Elite Cat Warrior MTG Card

Portal (POR)
1997-05-01 - Number 163†

Portal (POR)
1997-05-01 - Number 163

Elite Cat Warrior - Masters Edition IV (ME4)

Masters Edition IV (ME4)
2011-01-10 - Number 151

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Cat Warrior
Abilities	Forestwalk
Power	2
Toughness	3

Key Takeaways

Grants card advantage and fits various playstyles, aiding both aggressive and defensive strategies within green decks.
Needs green mana and may require high investment, potentially limiting deck diversity and effectiveness.
Forestwalk ability provides meta-relevance and combo potential, but is balanced by manageable counters.

Text of card

Forestwalk (If defending player has any forests in play, Elite Cat Warrior can't be intercepted. Forests are in play regardless of whether they're tapped or untapped.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Elite Cat Warrior provides strategic depth to your deck with its prowess in card advantage. It affects the board state upon entering the battlefield or may offer a consistent means to draw cards, enabling you to outpace your opponent with more options in hand.

Resource Acceleration: If the Elite Cat Warrior has abilities that aid in ramping your resources, it can significantly speed up your gameplay. The ability to accelerate your mana production or to untap lands can be a game-changer, setting you up for powerful moves ahead of schedule.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of acting at instant speed cannot be overstated. If the Elite Cat Warrior can be summoned or has abilities that trigger at instant speed, this allows you to adapt to the flow of the game with surprise blocks or by capitalizing on the perfect moment to tip the scales in your favor without having to commit resources during your own turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Elite Cat Warrior’s playability is hampered by the need to discard cards in order to unlock its full potential. Having to discard, particularly for a creature card, might lead to a diminished hand, reducing your strategic options as the game progresses.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost of Elite Cat Warrior includes green mana, which commits you to incorporating green within your deck build. This requirement can restrict deck diversity, making it less appealing to players who prefer a multicolor deck strategy or who are looking to insert this card into an existing non-green deck.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When considering the benefits that Elite Cat Warrior brings to the battlefield, the mana cost can be seen as quite high. Other cards in the same cost bracket may offer more value or versatility, which could lead players to seek alternatives that enhance their deck’s performance without the hefty mana investment.

Reasons to Include Elite Cat Warrior in Your Collection

Versatility: Elite Cat Warrior stands out with its ability to adapt across various playstyles, fitting comfortably in aggro decks as a reliable attacker and in control decks as a solid defender with its forestwalk ability.

Combo Potential: This feline combatant offers combo opportunities with cards that capitalize on creature types or abilities, enhancing tribal synergies or leveraging its forestwalk for unblockable damage.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where forest-heavy decks are prevalent, the Elite Cat Warrior gains increased relevance, often slipping past enemy lines undetected, making it a strategic choice against the right opponents.

How to beat

The Elite Cat Warrior is a card worth noting for Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts who appreciate creatures with an edge in combat. Though this card doesn’t dominate headlines like some rare and mythic cards, it’s a versatile combatant in green-deck strategies. Noted for its forestwalk ability, this card can become unblockable as long as the opponent controls a forest, which positions it as a consistent threat in games where land types play a pivotal role.

When it comes to managing this feline force on the battlefield, controlling the types of lands in play can be key. Cards that alter land types, such as Spreading Seas or Blood Moon, can effectively negate the forestwalk ability of Elite Cat Warrior. It’s also important to have a robust line of defense. Utilizing creatures with reach or spells that can remove creatures without targeting such as Day of Judgment can level the playing field. Incorporating cards that limit the types of creatures that can attack, like Ensnaring Bridge, also provides a strategic advantage against creature-based strategies like those centered around Elite Cat Warrior.

Implementing these tactics in your deck construction or during gameplay can provide you with a significant upper hand against this swift and stealthy adversary.

Cards like Elite Cat Warrior

Elite Cat Warrior holds a distinct place as a creature card in Magic: The Gathering. It finds parallels with other creature cards like Treetop Scout, which also boasts the ability to be unblockable as long as it’s attacking alone. While Treetop Scout has a lower casting cost and is more subtle in its approach, Elite Cat Warrior offers a sturdier frame for combat with its higher power and toughness.

Another card worth mentioning is the Leonin Skyhunter. Possessing both the flying ability and a cat creature type, the Skyhunter serves as a formidable force in aerial combat. Nevertheless, the unblockable trait of Elite Cat Warrior when attacking alone may at times be more advantageous than the flying attribute, particularly in metagames where flying defenders are prevalent.

To round out the comparison, Skyhunter Patrol shares the cat warrior identity and comes with both flying and first strike. Despite this, it does command a higher mana investment, which could delay its deployment on the battlefield. Elite Cat Warrior stands as a viable choice with its unique benefits, ensuring its rank in the MTG ecosystem as a robust creature card worthy of incorporation into relevant decks.

Cards similar to Elite Cat Warrior by color, type and mana cost

Hungry Hungry Heifer - MTG Card versions

Territorial Scythecat - MTG Card versions

Reki, the History of Kamigawa - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Elite Cat Warrior MTG card by a specific set like Portal and Portal, 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 Elite Cat Warrior and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The Elite Cat Warrior Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1997-05-01 and 2011-01-10. Illustrated by Eric Peterson.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1997-05-01	Portal	POR	163†	1997	Normal	Black	Eric Peterson
2	1997-05-01	Portal	POR	163	1997	Normal	Black	Eric Peterson
3	2011-01-10	Masters Edition IV	ME4	151	1997	Normal	Black	Eric Peterson