The First Sliver MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — Sliver
Abilities Cascade
Power 7
Toughness 7

Key Takeaways

  1. Cascade ability from The First Sliver creates potential for immense board presence through successive Sliver plays.
  2. Players need a varied mana base and hand size to maximize The First Sliver’s cascade mechanic effectively.
  3. The First Sliver is a versatile commander, enhancing Sliver decks and retaining meta relevance with its combo potential.

Text of card

Cascade (When you cast this spell, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card that costs less. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the exiled cards on the bottom of your library in a random order.) Sliver spells you cast have cascade.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The First Sliver grants access to Cascade for every Sliver spell you cast, potentially flooding your board with creatures and overwhelming opponents.

Resource Acceleration: As an enabler for the five colors, The First Sliver allows for a diversified mana base, smoothing out draws and ramping up your ability to cast spells of any color swiftly.

Instant Speed: Though not an instant itself, the cascade effect it provides can hit instant-speed interaction, giving you unexpected ways to disrupt your opponent during their turn or end step.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While The First Sliver offers cascade to spells you cast, it also necessitates a solid hand size to fully leverage this ability. Without additional card draw, you might find yourself discarding valuable cards to fuel your plays.

Specific Mana Cost: The First Sliver demands a diversely colored mana base, which can be demanding. Deck builders need to include a wide range of dual lands, fetch lands, or mana fixing cards to consistently summon this creature to the battlefield.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of five mana across different colors, The First Sliver can be a hefty investment in the early game. Players need to consider their curve and whether they can afford such a high cost, given that other cards in the same mana range may offer more immediate impact on the game state.


Reasons to Include The First Sliver in Your Collection

Versatility: The First Sliver’s ability to grant cascade to all slivers you cast allows it to integrate seamlessly into numerous Sliver-based decks. Its color identity also makes it perfect for commanding a five-color deck, providing a wide array of strategic options on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: Known for its synergy with other slivers, The First Sliver can unleash an array of potent combos that can swiftly escalate the tide of a game. Its cascade effect is particularly powerful as it can cast slivers from your deck for free, potentially setting off a chain reaction of creature spells.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where diverse strategies are key, The First Sliver comes in handy. It’s a strong play against control decks that struggle to keep up with the cascade of threats and it has the size to battle effectively in mid-range matchups, making it an enduring contender in many MTG games.


How to beat

The First Sliver is an immensely powerful card within the cascade mechanic in MTG, presenting a notable challenge to overcome due to its ability to potentially cast multiple spells for free. Constructing a strategy to beat this formidable card is essential. One effective method is to limit The First Sliver’s impact by using removal spells before the cascade effect triggers. Spells like Path to Exile or Murderous Rider work well, as they can exile or destroy The First Sliver upon its entry to the battlefield, cutting off the cascade chain immediately.

Another approach is to employ counter spells like Counterspell or Dovin’s Veto, disrupting your opponent’s plan by preventing The First Sliver from ever taking the field. Alternatively, utilizing board wipes such as Damnation or Wrath of God after The First Sliver has cascaded can help reset the board and remove the resulting army of Slivers. Lastly, playing cards that hinder or deny cascade like Torpor Orb or Grafdigger’s Cage can effectively neutralize The First Sliver’s main advantage. By anticipating the cascade and deploying these strategies, you could gain the upper hand against this daunting adversary.

Confronting The First Sliver requires foresight, precision, and the right set of answers in your deck to ensure it doesn’t overwhelm you with its cascading forces. With the suitable tactics and responses, overcoming this colossal threat is within reach, maintaining the balance in your favor on the battlefield.


BurnMana Recommendations

Diving into the endless possibilities that The First Sliver presents is essential for the savvy MTG player. Harnessing its power can lead to a dominant position on the board, overflowing with Slivered creatures, each casting a long shadow over the playing field. Whether you’re a commander that thrives in the chaos of a five-color deck or one who meticulously plans each combo, The First Sliver is a must-have. Are you ready to command the cascade and command the game? Step into our realm of MTG insight, where mastery and victory wait just a click away. Learn more and make this powerful card work for you.


Cards like The First Sliver

The First Sliver is a remarkable commander in MTG, often compared to other influential Sliver cards. One notable counterpart is Sliver Overlord, a card that allows players to search for Slivers in their library, offering unparalleled deck manipulation. The First Sliver, however, introduces the cascade mechanic, which can trigger a chain of free plays from the deck, potentially leading to a quick and powerful build-up of the board.

Another card that often comes up in discussion is Sliver Queen. While Sliver Queen excels at generating a vast army with its ability to create Sliver tokens, The First Sliver’s cascade effect can often lead to a more diverse and unexpected field of play. Whereas Sliver Queen focuses on quantity, The First Sliver could potentially offer quality and variety with each cascade.

Lastly, Sliver Hivelord provides an indestructible shield to your Slivers, an excellent defensive trait. The First Sliver lacks this protection but compensates with aggressive play potential. The cascading Slivers’ ability to flood the board with the various effects truly sets The First Sliver apart as a card that can turn the tide of the game with its unique mechanic.

Sliver Overlord - MTG Card versions
Sliver Queen - MTG Card versions
Sliver Hivelord - MTG Card versions
Sliver Overlord - Scourge (SCG)
Sliver Queen - Stronghold (STH)
Sliver Hivelord - Magic 2015 (M15)

Cards similar to The First Sliver by color, type and mana cost

Sliver Queen - MTG Card versions
Cromat - MTG Card versions
Atogatog - MTG Card versions
Tazri, Beacon of Unity - MTG Card versions
Jegantha, the Wellspring - MTG Card versions
Sliver Overlord - MTG Card versions
Scion of the Ur-Dragon - MTG Card versions
Sliver Legion - MTG Card versions
Horde of Notions - MTG Card versions
Child of Alara - MTG Card versions
Maelstrom Archangel - MTG Card versions
Fusion Elemental - MTG Card versions
Sliver Hivelord - MTG Card versions
General Tazri - MTG Card versions
Nira, Hellkite Duelist - MTG Card versions
Niv-Mizzet Reborn - MTG Card versions
Kenrith, the Returned King - MTG Card versions
Garth One-Eye - MTG Card versions
Jodah, the Unifier - MTG Card versions
Omnath, Locus of All - MTG Card versions
Sliver Queen - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Cromat - Apocalypse (APC)
Atogatog - Odyssey (ODY)
Tazri, Beacon of Unity - Zendikar Rising Promos (PZNR)
Jegantha, the Wellspring - Multiverse Legends (MUL)
Sliver Overlord - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Scion of the Ur-Dragon - Commander 2017 (C17)
Sliver Legion - Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)
Horde of Notions - Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)
Child of Alara - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Maelstrom Archangel - Dominaria United Commander (DMC)
Fusion Elemental - Dominaria United Commander (DMC)
Sliver Hivelord - Commander Masters (CMM)
General Tazri - Oath of the Gatewatch Promos (POGW)
Nira, Hellkite Duelist - 2016 Heroes of the Realm (HTR16)
Niv-Mizzet Reborn - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Kenrith, the Returned King - Tales of Middle-earth Commander (LTC)
Garth One-Eye - Modern Horizons 2 Promos (PMH2)
Jodah, the Unifier - Dominaria United Promos (PDMU)
Omnath, Locus of All - March of the Machine (MOM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase The First Sliver MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Modern Horizons, 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 The First Sliver and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The The First Sliver Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2019-06-14 and 2021-08-26. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 913251997normalblackSvetlin Velinov
22019-06-14Modern HorizonsMH1 2002015normalblackSvetlin Velinov
32019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 13712015normalblackSvetlin Velinov & Scott Okumura
42021-06-18Modern Horizons 1 TimeshiftsH1R 261997normalblackSvetlin Velinov
52021-08-26Jumpstart: Historic HorizonsJ21 6912015normalblackSvetlin Velinov

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where The First Sliver has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
GladiatorLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-06-14 If a spell has multiple instances of cascade (for example, if you cast a second The First Sliver), each instance of cascade triggers and resolves separately. The spell you cast due to the first cascade ability will go on the stack on top of the second cascade ability. That spell will resolve before you exile cards for the second cascade ability.
2019-06-14 The First Sliver's last ability only applies while it's on the battlefield. If The First Sliver's own cascade ability lets you cast another Sliver card, that Sliver won't have cascade.
2021-06-18 A spell's mana value is determined only by its mana cost. Ignore any alternative costs, additional costs, cost increases, or cost reductions.
2021-06-18 Cascade triggers when you cast the spell, meaning that it resolves before that spell. If you end up casting the exiled card, it will go on the stack above the spell with cascade.
2021-06-18 Due to a recent rules change to cascade, not only do you stop exiling cards if you exile a nonland card with lesser mana value than the spell with cascade, but the resulting spell you cast must also have lesser mana value. Previously, in cases where a card's mana value differed from the resulting spell, such as with some modal double-faced cards or cards with an Adventure, you could cast a spell with a higher mana value than the exiled card.
2021-06-18 If a spell with cascade is countered, the cascade ability will still resolve normally.
2021-06-18 If the card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.
2021-06-18 If you cast a card “without paying its mana cost,” you can't choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those to cast the card.
2021-06-18 The mana value of a split card is determined by the combined mana cost of its two halves. If cascade allows you to cast a split card, you may cast either half but not both halves.
2021-06-18 When the cascade ability resolves, you must exile cards. The only optional part of the ability is whether or not you cast the last card exiled.
2021-06-18 You exile the cards face up. All players will be able to see them.

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