Whisperwood Elemental MTG Card
2015-01-23 - Number 145
2024-02-09 - Number 194
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Mythic |
| Type | Creature — Elemental |
| Abilities | Manifest |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Text of card
At the beginning of your end step, manifest the top card of your library. (Put it onto the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature. Turn it face up any time for its mana cost if it's a creature card.) Sacrifice Whisperwood Elemental: Until end of turn, face-up nontoken creatures you control gain "When this creature dies, manifest the top card of your library."
Cards like Whisperwood Elemental
Whisperwood Elemental stands out in the pantheon of creature cards that synergize with the battlefield. Comparable to Thragtusk, it provides a valuable effect when it enters the battlefield, in this case generating a 2/2 green Manifest creature token at the end of your turn. Thragtusk, while instantly gaining you 5 life, doesn’t offer the same incremental board presence.
Another likeness is drawn with Master of the Wild Hunt which, much like Whisperwood Elemental, masters the art of creature token generation. Yet, Master of the Wild Hunt demands a more tactical position, relying on the summoning of Wolf tokens and potentially triggering a fight sequence. Whisperwood Elemental’s Manifest ability, however, gives a more subtle advantage, quietly upgrading your board state and potentially flipping those manifested cards into something more ominous.
Lastly, the parallel between it and Hornet Queen is worth noting. While Hornet Queen produces a swarm of flying insect tokens, Whisperwood Elemental favors a more progressive and protective approach with its sacrifice ability, safeguarding your creatures from deleterious board wipes or removal spells.
Overall, Whisperwood Elemental boasts the duality of steady creature production and defensive maneuvers, a combination that positions it uniquely amongst its peers in the MTG universe.
Cards similar to Whisperwood Elemental by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Whisperwood Elemental. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Decklist | Free form | MO89#CS | |
| Selesnya Aggro | Legacy | MO82#CS |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Whisperwood Elemental shines by manifesting the top card of your library at the end of your turn. This effectively turns every turn’s end into an opportunity to generate more board presence. Even if you’re not flipping over creatures with powerful enters-the-battlefield effects, just piling up additional creatures can overwhelm your opponent.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly ramping your mana, Whisperwood Elemental does accelerate your resources on the board. By getting extra creatures into play without spending mana, you can save your resources for other impactful spells, ensuring that you’re always ahead of the curve when establishing board dominance.
Instant Speed: Whisperwood Elemental brings a unique defensive advantage to the table with its sacrifice ability. At instant speed, you can protect your creatures from board wipes by sacrificing Whisperwood Elemental and turning all your other creatures into manifest tokens. This can save your resources from opponents’ attempts to clear the board, keeping you with a foot in the game even through the most crippling of sorceries and instants your opponents might have.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Whisperwood Elemental necessitates you to manage your hand with care, since its sacrifice ability can be costly if you are compelled to discard critical cards for survival on the battlefield.
Specific Mana Cost: A notable con is the specific mana cost of the Elemental, demanding a considerable amount of green mana which might not align with multi-colored or color-flexible decks seeking versatile play strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The creature comes with a somewhat hefty investment of five mana, which can slow down your game tempo, especially when there are alternatives that can exert influence on the board more quickly or for a lower mana investment.
Reasons to Include Whisperwood Elemental in Your Collection
Versatility: Whisperwood Elemental is a multifaceted card that can seamlessly integrate into various deck archetypes. Its ability to manifest the top card of your library each turn not only beefs up your board presence but also keeps your opponents guessing about potential hidden threats.
Combo Potential: This Elemental offers fascinating synergy with cards that care about creature count or types, morph abilities, and sacrifice triggers. Its manifest mechanic can set up surprise interactions, while its sacrifice ability to manifest any number of creatures offers an explosive combo potential.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where board wipes are prevalent, the sacrifice effect of Whisperwood Elemental can be a game-saver by repopulating your board. This makes it a relevant choice for metas dominated by control decks relying on mass removal spells.
How to Beat Whisperwood Elemental
In the realm of MTG, facing off against Whisperwood Elemental can be quite the challenge. This formidable creature brings to the battlefield not only its own solid stats but also bolsters your opponent’s forces with its manifest ability at each end step. Dealing with the ongoing threat of face-down creatures, which could be anything from harmless land cards to game-ending bombs, requires a strategic approach.
To effectively counter the Elemental, board control is key. Cards like Damnation or Supreme Verdict can clear the board, nullifying the creature advantage your opponent is building. Spot removal is less effective due to the Elemental’s sacrifice ability, which can protect the manifested creatures. Enchantment-based exile effects such as Silkwrap or Banishing Light can remove Whisperwood without triggering its response. When it comes to the manifest mechanic, cards like Eerie Interlude can temporarily disrupt strategized plays by flickering your creatures, rendering the opponent’s board development less threatening.
