D'Avenant Trapper MTG Card


D'Avenant Trapper - Dominaria
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Human Archer
Released2018-04-27
Set symbol
Set nameDominaria
Set codeDOM
Power 3
Toughness 2
Number11
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byWinona Nelson

Key Takeaways

  1. D’Avenant Trapper creates opportunities for board control through the ability to tap opposing creatures.
  2. Synergizing with historic spells, it can accelerate board development and lead to subtle resource advantages.
  3. Deck building considerations are necessary due to specific mana requirements and the potential impact on hand resources.

Text of card

Whenever you cast a historic spell, tap target creature an opponent controls. (Artifacts, legendaries, and Sagas are historic.)

"Go swiftly, clever arrow, and teach The philosophy of stillness." —D'Avenant verse


Card Pros

Card Advantage: D’Avenant Trapper presents a unique way to maintain card advantage on the battlefield. Whenever you cast a historic spell, the triggered ability allows you to tap an opponent’s creature. This can indirectly lead to card advantage as it enables your creatures to potentially deal combat damage more easily or prevent an opponent’s key creature from blocking or attacking, thereby preserving your board.

Resource Acceleration: Though not directly impacting mana resources, D’Avenant Trapper synergizes with low-cost historic spells or legendary artifacts that can lead to a much faster board development. This subtle form of acceleration can prove pivotal in overwhelming opponents before they can establish their own game plan.

Instant Speed: While D’Avenant Trapper itself is a creature card and doesn’t possess instant speed, its ability affects the board during any phase of the game. This means that casting historic spells on your opponent’s turn allows you to utilize the Trapper’s ability at instant speed, creating unexpected strategic advantages and potential combat tricks that can disrupt your opponent’s strategies.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: D’Avenant Trapper’s ability may be less advantageous if your deck lacks card draw, as it mandates discarding a card to activate its ability. This can potentially deplete your hand, leaving you at a disadvantage if you’re already struggling with card availability.

Specific Mana Cost: With a mana cost that includes white, D’Avenant Trapper restricts deck building to a degree, as it necessitates specific mana resources. This can pose a challenge when trying to include it in a deck that is not predominantly white or lacks adequate mana fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Its mana value of three might be considered steep when compared to other creatures with similar tap abilities. Many players might find that other cards provide more value or more impactful effects for the same, or lower, mana investment.


Reasons to Include D’Avenant Trapper in Your Collection

Versatility: D’Avenant Trapper is a utility card that can seamlessly integrate into various deck types, particularly those leveraging creatures and tap abilities. It offers strategic control over the battlefield, allowing you to immobilize potential threats each time you cast a historic spell.

Combo Potential: Thanks to its ability to tap opposing creatures, the Trapper can be a key piece in combos that capitalize on creatures being in a tapped state. This enables synergy with cards that deal damage to tapped creatures or with effects that require tapping to activate.

Meta-Relevance: As the meta shifts and adapts, a card like D’Avenant Trapper remains a tactical choice in containing aggressive creature decks. In a landscape where timing and tempo can dictate the tide of the game, this card’s ability to manipulate the state of the board keeps it relevant.


How to beat

D’Avenant Trapper is a card that adds strategic depth to MTG with its ability to tap a target creature whenever a historic spell is cast. This can be quite a hassle, especially when it controls the battlefield and disrupts your combat strategies. Overcoming this card requires a smart approach. Removing it before it can lock down your key creatures is crucial, so efficient removal spells are your best friends here. Creatures with Hexproof or Shroud also avoid becoming the Trapper’s targets, securing your offense or defense.

Moreover, spell-heavy decks might consider using non-historic spells to minimize the Trapper’s impact. On the other hand, aggro decks can focus on overpowering the board before the Trapper can significantly impact the game’s pace. In essence, speedy removal and avoiding reliance on historic spells are effective methods to bypass the disruption this card can cause, ensuring your creatures remain free to attack or block as needed.


Cards like D'Avenant Trapper

D’Avenant Trapper stands out among other low-cost creatures in Magic: The Gathering due to its unique tap ability upon the casting of a historic spell. This mechanic shares a semblance with cards like Gideon’s Lawkeeper, which also has the power to tap creatures. However, where Gideon’s Lawkeeper requires mana to activate, D’Avenant Trapper’s ability is a triggered one, creating situational advantages without additional mana investment.

Exploring further, cards like Blinding Mage offer similar creature control through tapping, but D’Avenant Trapper brings added value by synergizing with historic spells, potentially tapping multiple creatures per turn in artifact and legendary heavy decks. Conversely, Avacynian Missionaries transform into Lunarch Inquisitors, acquiring a tap ability upon transformation which also unites creature control with the broader thematic of equipment synergy. This interaction reflects a higher mana investment and a dependency on equipment support compared to the autonomous utility provided by D’Avenant Trapper.

When weighing the pros and cons of each card’s utility in controlling the battlefield, D’Avenant Trapper undoubtedly finds its niche in decks that heavily rely on historic spells, allowing for both offensive and defensive strategies during gameplay. Its efficiency in such builds makes it a card worth consideration for its strategic value in MTG matchups.

Gideon's Lawkeeper - MTG Card versions
Blinding Mage - MTG Card versions
Gideon's Lawkeeper - Magic 2012 (M12)
Blinding Mage - Magic 2010 (M10)

Cards similar to D'Avenant Trapper by color, type and mana cost

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Argivian Blacksmith - Antiquities (ATQ)
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Snow Hound - Ice Age (ICE)
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Femeref Knight - Mirage (MIR)
Border Guard - Portal (POR)
Stern Marshal - Portal (POR)
Benalish Knight - Anthologies (ATH)
Regal Unicorn - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Wild Griffin - Starter 2000 (S00)
Pianna, Nomad Captain - Odyssey (ODY)
Dogged Hunter - Odyssey (ODY)
Diving Griffin - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Faithful Squire // Kaiso, Memory of Loyalty - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Kitsune Palliator - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Freewind Equenaut - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Sanctum Guardian - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Field Marshal - Coldsnap (CSP)
Kithkin Healer - Lorwyn (LRW)
Kor Hookmaster - Zendikar (ZEN)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase D'Avenant Trapper MTG card by a specific set like Dominaria, 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 D'Avenant Trapper and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where D'Avenant Trapper has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-04-27 A card, spell, or permanent is historic if it has the legendary supertype, the artifact card type, or the Saga subtype. Having two of those qualities doesn’t make an object more historic than another or provide an additional bonus—an object either is historic or it isn’t.
2018-04-27 An ability that triggers “whenever you cast a historic spell” doesn’t trigger if a historic card is put onto the battlefield without being cast.
2018-04-27 Lands are never cast, so abilities that trigger “whenever you cast a historic spell” won’t trigger if you play a legendary land. They also won’t trigger if a card on the battlefield transforms into a legendary land, as the Ixalan and Rivals of Ixalan double-faced cards do.
2018-04-27 Some abilities trigger “whenever you cast a historic spell.” Such an ability resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger. It resolves even if that spell is countered.

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