Splintering Wind MTG Card


Splintering Wind - Alliances
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment
Released1996-06-10
Set symbol
Set nameAlliances
Set codeALL
Number99
Frame1993
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byRon Spencer

Key Takeaways

  1. Generates creature tokens for indirect card advantage and can create a formidable defense.
  2. Its instant speed ability allows for strategic responses and evolving gameplay opportunities.
  3. Although powerful, it requires card sacrifice and a specific mana investment.

Text of card

o G: Splintering Wind deals 1 damage to target creature. Put a Splinter token into play. Treat this token as a 1/1 green creature with flying and Cumulative Upkeep: o G. If this token leaves play, it deals 1 damage to you and to each creature you control.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: When it comes to Splintering Wind, the card advantage comes indirectly. Every time the ability is activated, a new creature token is generated, resulting in a growing army without depleting the cards in your hand. This can quickly overwhelm opponents, especially if they lack mass removal options.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana, the tokens created by Splintering Wind can serve as a resource acceleration by chump blocking enemy creatures, effectively conserving your life total and giving you more turns to draw into the resources and spells you need to secure the game.

Instant Speed: The key upside granted by Splintering Wind comes from its instant speed ability. This flexibility lets you adapt to the fluid nature of an MTG match. You can opt when to create a token, whether it’s at the end of your opponent’s turn to avoid sorcery speed removal or during combat to surprise an attacker, providing tactical advantages that align with the dynamic MTG gameplay.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Enjoying the benefits of Splintering Wind often comes at the cost of card advantage. Each activation mandates the player to pitch another card, potentially depleting valuable hand resources and diminishing overall play options.

Specific Mana Cost: A blend of generic and green mana is necessary for Splintering Wind, making it an exclusive fit for decks that can reliably produce the required green mana. This specificity can constrict its integration into multicolored or colorless deck strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost on the steeper side, this enchantment can be a considerable investment, especially when more cost-effective alternatives might fill a similar role with less strain on your mana resources. Players need to weigh the upfront mana expenditure against the sustained cost of its ability.


Reasons to Include Splintering Wind in Your Collection

Versatility: Splintering Wind is a unique card that can serve a multitude of purposes in your deck. It generates flying creatures, providing a steady stream of blockers, or an avenue to chip away at your opponent’s life total.

Combo Potential: With the Splintering Wind card, there’s a fascinating combo potential. It can work in tandem with cards that benefit from creature spawn or death, leveraging the formation and sacrifice of Griffen tokens for greater plays.

Meta-Relevance: Considering the fluctuating MTG metagame, Splintering Wind has an enduring quality in formats where enchantments are tricky for opponents to deal with, potentially giving you an edge over decks that can’t easily remove it.


How to Beat

Splintering Wind is an enchantment that can be quite perplexing to duel against in MTG. Its ability to create flying Splinter tokens with damage-dealing capacity can quickly overwhelm unprepared opponents. However, there are strategies to turn the tide against this card.

Primarily, targeting the Splinter tokens with removal spells is an efficient method. Spells that deal damage to multiple creatures, like Pyroclasm or Electrickery, can easily clear out the tokens before they accumulate. Alternatively, enchantment destruction spells like Disenchant or Naturalize allow you to directly remove Splintering Wind from play.

Moreover, leveraging cards that punish token creation, such as Illness in the Ranks or Virulent Plague, can nullify Splintering Wind’s impact. Additionally, since Splintering Wind hinges on its controller’s life as a resource, strategies that pressure life totals can quickly make the cost too steep for its continuous use.

In evaluating the most effective measures to counter this unique enchantment, these methods showcase that with the proper setup, Splintering Wind can be manageable, ensuring its potential threats are mitigated within your MTG strategy.


Cards like Splintering Wind

Splintering Wind is a unique enchantment in Magic: The Gathering that affords its controller the ability to create Splinter tokens, which are essentially flying thorns that deal damage upon contact with creatures. A card that invites comparison is Hornet Cannon, which similarly generates flying tokens. However, unlike Splintering Wind, Hornet Cannon’s tokens are Hornets with 1/1 stats that also have the ability to block and deal damage to the opponent.

Another card worth discussing in relation to Splintering Wind is Riptide Replicator. Though not directly related in mechanics, it too produces tokens, but gives the controller more flexibility over the attributes of these tokens. Riptide Replicator shines in its capacity to tailor creatures towards a deck’s strategy unlike the automatism of Splintering Wind.

While evaluating these cards, it’s clear that Splintering Wind offers a particular niche with its repeatable token generation ability and can be a surprise element in any game. Distinguishing itself with its focus on defense over offense, it can help control the board and become a persistent nuisance for your adversaries.

Hornet Cannon - MTG Card versions
Riptide Replicator - MTG Card versions
Hornet Cannon - Stronghold (STH)
Riptide Replicator - Onslaught (ONS)

Cards similar to Splintering Wind by color, type and mana cost

Living Lands - MTG Card versions
Titania's Song - MTG Card versions
Arboria - MTG Card versions
Cyclone - MTG Card versions
Primal Order - MTG Card versions
Barbed Foliage - MTG Card versions
Preferred Selection - MTG Card versions
Aluren - MTG Card versions
Sporogenesis - MTG Card versions
Defense of the Heart - MTG Card versions
Vernal Equinox - MTG Card versions
Foster - MTG Card versions
Overlaid Terrain - MTG Card versions
Rowen - MTG Card versions
Epic Struggle - MTG Card versions
Court of Bounty - MTG Card versions
Eidolon of Blossoms - MTG Card versions
Greater Good - MTG Card versions
Arasta of the Endless Web - MTG Card versions
Upwelling - MTG Card versions
Living Lands - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Titania's Song - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Arboria - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Cyclone - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Primal Order - Homelands (HML)
Barbed Foliage - Mirage (MIR)
Preferred Selection - Mirage (MIR)
Aluren - Tempest (TMP)
Sporogenesis - Urza's Saga (USG)
Defense of the Heart - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Vernal Equinox - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Foster - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Overlaid Terrain - Nemesis (NEM)
Rowen - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Epic Struggle - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Court of Bounty - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Eidolon of Blossoms - Explorer Anthology 3 (EA3)
Greater Good - Double Masters (2XM)
Arasta of the Endless Web - Commander Masters (CMM)
Upwelling - Scourge (SCG)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Splintering Wind MTG card by a specific set like Alliances, 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 Splintering Wind and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Splintering Wind has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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