Capashen Unicorn MTG Card


Capashen Unicorn - Invasion
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Unicorn
Released2000-10-02
Set symbol
Set nameInvasion
Set codeINV
Power 1
Toughness 2
Number10
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byJerry Tiritilli

Key Takeaways

  1. Offers on-board enchantment and artifact removal, strengthening board control.
  2. Requires self-sacrifice, which can be a strategic disadvantage.
  3. Its specific mana cost may limit deck-building versatility.

Text of card

o1o W, oc T, Sacrifice Capashen Unicorn: Destroy target artifact or enchantment.

Capashen riders were stern and humorless even before their ancestral home was reduced to rubble.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Capashen Unicorn offers a versatile solution to dealing with problematic enchantments and artifacts, ensuring you can efficiently handle threats and maintain parity on the board.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly accelerating resources, the Capashen Unicorn’s ability to eliminate certain permanents can indirectly accelerate your game plan by removing opponent’s accelerants or value engines.

Instant Speed: The unicorn’s activated ability can be used at instant speed, providing flexibility to disrupt your opponent’s strategy during their turn or at the end of their turn to maximise your own tempo.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To activate Capashen Unicorn’s ability, you must sacrifice it, which equates to discarding a creature from the battlefield. This can be detrimental when you’re in need of presence on the board to defend against opponents or to press an offensive strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: With its color identity firmly rooted in white, deploying Capashen Unicorn requires a dedicated mana base. This can prove challenging for multi-color decks that require a flexible mana allocation to cast a diverse array of spells efficiently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Capashen Unicorn’s artifact and enchantment destruction ability is useful, the total cost, including the creature itself, may be high in comparison to other options. There are cards available that deliver similar effects without the need to sacrifice a creature, providing the same utility at a potentially lower overall resource expense.


Reasons to Include Capashen Unicorn in Your Collection

Versatility: Capashen Unicorn excels in its ability to adapt to various gameplay situations. In decks where enchantments or artifacts are problematic, this creature offers a straightforward solution without the need for dedicated sideboard slots.

Combo Potential: This unicorn isn’t just a plain creature – it pairs well with strategies that benefit from self-sacrifice for greater effects. It can be a key component in decks designed around graveyard synergy or artifact recursion.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where artifacts and enchantments play a leading role, Capashen Unicorn becomes an important tool. Its presence can disrupt an opponent’s strategy and provide you with a significant edge, proving its worth in your lineup.


How to beat

Capashen Unicorn offers a versatile tool for dealing with artifacts and enchantments in Magic: The Gathering. Much like its functional predecessors Disenchant or Naturalize, the Capashen Unicorn provides a unique angle of control by being a creature. Unlike its spell counterparts, which act immediately, the Unicorn requires a turn on the field and an activation cost, including sacrificing itself, to utilize its ability. Consequently, the key to overcoming this challenge lies in preemptive action and understanding the opportune moments to disrupt your opponent’s plans.

Removal spells like Lightning Bolt or Fatal Push can manage this pesky creature before it impacts the board state. Alternatively, counterplay can focus on denying the necessary resources, such as using mana denial strategies or graveyard disruption to prevent reanimation tactics. Evading the Unicorn’s influence also involves the efficient management of one’s own artifacts and enchantments, timing their deployment to avoid the catastrophic loss that the Unicorn can bring about if left unchecked. All strategies considered, a blend of prompt removal, disruptive play, and strategic timing will fortify your position against a Capashen Unicorn’s intervention in your game.


Cards like Capashen Unicorn

Capashen Unicorn is a modest yet versatile creature in the realm of MTG. Its ability to destroy enchantments or artifacts by sacrificing itself draws a parallel to cards like Caustic Caterpillar. Though the Caterpillar provides a cheaper activation cost, the Unicorn has the advantage of a more robust presence on the battlefield with a slightly higher toughness.

Considering other utility creatures, there’s Keening Apparition. It too can rid the field of pesky enchantments, this time without needing mana for the sacrifice effect. This makes it a slightly more flexible choice in decks that aim to disrupt opponents’ strategies with minimal resource investment. However, the Unicorn’s ability to interact with artifacts in addition to enchantments gives it a broader scope of removal.

While evaluating functional similarities, the unicorn competes with aura-focused cards like Wispmare, which while having a targeted destroy effect on enchantments, leaves the battlefield immediately due to evoke. The Unicorn, meanwhile, can remain a defensive asset until its removal ability is required.

Through comparison, the Capashen Unicorn demonstrates its strategic utility in MTG, especially in metas where enchantments and artifacts are prevalent, making it a valuable inclusion for control and midrange decks.

Caustic Caterpillar - MTG Card versions
Keening Apparition - MTG Card versions
Wispmare - MTG Card versions
Caustic Caterpillar - Magic Origins (ORI)
Keening Apparition - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Wispmare - Lorwyn (LRW)

Cards similar to Capashen Unicorn by color, type and mana cost

White Knight - MTG Card versions
Soul Shepherd - MTG Card versions
Soltari Monk - MTG Card versions
Talon Sliver - MTG Card versions
Keeper of the Light - MTG Card versions
Faith Healer - MTG Card versions
Angelic Page - MTG Card versions
Avenger en-Dal - MTG Card versions
Spirit Weaver - MTG Card versions
Voice of the Blessed - MTG Card versions
Stoneforge Mystic - MTG Card versions
Drannith Magistrate - MTG Card versions
Leonin Lightscribe - MTG Card versions
Silver Knight - MTG Card versions
Longbow Archer - MTG Card versions
Silverflame Squire // On Alert - MTG Card versions
Flumph - MTG Card versions
Cloudreach Cavalry - MTG Card versions
Samite Healer - MTG Card versions
Kor Firewalker - MTG Card versions
White Knight - Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons (DDG)
Soul Shepherd - Weatherlight (WTH)
Soltari Monk - Tempest (TMP)
Talon Sliver - Tempest (TMP)
Keeper of the Light - Exodus (EXO)
Faith Healer - Urza's Saga (USG)
Angelic Page - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Avenger en-Dal - Nemesis (NEM)
Spirit Weaver - Invasion (INV)
Voice of the Blessed - Innistrad: Crimson Vow (VOW)
Stoneforge Mystic - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Drannith Magistrate - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
Leonin Lightscribe - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Silver Knight - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Longbow Archer - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Silverflame Squire // On Alert - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Flumph - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Cloudreach Cavalry - Legions (LGN)
Samite Healer - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Kor Firewalker - Mystery Booster (MB1)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Capashen Unicorn MTG card by a specific set like Invasion, 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 Capashen Unicorn and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Capashen Unicorn has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks