Archery Training MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	1999-06-07
Set symbol
Set name	Urza's Destiny
Set code	UDS
Number	2
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Mark Brill

Key Takeaways

Provides card advantage and utility, making equipped creature a versatile threat in the game.
Instant speed allows flexible damage control, responding swiftly to in-game events.
Requires careful management of resources due to its discard activation cost.

Text of card

At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put an arrow counter on Archery Training. Enchanted creature gains "oc T: This creature deals X damage to target attacking or blocking creature, where X is the number of arrow counters on the Archery Training enchanting this creature."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Archery Training enhances the long-term value of any creature it equips by turning them into an archer capable of picking off smaller threats or pesky utility creatures. By using its ability during your turn or even on your opponent’s turn, you keep drawing through your deck, thereby maintaining card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Although Archery Training itself doesn’t produce additional mana or tokens, the ability to utilize creatures for both attacking and utility can be seen as a form of indirect resource acceleration. By keeping your creatures versatile, you maximize the efficiency of the resources at your disposal.

Instant Speed: One of the key features of Archery Training is its instant-speed activation. This means you can adjust your strategy on the fly, deciding whether to deal damage or hold back for a more opportune moment. This reactive capability can give you the upper hand in the ebb and flow of the match as you pace your offense and defense with precision.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Archery Training requires the player to discard another card to activate its ability. This can be a hindrance in game scenarios where card advantage is crucial, and you’re already running low on hand resources. Depleting your hand can make you vulnerable to opposing strategies and diminish your ability to respond to threats.

Specific Mana Cost: Archery Training’s mana cost is exclusively white, which narrows its usability to decks that can produce white mana. Players running multi-color decks that do not focus on white mana may find it challenging to consistently cast Archery Training when needed, potentially making it a dead card in their hand under mana constraints.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The card commands a total of one white and one generic mana, which for its effect might be considered high. When weighed against other enchantments or abilities that enhance creatures or provide utility, Archery Training may not be the most mana-efficient option available. Players often look for lower cost solutions that offer similar or better utility to optimize deck performance.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Archery Training can be tailored to fit a variety of decks that focus on un-tapping creatures or boosting the power of a single creature.

Combo Potential: It works well in combinations with cards that allow multiple opportunities to deal damage, unlocking the potential for multiple uses in a single turn.

Meta-Relevance: Given its ability to turn any creature into a significant ranged threat, Archery Training can quickly adapt to metagames where flying creatures or indirect damage strategies are prevalent.

How to Beat

Archery Training is an intriguing enchantment within the Magic: The Gathering universe that can turn even the most unassuming creature into a threatening archer. The card’s unique ability to empower creatures with reach, and potentially multiple points of damage each turn, makes it a force to be reckoned with. That said, it’s essential to have a strategy for overcoming this persistent threat.

The key to disrupting Archery Training lies in rendering the equipped creature irrelevant. Cards that can exile or pacify creatures, like Path to Exile or Pacifism, ensure that even if the creature has gained Archery Training’s benefits, it won’t be able to utilize them. Alternatively, one can use instant-speed removal spells to respond to the enchantment cast, thus eliminating the threat before it gets a chance to take effect. Board wipes also serve as a comprehensive solution to clear all creatures, Archery Training’s hosts included.

Ultimately, understanding and anticipating this card’s potential allows players to keep the upper hand. Focusing on removals or incapacitating the enchanted creatures ensures that Archery Training’s advantages are mitigated, preserving one’s life total and controlling the battlefield effectively.

Cards like Archery Training

Archery Training is an intriguing enchantment within Magic: The Gathering that enables its attached creature to deal damage to attacking or blocking creatures equivalent to its power. It draws parallels to cards like Viridian Longbow, which also grants a creature the ability to deal damage without entering combat. However, Archery Training is unique as it ties directly to the enchanted creature’s power, offering potentially greater damage output.

Examining something similar, Hermetic Study offers the ability to turn a creature into a pinger, allowing it to deal one damage to any target. While it provides consistent damage output, it doesn’t scale with the creature’s power as Archery Training does. Conversely, Psionic Gift is another aura that shares the ping ability, yet still misses the mark on leveraging the creature’s power for damage, making Archery Training a more dynamic choice for decks that can amplify creature strength.

In essence, Archery Training holds a special place in the arsenal of MTG players looking to make the most of their creatures’ power stats while also engaging in tactical defense. Its blend of utility and scalability can give an edge in a match where creature size becomes a formidable force.

Cards similar to Archery Training by color, type and mana cost

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Shield of Duty and Reason - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Archery Training MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Destiny, 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 Archery Training and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Archery Training has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2004-10-04	If there is more than one Archery Training on a creature, each granted ability counts the counters on the Archery Training that granted that ability.
2004-10-04	Putting on a counter is optional. If you forget, you can’t go back later even if it is something you usually do.
2004-10-04	You do not remove counters when using the ability.