Wind-Kin Raiders MTG Card
2017-01-20 - Number 50
2019-11-07 - Number 550
2020-11-12 - Number 74
2020-09-26 - Number AER-50
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Human Artificer |
| Abilities | Flying,Improvise |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Text of card
Improvise (Your artifacts can help cast this spell. Each artifact you tap after you're done activating mana abilities pays for .) Flying
Small aeronaut societies like the Wind-Kin had little to lose by siding with the renegades, and much to gain.
Cards like Wind-Kin Raiders
Wind-Kin Raiders lands in the family of efficient flyers within Magic: The Gathering. It shares similarities with creatures like Stormwing Entity in terms of playing a significant role in the skies. While the Stormwing Entity is lesser in mana cost and provides prowess and scry abilities, Wind-Kin Raiders requires six mana and comes with the benefit of improvise. This enables a reduction in cost by tapping artifacts you control, giving rise to strategic deck-building around artifacts.
Another kin in the aerial assault category is Spell Queller. Although it has a different approach with its ability to exile spells with converted mana cost four or less, Spell Queller flies at a lower cost and can disrupt opponents’ plays. Comparatively, Wind-Kin Raiders offers raw power with its 4/3 stats, presenting a formidable force once on the battlefield.
Considering the traits of these flying creatures, Wind-Kin Raiders holds its ground as a viable option for MTG players who pivot towards artifact-heavy decks, leveraging the improvise ability for a potentially earlier and powerful presence in the game.
Cards similar to Wind-Kin Raiders by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: When playing with Wind-Kin Raiders, it’s not only about the sheer power it presents on the battlefield. This card also strategically enhances your late-game as it can provide an unexpected advantage through the Improvise ability, potentially utilizing your unused artifacts to ease its casting cost. This, in turn, means you’re able to deploy more threats or keep up with answers while maintaining a grip on your resources.
Resource Acceleration: While Wind-Kin Raiders themselves don’t directly accelerate your resources, they certainly benefit from an already established board of artifacts. By tapping these artifacts to contribute to the cost of Wind-Kin Raiders, you essentially convert static resources into dynamic power, allowing you to maximize the use of every piece on your board.
Instant Speed: Although Wind-Kin Raiders is a creature card cast at sorcery speed, its presence in a deck that runs a suite of instants can indirectly benefit from the principle of instant speed. By effectively reducing its casting cost through Improvise, you can more freely allocate mana to keep up instant-speed interaction without sacrificing board presence, making every turn a multi-layered tactical opportunity.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Wind-Kin Raiders demands a specific action to achieve its full potential. Players are required to discard another card to utilize its improvise ability. Unfortunately, this can backfire, particularly when the hand is already depleted, and every card counts.
Specific Mana Cost: Tapping into the power of Wind-Kin Raiders requires a dedicated commitment to blue mana. With its casting cost demanding four generic and two blue mana, it’s less flexible and harder to play in multicolored decks that don’t heavily favor blue.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The six total mana necessary to summon Wind-Kin Raiders can be a heavy toll on your resources. Considering the current meta thrives on efficiency, other creatures and spells might provide more impact for the same, or less, mana investment, potentially relegating the raiders to a less favorable position in competitive play.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Wind-Kin Raiders brings flexibility to blue decks with its flying ability and potential for a late game finisher. This adaptive card can be a formidable force in both aggressive and control strategies, fitting well into many aerial-based or artifact-centric builds.
Combo Potential: Utilizing its Improvise ability, Wind-Kin Raiders can work well with decks that create a plethora of artifacts, reducing its casting cost and efficiently paving the way for combo plays involving high-powered creatures without exhausting your mana resources.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where the board often gets cluttered with creatures, having a sizable flyer like Wind-Kin Raiders can give you the upper hand. Its evasion and potential for quick deployment make it a solid contender, especially when the meta shifts toward slower, more durational games that give you the time to maximize the Raiders’ impact.
How to beat
Combating the Wind-Kin Raiders can be a nuanced strategy in your Magic: The Gathering matches. This card, known for its flying ability and formidable stats, requires a thoughtful approach. To tackle this threat, players should consider utilizing removal spells that can handle flying creatures efficiently. Cards like Murder or Fatal Push are excellent tools for this purpose, as they provide a direct and cost-effective way to remove these evasive threats from the battlefield.
It’s equally wise to keep counterspells like Negate or Essence Scatter at the ready, as they can prevent the Wind-Kin Raiders from ever hitting the field. Additionally, constructing a deck with flying blockers or creatures with reach can also serve as a solid defense line. Don’t forget enchantments that can neutralize the power of creatures, such as Pacifism, that can render the Raiders harmless without having to remove them. By anticipating your opponent’s moves and maintaining adaptive tactics, you can ensure the Wind-Kin Raiders don’t dominate the skies and the game.
Taking these strategies into account and preparing your deck accordingly, you’ll increase your chances of maintaining control against opponents wielding the aerial power of the Wind-Kin Raiders.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Wind-Kin Raiders MTG card by a specific set like Aether Revolt and Mystery Booster, 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 Wind-Kin Raiders 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 Wind-Kin Raiders Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2017-01-20 and 2020-11-12. Illustrated by Shreya Shetty.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017-01-20 | Aether Revolt | AER | 50 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Shreya Shetty | |
| 2 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 550 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Shreya Shetty | |
| 3 | The List | PLST | AER-50 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Shreya Shetty | ||
| 4 | 2020-11-12 | Kaladesh Remastered | KLR | 74 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Shreya Shetty |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Wind-Kin Raiders has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Wind-Kin Raiders card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2017-02-09 | Because improvise isn’t an alternative cost, it can be used in conjunction with alternative costs. |
| 2017-02-09 | Equipment attached to a creature doesn’t become tapped when that creature becomes tapped, and tapping that Equipment doesn’t cause the creature to become tapped. |
| 2017-02-09 | If an artifact you control has a mana ability with in the cost, activating that ability while casting a spell with improvise will result in the artifact being tapped when you pay the spell’s costs. You won’t be able to tap it again for improvise. Similarly, if you sacrifice an artifact to activate a mana ability while casting a spell with improvise, that artifact won’t be on the battlefield when you pay the spell’s costs, so you won’t be able to tap it for improvise. |
| 2017-02-09 | Improvise can’t be used to pay for anything other than the cost of casting the spell. For example, it can’t be used during the resolution of an ability that says “Counter target spell unless its controller pays .” |
| 2017-02-09 | Improvise can’t pay for , , , , , or mana symbols in a spell’s total cost. |
| 2017-02-09 | Improvise doesn’t change a spell’s mana cost or converted mana cost. |
| 2017-02-09 | Tapping an artifact won’t cause its abilities to stop applying unless those abilities say so. |
| 2017-02-09 | When calculating a spell’s total cost, include any alternative costs, additional costs, or anything else that increases or reduces the cost to cast the spell. Improvise applies after the total cost is calculated. |