Umara Wizard // Umara Skyfalls MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Merfolk Wizard |
| Released | 2020-09-25 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Zendikar Rising |
| Set code | ZNR |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 3 |
| Number | 86 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Modal DFC |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Jesper Ejsing |
Key Takeaways
- Umara Wizard’s draw and instant speed features allow for strategic flexibility and in-game advantage.
- Dual nature as land and creature makes it a versatile asset in various deck builds.
- Despite its benefits, players must manage its cons like specific mana costs and discard requirements.
Text of card
Whenever you cast an instant, sorcery, or Wizard spell, Umara Wizard gains flying until end of turn.
"You see a waterfall. I see a way up." —Ko Dari, expedition wizard
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Umara Wizard extends your hand by offering extra draw capabilities when you need to refuel your resources and maintain pressure on the opponent.
Resource Acceleration: This card has the potential to unlock new plays earlier than expected by smoothing out your mana curve, allowing you to cast more impactful spells ahead of schedule.
Instant Speed: With its ability to be played at instant speed, you can adapt to the flow of the game, making tactical decisions that could turn the tide in your favor without sacrificing your turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Casting this spell necessitates discarding another card, potentially diminishing your hand advantage in crucial moments of gameplay.
Specific Mana Cost: With a mana cost that demands both blue and other colors, Umara Wizard can be less flexible, making it a challenging fit in mono-blue or colorless-centric decks.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The card comes with a significant investment in mana resources. For five mana, players might find alternative spells or creatures that provide a greater immediate impact on the game state.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Umara Wizard offers a dual functionality being both a land and a creature. When your mana base is set, having an extra creature can turn the tides in your favor. Alternatively, it serves as a land early on to ensure your mana curve stays on track.
Combo Potential: As a wizard, it can easily slot into a party mechanic deck or those that revolve around spell casting. Its ability to return to your hand from the battlefield can be reused for multiple enter-the-battlefield triggers or to protect it from removal.
Meta-Relevance: Given its flexibility and how it synergizes with blue-based control or tempo decks, Umara Wizard maintains relevance. It matches well against various archetypes, providing either land consistency or a late-game threat.
How to beat
Mastering the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering often involves tackling formidable cards like Umara Wizard. This versatile merfolk has a duality that can catch players off-guard, functioning as both a land and a creature. As a land, it’s a straightforward inclusion for mana fixing, but as a creature, it becomes a flying threat that can turn the tide of battle.
Confronting Umara Wizard’s dual nature requires a strategic approach. Removal spells are your best friend here; instant-speed options like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can handle the Wizard before it does significant damage. If you’re countering its land aspect, land destruction or direct denial through cards like Field of Ruin or Ghost Quarter can disrupt your opponent’s mana base. A card with reach or one that can deal damage to flying creatures, such as Squash, is also effective against Umara Wizard in its creature form.
Navigating the challenges posed by Umara Wizard is about timing and the right card choices. Whether through removal, land disruption, or creatures with reach, ensure your deck is equipped to counter this flexible threat. Utilize these tactics, and you’ll mitigate the impact of Umara Wizard on your game, securing your path to victory.
Cards like Umara Wizard // Umara Skyfalls
The Umara Wizard is an intriguing choice for those looking to enhance their deck with versatile card options in Magic: The Gathering. It draws a comparison to other cards like Skyline Cascade, as both can impact the state of the battlefield upon entering. Where Umara Wizard gains an edge is in its dual nature; not only can it be played as a land, providing mana stability, but also as a creature that can apply pressure or bolster defenses.
Looking at similar modal double-faced cards, we find Kazuul’s Cliffs, which also offers the flexibility of being a land or a creature. However, Umara Wizard is unique with its ability to fly, presenting a formidable aerial threat. Delving into the creature side, something like Windrider Wizard offers spell synergy and card filtering, although it lacks the land capability that makes Umara Wizard so adaptably powerful in gameplay.
Ultimately, Umara Wizard stands out in its category due to the dual usefulness; its presence enriches strategic depth and resource management, making it a compelling choice for those crafting a blue deck or needing to balance creature interaction with land drops.
Cards similar to Umara Wizard // Umara Skyfalls by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Umara Wizard // Umara Skyfalls MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar Rising, 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 Umara Wizard // Umara Skyfalls and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Umara Wizard // Umara Skyfalls 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 |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Umara Wizard // Umara Skyfalls card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2020-09-25 | A Wizard spell is one with the creature type Wizard. Spells that are Wizard-themed (such as Relic Amulet) aren’t Wizard spells. |
| 2020-09-25 | A modal double-faced card can’t be transformed or be put onto the battlefield transformed. Ignore any instruction to transform a modal double-faced card or to put one onto the battlefield transformed. |
| 2020-09-25 | An ability that triggers when a player casts a spell resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger, but after targets have been chosen for that spell (if it has any targets). The ability resolves even if that spell is countered. |
| 2020-09-25 | If an effect allows you to play a land or cast a spell from among a group of cards, you may play or cast a modal double-faced card with any face that fits the criteria of that effect. |
| 2020-09-25 | If an effect allows you to play a specific modal double-faced card, you may cast it as a spell or play it as a land, as determined by which face you choose to play. If an effect allows you to cast (rather than “play”) a specific modal double-faced card, you can’t play it as a land. |
| 2020-09-25 | If an effect instructs a player to choose a card name, the name of either face may be chosen. If that effect or a linked ability refers to a spell with the chosen name being cast and/or a land with the chosen name being played, it considers only the chosen name, not the other face’s name. |
| 2020-09-25 | If an effect puts a double-faced card onto the battlefield, it enters with its front face up. If that front face can’t be put onto the battlefield, it doesn’t enter the battlefield. |
| 2020-09-25 | In the Commander variant, a double-faced card’s color identity is determined by the mana costs and mana symbols in the rules text of both faces combined. If either face has a color indicator or basic land type, those are also considered. |
| 2020-09-25 | The converted mana cost of a modal double-faced card is based on the characteristics of the face that’s being considered. On the stack and battlefield, consider whichever face is up. In all other zones, consider only the front face. This is different than how the converted mana cost of a transforming double-faced card is determined. |
| 2020-09-25 | There is a single triangle icon in the top left corner of the front face. There is a double triangle icon in the top left corner of the back face. |
| 2020-09-25 | To determine whether it is legal to play a modal double-faced card, consider only the characteristics of the face you’re playing and ignore the other face’s characteristics. |
