Spiketail Drakeling MTG Card

Time Spiral (TSP)
2006-10-06 - Number 80

Spiketail Drakeling - Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)

Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)
2021-03-19 - Number 89

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Drake
Abilities	Flying
Power	2
Toughness	2

Key Takeaways

Commands respect on the board by deterring opponents from casting spells without paying extra mana.
Instant speed ability grants significant reactive control over the game’s tempo.
Demands strategic hand management and precise mana allocation, challenging deck builders.

Text of card

Flying Sacrifice Spiketail Drakeling: Counter target spell unless its controller pays .

Drakelings fish with their tails, angling to snare succulent thoughts and memories on their psychic hooks.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Spiketail Drakeling offers a level of protection for your hand by pressuring opponents to choose their spells wisely. Its presence can deter them from casting key spells, indirectly maintaining your card quality on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly impacting your resource acceleration, the Spiketail Drakeling provides a tactical benefit by freeing up your mana for other uses. This is because opponents may delay spells to avoid its counter ability, potentially giving you a tempo advantage.

Instant Speed: Spiketail Drakeling’s activated ability can be utilized at instant speed, giving you flexibility during gameplay. This allows you to respond to your opponent’s actions with the threat of countering critical spells, potentially outmaneuvering them and disrupting their strategy at crucial moments.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When deploying Spiketail Drakeling, the player must often preemptively have a card ready to discard, which could deplete their hand and reduce future play options.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a strict two blue mana cost, which may not align seamlessly with all deck strategies, especially in multicolor builds where mana flexibility is key.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For its utility as a countermeasure, Spiketail Drakeling’s mana investment is somewhat steep, potentially outclassed by other spells that offer similar effects without the same level of resource commitment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Spiketail Drakeling offers a dynamic role in blue-based decks, adept at flying over blockers while providing a safeguard against your opponent’s key spells. Its presence on the battlefield adds strategic depth to both defensive and offensive plans.

Combo Potential: The Drakeling’s counter ability is not to be underestimated. It can set the stage for surprising combos, particularly in decks that manipulate the count of available mana or need to protect vital combo pieces from being disrupted.

Meta-Relevance: In environments teeming with high-impact spells, Spiketail Drakeling shines. It acts as both a creature and a spell, a dual threat that can adapt to the shifting demands of various meta-games, making it a prudent choice for players looking to fine-tune their deck’s responsiveness.

How to beat

Spiketail Drakeling offers a unique challenge in Magic: The Gathering, serving as both a creature and a countermeasure against opposing spells. This blue two-mana creature can be sacrificed to counter any spell unless its caster pays an additional two mana. It stands as a guard, deterring opponents from carelessly casting their most impactful spells while the Drakeling is in play.

Overcoming Spiketail Drakeling requires strategic planning. First, consider playing less essential spells to bait out the Drakeling’s ability, thereby clearing the path for more critical spells later in the game. Alternatively, amassing enough mana to pay the additional cost imposed by the Drakeling can neutralize the threat it poses. Also, removal spells that can target the Drakeling regardless of whether you have the mana to pay for its ability can be a direct solution. Lastly, instant-speed interaction enables you to handle the Drakeling on your opponent’s turn, thereby negating its ability to counter your spells when it’s your turn to act.

By analyzing and understanding the intricacies of the interactive gameplay that Spiketail Drakeling brings to the table, players can formulate strategies to effectively bypass its controlling presence, ensuring their crucial spells make it through unscathed.

Cards like Spiketail Drakeling

Spiketail Drakeling holds a unique spot in the realm of counteractive creatures in Magic: The Gathering. It’s often juxtaposed with its kin, the Spiketail Hatchling, which offers a similar counter spell effect but at a lower creature cost. While the Drakeling demands a three-mana investment, it compensates with a sturdier body to contend with adversaries on the board.

Further afield, there’s the Mystic Snake, a creature that also lets players counter a spell upon its entrance to the battlefield. Unlike the Drakeling, Mystic Snake offers a one-time counter with no additional cost other than its casting. Mana Leak is another counterpart, it’s not a creature but a straight counter spell demanding a mere two mana and potentially shutting down more expensive spells in early game stages.

Assessing these comparisons accentuates the Drakeling’s balance between creature presence and strategic spell thwarting. Adequate body size coupled with the repeatable nature of its ability makes Spiketail Drakeling a card worth considering in decks aiming for control with a creature-based approach in Magic: The Gathering.

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Spiketail Drakeling MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral and Time Spiral Remastered, 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.

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Printings

The Spiketail Drakeling Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2006-10-06 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by Dave Dorman.