Wood Sage MTG Card

Wood Sage excels in selectively thinning your deck, providing a greater chance at drawing impactful spells in MTG. The card can ramp mana indirectly by finding creatures that facilitate resource acceleration, pivotal in game play. Its ability to operate at instant speed offers strategic flexibility, maximizing your options each turn.

Tempest (TMP)
1997-10-14 - Number 275

Conspiracy (CNS)
2014-06-06 - Number 195

Tempest Remastered (TPR)
2015-05-06 - Number 216

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Human Druid
Power	1
Toughness	1

Text of card

oc T: Name a creature card. Reveal the top four cards of your library to all players. If any of those cards are the named card, put them into your hand. Put the rest into your graveyard.

Cards like Wood Sage

Wood Sage stands out in the realm of creature-based card selection in Magic: The Gathering. It invites comparison to cards like Fauna Shaman, which offers the ability to search for creatures in exchange for the discard of another creature. While Wood Sage doesn’t require a discard, its ability relies on naming a creature card and luck to find it within the top four cards of your library.

Birthing Pod can be paralleled in its tutoring capability, though it leans on a sacrifice mechanic to fetch creatures with higher mana values directly into play. Fauna Shaman’s precise selection overshadows Wood Sage’s chance-based approach, and Birthing Pod’s impact on board state makes it a powerful engine, whereas Wood Sage provides subtler strategic value over time.

Overall, Wood Sage offers a unique blend of potential card advantage and deck manipulation without immediate expenditure or loss of resources. Its comparison with others in its category renders it a somewhat niche option, rewarding players who are willing to embrace its probabilistic nature and integrate it into synergistic deck constructions.

Cards similar to Wood Sage by color, type and mana cost

Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy - MTG Card versions

Thrasios, Triton Hero - MTG Card versions

Biomancer's Familiar - MTG Card versions

Verazol, the Split Current - MTG Card versions

Lonis, Cryptozoologist - MTG Card versions

Suspicious Stowaway // Seafaring Werewolf - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Wood Sage offers a nuanced yet potent form of card advantage by permitting you to sift through your deck for a creature card each turn. Over time, this can significantly thin your deck, increasing the likelihood of drawing high-impact spells when you need them most.

Resource Acceleration: While indirectly, Wood Sage can contribute to resource acceleration by tutoring for key creatures that can ramp your mana. Whether it’s by fetching mana dorks or creatures with land-fetching abilities, this can lead to a rapid expansion of your available resources.

Instant Speed: The ability of Wood Sage to activate at instant speed gives you the flexibility to use your mana efficiently. If there’s no immediate pressure during your turn, you can wait until just before your next turn to activate Wood Sage, ensuring you’re always making the most informed decision with the cards you reveal.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Wood Sage card requires you to discard a card as part of its effect. This can present a challenge when your hand is sparse, potentially forcing you to lose valuable assets.

Specific Mana Cost: With its need for both green and blue mana, Wood Sage can be a tough fit in decks that aren’t tailored to Simic (green and blue) strategies, potentially limiting its versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring a total of three mana, including both colored requirements, it’s on the higher end for its ability compared to other creature tutors, which might offer similar effects at a lower cost.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Wood Sage’s ability to tutor creatures from the top of your deck makes it a useful inclusion in decks that focus on creatures with specific types or themes. Its low casting cost also ensures it can be played early in the game.

Combo Potential: This card enables synergies with strategies that revolve around library manipulation or graveyard play. For instance, pairing Wood Sage with cards that care about creature types or self-mill decks enhances the effectiveness of both.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature-based strategies are prominent, Wood Sage gains value. It can help you consistently find silver-bullet creatures that are essential to countering the strategies you’re likely to face, keeping your plays impactful throughout the match.

How to beat

Wood Sage is a unique creature card that allows players to selectively sift through their decks for creature cards. Unlike traditional card draw spells or creature search mechanics, Wood Sage presents an intriguing mid-game scenario where your opponent can strategically stock their hand with potential threats. The trick to outmaneuver Wood Sage starts with understanding its limitation – it does not guarantee a creature will be revealed, giving you a window to disrupt your opponent’s plans.

Direct removal spells are effective against Wood Sage but consider that simply destroying it after your opponent has stocked their hand might be too late. Counterplay can focus on graveyard manipulation, such as cards like Rest in Peace upending the strategy of stocking the graveyard for later use. Hand disruption tactics also work well, including Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek, removing key creatures before they ever see play. Additionally, employing strategies like mill or exile can prevent your opponent from finding the creatures they need, utilizing its ability against them.

By targeting the synergy and strategy rather than the card itself, you maximize your interaction with Wood Sage, requiring your opponent to adapt their plans and often disrupting their momentum in MTG matches.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Wood Sage MTG card by a specific set like Tempest and Conspiracy, 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 Wood Sage and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Wood Sage Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1997-10-14 and 2015-05-06. Illustrated by Paolo Parente.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1997-10-14	Tempest	TMP	275	1997	Normal	Black	Paolo Parente
2	2014-06-06	Conspiracy	CNS	195	2003	Normal	Black	Paolo Parente
3	2015-05-06	Tempest Remastered	TPR	216	2015	Normal	Black	Paolo Parente

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Wood Sage has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal