaver's Puzzleknot - Kaladesh Remastered (KLR)
Verdant Automaton - Aether Revolt (AER)
Bag of Tricks - Forgotten Realms Commander (AFC)
Ranger's Longbow - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms (AFR)
Belt of Giant Strength - Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate (HBG)
Pool of Vigorous Growth - Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)
Bramble Armor - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)
Boxing Ring - New Capenna Commander (NCC)
Mask of the Jadecrafter - The Brothers' War (BRO)
Ozolith, the Shattered Spire - March of the Machine Promos (PMOM)
Timber Paladin - Wilds of Eldraine Commander (WOC)
Tough Cookie - Wilds of Eldraine (WOE)
Explorer's Cache - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan (LCI)
Power Fist - Fallout (PIP)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Vivien's Arkbow MTG card by a specific set like War of the Spark and War of the Spark Promos, 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 Vivien's Arkbow and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Vivien's Arkbow Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-05-03 and 2019-05-04. Illustrated by Zack Stella.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-05-03War of the SparkWAR 1812015normalblackZack Stella
22019-05-04War of the Spark PromosPWAR 181s2015normalblackZack Stella

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Vivien's Arkbow has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-05-03 If a card in your library has in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.

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