Ivy Dancer MTG Card


Ivy Dancer - Ravnica: City of Guilds
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Dryad Shaman
Released2005-10-07
Set symbol
Set nameRavnica: City of Guilds
Set codeRAV
Power 1
Toughness 2
Number171
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byTerese Nielsen

Key Takeaways

  1. Ivy Dancer grants dynamic play with instant-speed effects and creature synergy.
  2. It accelerates resource growth, enabling quicker high-cost spell plays.
  3. Board control via creature untapping is pivotal against opponents’ strategies.

Text of card

: Target creature gains forestwalk until end of turn.

Her ivy locks are a remnant of the wooded wilds now lost to Ravnica forever.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ivy Dancer can offer valuable utility by potentially untapping another creature with tap abilities. This interaction can create additional card interactions and benefits within your turn, encouraging a more dynamic playstyle and strategic planning.

Resource Acceleration: Enhancing your board presence by boosting the capabilities of your mana dorks or tap-to-produce mana creatures can significantly speed up your resource growth. This leads to faster execution of high-cost spells or overwhelming your opponents with superior board states more quickly than expected.

Instant Speed: The ability to use Ivy Dancer’s effects at instant speed gives players the tactical edge of responding to opponents’ actions or optimizing their own during any phase of either player’s turn. This instantaneity not only increases the card’s flexibility but also enhances its potential to disrupt opponents’ strategies.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Ivy Dancer in your deck means you’re facing a discard prerequisite—a setback if your hand is already stretched thin by other strategic plays or if maintaining card advantage is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of Ivy Dancer demands a particular commitment to green mana. This can make it tricky to align with multicolored decks or those that heavily rely on other colors for their synergy and mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Ivy Dancer’s effect may not always justify its mana investment, especially considering there are cards with lower costs or more impactful abilities that could better serve the strategy of a deck focused on creatures or enchantments.


Reasons to Include Ivy Dancer in Your Collection

Versatility: Ivy Dancer adds substantial flexibility to green decks by granting all green creatures the ability to tap to untap target creature. This allows for surprise block tactics or the ability to utilize tap effects on creatures multiple times in a turn.

Combo Potential: With the ability to untap creatures, Ivy Dancer can create synergies with creatures that have powerful tap abilities. This enables numerous combinations that could potentially lead to game-winning plays, especially in a Commander format where abilities can be capitalized upon turn after turn.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where the pace keeps accelerating, the control that Ivy Dancer offers can be a game-changer. The ability to untap your creatures not only provides defensive options but also keeps other players guessing, making it a valuable asset against decks that rely on keeping your board locked down.


How to beat

Ivy Dancer has made its mark as an enchantment-lovers’ dream card. With its ability to give shroud to all green creatures, it creates a substantial hurdle for opponents who rely on targeting spells for removal or control. The trick to overcoming Ivy Dancer lies in using sweepers or global effects that don’t rely on targeting individual creatures. Cards like Wrath of God, Damnation, or Pyroclasm can effectively bypass Ivy Dancer’s shroud providing effects, removing the protected creatures without needing to target them directly.

Beyond such spells, playing with creature abilities that aren’t reliant on spellcasting can also be a key strategy. For example, choosing creatures equipped with ‘fight’ abilities or making use of tap abilities that affect all creatures on the board can neutralize Ivy Dancer’s advantage. One also shouldn’t overlook the power of counter spells, which can halt Ivy Dancer from hitting the field in the first place, maintaining an open path for targeted removal.

Overall, while the Ivy Dancer may present a challenge, a well-rounded deck with non-targeting removal and strategic control methods can keep its influence in check, ensuring your strategies to dominate the board don’t falter.


Similar Cards to Ivy Dancer

Ivy Dancer is a unique enchantment creature that lends itself to strategies aiming to empower a player’s blockers and attackers with enhanced capabilities. Its most direct comparison is Silhana Ledgewalker, another creature with an inherent ability to be difficult for opponents to target, providing a similar protective edge in the gameplay. However, while Silhana Ledgewalker offers hexproof to itself, Ivy Dancer extends this benefit to other creatures by granting them forestwalk, allowing them to be unblockable as long as the opponent controls a Forest.

Kaseto, Orochi Archmage presents another interesting parallel. Like Ivy Dancer, Kaseto has the power to make creatures unblockable, but with a more selective focus, conferring this advantage to snakes and those creatures which the player has paid mana for. The snake wizard also has the added bonus of giving a creature a power boost, whereas Ivy Dancer focuses solely on the unblockable aspect. Lastly, Thrun, the Last Troll, a legendary creature that brings resilience and untargetability to the table, shares a self-focused unblockable similarity with Ivy Dancer, but with a sturdier defense mechanism due to its regeneration ability.

Each of these cards offers its own approach to evasion, showing that Ivy Dancer holds a niche position within MTG when it comes to enabling unblocked attacks and playing a pivotal role in combat scenarios.

Silhana Ledgewalker - MTG Card versions
Kaseto, Orochi Archmage - MTG Card versions
Thrun, the Last Troll - MTG Card versions
Silhana Ledgewalker - Guildpact (GPT)
Kaseto, Orochi Archmage - Commander 2015 (C15)
Thrun, the Last Troll - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)

Cards similar to Ivy Dancer by color, type and mana cost

Cat Warriors - MTG Card versions
Rysorian Badger - MTG Card versions
Sabertooth Cobra - MTG Card versions
Quirion Druid - MTG Card versions
Spike Feeder - MTG Card versions
Hungry Hungry Heifer - MTG Card versions
Titania's Chosen - MTG Card versions
Taoist Mystic - MTG Card versions
Femeref Archers - MTG Card versions
Lydari Druid - MTG Card versions
Steel Leaf Champion - MTG Card versions
Realmwalker - MTG Card versions
Topiary Stomper - MTG Card versions
Territorial Scythecat - MTG Card versions
Wirewood Savage - MTG Card versions
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Timberwatch Elf - MTG Card versions
Pincher Beetles - MTG Card versions
Yavimaya Elder - MTG Card versions
Awakener Druid - MTG Card versions
Cat Warriors - Legends (LEG)
Rysorian Badger - Homelands (HML)
Sabertooth Cobra - Mirage (MIR)
Quirion Druid - Visions (VIS)
Spike Feeder - Stronghold (STH)
Hungry Hungry Heifer - Unglued (UGL)
Titania's Chosen - Urza's Saga (USG)
Taoist Mystic - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Femeref Archers - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Lydari Druid - Sega Dreamcast Cards (PSDG)
Steel Leaf Champion - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Realmwalker - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC)
Topiary Stomper - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Territorial Scythecat - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Wirewood Savage - Onslaught (ONS)
Reki, the History of Kamigawa - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Timberwatch Elf - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Pincher Beetles - Tenth Edition (10E)
Yavimaya Elder - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Awakener Druid - Magic 2011 (M11)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ivy Dancer MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica: City of Guilds, 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 Ivy Dancer and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ivy Dancer has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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