Nomad Decoy MTG Card

Odyssey (ODY)
2001-10-01 - Number 37

Nomad Decoy - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)

Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
2023-01-13 - Number 17

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Human Nomad
Abilities	Threshold
Power	1
Toughness	2

Key Takeaways

Nomad Decoy excels in flexibility, tapping creatures for strategic battlefield control.
It requires a careful balance of resources, with discard actions and specific mana needs.
Combining with synergistic cards maximizes its impact, especially in Soldier decks.

Text of card

o W, oc T: Tap target creature. Threshold o Wo W, oc T: Tap two target creatures. (Play this ability only if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

If you can take something from a nomad, it's probably bait.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Nomad Decoy offers tactical flexibility on the battlefield allowing you to untap it repeatedly to take advantage of its ability. This can lead to gaining multiple uses out of a single card, effectively disrupting your opponent’s strategies while keeping your resources high.

Resource Acceleration: While Nomad Decoy itself doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, its ability to control the board can indirectly lead to resource advantage. By dictating combat interactions, you can protect your more valuable creatures or your life total, maintaining your pace in the game.

Instant Speed: The ability to tap an opponent’s creature at instant speed makes Nomad Decoy a versatile card in many situations. This can be especially useful to remove potential blockers during your turn or to tap down attackers during your opponent’s turn, potentially shifting the tide of battle in your favour without needing to wait for sorcery speed.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: In order to fully utilize Nomad Decoy’s ability, you may have to discard other valuable cards. This can put you at a disadvantage, particularly if your hand is already running low or if you need to maintain card advantage to stay ahead of your opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: Nomad Decoy requires both white mana and generic mana to play, making it less flexible for multicolor decks that might struggle with mana fixing. It’s essential to have a reliable source of white mana to include this card in your deck without disrupting your mana curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The cost to tap an opposing creature might seem steep at the investment of four mana, given that Nomad Decoy itself is not a particularly strong creature. There are alternative cards with lower mana costs or more impactful tap abilities which could potentially offer a better return on your mana investment.

Reasons to Include Nomad Decoy in Your Collection

Versatility: Nomad Decoy’s ability to tap down creatures presents a flexible tool for both offensive and defensive strategies. It’s effective at keeping potential blockers out of the way or neutralizing a strong attacker on the opponent’s side.

Combo Potential: With its tap ability, Nomad Decoy pairs well with cards that capitalize on tap or untap mechanics. It can be part of a control setup or used in synergy with cards that benefit from creatures being tapped.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that has a focus on creature-based strategies, Nomad Decoy could act as a significant tempo swing. Given that the ability can be used multiple times in a single turn, it is particularly useful in slowing down aggressive decks or disrupting intricate creature combos.

How to beat

Nomad Decoy is a unique tactical card in the Magic: The Gathering universe, showcasing an ability to tap creatures that can alter the course of a game. Its resemblance lies close with cards like Master Decoy or Blinding Mage, both offering creature control capabilities. Yet each card has its own distinct nuances. While Nomad Decoy needs a mana investment and another creature to activate its ability, Master Decoy operates alone though with a cost for each use. Blinding Mage also stands on its own but requires mana for every activation.

Dealing with Nomad Decoy strategically involves recognizing creature control tactics and disrupting them. Cards like Shock or Lightning Bolt effectively remove the Decoy before it can become a thorn in your side. Countermeasure cards such as Negate or Cancel can prevent the Decoy’s activation, preserving your creature’s autonomy. Additionally, enchantments like Pacifism or Darksteel Mutation can render the Decoy powerless, effectively neutralizing its tapping ability.

Conclusively, understanding and countering Nomad Decoy’s strategy can become pivotal in Magic: The Gathering duels. By employing targeted removal, counter spells, or incapacitating enchantments, one can mitigate the effect of Nomad Decoy and maintain control over their creatures.

Cards like Nomad Decoy

Nomad Decoy is a tactical creature card with the ability to tap down opposing creatures, offering strategic control in Magic: The Gathering. Its utility echoes the mechanics found in cards like Master Decoy, which also grants players the power to tap a target creature, but Nomad Decoy extends its capability by allowing the tapping of two creatures simultaneously provided you control another Soldier.

Comparatively, Gideon’s Lawkeeper presents itself as another option in creature control, maintaining a lower mana cost for the initial tap ability. Though less versatile than Nomad Decoy, its simplicity can be advantageous in the early game. Then there’s Benalish Trapper, standing out with its potential to be a cost-effective alternative, despite requiring a single mana to execute its tap ability, perhaps making it a hotter pick in mana-tight situations.

Evaluating these options, Nomad Decoy proves to be a valuable piece in decks centered around creature control and tribal synergies, especially among Soldier archetypes in the game. Its strategic tapping ability, while slightly more expensive, offers a broader utility across the battlefield.

Cards similar to Nomad Decoy by color, type and mana cost

Pianna, Nomad Captain - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Nomad Decoy MTG card by a specific set like Odyssey and Dominaria Remastered, 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 Nomad Decoy and other MTG cards: