Phantasmal Mount MTG Card

Ice Age (ICE)
1995-06-03 - Number 88

Phantasmal Mount - Masters Edition II (ME2)

Masters Edition II (ME2)
2008-09-22 - Number 59

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Illusion Horse
Abilities	Flying
Power	1
Toughness	1

Key Takeaways

Phantasmal Mount shines by offering card advantage and instant speed strategic options.
It demands careful planning due to its discard requirement and specific mana cost.
The card possesses a unique niche with combo potential and meta relevance.

Text of card

Flying oc T: Target creature you control, which has toughness less than 3, gains flying and gets +1/+1 until end of turn. Other effects may later be used to increase that creature's toughness beyond 3. If Phantasmal Mount leaves play before end of turn, bury the creature. If the creature leaves play before end of turn, bury Phantasmal Mount.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Phantasmal Mount offers a strategic edge by allowing a creature to be replayed, effectively dodging removal or benefiting from enter-the-battlefield abilities again, keeping your hand fluid and resourceful.

Resource Acceleration: This enigmatic card synergizes well with decks utilizing creatures that grant benefits upon casting. By bouncing and recasting your own creatures, you essentially double the value of such effects, expediting your route to victory.

Instant Speed: The versatility of Phantasmal Mount is increased by its instant speed nature, providing the flexibility needed to outmaneuver opponents’ strategies. It enables reactive plays that can be adapted to the evolving state of the game, preserving your momentum and tactical advantage.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Phantasmal Mount requires a card to be discarded upon casting, potentially depleting your hand and reducing strategic options.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a particular combination of mana, including one blue, which may not align with decks that run a different color scheme or those that struggle with color fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Sporting a mana cost on the higher side, it competes with other creatures and enchantments that might provide more immediate impact or versatility on the battlefield.

Reasons to Include Phantasmal Mount in Your Collection

Versatility: The unique abilities of Phantasmal Mount allow it to adapt to various deck archetypes. It can serve as a timely blocker or a swift attacker, making it a flexible addition to both aggressive and defensive strategies.

Combo Potential: Phantasmal Mount’s sacrificing mechanism can synergize with decks that capitalize on creature death for value generation or other trigger effects. This gives it inherent synergy with a multitude of strategies.

Meta-Relevance: Considering the fluctuating nature of the MTG landscape, Phantasmal Mount could serve as a potent answer to popular threats or as a means to expedite your win condition against slower-paced decks.

How to beat Phantasmal Mount

Phantasmal Mount proves to be an intriguing creature within Magic: The Gathering’s pantheon of illusions. This spectral steed boasts the characteristic fragility of illusions, where it must be sacrificed upon becoming the target of a spell or ability. Understanding this inherent weakness is key to overcoming it in a match.

The critical strategy lies in deploying any kind of targeted removal or ability against Phantasmal Mount. Simple spells like Shock or Giant Growth, typically inexpensive and widespread in many decks, can effectively force the Mount’s sacrifice without even having the intention to destroy it or amplify its strength. Even utilizing abilities from creatures or artefacts that require a target can turn the tide. Moreover, cards that inflict mass damage or those that force a player to sacrifice a creature will not prompt Phantasmal Mount’s automatic sacrifice, as they do not target.

To conclude, while the Phantasmal Mount may appear daunting with its evasive prowess and potential for quick assaults, it’s remarkably easy to neutralize. Armed with the right arsenal of targeted spells or abilities, players can swiftly dispatch this ghostly creature and maintain control of the game. It’s these strategic decisions that elevate a player’s control within the diverse landscape of Magic: The Gathering.

Cards like Phantasmal Mount

Phantasmal Mount is a unique creature in the vast universe of Magic: The Gathering that offers interesting tactical plays to enchanting creature strategies. Much like Messenger’s Speed, which equips a creature with trample and haste, Phantasmal Mount grants haste but introduces a more nuanced aspect with its illusionary nature. However, the fragility of having to sacrifice the creature if it becomes the target of a spell or ability is something not found in Messenger’s Speed.

Looking at another comparison, Ghostly Flicker offers versatility in momentarily removing a creature from the fray and returning it to the battlefield, protecting it from targeted actions. Phantasmal Mount can be seen as a similar fleeting advantage – giving a creature wings temporarily – but lacks the safety that flickering out of range provides. In addition, the spell Aspect of Mongoose imparts shroud to a creature, which avoids the same pitfall that Phantasmal Mount’s subjects might fall into, yet it doesn’t have the hastening benefit.

To sum up, Phantasmal Mount carves out its niche in Magic: The Gathering as a card that temporarily empowers creatures with swift mobility. Its unique condition underlines a higher risk-reward play in comparison to similar cards that confer more enduring advantages or offer protective measures.

Cards similar to Phantasmal Mount by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Phantasmal Mount MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Masters Edition II, 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 Phantasmal Mount and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Phantasmal Mount Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 2008-09-22. Illustrated by Melissa A. Benson.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1995-06-03	Ice Age	ICE		88	1993	Normal	Black	Melissa A. Benson
2	2008-09-22	Masters Edition II	ME2		59	1997	Normal	Black	Melissa A. Benson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Phantasmal Mount has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2008-10-01	If the ability resolves, then the targeted creature’s toughness becomes greater than 2 later, Phantasmal Mount’s effect will not end. (The ability checks whether the creature has toughness 2 or less only at the time you activate it and the time it resolves.)