White Scarab MTG Card


White Scarab - Ice Age
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant
Released1995-06-03
Set symbol
Set nameIce Age
Set codeICE
Number56
Frame1993
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byPhil Foglio

Key Takeaways

  1. White Scarab manipulates the draw, indirectly offering card advantage by restricting opponent’s choices.
  2. With instant speed and low cost, it enhances strategic play and maintains surprise control.
  3. Despite its specific mana and discard requirements, it remains a versatile protective tool.

Text of card

Target creature gets +2/+2 as long as any opponent controls any white cards. That creature cannot be blocked by white creatures.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: White Scarab provides a unique edge by allowing you to potentially disrupt your opponent’s draw. While not allowing you to draw additional cards directly, it affects the flow of the game significantly by narrowing down the choices your adversary has, indirectly contributing to the overall card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Although White Scarab doesn’t generate mana or treasure, its low casting cost means you can play it early on. This efficiency lets you advance your board state or establish control mechanisms while preserving resources for further play development.

Instant Speed: The ability to play White Scarab at instant speed is a tactical advantage, providing you the flexibility to respond to threats during your opponent’s turn. It enhances your strategic play, allowing you to react decisively at the most opportune moments, thus maintaining the element of surprise and control.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: White Scarab demands a card to be discarded to utilize its full potential, presenting a challenge when your hand is already stretched thin.

Specific Mana Cost: White Scarab’s casting cost necessitates a precise combination of white mana, which may not blend seamlessly into all deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment required to bring White Scarab onto the battlefield is significant, which might hinder your gameplay especially when compared to other options within the same mana range that may provide more immediate board impact.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: White Scarab’s flexibility shines in its ability to seamlessly integrate into various decks. Its enchantment nature pairs well with strategies that capitalize on enchantment synergies or require specific color protection.

Combo Potential: This card can act as a critical piece in combos, especially in decks that manipulate or rely on color identity. Its role in safeguarding key creatures or permanents from targeted removal can be game-changing.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where deck strategies might lean heavily on particular colors, White Scarab offers a tactical advantage by providing protection and potential disruption to opponent’s plans.


How to beat

White Scarab is a unique card that presents an interesting challenge on the battlefield. Its ability to protect creatures from a chosen color can throw a wrench in carefully laid plans. To effectively combat this card, players need to consider strategies that don’t rely solely on colored spells or abilities. Cards with colorless effects or those that deal with permanents regardless of their color are key. Consider using board wipes like “Ugin, the Spirit Dragon” whose -X ability can bypass White Scarab’s protection, or employing cards like “All Is Dust” to force a sacrifice, neatly sidestepping the protection granted by White Scarab.

In games that involve White Scarab, versatility is your best asset. Having an array of non-colored removal options such as “Oblivion Stone” or “Perilous Vault” which don’t target can be lifesavers. It’s also wise to keep in hand counterplay options capable of dealing with artifacts or enchantments that could undermine the protective ability of White Scarab. Overall, the key to overcoming the White Scarab card lies in maintaining a diverse set of tools that allow you to address a multitude of situations that may arise during gameplay.


Cards like White Scarab

The allure of the Magic: The Gathering White Scarab card lies in its niche role in bolstering your defensive strategy. It bears a resemblance to other enchantments like Ethereal Armor, which boosts a creature’s power and toughness for each enchantment you control. White Scarab differentiates itself with a focus on protection from a specific color, much like how Ethereal Armor provides a more broad offensive advantage.

Another related card is Spectra Ward, which also offers protective capabilities. However, Spectra Ward grants protection from all colors, significantly elevating a creature’s survivability in multiplicity of situations. On the contrary, White Scarab’s protection is singularly targeted, emphasizing its tactical use against decks that heavily rely on a particular color. Then, to consider Runed Halo, which allows players to declare a card name that cannot deal damage to them. While it doesn’t directly protect creatures, the utility against certain strategies aligns with the defensive theme that White Scarab embodies.

In scrutinizing the protective merits of these similar cards, White Scarab secures its spot as a specialized tool against monochromatic decks or key colored threats within the diverse universe of Magic: The Gathering.

Ethereal Armor - MTG Card versions
Spectra Ward - MTG Card versions
Runed Halo - MTG Card versions
Ethereal Armor - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Spectra Ward - Magic 2015 (M15)
Runed Halo - Shadowmoor (SHM)

Cards similar to White Scarab by color, type and mana cost

White Ward - MTG Card versions
Green Ward - MTG Card versions
Holy Strength - MTG Card versions
Lance - MTG Card versions
Consecrate Land - MTG Card versions
Animate Wall - MTG Card versions
Black Ward - MTG Card versions
Blue Ward - MTG Card versions
Holy Armor - MTG Card versions
Red Ward - MTG Card versions
Land Tax - MTG Card versions
Brainwash - MTG Card versions
Spirit Link - MTG Card versions
Green Scarab - MTG Card versions
Blue Scarab - MTG Card versions
Armor of Faith - MTG Card versions
Kithkin Armor - MTG Card versions
Flickering Ward - MTG Card versions
Limited Resources - MTG Card versions
Mask of Law and Grace - MTG Card versions
White Ward - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Green Ward - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Holy Strength - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Lance - Revised Edition (3ED)
Consecrate Land - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Animate Wall - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Black Ward - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
Blue Ward - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Holy Armor - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Red Ward - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Land Tax - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Brainwash - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Spirit Link - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Green Scarab - Ice Age (ICE)
Blue Scarab - Ice Age (ICE)
Armor of Faith - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Kithkin Armor - Weatherlight (WTH)
Flickering Ward - Tempest (TMP)
Limited Resources - Exodus (EXO)
Mask of Law and Grace - Urza's Destiny (UDS)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase White Scarab 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 White Scarab and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where White Scarab has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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