Evershrike MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Elemental Spirit
Abilities	Flying
Released	2008-07-25
Set symbol
Set name	Eventide
Set code	EVE
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	88
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Dan Dos Santos

Key Takeaways

Evershrike’s recursive ability ensures ongoing battlefield pressure without depleting hand resources.
Instant-speed return adds flexibility, enabling surprise tactics and efficient mana use.
Despite its mana constraints, Evershrike’s synergistic potential in decks is considerable.

Text of card

Flying Evershrike gets +2/+2 for each Aura attached to it. {WB}{WB}: Return Evershrike from your graveyard to play. You may put an Aura card with converted mana cost X or less from your hand into play attached to it. If you don't, remove Evershrike from the game.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Evershrike offers unique card advantage by recurring itself from the graveyard, effectively minimizing card loss from your hand. This allows players to maintain pressure on the battlefield without depleting resources from their hand.

Resource Acceleration: Evershrike’s ability to return to play by simply paying its mana cost and exiling a creature card from your graveyard can act as a form of resource acceleration. Instead of spending turns and mana casting creatures from your hand, you can invest in other strategies or hold up mana for control elements while Evershrike keeps coming back for more.

Instant Speed: While Evershrike itself is not an instant, its ability to be returned to the battlefield is not restricted to your own turn. This flexibility allows savvy players to bring Evershrike back during the opponent’s end step, thus enabling surprise attacks and ensuring your mana is utilized efficiently at all times.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Evershrike’s ability to return from the graveyard to the battlefield is contingent on discarding a card, which can be costly when options in hand are essential for gameplay strategies or when the hand size is already diminished.

Specific Mana Cost: The ability to cast Evershrike not only requires white and black mana but also additional generic mana, necessitating a dual-color mana base which could constrain deck building options and reduce the card’s utility in mono-colored or color-limited decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Evershrike’s casting and ability costs are substantial, with a total of five mana needed for its primary effect. Considering the pace of the game and the mana investment required, players might find other creatures or spells that achieve similar or better board presence with less mana expenditure.

Reasons to Include Evershrike in Your Collection

Versatility: Evershrike offers flexibility for your deck, plugging into strategies that exploit graveyard synergies or benefit from consistent creature return mechanisms. The adaptability to be enhanced with auras from either the battlefield or the graveyard allows for a variety of deck themes, from enchantment-heavy builds to reanimator styles.

Combo Potential: With the inherent ability to pair with auras that either increase its power or provide additional value, Evershrike can become a linchpin in powerful combo setups. This synergy amplifies with auras that have enter-the-battlefield triggers or those that provide potent static effects.

Meta-Relevance: In metas with persistent graveyard interaction or those that tend towards longer games where recurring threats are key, Evershrike shines. The card’s capacity to come back from the graveyard repeatedly can offer a significant edge against control decks that rely on removal to keep the board clear.

How to beat

Confronting an Evershrike in MTG can be a daunting challenge, but it’s not insurmountable. The key to overcoming this persistent threat lies in understanding its ability to return from the graveyard to the battlefield. This ability hinges on a player’s option to pay a mana cost and return the Evershrike equipped with an aura from their graveyard. Without access to that aura, Evershrike’s capability is significantly diminished.

To effectively neutralize Evershrike, it’s beneficial to target its associated auras. Employing removal spells that can specifically address enchantments or employing cards with abilities to exile are both sound strategies. Moreover, cards that restrict graveyard interactions can prove to be formidable tools, preventing the Evershrike from making an encore appearance on the field. Utilizing a strategy that either rapidly diminishes the opponent’s life total before Evershrike can become a factor or establishes controls over the board to limit its impact is also advisable.

Ultimately, successfully defeating an Evershrike requires a well-tailored approach, incorporating enchantment removal and graveyard disruption. Adequate planning and early execution of these tactics will ensure that Evershrike remains a manageable menace during your MTG matchups.

Cards like Evershrike

Evershrike is an intriguing entity in the realm of resurrection effects for Magic: The Gathering. It’s often paralleled with creatures like Reya Dawnbringer, which similarly brings back creatures from the graveyard to the battlefield. Yet, Evershrike distinguishes itself with its built-in mechanism for returning itself to play, giving players a repeated resource that is especially handy in longer, attrition-based matches.

Another card worth mentioning is the venerated Reveillark. This card also revolves around the theme of recursion but instead targets smaller creatures. Evershrike’s flexibility in reanimating itself is balanced against Reveillark’s ability to return different creatures, offering strategic diversity. Then, looking at Iridescent Drake, the parallels are apparent with the aura-focused resurrection, but Evershrike stands out with its potential for aggressive re-entry and evasion capabilities.

Assessing the dynamic interactions and strategic applications, Evershrike finds its niche in Magic: The Gathering, carving out a distinctive role among the myriad of graveyard-centric creatures where it provides a persistent and versatile threat in a variety of deck builds.

Cards similar to Evershrike by color, type and mana cost

Thalisse, Reverent Medium - MTG Card versions

Firja, Judge of Valor - MTG Card versions

Liesa, Shroud of Dusk - MTG Card versions

Obzedat, Ghost Council - MTG Card versions

Blood Baron of Vizkopa - MTG Card versions

Sentry of the Underworld - MTG Card versions

Knights of the Black Rose - MTG Card versions

Vona, Butcher of Magan - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

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

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Evershrike has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2008-08-01	You can activate Evershrike’s ability even if you have no Auras in your hand, or if you have an Aura in your hand that you don’t want to put on it or can’t put on it. In either case, you’ll return Evershrike to the battlefield from your graveyard, then exile it. No player has the opportunity to cast spells or activate abilities while Evershrike is on the battlefield.
2008-08-01	You can activate Evershrike’s ability only while it’s in your graveyard.
2008-08-01	You can activate Evershrike’s ability with X = 0. If you do, you’ll return Evershrike to the battlefield from your graveyard, then exile it. (There are no Aura cards with converted mana cost 0.)
2008-08-01	You can’t put an Aura onto the battlefield this way unless that Aura can legally be attached to Evershrike. For example, you can’t put an Aura card with “enchant player” onto the battlefield this way.