Merrow Witsniper MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Merfolk Rogue
Abilities	Mill
Released	2008-02-01
Set symbol
Set name	Morningtide
Set code	MOR
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	40
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Steve Prescott

Key Takeaways

Merrow Witsniper aids in card advantage by disrupting opponent’s plans with its entrance effect.
Best utilized in mill decks to banish opponent’s cards repeatedly and enhance strategy.
Precision and timing with instant speed interactions can elevate the card’s disruptive potential.

Text of card

When Merrow Witsniper comes into play, target player puts the top card of his or her library into his or her graveyard.

"The world above the waterline must be monitored—and, when necessary, adjusted."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Merrow Witsniper’s enters the battlefield ability ensures that your opponent loses access to a card from their library, effectively tipping the balance of cards in your favor. This disrupts your opponent’s plan and can be a subtle yet powerful way to gain card advantage, especially when combined with cards that allow you to reuse enter the battlefield effects.

Resource Acceleration: Although the Merrow Witsniper itself doesn’t directly provide resource acceleration, it plays well in decks focused on such strategies. Its low cost allows for quick deployment, leaving mana available for other spells or abilities that advance your resources.

Instant Speed: While Merrow Witsniper is a creature, using it in tandem with flash-enabling cards makes it operate at instant speed. This means you can wait for the right moment during your opponent’s turn to deploy the Merrow Witsniper, catching them off-guard and strategically milling their top card at a potentially crucial moment.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the elements to consider when playing Merrow Witsniper is its mill ability, which only triggers when it enters the battlefield. This can restrict its utility, especially since there’s no inherent mechanism to recycle the effect without additional cards or combos in place.

Specific Mana Cost: Merrow Witsniper carries a blue-mana intensive casting cost, which necessitates a predominantly blue mana base to cast effectively. This can hamper the inclusion of the card in multi-color decks or limit its playability outside mono-blue strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a casting cost of one blue and one other mana for a 1/1 creature, Merrow Witsniper can be considered to have a high mana cost for its effect and stats. When evaluating the potential impact on the battlefield and in the game overall, there may be more efficient creatures or spells worth considering for the slot it occupies in the deck.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Merrow Witsniper plays well in decks that prize the manipulation of opponents’ libraries. It can act as a subtle disruptor across multiple formats.

Combo Potential: This card shines in mill strategies where it can repeatedly banish cards from the top of an opponent’s deck, augmenting a focused milling assault.

Meta-Relevance: While not a staple in current top-tier competition, in a meta filled with graveyard-dependent decks, Merrow Witsniper can serve as a niche counter by removing key pieces from play.

How to beat

Merrow Witsniper, a creature known for its enter-the-battlefield ability that forces opponents to put a card from their hand on the bottom of their library, can be a subtle yet strategic play in Magic: The Gathering. To overcome this card, smart hand management is essential. Players should play or keep cards in hand that are less impactful when lost to the Witsniper’s ability. Cards that offer graveyard retrieval or ones that benefit from being in the graveyard can also negate the Witsniper’s potential disadvantage.

Moreover, instant-speed removal spells can effectively deal with the Merrow Witsniper before its ability triggers. Additionally, considering that Merrow Witsniper has a low toughness, cards that can deal damage or that allow you to block and destroy it without much cost are effective strategies. In terms of deck-building, including cards that give you a choice of cards, such as scry or draw effects, can ensure that losing one card will not significantly disrupt your strategy. Overall, while Merrow Witsniper can be disruptive, it can be countered through careful play and deck preparation.

Cards like Merrow Witsniper

Merrow Witsniper enters the playing field with a unique role in Magic the Gathering, belonging to the subset of creatures with targeted milling abilities. This aquatic rogue stands in the same waters as Hedron Crab – a creature with the same cost which allows a player to mill whenever a land enters the battlefield. However, Merrow Witsniper mills upon entering the battlefield, targeting a single card from an opponent’s library, which can be critical in disrupting strategies.

In comparison, we observe Ravenous Trap, which activates under different circumstances but serves the milling strategy, exiling an entire graveyard if an opponent had three or more cards enter their graveyard from anywhere in a single turn. While Merrow Witsniper targets individual cards, Ravenous Trap takes a wider sweep, potentially more disruptive but requiring specific conditions to trigger.

Merrow Witsniper may not affect the board as dramatically as other cards in its class, its role is nonetheless pivotal in decks crafted around the concept of hindering an opponent’s game plan by manipulating their library. It represents a tactical choice for players seeking to subtly control the pace and options available to their opponents.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Merrow Witsniper 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 Merrow Witsniper and other MTG cards: