Viashino Sandsprinter MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Viashino Warrior
Abilities	Cycling,Haste,Trample
Released	2019-06-14
Set symbol
Set name	Modern Horizons
Set code	MH1
Power	4
Toughness	1
Number	153
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jason A. Engle

Key Takeaways

Cycling Viashino Sandsprinter adds flexibility, maintaining hand options and responding to dynamic game states efficiently.
Mana specific and higher investment cost make it less adaptable but potent in the right deck environment.
Aggressive decks benefit from the hastiness and recurring threat of Viashino Sandsprinter, enhancing their play style.

Text of card

Trample, haste At the beginning of the end step, return Viashino Sandsprinter to its owner's hand. (Return it only if it's on the battlefield.) Cycling (, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Viashino Sandsprinter may not directly allow you to draw cards, the creature’s cycling ability presents an opportunity to replace it in your hand with another card, thus ensuring that your hand remains fueled with options to maintain pressure or respond to opponents’ threats.

Resource Acceleration: Viashino Sandsprinter’s cycling cost can serve as a strategic advantage, allowing you to filter through your deck more efficiently. Although it doesn’t produce mana or tokens, the cycling ability still aids in reaching the essential spells or lands that keep your gameplay tempo accelerated.

Instant Speed: The cycling ability of Viashino Sandsprinter can be activated at instant speed, providing flexibility in gameplay. This means you can adapt to the fluid situation of the game by deciding whether to introduce a hasty attacker or cycle it for another card when the moment is right, thereby keeping your opponent guessing.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One potential downside to playing Viashino Sandsprinter is that at the beginning of your end step, you’re compelled to bounce it back to your hand unless it was cast during the same turn. This cycling constraint can factor into card choice strategy, particularly when considering tempo or board presence maintenance.

Specific Mana Cost: Viashino Sandsprinter demands a specific mana alignment, requesting one generic and two red mana. This requirement can restrict its inclusion to decks that can reliably produce these mana types, potentially excluding it from more versatile multi-color deck builds where mana flexibility is paramount.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value of three, which includes two red mana, the investment for a 4/1 creature is considerable when evaluated against other options within the same mana range. In some cases, decks may prefer creatures or spells that offer a more resilient body or additional abilities for a similar cost.

Reasons to Include Viashino Sandsprinter in Your Collection

Versatility: Viashino Sandsprinter offers flexibility by being a creature that can immediately swing for damage thanks to its haste. It fits well in aggressive decks that aim to reduce the opponent’s life total quickly.

Combo Potential: This creature can be paired with cards enabling you to recast it or benefit from creature entries and exits each turn, such as with the renowned “Flamerush Rider” for an impactful board presence.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where quick and aggressive plays can overpower slower strategies, Viashino Sandsprinter can be a key player, providing swift pressure on the opponent while keeping your mana open for other spells during your turn.

How to beat

The Viashino Sandsprinter is a unique creature in MTG, offering both agility and flexibility on the battlefield. Its inherent ability to gain haste until end of turn is highly valuable for aggressive strategies, as it can surprise opponents with sudden bursts of damage. This card thrives in environments that favor swift, impactful plays, making it a notable inclusion in decks that aim to pressure opponents early in the game.

To effectively counter this card, it’s important to anticipate its arrival and have instant-speed removal at the ready. Cards like Shock or Fatal Push are perfect fits, as they allow you to quickly respond to the Sandsprinter’s entry before any damage can be dealt. Additionally, board control spells that can target multiple creatures, such as Flame Sweep or Cry of the Carnarium, give you the edge by eliminating the Sandsprinter alongside other threats, maximizing your defensive efforts.

Remember, the Viashino Sandsprinter can return to your hand at the beginning of the next end step. Therefore, a focus on timing your responses and maintaining resource efficiency will ensure that this swift creature doesn’t sprint past your defenses.

Cards like Viashino Sandsprinter

Viashino Sandsprinter is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering, closely related to cards like Blistering Firecat in gameplay style. Each card offers a brief burst of power, giving players a chance to deal quick damage. Viashino Sandsprinter, much like the Firecat, has the ability to surge onto the battlefield with trample, becoming an immediate threat. However, it bounces back to a player’s hand at the end of the turn, allowing for strategic re-deployment.

Akin to the Sandsprinter is Spark Elemental. With its single-red mana cost for a burst of three damage, Spark Elemental provides similar aggressive utility, yet it differs by sacrificing itself at the end of turn. This makes it a consumable resource, unlike the continuous potential threat of the Viashino Sandsprinter. Another comparable card, Ball Lightning, brings a significant impact to the game with its 6/1 stats. Although it packs a heftier punch upon entry, its high mana cost and single-use nature contrast with the more flexible and recurring threat of the Sandsprinter.

While evaluating these options, Viashino Sandsprinter delivers a remarkable blend of aggression and reusability to the battlefield, establishing itself as a valuable asset in speed-oriented decks in MTG.

Cards similar to Viashino Sandsprinter by color, type and mana cost

Hobgoblin Bandit Lord - MTG Card versions

Mannichi, the Fevered Dream - MTG Card versions

Cunning Bandit // Azamuki, Treachery Incarnate - MTG Card versions

Balduvian Barbarians - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Viashino Sandsprinter MTG card by a specific set like 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 Viashino Sandsprinter and other MTG cards: