Errant Minion MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	1995-06-03
Set symbol
Set name	Ice Age
Set code	ICE
Number	68
Frame	1993
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Harold McNeill

Key Takeaways

Grants card advantage and flexibility, adding strategic depth to your gameplay and creating opportunities for advantageous trades.
Demands precise mana handling and may lead to hand depletion, requiring a well-thought-out strategy to maximize potential.
Combos well within certain decks, offering adaptability and a chance to impact the meta when incorporated thoughtfully.

Text of card

During target creature's controller's upkeep, Errant Minion deals 2 damage to him or her. He or she may pay o1 for each 1 damage he or she wishes to prevent from Errant Minion.

Abandon not your faith when others abandon you.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Errant Minion ensures a steady flow of cards to your hand, allowing you to consistently find answers or threats while applying pressure on the opponent.

Resource Acceleration: Although not providing direct mana acceleration, Errant Minion can indirectly accelerate your resources by offering efficient trade-offs with lesser creatures, preserving your more valuable spells and creatures for key moments in the match.

Instant Speed: The ability to act at instant speed gives Errant Minion a versatile edge, making it a formidable surprise blocker or a way to maneuver around an opponent’s strategies, disrupting their plays at critical junctures.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Errant Minion obligates you to discard another card to activate its ability. This can quickly deplete your hand, leaving you at a strategic disadvantage, especially if you’re already trying to manage limited resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Errant Minion demands a focused mana investment to get it onto the battlefield. Its mana cost includes blue, which may not fluidly fit into a multicolored deck strategy or could pose a hurdle in mana-fixing scenarios.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When evaluating creature cards within the same mana range, Errant Minion may seem less appealing due to its summoning cost versus the utility offered. Players may find alternative creatures or spells that provide greater value and impact on the game for a similar, if not lower, mana investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Errant Minion offers a flexible playspace in decks that are looking to manipulate creature dynamics. Its ability to rise above traditional roles makes it a versatile addition to any collection seeking utility and adaptability in gameplay.

Combo Potential: This card brilliantly supports synergistic plays with its minutely tuned mechanics. It synergizes well with effects that trigger upon creatures attacking or those that benefit from controlled creature tapping and untapping, unleashing potentially game-winning combos.

Meta-Relevance: In an ever-evolving competitive scene, Errant Minion can find its niche thanks to its inherent adaptability. It can effectively slot into various strategies, helping its controllers stay one step ahead of the shifting meta.

How to beat

Errant Minion presents a unique challenge on the battlefield. As a creature able to infiltrate defenses and potentially disrupt your game plan, understanding its strengths and weaknesses is key to gaining the upper hand. One effective way to counter Errant Minion is through removal spells that can bypass the battlefield. Cards like Murder or Doom Blade allow you to target and destroy the creature before it can become a significant threat.

Moreover, Errant Minion is also vulnerable to strategies that don’t rely on attacking with creatures. Planeswalker abilities, direct damage spells, and other non-combat damage effects can be excellent tools. Utilizing such methods sidesteps the potential pitfalls of engaging the minion in combat and allows you to maintain control over the game. Finally, consider including creatures with “can’t be blocked” abilities in your own deck, helping ensure your attacks land regardless of Errant Minion’s presence.

Effectively, while Errant Minion can be a thorn in your side, a tactical approach featuring targeted creature removal, direct damage, and evasion can ensure that this minion’s errancy doesn’t lead to your defeat.

Cards like Errant Minion

Errant Minion is an interesting component among low-cost creatures in Magic: The Gathering. Its similarities can be drawn to creatures like Coral Merfolk, which also provides a 2/1 body for two mana. However, Errant Minion brings more to the table with its ability to make an opponent lose 1 life whenever a player casts a blue spell. The Coral Merfolk, by contrast, has no additional abilities offering a plain value for its mana cost.

Looking at Vedalken Dismissal, a creature with a similar mana value, we notice a distinct difference in utility. While Vedalken Dismissal doesn’t impact life totals directly, it offers card draw potential when you cast another blue spell, giving a different type of strategic advantage. Similarly, Spire Golem costs more mana but can potentially be cast for free as its affinity for Islands reduces its cost, providing both a defensive and offensive benefit with its flying ability.

Thus, evaluating the value of Errant Minion alongside its peers, it stands out with its unique ability to incrementally wear down an opponent’s life total, making it a strategic choice for aggressive blue decks in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Errant Minion by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Errant Minion MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age, 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 Errant Minion and other MTG cards: