Cavalier of Thorns MTG Card
2019-07-12 - Number 167
2020-09-26 - Number M20-167
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Mythic |
| Type | Creature — Elemental Knight |
| Abilities | Reach |
| Power | 5 |
| Toughness | 6 |
Key Takeaways
- Provides both card advantage and resource acceleration, strengthening land presence and future play options.
- Its death trigger offers strategic planning, letting players set up their next crucial draw.
- Cavalier of Thorns’ power lies in its flexibility, fulfilling multiple roles in gameplay seamlessly.
Text of card
Reach When Cavalier of Thorns enters the battlefield, reveal the top five cards of your library. Put a land card from among them onto the battlefield and the rest into your graveyard. When Cavalier of Thorns dies, you may exile it. If you do, put another target card from your graveyard on top of your library.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: When Cavalier of Thorns enters the battlefield, you get to reveal the top five cards of your library, then you may put a land card from among them onto the battlefield and the rest into your graveyard. This not only potentially ramps up your mana sources but also fills your graveyard with cards that can be leveraged by other mechanics or retrieved later for strategic plays.
Resource Acceleration: Straightforwardly beefing up your land count, Cavalier of Thorns provides a direct route to ramping up your available resources. When it puts a land card onto the battlefield, you boost your mana pool allowing you to cast more expensive spells sooner than your opponent, or maintain a lead if you’re already ahead.
Instant Speed: While Cavalier of Thorns itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, its death trigger allows you to return a target card from your graveyard to the top of your library at any time. This means during your opponent’s end step, you could set up your next draw to ensure you have a key card ready to go, keeping the pace and pressure steady.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While playing Cavalier of Thorns, there is no direct discard requirement. However, upon its death, if the triggered ability puts a card into your hand from the graveyard, other valuable graveyard cards are reshuffled into your library, potentially disrupting graveyard strategies.
Specific Mana Cost: Cavalier of Thorns demands a specific mana alignment with its GG in the cost, meaning you’ll need a solid amount of green mana sources, which may not amalgamate well with multicolored or color-fluid decks.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The five mana required to cast Cavalier of Thorns might be demanding compared to other creatures or ramp cards. Given the competitive nature of MTG, other cards could serve similar purposes at a lower cost, possibly offering a quicker setup or more immediate board presence.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Cavalier of Thorns offers a multifaceted approach to gameplay, seamlessly integrating into ramp decks by accelerating mana and graveyard-based strategies through its death trigger. Its solid 5/6 body also makes it a dependable blocker against more aggressive decks.
Combo Potential: When Cavalier of Thorns hits the battlefield, the ability to dig five cards deep into your library can set up powerful graveyard synergies or combo pieces. Plus, the death trigger can return a high-value card from your graveyard to the top of your library, priming your next draw.
Meta-Relevance: As the MTG landscape frequently changes, Cavalier of Thorns maintains relevance by countering many popular strategies. It can outpace control decks by presenting multiple must-answer threats, and provides resilience against board wipes, ensuring your important cards remain accessible.
How to beat
The Cavalier of Thorns presents a formidable challenge on the battlefield with its graceful mix of raw power and graveyard utility. Facing this green creature often means dealing with a lofty 5/6 body capable of substantial board impact. The Cavalier not only brings a hefty punch to your opponent’s defenses but also strategically stacks the graveyard, potentially setting up future plays.
To tackle the Cavalier of Thorns, it’s crucial to intercept it before it establishes board dominance. Countermagic is a clean solution – cards like Essence Scatter or Negate can stop the Cavalier cold in its tracks. Should it hit the field, exile effects such as Path to Exile or Settle the Wreckage bypass the Cavalier’s on-death trigger, disrupting your adversary’s graveyard plans. Additionally, don’t underestimate the utility of enchantments like Pacifism that neutralize the Cavalier without sending it to the graveyard, hence avoiding its beneficial effects for your opponent. Tempo plays, as well as strategies that inhibit the opponent’s mana development, can also mitigate the early game threat that Cavalier poses.
Tackling this verdant knight requires a blend of proactive disruption and strategic removal. Successful strategy lies in preemptive action and leveraging spells and effects that circumvent the Cavalier’s strengths in Magic: The Gathering.
Cards like Cavalier of Thorns
The Cavalier of Thorns emerges as a powerhouse in land-focused decks within Magic: The Gathering. Alongside it stands Primeval Titan, a card celebrated for its ability to fetch two lands from your library directly onto the battlefield. Unlike Primeval Titan, which finds lands unconditionally, Cavalier of Thorns requires them to be among the top five cards of your library yet also offers a graceful graveyard-to-hand recursion ability upon its death.
Looking towards Woodland Bellower, another card with similarities, it fetches creatures from the deck, enriching your board state much like the Cavalier’s land enhancement. However, it doesn’t provide the same deck manipulation or the secondary ability of returning another card from the graveyard to the top of the library. Oracle of Mul Daya is another comparable card enabling additional land plays and peeking at the upcoming card but doesn’t match the Cavalier’s immediate board presence and end-game potential.
In essence, while there are other cards that operate in the realm of land advantage and deck manipulation, Cavalier of Thorns holds a unique position with its blend of immediate and lasting impact, making it a formidable choice for players looking to maximize their land plays and ensure resilience in their game strategy.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Cavalier of Thorns MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2020 and The List, 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 Cavalier of Thorns 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 Magic products
Printings
The Cavalier of Thorns Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-07-12 and 2019-07-12. Illustrated by Jehan Choo.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019-07-12 | Core Set 2020 | M20 | 167 | 2015 | normal | black | Jehan Choo | |
| 2 | The List | PLST | M20-167 | 2015 | normal | black | Jehan Choo |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Cavalier of Thorns has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
