Aven Sunstriker MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Bird Warrior
Abilities	Double strike,Flying,Megamorph
Released	2015-03-27
Set symbol
Set name	Dragons of Tarkir
Set code	DTK
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	5
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	John Severin Brassell

Key Takeaways

Aven Sunstriker provides air control and potent double strike attacks, enhancing any aggressive MTG strategy.
Casting this card demands white mana and strategic hand management, influencing deck-building decisions.
Despite mana cost challenges, its versatility can outpace opponents when blended with suitable spells and equipment.

Text of card

Flying Double strike (This creature deals both first-strike and regular combat damage.) Megamorph (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for . Turn it face up any time for its megamorph cost and put a +1/+1 counter on it.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Aven Sunstriker bolsters any deck’s aerial defense, allowing players to maintain pressure on opponents and protect against threats from above. Its double strike ability ensures you get the most out of buffs or equipment you attach to it, effectively doubling their impact and maximizing the card’s offensive potential.

Resource Acceleration: This bird warrior is not just about the offensive punch; its low casting cost combined with flying means you have a swift and evasive threat on the board early in the game. Additionally, the megamorph ability can be a strategic asset, using the element of surprise to your advantage and creating pivotal game moments for relatively low resource investment.

Instant Speed: While Aven Sunstriker itself isn’t an instant, its megamorph ability can be activated at instant speed, allowing for surprise blocks and sudden offensive boosts. This versatility adds significant tactical depth and can sway the tide of battle by providing an unexpected two-fold strike from the skies.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Aven Sunstriker comes equipped with the impressive double strike ability, playing it requires a significant investment. To unleash its full potential, you need to bolster its power, which often means discarding other valuable cards from your hand to play powerful buffs or equipment. This could leave you at a disadvantage, as you sacrifice hand advantage to strengthen Aven Sunstriker.

Specific Mana Cost: Aven Sunstriker’s casting cost includes white mana symbols, specifically requiring two white mana. This characteristic necessitates a dedicated source of white mana, potentially limiting the card’s inclusion to mono-white or two-color decks where white is a predominant feature. For players running multicolored decks with minimal white sources, consistently casting Aven Sunstriker on curve might prove challenging.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, including two that are color-specific, Aven Sunstriker’s initial impact on the battlefield can feel underwhelming for the investment. When compared to other three-mana creatures in the game, Aven Sunstriker may not appear to offer an immediate, significant advantage, especially considering its initial one power, which is dependent on further setup to become a noteworthy threat.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Aven Sunstriker’s double strike ability allows it to be a formidable force in a variety of decks, whether you aim to escalate its power with equipment or aura spells, or simply use it as a reliable early blocker thanks to its flying.

Combo Potential: With the right setup, Aven Sunstriker can become a deadly component in an aggressive combo. Its synergy with buffs that increase its damage output can lead to unexpectedly swift victories.

Meta-Relevance: Flying creatures have always had a place in the MTG landscape due to their evasion. In a meta where having air superiority can be the difference between victory and defeat, including Aven Sunstriker in your arsenal could give you a critical edge.

How to beat

The Aven Sunstriker poses an interesting challenge on the battlefield with its double strike and flying abilities, making it a formidable foe in aerial combat. This bird warrior requires a strategic approach to overcome its advantages. For starters, removal spells are your best friend against this creature; targeted spells that don’t rely on dealing damage, like ‘Murder’, can bypass the double strike by removing it from the game entirely.

Additionally, a well-timed ‘Counterspell’ can prevent the Aven Sunstriker from ever entering the field. For those already dealing with the creature in play, spells that reduce its toughness to zero, such as ‘Dismember’, offer a clean solution regardless of its bolstered abilities. Be mindful of your opponent’s mana, as they may be able to bolster the Aven Sunstriker through megamorph, further complicating its removal. Board wipes also shine against creature-heavy decks, with ‘Wrath of God’ serving as an effective reset that ignores the Aven Sunstriker’s flying capability.

Ultimately, recognizing and interrupting your opponent’s game plan is key. The right removal at the right time turns the formidable Aven Sunstriker into just another card on the way to victory.

Cards like Aven Sunstriker

Aven Sunstriker from Magic: The Gathering stands out with its Double Strike ability, allowing it to deal both first-strike and regular combat damage. This feature is reminiscent of Skyhunter Skirmisher, which shares the Double Strike capability but has a leaner power structure. Aven Sunstriker’s flying trait gives it an aerial advantage, similar to what Winged Warrior provides, yet Winged Warrior does not have Double Strike, making Aven Sunstriker a more formidable aggressor in the skies.

Feather, the Redeemed is another creature with a potent combat capability. While it doesn’t have Double Strike, its ability to recur instant and sorcery spells offers a different type of tactical advantage. Compared to Aven Sunstriker, Feather brings a recurring engine to the battlefield, supporting a spell-centric strategy. Aven Sunstriker, with its capacity for enhancement through megamorph, presents escalating power that can quickly turn it into a considerable threat.

Considering the dynamics of combat in Magic: The Gathering, Aven Sunstriker holds its ground within the roster of creatures equipped with Double Strike. Its potential for growth with megamorph combined with flying makes it a valued asset for players looking to assert aerial dominance and strike with resolute force.

Skyhunter Skirmisher - MTG Card versions

Feather, the Redeemed - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Aven Sunstriker by color, type and mana cost

Pianna, Nomad Captain - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Aven Sunstriker MTG card by a specific set like Dragons of Tarkir, 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 Aven Sunstriker and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Aven Sunstriker has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2015-02-25	If a face-down creature with megamorph is turned face up some other way (for example, if you manifest a card with megamorph and then pay its mana cost to turn it face up), you won’t put a +1/+1 counter on it.
2015-02-25	Megamorph is a variant of the morph ability. You can find more information on morph on cards with morph from the Khans of Tarkir set.
2015-02-25	Turning a face-down creature with megamorph face up and putting a +1/+1 counter on it is a special action. It doesn’t use the stack and can’t be responded to.