Niko Aris MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Planeswalker — Niko
Abilities Scry
Loyalty 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Niko Aris provides unique card advantage through Shard tokens, enhancing player hand and game strategy.
  2. Despite its power, the card’s specific mana requirements may limit deck versatility.
  3. Niko Aris shines in control-oriented metagames, offering incremental advantages and combo potential.

Text of card

When Niko Aris enters the battlefield, create X Shard tokens. (They're enchantments with ", Sacrifice this enchantment: Scry 1, then draw a card.")
+1: Up to one target creature you control can't be blocked this turn. Whenever that creature deals damage this turn, return it to its owner's hand.
-1: Niko Aris deals 2 damage to target tapped creature for each card you've drawn this turn.
-1: Create a Shard token.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Niko Aris comes with several abilities that provide card advantage. When you cast Niko Aris, you create X Shard tokens, which can be sacrificed to draw a card, replenishing your hand and giving you more options during the game.

Resource Acceleration: The [+1] loyalty ability of Niko Aris allows you to scry 1, then draw a card. Scrying before you draw effectively accelerates your resources by filtering the top of your library, ensuring that you draw into the spells you need to maintain momentum.

Instant Speed: Niko Aris’s [-1] loyalty ability lets you create a Shard token at instant speed. This flexibility allows you to better manage your turn, keeping up the pace and potentially surprising your opponent with sudden card draw capability or using the ability as a strategic response to in-game events.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: For players wielding the Niko Aris card, one potential downside is the discard requirement that accompanies some of its abilities. This stipulation might force players to deplete valuable cards from their hand, which can be detrimental when options are already scarce.

Specific Mana Cost: Niko Aris comes with a mana cost that includes two blue mana symbols. This restriction makes the card inherently more challenging to incorporate into multi-colored decks, particularly if the deck’s mana base isn’t tailored to consistently provide the necessary blue mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a starting loyalty cost that’s on the higher end of the spectrum, Niko Aris demands a significant mana investment. This can be cumbersome especially when compared to other planeswalkers or impactful cards that may offer more immediate or substantial benefits for the same, or lower, mana investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Niko Aris proves to be a flexible addition to decks that leverage Planeswalker abilities or function within the blue-white color scheme. Their capability to create Shard tokens for card draw or to manipulate combat scenarios ensures their role as a dynamic asset in various playstyles.

Combo Potential: Equipped with an ultimate ability that can fetch valuable cards and Shard tokens that synergize with sacrifice effects, Niko Aris allows for ingenious combo opportunities in decks that capitalize on such mechanics.

Meta-Relevance: Given the current landscape where control decks are prevalent, Niko Aris holds significant value. Their ability to slow down opponents and provide incremental advantage over the course of the game aligns perfectly with the demands of a control-oriented meta.


How to beat

Niko Aris makes a splash on the battlefield with versatility and card advantage, challenging opponents in Magic: The Gathering. This planeswalker arrives with the unique ability to create Shard tokens that later translate into potential card draw, making it a valuable asset in control strategies. Yet, all is not lost if you’re facing off against Niko Aris.

Countering Niko Aris successfully often requires a combination of pressure and disruption. Combat tricks that negate the protective capabilities of the Shard tokens can be crucial – spells that clear multiple blockers or remove enchantments and artifacts will hinder their defensive game. Hand disruption tactics can also unseat your opponent’s strategy, stripping them of the key resources needed to defend their planeswalker.

Ultimately, defeating Niko Aris needs a proactive approach. Assess the situation, anticipate your opponent’s moves, and adjust your game plan accordingly. Whether it’s through direct planeswalker removal, swift creature attacks, or strategic card denial, ensuring Niko Aris doesn’t stabilize on the board is the key to victory in this clash of Magic: The Gathering champions.


BurnMana Recommendations

Niko Aris emerges as a multifaceted card, brandishing abilities that sculpt the tides of battle and bestow card advantage. Understanding its strengths and intricacies can vastly enhance your gameplay, offering you diverse tactics and strategic depth. With the information at hand, we encourage deeper exploration into the profound effects Niko Aris can cast upon your matches. Whether seeking to integrate this planeswalker into your existing strategy or aiming to counteract it, additional insights await. Tap into a reservoir of knowledge and discover new synergies, counterplays, and a path to victory. Embark with us on a quest to master the complexities of MTG, and let Niko Aris elevate your deck’s potential to unprecedented heights.


Cards like Niko Aris

Drawing distinctions between Niko Aris and its parallels in the realm of planeswalker cards in Magic: The Gathering unveils a spectrum of strategic applications. At surface level, Niko Aris shares functionality with Teferi, Time Raveler, both cards allowing manipulation of the battlefield to a player’s advantage. Niko Aris brings a unique blend to the table by creating Shard tokens which later translate into card draw, echoing the resource generation seen in Teferi.

Examining further, Jace, Mirror Mage emerges as another facet for comparison. Much like Niko, Jace can provide card selection, though Jace’s capacity for drawing multiple cards with its “0” ability stands in contrast to Niko’s incremental draw strategy. Additionally, Kaya, the Inexorable offers another planeswalker reference, with her abilities leaning towards protecting allies and exiling threats rather than Niko’s focus on generating card advantage and controlling the pace of the game.

Deliberating on the unique offerings of Niko Aris, it’s clear that this planeswaker introduces tactical diversity into a game of Magic: The Gathering. Niko’s ability to tailor card draws and pressure opponents with Shard tokens sets this card apart, positioning it as a thought-provoking choice in blue-white control decks.

Teferi, Time Raveler - MTG Card versions
Jace, Mirror Mage - MTG Card versions
Teferi, Time Raveler - War of the Spark (WAR)
Jace, Mirror Mage - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)

Cards similar to Niko Aris by color, type and mana cost

Dovin, Hand of Control - MTG Card versions
Teferi, Time Raveler - MTG Card versions
Dovin, Grand Arbiter - MTG Card versions
Dovin, Hand of Control - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Teferi, Time Raveler - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Dovin, Grand Arbiter - Crimson Vow Commander (VOC)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Niko Aris MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Kaldheim, 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 Niko Aris and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Niko Aris Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2021-02-05 and 2021-02-06. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 883602015normalblackSara Winters
22021-02-05KaldheimKHM 2892015normalborderlessSara Winters
32021-02-05KaldheimKHM 2252015normalblackWinona Nelson
42021-02-05Kaldheim Art SeriesAKHM 632015art_seriesborderlessWinona Nelson
52021-02-06Kaldheim PromosPKHM 225s2015normalblackWinona Nelson
62021-02-06Kaldheim PromosPKHM 225p2015normalblackWinona Nelson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Niko Aris has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-02-05 If Niko Aris enters the battlefield without being cast, they were cast for a cost other than their mana cost, or if X was chosen to be 0, the enters-the-battlefield ability won’t create any Shard tokens.
2021-02-05 Niko deals all the damage for their second ability at the same time. For example, if you’ve drawn two cards this turn, Niko will deal 4 damage to the target tapped creature; they won’t deal 2 damage, then deal 2 more damage.
2021-02-05 Shard is a new predefined token, similar to Food and Treasure. A Shard token is a colorless enchantment with “, Sacrifice this enchantment: Scry 1, then draw a card.” Shard is a new enchantment subtype.
2021-02-05 The delayed triggered ability created by Niko’s first loyalty ability will trigger whenever the target creature deals any damage that turn, not just combat damage.

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