Ensouled Scimitar MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Artifact — Equipment |
| Abilities | Equip |
| Released | 2004-06-04 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Fifth Dawn |
| Set code | 5DN |
| Number | 119 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Edward P. Beard, Jr. |
Key Takeaways
- Ensouled Scimitar provides card advantage by offering an extra battlefield presence.
- It allows for resource acceleration, deploying other spells efficiently.
- The instant speed transformation adds a layer of combat surprise.
Text of card
: Ensouled Scimitar becomes a 1/5 artifact creature with flying until end of turn. (Equipment that's a creature can't equip a creature.) Equipped creature gets +1/+5. Equip (: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Equipping creatures with Ensouled Scimitar offers the possibility of an additional creature on the battlefield without playing another card. This optimizes your card usage and helps maintain pressure on opponents.
Resource Acceleration: With Ensouled Scimitar, you gain the benefit of an extra attacker or blocker without the need to invest in another creature card. This effectively can accelerate your resource deployment, letting you allocate mana to other spells and abilities.
Instant Speed: The ability to become a creature at instant speed gives Ensouled Scimitar flexibility in combat and surprise tactics. You can adapt to battlefield changes on the fly, holding back mana for other actions while keeping the threat of activation ready.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One potential drawback of the Ensouled Scimitar is that activating its living weapon ability necessitates discarding a card. This can be particularly taxing in a game’s critical moments when each card in hand is precious.
Specific Mana Cost: The card has a mana cost that includes blue mana, which means it’s most effective in a deck built around that color. For players not running blue-heavy decks, its inclusion and utilization might be restrictive.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: This artifact weapon’s mana requirements are on the higher side, especially when considering its living weapon aspect. Its cost can be steep compared to other equipment cards, potentially slowing down your pace in a game that often rewards efficiency.
Reasons to Include Ensouled Scimitar in Your Collection
Versatility: Ensouled Scimitar has the unique ability to become a creature while also remaining an equipment. This hybrid approach allows for more flexible strategies, fitting effortlessly into artifact-centric decks and offering a quick creature on an open board.
Combo Potential: This card’s dual nature opens up synergies with both equipment and creature interactions. It can be a key piece in decks that capitalize on equipping creatures or those that benefit from artifact creatures for combos or resilience against removal.
Meta-Relevance: In a gaming environment that appreciates artifacts and aggressive strategies, Ensouled Scimitar shines. It can adapt to various situations, whether it’s pushing for damage as a creature or boosting other creatures as an equipment, ensuring its relevance in diverse playing fields.
How to beat
Ensouled Scimitar stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a unique artifact that transforms into a creature. Although intimidating at first glance due to its ability to become a 5/5 flyer, there are straightforward strategies to handle this animated weapon and keep your game plan intact. First and foremost, artifact removal spells are your best friend here. Cards like Naturalize or Disenchant can target and destroy the Ensouled Scimitar outright, whether it is a creature or not.
Another effective approach is to deal with it while it’s a creature. Since it does require an equipped creature to activate its transformability, keeping the board clear of potential carriers cuts down on its threats. Board wipes or targeted removal like Path to Exile remain highly efficient against creatures, hence weakening the scimitar’s impact.
Ultimately, playing around this card involves preparedness and timing. Maintaining control of the board and having the right answer at the right time ensures the Ensouled Scimitar doesn’t cut your chances of victory. It’s a good reminder that even weapons with their own life force can be disarmed with tactful play.
Cards like Ensouled Scimitar
In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, Ensouled Scimitar stands out for its unique ability to transform from an artifact into a creature. This is reminiscent of cards like Key to the City, which also has a duality in function. However, Key to the City leans more towards utility in discarding cards and making creatures unblockable rather than becoming a creature itself.
Another card that echoes this artifact-to-creature versatility is Hope of Ghirapur. While it’s always a creature, it shares the trait of being an artifact as well. What sets Ensouled Scimitar apart is its power to switch roles during gameplay, providing strategic flexibility. Then, there’s Ghostfire Blade, which similarly boosts a creature’s power and toughness. Yet rather than embodying a creature, it serves solely to enhance one.
Scrutinizing these alternatives reveals that Ensouled Scimitar offers a distinct advantage in decks seeking to adapt to various threats and opportunities on the battlefield. Its ability to be both an aggressive entity when equipped or an autonomous creature provides a level of tactical versatility not commonly found in other MTG cards.
Cards similar to Ensouled Scimitar by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Ensouled Scimitar MTG card by a specific set like Fifth Dawn, 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 Ensouled Scimitar 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 Ensouled Scimitar has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Ensouled Scimitar card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2008-08-01 | A noncreature permanent that turns into a creature can attack, and its abilities can be activated, only if its controller has continuously controlled that permanent since the beginning of their most recent turn. It doesn’t matter how long the permanent has been a creature. |
