Highland Game MTG Card
2014-09-26 - Number 135
2018-07-13 - Number 188
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Elk |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Key Takeaways
- Grants 2 life upon death, providing a strategic edge in sustaining player life totals.
- Useful in green-centric decks but less versatile in non-green strategies due to specific mana requirements.
- When combined with certain strategies, enhances deck synergy and meta relevance.
Text of card
When Highland Game dies, you gain 2 life.
"Bring down a stag and fix its horns upon her head. This one hears the whispers." —Chianul, at the weaving of Arel
Card Pros
Card Advantage: When Highland Game is put into the graveyard from the battlefield, it grants you 2 life, subtly tipping the scales in prolonged matches. This life gain is a form of indirect card advantage, making your opponent spend more resources to diminish your life total.
Resource Acceleration: While not providing traditional mana acceleration, Highland Game helps in the resource race by potentially offsetting the cost of life paid for effects such as shock lands or thoughtseize, allowing for a more aggressive use of such tools without the usual downside.
Instant Speed: Although Highland Game is a creature that does not inherently operate at instant speed, its death-triggered ability can become relevant at any phase, including during your opponent’s turn. This enables it to serve as a surprise buffer in combat scenarios or when facing direct damage spells that would affect your life total.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: For Highland Game, discarding isn’t an immediate concern as the card does not entail it. However, players should always evaluate hand resources when playing cards with potential trade-offs in decks that leverage the graveyard or reanimation strategies.
Specific Mana Cost: Highland Game requires one green mana, integrating seamlessly into mono-green or green-centric multicolored decks but its color specificity may not align with every strategy, potentially limiting deck compatibility.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of two mana for a creature that ultimately yields minimal impact, Highland Game may be overshadowed by other two-drop creatures in MTG that provide greater value, abilities, or power dynamics in the heat of the game.
Reasons to Include Highland Game in Your Collection
Versatility: Highland Game offers flexibility to your deck with its ability to provide both a creature on the field and life gain upon death, making it a dual-purpose resource in various gameplay situations.
Combo Potential: This card becomes handy when combined with strategies that capitalize on death triggers or life gain. It has potential synergies in decks that appreciate sacrificial creatures for greater benefits.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta that emphasizes aggressive plays, Highland Game serves as an early game presence that can deter attackers while providing you longevity in the game through the life it grants when it dies.
How to beat
The Highland Game card brings a certain resilience to the battlefield in MTG. When this creature dies, it grants you 2 life – a modest boon that could give players an unexpected edge during the match. To effectively counter Highland Game, consider leveraging removal spells that bypass the creature’s death-trigger, such as with exile effects. Cards like Path to Exile or Settle the Wreckage can remove Highland Game without triggering its life gain ability.
Another strategy is to utilize cards that punish your opponent for spell casting or creature abilities, such as Torpor Orb or Hushbringer, thereby nullifying the life gain advantage. It’s also advantageous to manage your own life total, ensuring that the two points provided by Highland Game’s death are inconsequential. Alternatively, increasing the cost of creature spells or abilities with cards like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben can be effective in slowing down your opponent’s game plan and reducing the overall impact of creatures like Highland Game.
Ultimately, understanding and anticipating your opponent’s strategy will aid in mitigating the benefits Highland Game brings to their side, ensuring you maintain control of the game’s pace and direction.
Cards like Highland Game
Highland Game is an interesting component in the realm of creature cards in Magic: The Gathering, resonating with a specific subset of two-mana cost creatures that boast an additional ability upon death. Comparable to cards like Doomed Traveler, which also summons a creature token after its demise, Highland Game provides its own twist by granting its controller 2 life when it dies. Unlike Doomed Traveler, Highland Game does not leave behind a creature but rather offers a small yet potentially significant life boost.
Similarly, there’s Child of Night, another two-mana creature with a lifelink ability, giving a recurring advantage throughout its existence rather than a one-off life gain. Child of Night’s capability to consistently increase life totals contrasts with the one-time effect from Highland Game but lacks the immediate life gain upon death. Then there’s Hired Poisoner, offering deathtouch instead of life gain, serving a varying strategic purpose by acting as a deterrent to opponents’ creatures.
In sum, within the panorama of two-drop creatures, Highland Game stands out as a card that tactically fits strategies focused around life gain and sacrificial mechanics, making it a card worth considering for decks in that niche within Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Highland Game by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Highland Game MTG card by a specific set like Khans of Tarkir and Core Set 2019, 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 Highland Game and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Highland Game Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2014-09-26 and 2018-07-13. Illustrated by John Severin Brassell.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2014-09-26 | Khans of Tarkir | KTK | 135 | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Severin Brassell | |
| 2 | 2018-07-13 | Core Set 2019 | M19 | 188 | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Severin Brassell |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Highland Game has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
