Looming Hoverguard MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Drone
Abilities	Flying
Released	2003-10-02
Set symbol
Set name	Mirrodin
Set code	MRD
Power	3
Toughness	3
Number	38
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Scott M. Fischer

Key Takeaways

Looming Hoverguard provides card advantage by disrupting opponents and bouncing creatures.
Affinity for artifacts reduces its cost, allowing for faster play and resource acceleration.
Though versatile, it requires a specific mana setup and faces competition in decks.

Text of card

Flying When Looming Hoverguard comes into play, put target artifact on top of its owner's library.

Although mute, hoverguards get their message across loud and clear.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Looming Hoverguard stands out as a useful way to gain card advantage, offering the utility of bouncing an opponent’s creature to their hand. This not only disrupts their board presence but also indirectly grants you card superiority by effectively dealing with enemy threats without losing a card yourself.

Resource Acceleration: With its affinity for artifacts mechanic, Looming Hoverguard can be cast for a significantly reduced cost, potentially hastening your board development. By synergizing with artifacts you’ve already played, it can arrive on the battlefield earlier than expected, which is a form of indirect resource acceleration.

Instant Speed: Although Looming Hoverguard itself isn’t an instant, its effect acts as a deterrent, prompting opponents to consider the risk of committing more creatures to the board. Additionally, if paired with cards that grant flash, its bounce ability can be utilised at instant speed, making it a versatile tool at any point during the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Even though Looming Hoverguard does not directly require a discard, its synergy with other cards in a blue-oriented control deck often creates situations where managing hand resources becomes critical. Thus, inadvertently, you may find yourself at a card disadvantage attempting to utilize the Hoverguard effectively.

Specific Mana Cost: Looming Hoverguard demands a specific mana setup of two blue and four other mana to cast. This specialized mana cost means it integrates best with a mono-blue or a deck with a heavy blue mana base, potentially restricting its inclusion in multicolor decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing six mana, Looming Hoverguard isn’t the most mana-efficient creature when considering its 3/3 stats and the return-to-hand ability. Despite its evasion and potential for tempo plays, in a format where efficiency is key, there are instances where the Hoverguard might be passed over for cards that offer more immediate board impact or value for the same or lower mana investment.

Reasons to Include Looming Hoverguard in Your Collection

Versatility: Looming Hoverguard offers utility in a variety of decks, particularly those that revolve around artifacts or flying synergies. Its ability to bounce nonland permanents caters to control strategies looking to maintain a clear board.

Combo Potential: The card interacts well with other artifacts, enabling bounce combos that can repeatedly exploit enter-the-battlefield effects or clear the way for a winning strike.

Meta-Relevance: With a metagame that often shifts towards creature-based strategies, Looming Hoverguard stands out as a tool to disrupt opponents’ board presence and tip the scales in your favor.

How to beat

Looming Hoverguard shines as a blue creature card in MTG, known for its “bounce” effect that can disrupt an opponent’s board by returning their nonland permanents to their hand. To counteract this flying threat, consider using instant-speed removal spells that can target and eliminate it before its ability triggers when it enters the battlefield. Direct damage spells, such as Lightning Bolt, or efficient kill spells like Fatal Push, are excellent tools to remove Looming Hoverguard quickly.

Strategic placement of your own creatures can also be a sensible tactic. Deploying creatures with flash enables you to keep mana open and respond after the Hoverguard has been cast, reducing the chance that your key permanents will be bounced. Similarly, capitalizing on its 3/3 stat line means that creatures with power four or greater can challenge it directly, ensuring it won’t stay on the battlefield for long. Therefore, while Looming Hoverguard can certainly create tempo swings, a prepared player can mitigate its impact and sustain board presence effectively.

Cards like Looming Hoverguard

In the roster of creature cards in MTG, Looming Hoverguard offers a particular set of abilities that make it both unique and comparable to others in its environment. With a look towards cards like Man-o’-War, it’s easy to notice that both share the bounce mechanism, enabling players to return target creatures to their owner’s hands. Looming Hoverguard, however, is more specialized, only affecting nonblue creatures which can be advantageous in a strategically blue-heavy meta.

Additionally, comparing it to Aether Adept, another card with a similar creature returning ability, Looming Hoverguard stands out with its higher power and the fact that it’s a flyer, thus offering increased combat and defensive potentials. Aether Adept does have the advantage of being less mana-intensive and having no color restrictions on the creature it returns. It’s the subtleties in these abilities that distinguish each card’s strategic application in gameplay.

It’s essential to consider these intricacies when evaluating cards. Looming Hoverguard, with its specific targeting and evasion abilities, carves out a niche for itself among MTG creatures that influence the battlefield by mediating opponent’s creature placement.

Cards similar to Looming Hoverguard by color, type and mana cost

Sun Quan, Lord of Wu - MTG Card versions

Arcanis the Omnipotent - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Looming Hoverguard MTG card by a specific set like Mirrodin, 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 Looming Hoverguard and other MTG cards: