Wistful Selkie MTG Card

Eventide (EVE)
2008-07-25 - Number 165

Commander 2015 (C15)
2015-11-13 - Number 243

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Merfolk Wizard
Power	2
Toughness	2

Key Takeaways

Wistful Selkie offers card advantage as it enters the battlefield, replenishing your hand immediately.
Its hybrid mana cost provides flexibility, contributing to a smoother mana curve in your deck.
Despite a higher mana cost, Selkie’s immediate impact makes it a potential asset in various strategies.

Text of card

When Wistful Selkie comes into play, draw a card.

Selkies call to a sea they never swam, in a tongue they never spoke, with a song they never learned.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Wistful Selkie presents a unique opportunity to draw a card upon entering the battlefield, ensuring that your hand stays replenished and you maintain momentum in the game.

Resource Acceleration: This card, embedded with the hybrid mana cost, provides flexibility in mana usage which can streamline your deck’s resource acceleration, paving the way for more efficient play regardless of the color spread in your deck.

Instant Speed: While Wistful Selkie itself isn’t an instant, its straightforward and potent effect upon summoning means it can quickly influence the board state, especially when combined with effects that can flash creatures into play.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Wistful Selkie doesn’t outright require you to discard, it’s often compared to cards that provide card draw without such conditions. This can influence deck-building decisions for players seeking undemanding card draw options.

Specific Mana Cost: Wistful Selkie demands a precise mana cost, including one green and two generic mana. This requirement can be restrictive, especially in multicolor decks where mana flexibility is prized.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing three mana, the Selkie can be weighed against other three-cost creatures, or spells that offer potentially greater value. Its casting cost makes it a less universally suitable choice and can affect its playability in faster, more mana-efficient strategies.

Reasons to Include Wistful Selkie in Your Collection

Versatility: Wistful Selkie’s simple casting cost makes it a great fit for decks running green and blue. Its role as a creature that can both enhance your mana pool and provide card draw is valuable for decks looking to balance creature presence with draw power.

Combo Potential: As a creature, Wistful Selkie works well with strategies that exploit the presence of creatures or card drawing. It can enable synergies with effects that trigger on creatures entering the battlefield or when you draw cards, offering multiple avenues for combo interactions.

Meta-Relevance: In a game that highly values card advantage, Wistful Selkie aligns well with game plans that aim to outpace opponents with superior card access. Additionally, it fits into the current meta which often revolves around efficient multitasking cards that serve more than one purpose on the field.

How to Beat Wistful Selkie

Wistful Selkie offers a blend of creature benefits and card draw, enriching a player’s hand upon entering the battlefield. This merfolk creature, known for its “draw a card” trigger, can help maintain card advantage in the game. Defeating it requires a strategy that limits these advantages or leverage them for your own benefit.

One efficient tactic is to employ removal spells before the card-drawing ability resolves. Instant-speed removal such as Path to Exile or Fatal Push can dispatch Wistful Selkie before it can offer any value. Additionally, countering it with spells like Mana Leak or Negate prevents it from landing on the battlefield entirely, negating both the creature and the card draw.

Alternatively, utilizing cards that strip the opponent’s hand, like Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek, can preemptively eliminate Wistful Selkie or any other threats before they’re played. By disarming your opponent’s plan and managing the board effectively, you can overcome the benefits that Wistful Selkie brings to the game, maintaining control and steering towards victory.

Cards like Wistful Selkie

Wistful Selkie holds a charming place in the realm of creature-based card draw in Magic: The Gathering. Its kinship with creatures like Coiling Oracle is evident, both fulfilling the goal of drawing a card. Wistful Selkie offers consistency with a guaranteed card while Coiling Oracle might also place a land onto the battlefield. Despite the potential land acceleration, the Selkie’s simplicity can be more reliable.

Another counterpart is the renowned Sea Gate Oracle, which allows a peek at the top two cards of your deck, selecting one to keep. While this selection is advantageous, the Wistful Selkie’s direct draw is undiluted and ensures your hand size increases. Similarly, Elvish Visionary brings a straightforward approach, matching the Selkie’s ability to draw. Yet, it comes at a cheaper cost rendering it a more accessible early-game play.

Delving into these comparisons showcases Wistful Selkie’s value as a creature that embodies both an effective draw method and a decently sized body on the board. Even in a vast sea of options, Wistful Selkie remains a solid choice for players who value immediate card advantage with a presence on the field.

Cards similar to Wistful Selkie by color, type and mana cost

Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath - MTG Card versions

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Edric, Spymaster of Trest - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Wistful Selkie MTG card by a specific set like Eventide and Commander 2015, 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 Wistful Selkie and other MTG cards: