Crystalline Sliver MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Sliver
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Grants Shroud instantly, safeguarding Sliver creatures against targeted spells and abilities.
  2. Two-colored mana cost limits deck building and may pose resource allocation challenges.
  3. Essential in combating control decks, bolstering your Slivers against spot removal strategies.

Text of card

Slivers cannot be the target of spells or abilities.

Bred as living shields, these slivers have proven unruly—they know they cannot be caught.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The innate ability of Crystalline Sliver to grant Shroud to all Slivers can deter opponents from targeting your creatures, effectively preserving your board presence and maintaining card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: While Crystalline Sliver itself does not directly accelerate resources, its defensive capability can protect your mana-generating Slivers, ensuring consistent resource acceleration for your strategies.

Instant Speed: Despite Crystalline Sliver being a creature card and thus not having instant speed itself, its characteristic Shroud effect applies immediately upon entry, offering instantaneous protection that parallels the tactical flexibility of instant speed interactions.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Crystalline Sliver can sometimes place you in a tight spot if you’re required to discard other valuable cards from your hand. This can happen in games that use mechanics or deck strategies that force you to discard as a cost for including such a powerful creature in your deck.

Specific Mana Cost: Including a Crystalline Sliver in your deck means you’re committing to both white and blue mana sources. This specific mana cost may restrict deck building, making it challenging to include in decks that require a more flexible mana base or are not geared towards a white and blue combination.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that is split between two colors, Crystalline Sliver can be considered to have a high mana cost compared to other slivers. It competes for your mana resources and may delay the casting of other crucial spells in the early game, a trade-off you’ll need to weigh when constructing your deck.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Crystalline Sliver’s main draw is its power to grant shroud to all Slivers, making it a staple in Sliver decks. Its ability to protect your creatures from targeted spells and abilities makes it highly adaptable to various game situations.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with numerous Sliver combinations, enhancing their survival rate on the battlefield. Pairing it with Slivers that have beneficial enter-the-battlefield effects or abilities that trigger upon attacking creates a formidable board presence.

Meta-Relevance: It thrives in environments rich in control decks or heavy in spot removals. The protective shield Crystalline Sliver offers can be pivotal, making it a relevant addition to any collection aiming to compete in diverse MTG formats.


How to beat

Crystalline Sliver introduces challenging dynamics for players in Magic the Gathering, particularly due to its ability to bestow Shroud onto all Slivers on the battlefield. This attribute makes targeted spells or abilities from opponents ineffective against them, significantly boosting a Sliver-based deck’s resilience. Navigating this protection requires a strategic shift towards global removals or effects—a strategy that circumvents targeting individual creatures.

Board clear spells such as Wrath of God or Damnation become pivotal in counteracting the comprehensive protection that Crystalline Sliver delivers. Alternatively, changing the angle of attack to force sacrifices, through cards like Liliana of the Veil or using effects that change the base properties of all creatures, like Humility, can help level the playing field. Another indirect strategy involves hindering the Sliver deck’s mana base with land destruction or utilizing cards like Aethersworn Canonist to limit the number of spells played each turn.

Overall, overcoming the shield Crystalline Sliver provides demands a focus on macro strategies rather than individual creature targeting, a shift that can often tip the scales in a tight match-up in Magic the Gathering.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the strategic depths of MTG reveals cards like Crystalline Sliver that change the game’s landscape. As you’ve seen, it’s a talisman for Sliver decks, demanding ingenious counterplays and influencing deck builds. Whether enhancing your collection or amplifying your deck, consider the unique protective layer this card offers. If you relish strategic depth and enjoy crafting decks capable of overcoming targeted disruption, Crystalline Sliver warrants your attention. Discover new synergies, tackle meta shifts and challenge your deck-building prowess. Dive deeper into the world of Slivers with us, where each card can redefine your path to victory.


Cards like Crystalline Sliver

Crystalline Sliver stands out in the diverse world of slivers within Magic: The Gathering. With its all-encompassing ability to grant shroud to all Slivers, it holds a unique managerial role compared to its kin. For instance, consider the Diffusion Sliver, which protects sliver creatures by taxing an opponent’s targeting spells or abilities. While formidable, it doesn’t offer the blanket immunity that Crystalline Sliver does.

Another relative is the Galerider Sliver, bestowing all Slivers with the power of flight. A tactical advantage indeed, yet it falls short when it comes to all-around defense against control strategies, something at which Crystalline Sliver excels. We also see the Harmonic Sliver, which carries a different tune, focusing on artifact and enchantment removal whenever a sliver enters the battlefield—a useful trait, but it doesn’t offer the steadfast protection against removal spells.

Crystalline Sliver’s contribution to your game stands in a league of its own, especially for defense-minded players who prioritize safeguarding their slivers. Its provision of shroud can often be the defining factor between victory and defeat in MTG matchups where targeting spells are abundant.

Diffusion Sliver - MTG Card versions
Galerider Sliver - MTG Card versions
Harmonic Sliver - MTG Card versions
Diffusion Sliver - Magic 2015 (M15)
Galerider Sliver - Magic 2014 (M14)
Harmonic Sliver - Time Spiral (TSP)

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Battlewise Hoplite - Theros (THS)
Dauntless River Marshal - Magic 2015 (M15)
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun - Amonkhet Remastered (AKR)
Lavinia, Azorius Renegade - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Unsettled Mariner - Modern Horizons (MH1)
Skycat Sovereign - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths Promos (PIKO)
Watcher of the Spheres - Core Set 2021 (M21)
Dennick, Pious Apprentice // Dennick, Pious Apparition - From Cute to Brute (PCTB)
Mistmeadow Witch - Kaldheim Commander (KHC)
Kwain, Itinerant Meddler - Commander Legends (CMR)
Devoted Grafkeeper // Departed Soulkeeper - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Crystalline Sliver MTG card by a specific set like Stronghold and Magic Online 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 Crystalline Sliver and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Crystalline Sliver Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 1998-03-02 and 2023-08-04. Illustrated by Allen Williams.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11998-03-02StrongholdSTH 1271997normalblackAllen Williams
22002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 360701997normalblackAllen Williams
32003-01-01Friday Night Magic 2003F03 31997normalblackAllen Williams
42009-11-20Premium Deck Series: SliversH09 112003normalblackAllen Williams
52015-05-06Tempest RemasteredTPR 2072015normalblackAllen Williams
62019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 6612015normalblackAllen Williams
72020-09-26The ListPLST STH-1271997normalblackAllen Williams
82023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 9202015normalblackAllen Williams

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Crystalline Sliver has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 The ability only applies while this card is on the battlefield.
2013-07-01 Abilities that Slivers grant, as well as power/toughness boosts, are cumulative. However, for some abilities, like flying, having more than one instance of the ability doesn’t provide any additional benefit.
2013-07-01 If the creature type of a Sliver changes so it’s no longer a Sliver, it will no longer be affected by its own ability. Its ability will continue to affect other Sliver creatures.

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