Kry Shield MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact
Released	1994-06-01
Set symbol
Set name	Legends
Set code	LEG
Number	282
Frame	1993
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Richard Thomas

Key Takeaways

Kry Shield offers crucial instant-speed defense upgrades, pivotal during surprise combat scenarios.
Its specific mana requirement and discard condition pose strategic deck-building challenges.
Comparing Kry Shield with similar equipment highlights its significant toughness enhancement.

Text of card

oc T: Target creature you control deals no damage this turn, but gains +0/+X until end of turn, where X is the casting cost of target creature.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Kry Shield can be a key addition to decks aiming to retain hand superiority. Though it doesn’t directly enable drawing cards, its defensive capabilities help preserve valuable creatures on the board, which in turn sustains card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: While Kry Shield itself doesn’t generate additional mana or tokens, its low casting cost is a form of resource acceleration, allowing players to establish a defense without compromising their ability to play other spells in the same turn.

Instant Speed: The capacity to cast Kry Shield at instant speed offers a strategic advantage. Deploying it unexpectedly can disrupt an opponent’s calculations during combat, potentially saving a crucial creature from destruction or turning the tide of battle in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of Kry Shield is its discard requirement. To activate its potential, players must discard another card which could be a strategic disadvantage, especially if in a tight spot or needing to maintain card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Kry Shield demands a specific mana composition to be played—two mana of any color and one white mana. This requirement can be restrictive and may not be compatible with decks that rely on a more diverse mana base or that are heavily skewed towards other colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For what it offers, Kry Shield comes at a high cost. Three mana to potentially prevent some damage can be too steep when other alternatives that cost less or have broader effects are available, offering players more flexibility and efficiency in their deck building and in-game strategies.

Reasons to Include Kry Shield in Your Collection

Versatility: Kry Shield’s ability to boost a creature’s toughness can be key in protecting important creatures across a multitude of deck types, from control to midrange, where defense is pivotal.

Combo Potential: This artifact’s defensive buff pairs well with strategies revolving around creatures with abilities that are triggered by damage prevention, or those that benefit from having a high toughness.

Meta-Relevance: As the game landscape shifts, having robust defensive options like Kry Shield can give players an edge against aggressive strategies that rely on dealing damage quickly to win.

How to beat

Kry Shield, often seen in decks that prioritize defense, can be a challenge in Magic: The Gathering games. This card serves as a durable shield, bolstering a creature’s toughness. However, despite its strengths, every card has its Achilles’ heel. One strategy to overcome a creature outfitted with Kry Shield is by using removal spells that bypass toughness altogether. Spells like Doom Blade or Path to Exile can efficiently dispatch the fortified creature without having to contend with the toughness boost.

Another effective tactic is to employ bounce spells, such as Unsummon or Vapor Snag, to return the enhanced creature to its owner’s hand. This not only negates the shield’s effect temporarily but also forces your opponent to reinvest mana if they want to replay the creature and re-attach Kry Shield, setting them back in tempo. Additionally, countering the casting of the Kry Shield itself with spells like Counterspell or Mana Leak can prevent your opponent from ever gaining the advantage.

By understanding these weaknesses and incorporating cards into your deck that can strategically handle tough defenses, you can turn the tides against Kry Shield. Preemptive measures and a variety of removal or bounce spells ensure you’re always ready to disarm any shield-bolstered threat that comes your way in the game of Magic: The Gathering.

Cards like Kry Shield

Kry Shield emerges as a noteworthy tool for defense-oriented decks in Magic: The Gathering, akin to other protective equipment like Shield of the Avatar. The Kry Shield bestows a toughness boost, which can fortify creatures against damage and removal. In comparison, Shield of the Avatar focuses not just on toughness, but also provides an interesting link to the controller’s hand, mitigating damage based on the number of cards held.

Expanding the repertoire of defensive gear, we find Accorder’s Shield, another equipment spell that offers zero cost for equipping, an attractive trait for quick deployment. While it gives a smaller toughness increase than Kry Shield, the addition of vigilance is indispensable for offensive maneuvers as well as defensive postures. Then there’s Cathar’s Shield, which, much like Accorder’s Shield, costs nothing to equip and confers a similar stat boost and vigilance effect. However, it lacks the pure toughness elevation that comes with Kry Shield.

Ultimately, Kry Shield holds its ground among its peers, providing robust defense in Magic: The Gathering. Its particular emphasis on toughness without additional conditions makes it a simple yet effective choice for decks that prioritize endurance on the battleground.

Cards similar to Kry Shield by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Kry Shield MTG card by a specific set like Legends, 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 Kry Shield and other MTG cards: