Reins of the Vinesteed MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2008-02-01
Set symbol
Set name	Morningtide
Set code	MOR
Number	134
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jim Pavelec

Key Takeaways

Offers card advantage by potentially drawing a card upon the enchanted creature’s demise.
Reusable, returning to your hand after the enchanted creature dies, enhancing mana efficiency.
Flexible, can cast at instant speed, providing surprise tactics and disrupting opponent strategies.

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets +2/+2. When enchanted creature is put into a graveyard, you may return Reins of the Vinesteed from your graveyard to play attached to a creature that shares a creature type with that creature.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Reins of the Vinesteed has the potential to offer consistent card advantage. When it’s enchanting a creature, you not only get a boost in power but also a card replacement once the creature meets its demise. Thus, this enchantment can offer you a chance to draw another card, maintaining your hand’s strength over the course of a game.

Resource Acceleration: One of the most significant aspects of this card is its potential to accelerate your resources. If the enchanted creature is sacrificed or dies in battle, Reins of the Vinesteed won’t go to waste. Instead, it returns to your hand ready to be replayed. This recursion effectively reduces the cost of future creatures you cast, by pre-emptively equipping them without additional mana investment.

Instant Speed: Reins of the Vinesteed can be cast at instant speed, offering you flexibility and surprise factor. You can enhance your creatures on the battlefield right before damage is dealt, not only increasing their power but also perhaps turning the tide of battle unexpectedly in your favor. Furthermore, the ability to cast this during your opponent’s turn keeps them guessing and can disrupt their strategies.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Reins of the Vinesteed necessitates discarding a card when using its cycling ability, presenting a potential drawback when your hand is already depleted or when holding key cards crucial for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: This particular card requires green mana for its activation. Players running multicolored decks could often find themselves in situations where the presence of green mana can’t be guaranteed, thereby limiting Vinesteed’s overall flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost needing both green and generic mana, it has a comparatively high total mana requirement. In fast-paced games or against decks designed for efficiency, the mana investment might make Reins of the Vinesteed a less preferable option when lower-cost enchantments or creature buffs could be utilized to greater effect.

Reasons to Include Reins of the Vinesteed in Your Collection

Versatility: Reins of the Vinesteed has the ability to play well in various deck architectures. Whether you’re enhancing a creature-focused deck or looking for ways to protect your key assets, this aura brings a flexible edge to the battlefield that can suit multiple strategies.

Combo Potential: Equip your creatures with Reins of the Vinesteed to open up new avenues for synergy. Its enchantment nature means it interacts favorably with cards that benefit from enchantments entering the field, potentially setting off powerful combos and interactions within your game plan.

Meta-Relevance: Adapting to the current competitive landscape is key, and Reins of the Vinesteed aligns well with decks aiming to fortify their creatures against removal. This makes it particularly relevant in metas with a heavy focus on creature survivability and recurring value from enchantments.

How to Beat

Reins of the Vinesteed is an aura that can prove to be quite the nuisance if it lands on a formidable creature on your opponent’s side. This Magic: The Gathering card packs a punch by not only giving a creature +2/+2 but also having the ability to return from the graveyard to the battlefield, attached to a creature that enters under your control if the enchanted creature dies.

To effectively manage this persistent threat, the key is in prevention and disruption. Counter spells are your first line of defense, preventing Reins of the Vinesteed from hitting the board in the first place. If it does resolve, having reliable removal spells that can exile or shuffle the creature into the library bypasses the Vinesteed’s recursion power. Another strategy is to control the battlefield with sweepers, negating the aura’s impact by removing the creatures it would latch onto, or utilizing cards that specifically target enchantments.

Remember, meticulous timing and the right choice of removal or countermeasure can keep this pesky enchantment in check, preserving your position and keeping you one step ahead in the game.

Cards like Reins of the Vinesteed

Reins of the Vinesteed stands as a unique enchantment in the vast landscape of Magic: The Gathering. It draws parallels to other auras such as Rancor, which offers a creature not only a power boost but also trample. Reins of the Vinesteed provides a similar power increment and the additional benefit of transferring to a new creature upon the enchanted creature’s demise. This persisting effect brings a level of resilience Rancor doesn’t possess.

Examining the card in relation to Unholy Strength, another enchantment that increases a creature’s power, highlights the adaptability of Reins of the Vinesteed. While Unholy Strength is cheaper, it lacks the recur feature that makes Reins of the Vinesteed so versatile. Ancestral Mask also shares some benefits, increasing a creature’s might significantly, but again, it does not have the enduring presence post creature’s sacrifice that Reins of the Vinesteed ensures.

Ultimately, comparing these similar cards underlines the lasting impact and strength augmentation that Reins of the Vinesteed offers. Its ability to stick around and enhance multiple creatures throughout the game grants it a noteworthy position within the realm of aura cards.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Reins of the Vinesteed 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 Reins of the Vinesteed and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Reins of the Vinesteed has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Reins of the Vinesteed card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2008-04-01	As the triggered ability resolves, check which creatures on the battlefield have any of the creature types that the previously enchanted creature had as it left the battlefield. If that creature was a Goblin Rogue, for example, Reins of the Vinesteed can be returned to the battlefield attached to either a Goblin creature or a Rogue creature.
2008-04-01	Reins of the Vinesteed’s last ability triggers if it and the creature it’s enchanting are both put into the graveyard at the same time, or if the creature it’s enchanting is put into the graveyard but Reins of the Vinesteed isn’t. (In the second case, Reins of the Vinesteed is then put into the graveyard as a state-based action.)
2008-04-01	This triggered ability doesn’t target a creature. You may return Reins of the Vinesteed to the battlefield attached to a creature that has shroud, for example. However, the creature must be able to be legally enchanted by Reins of the Vinesteed. You can’t return Reins of the Vinesteed to the battlefield attached to a creature that has protection from green, for example.
2008-04-01	You can choose to return Reins of the Vinesteed to the battlefield attached to a creature another player controls. You still control Reins of the Vinesteed. When that creature is put into a graveyard, the ability of Reins of the Vinesteed will trigger again and you’ll be able choose another creature for the Aura to enchant.