Canopy Claws MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Abilities	Flashback
Released	2002-05-27
Set symbol
Set name	Judgment
Set code	JUD
Number	108
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Matthew Mitchell

Key Takeaways

At instant speed, Canopy Claws offers dynamic play and disrupts opponents, keeping strategic options open.
Its necessity for a green mana limits its use to specific deck types, potentially hindering versatility.
While offering battlefield control, the discard requirement for flashback could deplete vital hand resources.

Text of card

Target creature loses flying until end of turn. Flashback o G (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Canopy Claws offers a unique advantage by allowing you to potentially remove a drawback from one of your lands or eliminate an opponent’s land-based strategy. This keeps your hand equipped with relevant plays as the game progresses.

Resource Acceleration: Although Canopy Claws itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, effectively using it can set your opponent back, keeping you ahead in the race for mana usage and board development. Slowing down your opponent’s land enchantments can be a key turning point in the game.

Instant Speed: The instant speed of Canopy Claws enables dynamic play decisions. It can be cast in response to an opponent’s enchant land spell, or during their turn to catch them off guard, allowing you to fully utilize your mana each round and keep your strategic options open.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Canopy Claws requires you to discard another card to utilize its flashback ability. This could potentially deplete valuable hand resources, especially in decks that don’t utilize the graveyard effectively.

Specific Mana Cost: With a green mana in its casting cost, the card is tailored for green-centered decks, possibly restricting its inclusion in more diverse or multicolored deck strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The initial mana investment of one green mana may appear modest, yet the flashback cost is not as cost-effective, demanding a delve into the player’s hand that may not always equate to the tempo or board advantage desired.

Reasons to Include Canopy Claws in Your Collection

Versatility: Canopy Claws offers a flexible approach to gameplay, adapting easily to various strategies. Whether you’re managing flying threats or seeking to accelerate your own land play, this card is a utility player in green-themed decks.

Combo Potential: With the ability to untap a land, Canopy Claws can be a key part in land-based combo decks. It synergizes with cards that are triggered by land actions, amplifying your capacity for powerful plays.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where flying creatures dominate, Canopy Claws becomes a tactical asset. It can temporarily neutralize potential threats, giving you the upper hand against opponents who rely heavily on airborne assaults.

How to beat Canopy Claws

Canopy Claws is a unique green instant card that brings about an intriguing effect in Magic: The Gathering. Its primary ability to remove flying from a creature until end of turn can be particularly disruptive against decks that heavily rely on airborne threats. Unlike other anti-flying measures, Canopy Claws is swift and unexpected, providing a tactical edge at a minimal cost.

However, overcoming Canopy Claws involves a multi-faceted strategy. Firstly, diversifying your threats beyond just flying creatures can nullify the card’s impact. It’s essential to maintain a balanced deck with a mix of abilities and card types. Additionally, keeping instant-speed removal or counterspells at hand means you can protect your key creatures or negate Canopy Claws when it is cast. Lastly, understanding when to expect it and playing around it by not over-committing your flying creatures onto the battlefield can save you from potential pitfalls during vital moments of the game.

In essence, like many cards in MTG, Canopy Claws offers strategic depth and reflects the game’s complexity. While potent in its niche, crafting a well-rounded deck and playing with foresight are your best tools to mitigate its effect on the game’s outcome.

Cards like Canopy Claws

Canopy Claws is a unique spell in the MTG world, slipping into the realm of green instant cards that allow players to manipulate and control the battlefield. It’s closely related to cards like Naturalize or Return to Nature, which also serve the purpose of removing problematic artifacts or enchantments. However, Canopy Claws takes a different approach by focusing on creatures with flying, stripping them of that ability and potentially grounding powerful aerial threats for a turn.

Another card that players might draw parallels with is Plummet, which goes a step further by not only targeting flying creatures but outright destroying them, ensuring that the threat is permanently removed from the game. Still, Canopy Claws edges out in flexibility by affecting all flyers for the duration of the turn, rather than just eliminating a single target. Yet it’s important to note that Canopy Claws doesn’t deal with the creature in the long term, potentially leading to recurring threats.

When evaluating its place amongst green control cards, Canopy Claws offers a strategic advantage during a specific window of opportunity. It can turn the tide in a game by disabling an opponent’s flying offense or defense, albeit temporarily. Its niche application ensures that, while it may not be a mainstay, it’s an interesting tech choice for dealing with creatures that take to the skies.

Cards similar to Canopy Claws by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Canopy Claws MTG card by a specific set like Judgment, 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 Canopy Claws and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Canopy Claws has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2021-03-19	A spell cast using flashback will always be exiled afterward, whether it resolves, is countered, or leaves the stack in some other way.
2021-03-19	If a card with flashback is put into your graveyard during your turn, you can cast it if it’s legal to do so before any other player can take any actions.
2021-03-19	To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost (such as a flashback cost) you’re paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
2021-03-19	You can cast a spell using flashback even if it was somehow put into your graveyard without having been cast.
2021-03-19	You must still follow any timing restrictions and permissions, including those based on the card’s type. For instance, you can cast a sorcery using flashback only when you could normally cast a sorcery.
2021-03-19	“Flashback -ost]” means “You may cast this card from your graveyard by paying -ost] rather than paying its mana cost” and “If the flashback cost was paid, exile this card instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would leave the stack.”