Lastly, outpacing the Whisperwood with aggressive strategies or locking down the board with control measures before it can generate value is often the best plan. Whether it’s through sweeping the board clean or disabling the Elemental with precise answers, understanding your deck’s strengths will guide you to victory over the Whisperwood menace.
BurnMana Recommendations
Dive deep into the enchanting world of MTG and emerge with a keener sense for strategic gameplay with Whisperwood Elemental. This card has shown its prowess in many decks, offering both offensive strategies and a crucial lifeline against board wipes. Its nuanced playstyle invites innovation and surprise tactics that can turn the tide of any match. For those ready to add a layer of complexity and resilience to their game, Whisperwood Elemental is a worthwhile addition to any collection. Journey with us as we explore more such hidden gems and sharpen your skills. Discover the possibilities Whisperwood Elemental can unlock in your deck today.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Whisperwood Elemental MTG card by a specific set like Fate Reforged and Murders at Karlov Manor Commander, 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 Whisperwood Elemental and other MTG cards:
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Printings
The Whisperwood Elemental Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2015-01-23 and 2024-02-09. Illustrated by Raymond Swanland.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015-01-23 | Fate Reforged | FRF | 145 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Raymond Swanland | |
| 2 | 2024-02-09 | Murders at Karlov Manor Commander | MKC | 194 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Raymond Swanland |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Whisperwood Elemental has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Whisperwood Elemental card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2014-11-24 | A permanent that turns face up or face down changes characteristics but is otherwise the same permanent. Spells and abilities that were targeting that permanent, as well as Auras and Equipment that were attached to the permanent, aren’t affected. |
| 2014-11-24 | Any time you have priority, you may turn a manifested creature face up by revealing that it’s a creature card (ignoring any copy effects or type-changing effects that might be applying to it) and paying its mana cost. This is a special action. It doesn’t use the stack and can’t be responded to. |
| 2014-11-24 | At any time, you can look at a face-down permanent you control. You can’t look at face-down permanents you don’t control unless an effect allows you to or instructs you to. |
| 2014-11-24 | Because face-down creatures don’t have names, they can’t have the same name as any other creature, even another face-down creature. |
| 2014-11-24 | Because the permanent is on the battlefield both before and after it’s turned face up, turning a permanent face up doesn’t cause any enters-the-battlefield abilities to trigger. |
| 2014-11-24 | If a face-down permanent you control leaves the battlefield, you must reveal it. You must also reveal all face-down spells and permanents you control if you leave the game or if the game ends. |
| 2014-11-24 | If a manifested creature would have morph if it were face up, you may also turn it face up by paying its morph cost. |
| 2014-11-24 | Some older Magic sets feature double-faced cards, which have a Magic card face on each side rather than a Magic card face on one side and a Magic card back on the other. The rules for double-faced cards are changing slightly to account for the possibility that they are manifested. If a double-faced card is manifested, it will be put onto the battlefield face down. While face down, it can’t transform. If the front face of the card is a creature card, you can turn it face up by paying its mana cost. If you do, its front face will be up. A double-faced permanent on the battlefield still can’t be turned face down. |
| 2014-11-24 | The face-down permanent is a 2/2 creature with no name, mana cost, creature types, or abilities. It’s colorless and has a converted mana cost of 0. Other effects that apply to the permanent can still grant or change any of these characteristics. |
| 2014-11-24 | The last ability grants that ability to face-up nontoken creatures you control as that ability resolves. Creatures that come under your control later in the turn won’t have that ability. |
| 2014-11-24 | There are no cards in the Fate Reforged set that would turn a face-down instant or sorcery card on the battlefield face up, but some older cards can try to do this. If something tries to turn a face-down instant or sorcery card on the battlefield face up, reveal that card to show all players it’s an instant or sorcery card. The permanent remains on the battlefield face down. Abilities that trigger when a permanent turns face up won’t trigger, because even though you revealed the card, it never turned face up. |
| 2014-11-24 | Turning a permanent face up or face down doesn’t change whether that permanent is tapped or untapped. |
| 2014-11-24 | Unlike a face-down creature that was cast using the morph ability, a manifested creature may still be turned face up after it loses its abilities if it’s a creature card. |
| 2014-11-24 | You must ensure that your face-down spells and permanents can easily be differentiated from each other. You’re not allowed to mix up the cards that represent them on the battlefield in order to confuse other players. The order they entered the battlefield should remain clear. Common methods for indicating this include using markers or dice, or simply placing them in order on the battlefield. You must also track how each became face down (manifested, cast face down using the morph ability, and so on). |