Ikiral Outrider MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Human Soldier
Abilities	Level Up, Vigilance
Released	2010-04-23
Set symbol
Set name	Rise of the Eldrazi
Set code	ROE
Power	1
Toughness	2
Number	27
Frame	2003
Layout	Leveler
Border	Black
Illustred by	Kekai Kotaki

Key Takeaways

Ikiral Outrider enhances card draw and bolsters armies, proving valuable in combat scenarios.
Requires discarding for activation and precise mana, which could limit its play.
Despite its mana cost, it fits various strategies, especially in aggressive decks.

Guide to Vigilance card ability

In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.

Text of card

Level up (: Put a level counter on this. Level up only as a sorcery.) LEVEL 1-3 2/6 Vigilance LEVEL 4+ 3/10 Vigilance

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Ikiral Outrider allows you to glean some extra value every time it’s involved in a combat scenario, either by bolstering your army or by creating additional draw opportunities, thus enhancing card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: This vigilant warrior can be a considerable force in ramping up your resources. While not directly creating mana or tokens, its potential to consistently outmatch opponents’ creatures may translate into a form of resource acceleration by maintaining a board presence.

Instant Speed: Ikiral Outrider’s abilities may not function at instant speed, but the strategic depth it adds to your game can be profound. In a deck that can act at instant speed, this card’s reliability as a sturdy blocker or attacker complements a responsive playstyle, keeping opponents guessing.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Ikiral Outrider requires discarding another card to activate its ability, which might deplete your hand at crucial moments.

Specific Mana Cost: This card necessitates a precise combination of mana types that could be hard to generate in a multicolored deck, potentially causing delays in play.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost that may be considered steep for its stats and abilities, Ikiral Outrider might not be the most mana-efficient creature in the competitive scene.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Ikiral Outrider can play a pivotal role in various deck designs, particularly those that require an early presence on the board. Its flexible mana cost and creature type are advantageous for tribal synergy and theme decks.

Combo Potential: As part of intricate gameplay, Ikiral Outrider interacts smoothly with mechanics that benefit from casting creature spells or creatures entering the battlefield, providing new layers to your strategic plays.

Meta-Relevance: In a game that often sees shifting metas, the Ikiral Outrider stands out in environments that favor aggressive or midrange tactics, bolstering your lineup where defense and offense meet.

How to beat

The Ikiral Outrider is a noteworthy card in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, presenting a mix of durability and combat proficiency that can be a real game-changer on the battlefield. This card is particularly potent due to its hefty toughness, which makes it a formidable obstacle for many combat strategies. However, to effectively navigate against this tenacious creature, particular strategies must be considered.

One efficient approach is to leverage spells that bypass combat altogether. Removals that exile, such as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, can cleanly address the toughness of Ikiral Outrider without getting drawn into a battle of attrition. Additionally, countering it before it hits the battlefield through spells like Mana Leak or Negate can prevent the opponent from gaining its benefits entirely. Direct damage spells may also come in handy, especially when combined with other damage sources to surpass its stout toughness threshold.

Ultimately, overrunning it through broad board control tactics, such as board wipes with Damnation or Wrath of God, can neutralize Ikiral Outrider along with the rest of the opponent’s creatures. Knowing when to remove it and how to maneuver around its strengths will ensure your strategy remains unimpeded by this resilient adversary.

Cards like Ikiral Outrider

Ikiral Outrider slots into decks that focus on bolstering their battlefield with vigilant creatures. When assessing creatures of similar mana cost and abilities, the Outrider is reminiscent of cards like Concordia Pegasus or Knight of the Tusk. Concordia Pegasus offers early game defense with flying at a lower mana value. However, it lacks the substantial power and toughness provided by Ikiral Outrider.

Comparatively, Knight of the Tusk brings a heavy hitter with the same vigilance perk but demands a heftier cost to deploy, which may make it a less flexible option during the mid-game phase that Ikiral Outrider comfortably fills. The Outrider’s balanced blend of cost, power, and the tactical advantage of vigilance make it a formidable choice for players looking to maintain offensive pressure while defending their own life total.

Ultimately, Ikiral Outrider stands as a solid pick for those seeking a creature capable of simultaneously applying pressure and defending at a reasonable mana cost, carving its niche among vigilant warriors in Magic: The Gathering.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ikiral Outrider MTG card by a specific set like Rise of the Eldrazi, 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 Ikiral Outrider and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ikiral Outrider 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 Ikiral Outrider card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2010-06-15	A creature’s level is based on how many level counters it has on it, not how many times its level up ability has been activated or has resolved. If a leveler gets level counters due to some other effect (such as Clockspinning) or loses level counters for some reason (such as Vampire Hexmage), its level is changed accordingly.
2010-06-15	Effects that modify a leveler’s power or toughness, such as the effects of Giant Growth or Glorious Anthem, will apply to it no matter when they started to take effect. The same is true for counters that change the creature’s power or toughness (such as +1/+1 counters) and effects that switch its power and toughness.
2010-06-15	Effects that set a leveler’s power or toughness to a specific value, including the effects from a level symbol’s ability, apply in timestamp order. The timestamp of each level symbol’s ability is the same as the timestamp of the leveler itself, regardless of when the most recent level counter was put on it.
2010-06-15	If another creature becomes a copy of a leveler, all of the leveler’s printed abilities — including those represented by level symbols — are copied. The current characteristics of the leveler, and the number of level counters on it, are not. The abilities, power, and toughness of the copy will be determined based on how many level counters are on the copy.
2010-06-15	The abilities a leveler grants to itself don’t overwrite any other abilities it may have. In particular, they don’t overwrite the creature’s level up ability; it always has that.