Woodland Sleuth MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Scout |
| Abilities | Morbid |
| Released | 2011-09-30 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Innistrad |
| Set code | ISD |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 3 |
| Number | 210 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Tomasz Jedruszek |
Text of card
Morbid — When Woodland Sleuth enters the battlefield, if a creature died this turn, return a creature card at random from your graveyard to your hand.
"Whatever did this is near. Death reversion has not yet occurred. Be alert!"
Cards like Woodland Sleuth
Woodland Sleuth brings an intriguing dynamic to the creature strategies within Magic: The Gathering. Its similarities to cards like Gravedigger are evident, as both are creatures that allow you to return another creature from your graveyard to your hand upon entering the battlefield. However, the Sleuth differs in its morbid ability, which provides the advantage only if a creature has died this turn. This conditional trigger creates a strategic layer Gravedigger doesn’t possess.
Eternal Witness presents another point of comparison. While it serves a similar purpose by retrieving cards from the graveyard, the Witness is flexible, allowing you to recover any card type, making it an incredibly versatile choice. In contrast, Woodland Sleuth’s role is more specialized; it’s a creature-focused card tailored for decks that anticipate frequent creature deaths. The Sleuth is also often cheaper in terms of mana cost, benefiting decks that operate on lower curves or faster paces.
Analyzing the nuances of Woodland Sleuth compared to its counterparts, it’s a card that shines in the right environment. In a game where creatures are continually sacrificed or traded in battle, the Sleuth offers consistent utility, subtly impacting the board state and maintaining creature presence for the player.
Cards similar to Woodland Sleuth by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Woodland Sleuth, when it enters the battlefield or dies, potentially brings a creature card back from your graveyard to your hand. This functional versatility gives you a strategic edge, as it keeps your hand stocked and ready to deploy further threats.
Resource Acceleration: Although Woodland Sleuth itself doesn’t generate additional mana, the returned creature card may have resource-accelerating abilities or synergize with your ramp strategy, indirectly contributing to your mana curve and overall board presence.
Instant Speed: While Woodland Sleuth operates at sorcery speed, the card’s graveyard-to-hand ability is a form of indirect instant-speed advantage. It gives you more options during your turn and bypasses the need to use separate instant-speed spells to recover your creatures, allowing you to better manage resources and maintain a responsive playstyle.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Woodland Sleuth commands you to have a creature hit the graveyard that very turn to unleash its potential. This condition can be burdensome, especially in game states where your board is under threat and creatures are scarce.
Specific Mana Cost: This critter nestles firmly in green’s embrace, requiring both generic and green mana to make an entrance. This specificity can snarl decks that flirt with a wider palette of mana colors, boxing out the sleuth if the mana mix isn’t just right.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Concerning its cost and the morrow-go-fetch effect it brings, Woodland Sleuth sits at a steeper climb on the mana ladder. This could deter some players when considering the breadth of options across the mana spectrum that may yield more immediate and impactful returns.
Reasons to Include Woodland Sleuth in Your Collection
Versatility: Woodland Sleuth seamlessly integrates into various deck archetypes. Its ability to recur creatures from the graveyard means it plays well in green-based midrange or control decks, as well as graveyard-focused strategies.
Combo Potential: This card can serve as an engine in combo decks, where retrieving specific creatures from your graveyard is necessary. It synergizes with self-mill strategies and pairs excellently with cards that sacrifice creatures for value, ensuring ongoing resource advantage.
Meta-Relevance: Given the ever-evolving MTG landscape, Woodland Sleuth holds its ground by being a reliable source of card advantage. It’s particularly effective in metas where attrition wars are common, helping to maintain board presence by returning creature cards otherwise lost in the fray.
How to beat
Woodland Sleuth is a noteworthy creature card that brings an element of graveyard interaction to the table in MTG. It belongs to the family of cards that can potentially recur valuable pieces from the graveyard to the hand, akin to other cards such as Eternal Witness. This can make it quite a tricky card to play against, for it gives your opponent the chance to retrieve a key card after the Sleuth has perished.
To effectively neutralize Woodland Sleuth, cards that exile from the graveyard are highly effective. Such options include Rest in Peace or Relic of Progenitus, which ensure that once a creature hits the graveyard, it stays out of reach. Additionally, managing to keep the Sleuth off the battlefield with removal spells like Doom Blade or Path to Exile can prevent it from triggering its Morbid ability, consequently stifling your opponent’s graveyard strategy.
Tactically, ensuring that you have control of when creatures die is crucial. Timing your creature removal spells for when your opponent does not have a dead creature during their turn can make all the difference. In essence, good graveyard management and strategic removal can be key components to outmaneuvering the effects of Woodland Sleuth in a match.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Woodland Sleuth MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad, 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 Woodland Sleuth 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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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Woodland Sleuth has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Woodland Sleuth card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2011-09-22 | The creature card isn’t chosen at random until the ability resolves. |
| 2011-09-22 | Woodland Sleuth could die in response to its own morbid ability. If this happens, the ability could return Woodland Sleuth to its owner’s hand. |