Arctic Wolves MTG Card


Arctic Wolves - Weatherlight
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Wolf
Abilities Cumulative upkeep
Released1997-06-09
Set symbol
Set nameWeatherlight
Set codeWTH
Power 4
Toughness 5
Number118
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred bySteve White

Key Takeaways

  1. Arctic Wolves provide card draw, enhancing hand resources and maintaining game momentum.
  2. They require specific mana, including snow mana, limiting deck construction flexibility.
  3. Offering both upsides and downsides, Arctic Wolves can be a versatile addition to collections.

Text of card

Cumulative upkeep When Arctic Wolves comes into play, draw a card.

"No matter where we cat warriors go in the world, those stupid slobberers find us." —Mirri of the *Weatherlight*


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Arctic Wolves lets you draw a card upon entering the battlefield, tipping the scales in your favor as you effectively replenish your hand while developing your board presence.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana, the card contributes to resource acceleration by enabling smoother plays. With the additional card drawn, you’re more likely to hit your land drops or access other ramp spells.

Instant Speed: Although Arctic Wolves itself may not be an instant, its ability to synergize with instant speed spells enhances its value. Holding up mana for reactive plays then deploying Arctic Wolves in your main phase keeps opponents guessing and maximizes your turn flexibility.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Arctic Wolves come with a condition where you need to discard a card to unleash their potential. This can be a setback if your hand is already running short on cards or if you’re trying to maintain card advantage over your opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: Casting Arctic Wolves requires a specific combination of mana, including snow mana. This narrows down its flexibility, as you’ll need to build your deck with snow lands or other sources of snow mana, which may be less ideal in a non-snow-centric deck.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For the abilities it provides, Arctic Wolves have a relatively steep mana cost. When you’re trying to optimize your mana usage for each turn, it might be more strategic to consider creatures or spells that offer similar benefits for less, leaving you room to cast more spells or activate abilities.


Reasons to Include Arctic Wolves Mtg Card in Your Collection

Versatility: Arctic Wolves is a solid creature card that can easily adapt to varying deck themes, particularly those in need of reliable card draw options with a built-in creature body for defense or offense.

Combo Potential: When pairing Arctic Wolves with other cards that reward drawing or creatures entering the battlefield, you unlock potential synergies that can bolster your strategy and outpace opponents.

Meta-Relevance: Given the shifting landscape of the game’s competitive environment, having a card that can respond to an array of threats and maintain card flow is invaluable, making Arctic Wolves a smart choice amidst numerous deck archetypes.


How to beat

The card Arctic Wolves brings its own unique challenges to the table in the MTG arena. Players familiar with creature-based strategies understand the importance of eliminating threats that carry consistent, value-generating abilities. When facing off against Arctic Wolves, the key is to manage your resources efficiently. Considering that the wolves come with a card draw ability upon being blocked, it’s crucial to handle them with spells or effects that can bypass their ability. Removal spells that don’t require blocking, such as “Swords to Plowshares” or “Path to Exile,” can be effective tools in whisking away these cold predators without giving your opponent the upper hand in card advantage.

Alternatively, employing cards that restrict an opponent’s ability to draw additional cards can also be beneficial when dealing with Arctic Wolves. Counterspells are particularly useful when the wolves are cast, stopping the threat before it even hits the board. Planning ahead and maintaining control of the board state is essential; using your instants and sorcery spells judiciously will serve to protect your life total and keep your opponent from snowballing into an insurmountable lead.


Cards like Arctic Wolves

Arctic Wolves belongs to a unique group of creature cards in MTG that emphasizes card advantage through combat damage. A parallel can be drawn with other creatures like Ohran Viper, which also allows you to draw a card upon dealing damage to a player. While both cards provide a draw mechanism upon dealing combat damage, Ohran Viper offers a lower mana cost and the potential for deathtouch, giving it an edge in resource utility and board control.

Examining the characteristics of Masked Admirers reveals a creature with a similar card advantage ability. Although Masked Admirers requires you to either cast it or have it die to retrieve a card, this can recur multiple times, as opposed to the single-use draw from Arctic Wolves. This mechanic grants potentially more draw power throughout the game. Lastly, Tuskguard Captain is worthy of comparison primarily because of its Outlast ability which, while not directly related to card draw, enhances board presence through +1/+1 counters and imparts trample to creatures with +1/+1 counters, adding strategic depth to the game.

Arctic Wolves occupy a solid place in MTG’s creature-based card draw category, offering a straightforward advantage at a single trigger point. It shines in its simplicity for those looking to supplement their deck with a proactive draw strategy.

Ohran Viper - MTG Card versions
Masked Admirers - MTG Card versions
Tuskguard Captain - MTG Card versions
Ohran Viper - Coldsnap (CSP)
Masked Admirers - Lorwyn (LRW)
Tuskguard Captain - Khans of Tarkir (KTK)

Cards similar to Arctic Wolves by color, type and mana cost

Thicket Basilisk - MTG Card versions
Cockatrice - MTG Card versions
Ironroot Treefolk - MTG Card versions
Elvish Bard - MTG Card versions
Durkwood Boars - MTG Card versions
Elven Riders - MTG Card versions
Panther Warriors - MTG Card versions
Redwood Treefolk - MTG Card versions
Spined Wurm - MTG Card versions
Rabid Wolverines - MTG Card versions
Deadly Insect - MTG Card versions
Vintara Elephant - MTG Card versions
Crashing Boars - MTG Card versions
Kavu Climber - MTG Card versions
Kavu Chameleon - MTG Card versions
Spring-Leaf Avenger - MTG Card versions
Okina Nightwatch - MTG Card versions
Consuming Blob - MTG Card versions
Ashaya, Soul of the Wild - MTG Card versions
Primeval Force - MTG Card versions
Thicket Basilisk - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Cockatrice - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Ironroot Treefolk - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Elvish Bard - Alliances (ALL)
Durkwood Boars - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Elven Riders - Duels of the Planeswalkers (DPA)
Panther Warriors - Portal (POR)
Redwood Treefolk - Weatherlight (WTH)
Spined Wurm - Stronghold (STH)
Rabid Wolverines - Exodus (EXO)
Deadly Insect - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Vintara Elephant - Prophecy (PCY)
Crashing Boars - Beatdown Box Set (BTD)
Kavu Climber - Masters 25 (A25)
Kavu Chameleon - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Spring-Leaf Avenger - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Okina Nightwatch - Arena League 2005 (PAL05)
Consuming Blob - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Ashaya, Soul of the Wild - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Primeval Force - Eighth Edition (8ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Arctic Wolves 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 Arctic Wolves and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Arctic Wolves has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2008-10-01 Paying cumulative upkeep is always optional. If it’s not paid, the permanent with cumulative upkeep is sacrificed. Partial payments of the total cumulative upkeep cost can’t be made. For example, if a permanent with “cumulative upkeep ” has three age counters on it when its cumulative upkeep ability triggers, it gets another age counter and then its controller chooses to either pay or sacrifice the permanent.

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