Icefall Regent MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Dragon
Abilities Flying
Power 4
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Icefall Regent delivers control and a formidable flyer, enhancing board presence and reducing opponents’ options.
  2. Though not directly resource-accelerating, it effectively strains opponents’ mana, tilting the game in your favor.
  3. Timing flexibility and tap-down ability offer substantial tempo advantages in match-ups.

Text of card

Flying When Icefall Regent enters the battlefield, tap target creature an opponent controls. That creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step for as long as you control Icefall Regent. Spells your opponents cast that target Icefall Regent cost more to cast.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Icefall Regent offers control players a dual advantage by presenting a formidable flying body on the board while also locking down an opponent’s creature. This dual functionality can effectively reduce your opponent’s options and increase your own tactical opportunities without sacrificing card economy.

Resource Acceleration: Although Icefall Regent doesn’t directly accelerate resources in the form of mana production, it can indirectly accelerate your game plan by disrupting your opponent’s resources. By demanding a higher mana cost for any spell that targets it, Icefall Regent can constrain your opponent’s mana, allowing you the advantage to further deploy your strategy while they are resource-tight.

Instant Speed: While Icefall Regent itself is not an instant, the ability to play it at a time when your opponent is least prepared—such as at the end of their turn using flash enablers—can mimic the unpredictable and disruptive nature of instant-speed interactions. This timing flexibility combined with its tap-down ability can be a significant tempo swing in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While there isn’t a direct discard action associated with Icefall Regent, its board impact may force you to discard strategic plays or valuable cards later on to sustain your defenses or answer the potential threats enabled by tapping down an opponent’s creature.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring two blue mana within its total casting cost, Icefall Regent might not always flexibly slot into multi-color decks, potentially straining mana bases not heavily skewed towards blue.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, including two that are color specific, Icefall Regent comes in at a point where players may expect a more immediate or substantial effect on the game state. Other creatures or spells with a similar cost could potentially offer greater impact or versatility, making it a sometimes less optimal choice in certain decks or situations.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Icefall Regent offers flexibility in deck building. Its ability to control a tapped creature makes it a valuable asset in control decks and its flying attribute provides a solid defensive and offensive creature.

Combo Potential: This card’s synergy with tap-down effects maximizes its potential, making it a key component in combos that aim to disable the opponent’s creatures while establishing board dominance.

Meta-Relevance: With decks frequently utilizing powerful creatures, Icefall Regent’s presence can shift the balance, deterring opponents from playing their heavy hitters due to its taxing control ability.


How to Beat

The Icefall Regent card presents an icy challenge for many Magic: The Gathering players with its ability to tap a target creature opponent controls. This Dragon’s entrance onto the battlefield not only disrupts your opponents’ plans but also makes any attempt to target it more costly with an additional two mana payment due to its chilling effect. But even the iciest rule can be melted.

Overcoming the Icefall Regent’s freeze requires strategic play. Utilizing instant-speed removal spells can be an effective method. Cards like Murderous Cut or Abrupt Decay allow you to bypass the mana-taxing ability of the Regent, providing a clean and efficient solution. Additionally, board wipes that don’t target, such as Damnation or Supreme Verdict, can clear the way, unfazed by the Regent’s frosty grip on the game.

Importantly, focusing on non-targeted strategies or abilities that don’t cast spells such as sacrificial effects from cards like Fleshbag Marauder or Diabolic Edict can be a way to circumvent the Regent’s control. In this icy battle of wits and strategy, remember that sometimes the heat of a well-timed response is all you need to thaw your way to victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

As MTG players, the journey to optimize our decks and strategies is an ongoing challenge filled with exciting discoveries. Icefall Regent is a powerful dragon that can greatly enhance your control-oriented strategies, offering both offense and defense, while presenting a unique challenge for your adversaries. Combining card advantage, resource acceleration, and flexible play, this card can become a cornerstone of your game plan. Whether integrated into existing combos or as a defensive asset against potent creatures, Icefall Regent is worth considering for your collection. Unleash its potential and join us to further explore the depths of strategy and skill in the MTG realm.


Cards like Icefall Regent

Icefall Regent shares the icy battlefield with other dragon cards in MTG that manipulate and control the game. Like Frost Titan, it also exerts influence by locking down a potential threat. While Frost Titan needs to attack or enter the battlefield to freeze a target, Icefall Regent continuously maintains its grip on a chosen creature, making it a persistent hindrance for opponents.

Dragons of Tarkir set is home to Icefall Regent and also brings us Silumgar, the Drifting Death. Silumgar may not exert direct control over a single target, but instead, it creates a wider net of defense by granting hexproof to your other creatures. In comparison to the specific control Icefall Regent offers, Silumgar provides a more holistic protective strategy.

Looking at card economy, Icefall Regent stands out due to its ability to tap and then keep a creature from untapping. This can be more disruptive than the enter-the-battlefield effect of a card like Dungeon Geists, which, while similar in function, doesn’t demand the increased cost for opponents’ removal spells that Icefall Regent does, adding a layer of strategic defense to your board.

Frost Titan - MTG Card versions
Silumgar, the Drifting Death - MTG Card versions
Dungeon Geists - MTG Card versions
Frost Titan - MTG Card versions
Silumgar, the Drifting Death - MTG Card versions
Dungeon Geists - MTG Card versions

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Sandbar Crocodile - MTG Card versions
Segovian Leviathan - MTG Card versions
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Sun Ce, Young Conquerer - MTG Card versions
Wu Admiral - MTG Card versions
Mawcor - MTG Card versions
Timin, Youthful Geist - MTG Card versions
Geology Enthusiast - MTG Card versions
Dreamtail Heron - MTG Card versions
Coastal Hornclaw - MTG Card versions
Meloku the Clouded Mirror - MTG Card versions
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Richard Garfield, Ph.D. - MTG Card versions
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Where to buy

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

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Printings

The Icefall Regent Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2015-03-27 and 2017-06-16. Illustrated by David Gaillet.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12015-03-27Dragons of TarkirDTK 582015NormalBlackDavid Gaillet
22015-03-28Dragons of Tarkir PromosPDTK 58s2015NormalBlackDavid Gaillet
32017-06-16Archenemy: Nicol BolasE01 242015NormalBlackDavid Gaillet

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Icefall Regent has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Icefall Regent 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 Icefall Regent’s last ability affects all spells cast by your opponents that target it, including Aura spells and spells with multiple targets. It doesn’t affect abilities.
2015-02-25 Icefall Regent’s triggered ability can target any creature controlled by an opponent, including one that is already tapped. In that case, the creature stays tapped and won’t untap during its controller’s untap step.
2015-02-25 If another player gains control of Icefall Regent, the creature will no longer be affected by the ability stopping it from untapping, even if you later regain control of Icefall Regent.
2015-02-25 The ability stopping the creature from untapping will continue to apply to it even if the creature changes controllers.

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