Siren Song Lyre MTG Card


Siren Song Lyre - Born of the Gods
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeArtifact — Equipment
Abilities Equip
Released2014-02-07
Set symbol
Set nameBorn of the Gods
Set codeBNG
Number161
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byJames Paick

Key Takeaways

  1. Siren Song Lyre offers board control, indirectly aiding card advantage by disabling threats.
  2. Activation requires specific mana and a card discard, potentially hindering your strategy.
  3. Versatile and meta-relevant, it fits well into control decks and sideboards.

Text of card

Equipped creature has ", : Tap target creature." Equip

A siren once tried to steal it out of jealousy but was caught by the song of its strings.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Siren Song Lyre can keep an opponent’s creature tapped down, indirectly offering card advantage by negating an active threat without the need to use additional cards.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or resources, this artifact’s ability to control the board allows for a steadier development of your own resources without pressure from certain opposing creatures.

Instant Speed: Though the Lyre itself does not operate at instant speed, it complements instant-speed interactions by keeping potential blockers or attackers at bay, thus allowing for more efficient and opportunistic plays during the opponent’s turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: In game play, the Siren Song Lyre demands a discard from your hand to activate its ability. This can deplete your hand, leaving you at a disadvantage, especially if you’re playing against a deck that capitalizes on your lack of cards.

Specific Mana Cost: The activation of Siren Song Lyre’s ability requires both blue and generic mana. This makes it less flexible, as you need to have the right mana available, which can sometimes disrupt your game plan if your mana base isn’t properly tuned to include sufficient sources of blue mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For decks aiming for efficiency and speed, the mana investment into the Siren Song Lyre could be a setback. It requires a significant amount of mana to play and activate, which may not align with strategies that demand quick or multiple actions within a single turn.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Siren Song Lyre offers flexibility by fitting into numerous deck archetypes. Its ability to tap creatures is universally beneficial, acting as a defensive mechanism or a way to neutralize threats from opponents.

Combo Potential: This artifact synergizes well with strategies that capitalize on locked down opponents. It can contribute to maintaining a locked board state, aiding decks that need time to assemble winning combos or control tactics.

Meta-Relevance: Given its utility against creature-heavy decks, Siren Song Lyre stays relevant when aggressive or creature-focused strategies dominate the play environment. It’s an affordable countermeasure that can be easily slotted into sideboards or main decks to improve your matchup against such strategies.


How to Beat

Siren Song Lyre is an intriguing enchantment artifact in Magic: The Gathering that has the potential to lock down the board by tapping your opponent’s creatures. Despite its utility, there are straightforward strategies for overcoming its siren call. Playing cards that can destroy or exile artifacts or enchantments is a clear-cut method. Naturalize and Disenchant are prime examples of instant-speed removal that can efficiently handle Siren Song Lyre before its controller can utilize its ability.

Alternatively, shifting to a creature-light deck allows you to mitigate the impact of the Lyre. Focus on noncreature strategies like burn, combo, or planeswalker-focused decks to bypass the Lyre’s control. Lastly, cards with the ability to untap your own creatures can also help; this way, even if your creatures are targeted by the Lyre, they won’t be kept out of combat or from using their abilities for long. Remember, flexibility and having a sideboard plan are key when facing down any specific threat within the game.


Cards like Siren Song Lyre

Siren Song Lyre is an intriguing tool for control decks in Magic: The Gathering, offering a unique approach to managing opponents’ creatures. It shares similarities with enchantments like Claustrophobia, which also incapacitates creatures without outright destroying them. Siren Song Lyre requires continuous mana investment to keep a creature locked down, while Claustrophobia is a one-time cost but achieves a permanent effect, making it a more set-and-forget option.

Another relative is Icy Manipulator, which has the ability to tap a target creature as well. Unlike Siren Song Lyre, Icy Manipulator does not require the creature to stay tapped but it also doesn’t prevent the creature from untapping during the next untap step, providing flexibility at the cost of immediacy. Bonds of Ice stares down as a competitor too, able to lock down a creature just like Siren Song Lyre. However, Bonds of Ice comes with an escape clause for the opponent, leveraging their snow lands to break free from its icy grip.

Analyzing these comparisons, Siren Song Lyre holds its position as a strategic option within Magic: The Gathering’s control arsenal. Its consistent lockdown capability sets it apart, offering tactical advantages in prolonged matches.

Claustrophobia - MTG Card versions
Icy Manipulator - MTG Card versions
Claustrophobia - Innistrad (ISD)
Icy Manipulator - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

Cards similar to Siren Song Lyre by color, type and mana cost

Chaos Orb - MTG Card versions
Winter Orb - MTG Card versions
Ankh of Mishra - MTG Card versions
Amulet of Kroog - MTG Card versions
Nacre Talisman - MTG Card versions
Howling Mine - MTG Card versions
Essence Bottle - MTG Card versions
Emerald Medallion - MTG Card versions
Scrying Glass - MTG Card versions
Cursed Totem - MTG Card versions
Tsabo's Web - MTG Card versions
Millikin - MTG Card versions
Swiftfoot Boots - MTG Card versions
Ark of Blight - MTG Card versions
Surestrike Trident - MTG Card versions
Demon's Horn - MTG Card versions
Energy Chamber - MTG Card versions
Water Gun Balloon Game - MTG Card versions
Angel's Feather - MTG Card versions
Elsewhere Flask - MTG Card versions
Chaos Orb - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Winter Orb - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Ankh of Mishra - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Amulet of Kroog - Rinascimento (RIN)
Nacre Talisman - Ice Age (ICE)
Howling Mine - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Essence Bottle - Tempest (TMP)
Emerald Medallion - Commander Anthology (CMA)
Scrying Glass - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Cursed Totem - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Tsabo's Web - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Millikin - Odyssey (ODY)
Swiftfoot Boots - The Brothers' War Retro Artifacts (BRR)
Ark of Blight - Scourge (SCG)
Surestrike Trident - Darksteel (DST)
Demon's Horn - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Energy Chamber - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Water Gun Balloon Game - Unhinged (UNH)
Angel's Feather - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Elsewhere Flask - Shadowmoor (SHM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Siren Song Lyre MTG card by a specific set like Born of the Gods, 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 Siren Song Lyre and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Siren Song Lyre has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

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