Everbark Shaman MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Treefolk Shaman
Released	2008-02-01
Set symbol
Set name	Morningtide
Set code	MOR
Power	3
Toughness	5
Number	121
Frame	2003
Layout	normal
Border	black
Illustred by	Larry MacDougall

Key Takeaways

Everbark Shaman’s ability offers consistent card and mana advantage, crucial for control and ramp decks.
Though it dictates deck constraints, it has substantial combo potential and meta relevance.
Countering it involves instant-speed removal and disrupting its graveyard-to-hand mechanic.

Text of card

, Remove a Treefolk card in your graveyard from the game: Search your library for two Forest cards and put them into play tapped. Then shuffle your library.

"May you rise again, from seed to sapling to sentience."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Everbark Shaman grants you consistent access to the important mechanic of card advantage by recurring Treefolk cards or Forest cards from your graveyard to your hand. This can be a key factor in outpacing opponents in longer, grindy matches where maintaining a steady flow of resources is crucial.

Resource Acceleration: Through its ability, Everbark Shaman provides a subtle form of resource acceleration. By returning a Forest card from your graveyard to the battlefield, you essentially ramp up your mana resources, enabling bigger plays and casting more impactful spells earlier in the game.

Instant Speed: While Everbark Shaman itself doesn’t act at instant speed, the resources it returns can be used in tandem with instant-speed spells. This offers flexibility and the potential to surprise your opponent with unexpected plays using the land or Treefolk card retrieved during your turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Everbark Shaman requires you to sacrifice a treefolk or reveal a treefolk card from your hand to perform its ability. This could deplete your hand or field presence, representing a strategic impediment, especially when your resources are already stretched thin.

Specific Mana Cost: Everbark Shaman’s casting cost demands three green mana, which places a constraint on deck building. Players will need to focus on a forest-rich manabase or incorporate mana-fixing elements to reliably cast it, thereby reducing the deck’s flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a total of five mana, including three that must be green, Everbark Shaman might occupy the higher end of your mana curve. Within this cost bracket, players may find alternatives that offer immediate board impact or greater versatility, potentially relegating the Shaman to a less favorable selection for competitive play.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Everbark Shaman offers flexibility across various deck archetypes that utilize Forest cards, either by ramping up mana or by facilitating landfall triggers. It can easily adapt to the ever-changing needs of a game, providing consistent value.

Combo Potential: This card can be a key component in combos that revolve around land retrieval and provides a reliable method for getting Forests into your hand, which is especially powerful in decks focusing on land-based strategies.

Meta-Relevance: With many decks seeking to outpace their opponents either through fast aggro or vast mana acceleration, Everbark Shaman holds its ground in a meta that appreciates efficient mana engines and the ability to consistently play lands.

How to Beat Everbark Shaman in MTG

Understanding Everbark Shaman’s role is vital when strategizing against it in MTG. Primarily found in decks emphasizing on treefolk or land-based strategies, this card holds the power to generate an overwhelming board presence. The shaman’s forestcycling ability enables players to churn forests out of their deck, thereby thinning the deck and increasing the chances of drawing non-land cards while also supporting landfall mechanics.

To counteract the Everbark Shaman, consider using land disruption strategies. Cards like Path to Exile and Ghost Quarter can remove the Shaman from the field before its forestcycling ability creates too much of an advantage. Instant-speed removal is particularly effective as it can disrupt your opponent’s plans during their own turn. Graveyard removal can also be useful, as it prevents the Shaman from returning via abilities or spells that might recur it from the graveyard. Additionally, counter control decks focusing on permission and denial are effective to keep the Everbark Shaman from being cast in the first place, cutting off the advantage before it can even begin. An early-game approach to mitigating the Shaman’s impact can ensure a steadier control of the match.

Overall, while Everbark Shaman can become a key component in a ramp or treefolk deck, a well-timed disruption or removal can effectively neutralize the benefits it offers. Keep your removal ready and focus on disrupting the synergy it provides to come out ahead.

Cards like Everbark Shaman

Everbark Shaman enters the vast universe of Magic: The Gathering, carving a niche for itself among mana-acceleration creatures. It holds similarities to cards like Farhaven Elf and Wood Elves, both of which have an ability to search for a land card and put it onto the battlefield. The advantage of Everbark Shaman lies in its interaction with Treefolk and Forests, possibly turning each late-game Forest draw into a potential source of card advantage.

Another kin in effect and spirit is the Civic Wayfinder, offering a similar functionality of land retrieval. However, Everbark Shaman can continually utilize every Forest draw to generate extra resources, an offer not echoed by the one-shot use of Civic Wayfinder. Yavimaya Elder also deserves a mention, able to provide both a land to hand and, upon its death, a double land advantage, yet it lacks the repeatable nature of Everbark Shaman’s effect.

Assessing these options, Everbark Shaman may favor players with a long-term strategy, rewarding those who have the patience and playstyle to capitalize on continuous land draws, especially in Treefolk-centric decks where synergy is key.

Civic Wayfinder - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Everbark Shaman MTG card by a specific set like Morningtide, 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 Everbark Shaman and other MTG cards: