Spike-Tailed Ceratops MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Dinosaur |
| Released | 2017-09-29 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Ixalan |
| Set code | XLN |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 4 |
| Number | 209 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Lius Lasahido |
Key Takeaways
- Enrage triggers can offer card advantage by removing opponents’ creatures upon damage to the Ceratops.
- Indirectly affects mana resources by forcing opponents to redirect their recovery strategies.
- Strategic instant-speed control can be executed through the Ceratops’ ability to threaten and deter.
Text of card
Spike-Tailed Ceratops can block an additional creature each combat.
The conquistadors surrounded the dinosaur only to find that it had outflanked them.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Spike-Tailed Ceratops can potentially provide a slight edge in card economy with its Enrage ability. When it is dealt damage, it can destroy an opponent’s creature, which could lead to a one-for-one trade or better, helping you to maintain card advantage on the battlefield.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting resource acceleration in a typical sense like ramp spells or artifacts, the Spike-Tailed Ceratops can influence mana availability. By removing key blockers or threats, it may divert your opponent’s mana into recovery efforts, indirectly affecting their resource management.
Instant Speed: While the Spike-Tailed Ceratops itself is not an instant, its ability to potentially deter opponents from attacking or using damaging spells can be a form of control at instant speed. Playing cards that can trigger its Enrage ability on your own terms allows you to manage threats during your opponent’s turn, setting up favorable trades and keeping them on their toes.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Spike-Tailed Ceratops might reign in some decks, but it comes with a hefty price. Pilots of these prehistoric giants often have to part with precious cards from their hand to unleash its full potential, making it a risky move for those who are already struggling to keep a substantial hand size.
Specific Mana Cost: Mana flexibility is key in the diverse realm of MTG, yet this dinosaur demands an exacting tribute of both green and white mana. This stringent requirement can tether your deck-building options, confining you to specific color combinations and potentially constricting your strategic diversity.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: In a game where tempo can determine the predator from the prey, the Spike-Tailed Ceratops’s significant mana cost can slow you down. While its bulk and abilities may be enticing, savvy players must consider whether their mana could be spent on more immediate threats or defenses, rather than waiting for this creature to stomp onto the battlefield.
Reasons to Include Spike-Tailed Ceratops in Your Collection
Versatility: Spike-Tailed Ceratops proves to be a flexible creature for any green deck owing to its valuable enrage mechanic. This feature allows it to serve as both an offensive and defensive asset, responding effectively to damage by gaining reach and fending off flying creatures.
Combo Potential: The enrage ability of this dinosaur makes it an ideal choice for decks that are crafted to exploit damage-based triggers. Strategically, it can be paired with effects that deal damage to all creatures to create a safeguard against aerial attacks.
Meta-Relevance: In formats where flying creatures dominate, the Spike-Tailed Ceratops can become an essential sideboard card. Its inherent traits allow it to combat popular flying threats, providing players with a strong line of defense while maintaining board presence.
How to Beat Spike-Tailed Ceratops
Spike-Tailed Ceratops stands out in the realm of MTG creatures for its imposing presence and defensive capabilities. The card’s main strength lies in its ability to block an additional creature each combat. This can be quite the hurdle during your strategy to overwhelm your opponent with multiple creatures. However, overcoming this powerful blocker isn’t an insurmountable task.
Combat tricks can be particularly effective. Consider utilizing spells that can either remove Spike-Tailed Ceratops from combat or reduce its toughness temporarily. A well-timed Shock spell, reducing its toughness before damage is dealt, can ensure a successful attack. Alternatively, flying creatures prove to be a strategic counter, as Spike-Tailed Ceratops is unable to block them, offering a clear path to an opponent’s life points.
Focusing on non-combat strategies, such as direct damage or cards that force a player to sacrifice a creature, bypasses the Ceratops’ defensive advantage completely. It’s crucial in MTG to tailor your strategy not just to outpower but to outsmart your opponents. In doing so, you’ll find that even a formidable card like Spike-Tailed Ceratops can be effectively neutralized.
Cards like Spike-Tailed Ceratops
Spike-Tailed Ceratops, a formidable creature from Magic: The Gathering, shares a common ground with a selection of other dinosaur cards like the Thrashing Brontodon. Both have the power to stand tall during combat phases due to their respectable toughness. Notably, Spike-Tailed Ceratops separates itself with the ability to block an additional creature each combat, which Thrashing Brontodon cannot.
Looking at Ranging Raptors, while they share the dinosaur theme and can influence the battlefield, they offer a ramp strategy by fetching lands to the battlefield when damaged. Spike-Tailed Ceratops, with its double-block feature, focuses on fortifying defenses. Then, Colossal Dreadmaw enters the fray, another towering dinosaur offering trample to push through defenses, but without the multi-blocking function of Spike-Tailed Ceratops.
Considering these dissimilar capabilities, Spike-Tailed Ceratops positions itself uniquely amongst dinosaur cards. Providing both substantial defense and control over the combat space, this battle-ready beast has its own special role in MTG games, setting it apart from its prehistoric peers while contributing to various strategic layers of gameplay.
Cards similar to Spike-Tailed Ceratops by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Spike-Tailed Ceratops MTG card by a specific set like Ixalan, 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 Spike-Tailed Ceratops and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Spike-Tailed Ceratops has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
