Shiv's Embrace MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant

Key Takeaways

  1. Shiv’s Embrace boosts creatures with +2/+2 and flying, enabling dominant aerial attacks and board presence.
  2. It requires a specific red mana base which may limit its inclusion in multicolored decks.
  3. Countering Shiv’s Embrace involves removal spells, board wipes, or preemptive denial of the aura.

Text of card

Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and gains flying. oo R Enchanted creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.

"Wear the foe's form to best it in battle. So sayeth the bey."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Shiv’s Embrace is a multi-faceted enchantment that gives you the upper hand by upgrading a creature’s abilities. Equipped creatures not only get a +2/+2 boost but also gain flying, allowing you to outmaneuver opponents and secure crucial attacks. This form of enhancement can translate to sustained board presence and potential card advantage as you pressure your opponent’s life total and resources.

Resource Acceleration: One of Shiv’s Embrace’s indirect benefits in a red-heavy deck is its potential to enable quicker, more impactful plays. By increasing the power and capabilities of a single creature, you’re efficiently using mana to create a significant threat—an approach that’s all about putting resources to work swiftly and effectively.

Instant Speed: While Shiv’s Embrace itself may not be an instant, its ability to grant flying at a moment’s notice can be leveraged similarly to instant speed interactions. Activating this enchantment before the combat phase can surprise an opponent, turning the tides by providing evasion when they least expect it, which is akin to the strategic advantage gained by casting instants.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Shiv’s Embrace does not have a discard requirement, allowing you to retain cards in hand, which is important for maintaining game options.

Specific Mana Cost: This enchantment comes with a specific mana cost that includes double red mana. This mana specificity can sometimes restrict deck building, as it requires a commitment to a red mana base making it less flexible for multicolored decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a four mana investment, two of which must be red, Shiv’s Embrace can be considered costly, especially in fast-paced games where efficiency is key. In such instances, players might find other enchantments or creature buffs that provide similar benefits for a lower mana investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Shiv’s Embrace can be a powerful addition to many Red or multi-colored decks, offering a significant boost in power and granting flying, a key ability for bypassing ground defenses.

Combo Potential: This enchantment lends itself to synergies with creatures that benefit from enchantments, or with cards that have effects when dealing combat damage from the air.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where Red decks are prominent, Shiv’s Embrace can turn any creature into a formidable threat, adjusting well against various meta shifts.


How to beat

Shiv’s Embrace is an impactful aura in Magic: The Gathering, known for beefing up creatures with additional power and giving them the crucial ability to fly. To successfully counter this card, it’s essential to adopt strategies that either preemptively tackle the enchantment or adeptly remove it post-application. Enchantment removal spells are highly effective; a card like Disenchant can eliminate Shiv’s Embrace outright, leaving the buffed creature vulnerable once again.

Board disruption tactics such as sweepers can bypass the aura’s bonuses by clearing the enchanted creature along with the board. Consider spells like Wrath of God for this purpose. Another angle is to target the enchanted creature before the aura is cast or when it’s on the stack, through removal spells, such as Murder. Cards that grant hexproof to your creatures, like Heroic Intervention, can also neutralize this threat by preventing your opponent from targeting your creatures with Shiv’s Embrace. Staying one step ahead of your opponent when they play this card is key to maintaining control of the game.

Overall, by employing the appropriate counterspells, targeted removal, or global disruption, players can effectively mitigate the advantages granted by Shiv’s Embrace and keep their opponents from commanding the skies.


Cards like Shiv's Embrace

Shiv’s Embrace is a notable card for red decks in Magic: The Gathering, enhancing creatures with a fiery boost. It mirrors the functionality of cards like Spectra Ward in the way it can turn a benign creature into a formidable threat. Spectra Ward, however, is more focused on protection rather than power, granting the enchanted creature an almost impenetrable shield against spells of all colors.

Analogous to Shiv’s Embrace is the enchantment Dragon Mantle. Although providing a less substantial power increase, Dragon Mantle compensates with the flexibility of its one mana cost. Moreover, it has the draw-a-card ability upon entering the battlefield, offering card advantage right away. As for similarities in red-specific enchantments, we have Madcap Skills, which, like Shiv’s Embrace, conveys a substantial power surge and also makes the enchanted creature more difficult to block, though without the flexibility of granting flying.

Overall, comparing Shiv’s Embrace with its counterparts underlines the card’s unique balance of granting significant combat enhancements and the strategical depth it adds by being able to give a creature flying, a potent ability within Magic: The Gathering’s diverse tactical landscape.

Spectra Ward - MTG Card versions
Dragon Mantle - MTG Card versions
Madcap Skills - MTG Card versions
Spectra Ward - Magic 2015 (M15)
Dragon Mantle - Theros (THS)
Madcap Skills - Gatecrash (GTC)

Cards similar to Shiv's Embrace by color, type and mana cost

Manabarbs - MTG Card versions
Orcish Oriflamme - MTG Card versions
An-Zerrin Ruins - MTG Card versions
Lightning Cloud - MTG Card versions
Aether Flash - MTG Card versions
Heart of Bogardan - MTG Card versions
Furnace of Rath - MTG Card versions
No Quarter - MTG Card versions
Antagonism - MTG Card versions
Pyromancy - MTG Card versions
Collapsing Borders - MTG Card versions
Stand or Fall - MTG Card versions
Impulsive Maneuvers - MTG Card versions
Stensia Uprising - MTG Card versions
Magmatic Core - MTG Card versions
Pyrohemia - MTG Card versions
Uncontrollable Anger - MTG Card versions
Elemental Mastery - MTG Card versions
Splinter Twin - MTG Card versions
Stranglehold - MTG Card versions
Manabarbs - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Orcish Oriflamme - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
An-Zerrin Ruins - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Lightning Cloud - Visions (VIS)
Aether Flash - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Heart of Bogardan - Weatherlight (WTH)
Furnace of Rath - Planechase (HOP)
No Quarter - Tempest (TMP)
Antagonism - Urza's Saga (USG)
Pyromancy - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Collapsing Borders - Invasion (INV)
Stand or Fall - Invasion (INV)
Impulsive Maneuvers - Odyssey (ODY)
Stensia Uprising - Innistrad: Crimson Vow (VOW)
Magmatic Core - Coldsnap (CSP)
Pyrohemia - Commander Anthology (CMA)
Uncontrollable Anger - Tenth Edition (10E)
Elemental Mastery - Neon Dynasty Commander (NEC)
Splinter Twin - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Stranglehold - Commander 2011 (CMD)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Shiv's Embrace MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga and Magic 2011, 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 Shiv's Embrace and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Shiv's Embrace Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 1998-10-12 and 2021-08-26. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11998-10-12Urza's SagaUSG 2161997normalblackBob Eggleton
22010-07-16Magic 2011M11 1562003normalblackDave Kendall
32011-04-01Duel Decks: Knights vs. DragonsDDG 742003normalblackDave Kendall
42013-07-19Magic 2014M14 1532003normalblackDave Kendall
52021-08-26Jumpstart: Historic HorizonsJ21 5112015normalblackDave Kendall

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Shiv's Embrace has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2010-08-15 Only Shiv’s Embrace’s controller (who is not necessarily the enchanted creature’s controller) can activate its activated ability.
2010-08-15 When Shiv’s Embrace’s activated ability resolves, the creature Shiv’s Embrace is enchanting at that time will get +1/+0 (regardless of what creature Shiv’s Embrace was enchanting when the ability was activated). If Shiv’s Embrace has left the battlefield by then, the creature it was enchanting at the time it left the battlefield will get +1/+0.

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