Winnower Patrol MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Winnower Patrol grants you the potential to manipulate the top card of your library and that added deck knowledge can lead to more strategic plays, improving your chances to draw into answers or key components.

Resource Acceleration: Its alliance mechanic becomes a catalyst for ramping out threats faster, especially if you’re playing other creatures that boost the number of permanents you control.

Instant Speed: Its flash ability ensures that Winnower Patrol can be summoned at the optimal moment, whether that’s during combat or at the end of your opponent’s turn, keeping your options open and reactive to the state of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Winnower Patrol’s inherent need for card discard as part of its gameplay can put you at a resource deficit. This strategy requires careful hand management to ensure you’re not relinquishing key cards that could be vital later on.

Specific Mana Cost: Featuring an exact mana alignment, Winnower Patrol necessitates green mana resources, which may not easily fit into multi-colored or theme-based decks that have a diverse mana pool.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When considering the mana curve, demanding three mana, including two that are color-specific, can be costly compared to other cards that activate similar abilities or provide advantageous board presence at a lower cost threshold.

Reasons to Include Winnower Patrol in Your Collection

Versatility: Winnower Patrol offers adaptability across various deck archetypes due to its elf and warrior synergies. It can bolster strategies that focus on these creature types or tribal mechanics.

Combo Potential: This card has inherent synergy with decks that manipulate +1/+1 counters or those looking to benefit from multiple creatures on the battlefield. Its ability to grow as you cast more spells can become a focal point in a combo-centric strategy.

Meta-Relevance: With the ever-shifting nature of the MTG gameplay landscape, Winnower Patrol maintains relevance by fitting snugly into meta decks that capitalize on aggressive early-game strategies, thus being a strong consideration for its potential role in shifting the tempo in your favor.

How to beat

Winnower Patrol is a noteworthy creature card that brings some interesting dynamics to Magic: The Gathering table. With its imposing presence and the ability to create a momentum swing with its kinship ability, it can often feel like a daunting card to face off against. But like all cards, there’s always a strategy to counteract it.

Firstly, removal spells are always a reliable method to handle troublesome creatures. In this instance, Instant speed removals like Path to Exile or Fatal Push can be invaluable, allowing you to deal with the Winnower Patrol before its kinship ability has the chance to take effect. Timing your removals right after the upkeep but before the draw step can prevent the opponent from benefiting from the extra card.

Counterspells are another effective way to negate the threat of Winnower Patrol. By countering the card upon its initial cast, you eliminate the threat before it even hits the battlefield. This preemptive strike can save you from the hassle of dealing with it later on.

Lastly, cards that manipulate the top of the library can disrupt kinship. Effects that allow you to rearrange or look at the top cards of your opponent’s library can break the kinship chain, making Winnower Patrol’s ability less impactful.

Understanding these strategies can give players the upper hand in managing the battlefield and maintaining control against the Winnower Patrol in Magic: The Gathering.