Oak Street Innkeeper MTG Card


Oak Street Innkeeper - Return to Ravnica
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Elf
Released2012-10-05
Set symbol
Set nameReturn to Ravnica
Set codeRTR
Power 1
Toughness 2
Number131
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred bySvetlin Velinov

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides card advantage by drawing cards with new sturdy creature plays.
  2. Increases resource acceleration, adding value to each creature cast.
  3. Ensures a well-stocked hand, priming you for instant-speed interaction.

Text of card

As long as it's not your turn, tapped creatures you control have hexproof.

The city is vast and perilous, but there are places where a weary traveler can feel very much at home.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Oak Street Innkeeper offers the beneficial ability to draw a card whenever a nontoken creature you control with toughness 4 or greater enters the battlefield. This ability can help you sustain a steady flow of options in your hand, enabling you to maintain a dominant position on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: With Oak Street Innkeeper, you can leverage your creatures to accelerate your resources. It makes each creature you play potentially more valuable, not just for its inherent abilities but also as a tool for advancing your mana pool and game plan.

Instant Speed: While Oak Street Innkeeper itself doesn’t function at instant speed, the card advantage it provides can help ensure that your hand is well-equipped with instant-speed responses. This can keep your opponents guessing and help you react to threats or opportunities as they arise, all while utilizing the additional resources and cards Oak Street Innkeeper helps to secure.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Oak Street Innkeeper in a game requires a certain finesse, as the card stipulates you must discard another card to gain its benefit. This can hamper your hand size, leaving you with fewer options in later turns which might not be ideal during crucial moments of gameplay.

Specific Mana Cost: Integrating Oak Street Innkeeper into your deck might pose a challenge due to its specific mana requirements. The necessity for green mana makes this card a less versatile pick, potentially restricting its playability to decks that can consistently produce enough green mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Oak Street Innkeeper can be a valuable asset, its mana cost is on the higher side relative to other options available. Players must consider whether its abilities are worth the investment, especially when there are alternative cards that could provide similar or better advantages at a lower mana cost, allowing for a more efficient use of resources throughout the game.


Reasons to Include Oak Street Innkeeper in Your Collection

Versatility: Oak Street Innkeeper might not immediately stand out, but its ability to turn your untapped creatures into subtle sources of defense can be key in protecting valuable assets in a variety of green decks, from midrange to creature-heavy strategies.

Combo Potential: The innkeeper synergizes well with cards that benefit from untapped creatures, potentially enabling intricate combos by stealthily guarding your other creatures. This could be particularly potent in decks that focus on tap and untap mechanics.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames where board presence is crucial, the added layer of security provided to your untapped creatures can be the difference between a win and a loss, making it a tactical inclusion for attuned deck builders.


How to Beat Oak Street Innkeeper

Oak Street Innkeeper is an intriguing creature card in Magic: The Gathering, offering a unique ability that makes your creatures harder to target during your turn. At first glance, Oak Street Innkeeper might seem like a tough nut to crack, securing your board during critical phases of the game. However, defeating this Innkeeper isn’t insurmountable with strategic play.

The key to triumph over Oak Street Innkeeper lies in timing your removal spells and abilities. Since it protects creatures only during your turn, utilize your opponent’s turn to your advantage by casting spells like Doom Blade or Murder to remove key creatures without interference from the Innkeeper’s ability. Moreover, you can utilize board sweepers such as Wrath of God or Day of Judgment that are unaffected by the Innkeeper’s protections, as they do not target individual creatures.

Remember also to look out for cards that can bypass the Oak Street Innkeeper’s shield by not targeting creatures at all, like edict effects from cards like Diabolic Edict which forces a sacrifice, ensuring that you can control the game flow and keep the Innkeeper’s advantage at bay.

Ultimately, understanding the timing of your plays and leveraging the right spells can assure you an upper hand against Oak Street Innkeeper’s subtle defenses, paving the way for a well-earned victory.


Cards like Oak Street Innkeeper

Oak Street Innkeeper presents an intriguing dynamic in Magic: The Gathering’s pantheon of creature-centric enchantments. As a card that both encourages a defensive posture and offers card advantage, it draws parallels to cards like Courser of Kruphix. The Courser also provides value over time by playing lands from the top of the deck, although it does not have the direct card draw mechanic.

Another card to consider is Eidolon of Blossoms, which triggers card draw when enchantments are played, playing into a potentially similar deck style that values permanents on the battlefield. However, Eidolon of Blossoms doesn’t require the nuanced state of having tapped creatures to trigger its effect. We can also look at cards like Elvish Visionary, a staple creature that brings immediate card draw upon entering the battlefield, though it lacks the ongoing potential to incrementally generate card advantage.

In weighing Oak Street Innkeeper against these options, it holds a unique position. Its ability to turn defense into card draw is a valuable asset, particularly in formats or decks that favor prolonged board states and incremental advantages. While its counterparts may offer more immediacy or broader conditions for card advantage, Oak Street Innkeeper shines in protecting and drawing cards within a carefully constructed deck strategy.

Courser of Kruphix - MTG Card versions
Eidolon of Blossoms - MTG Card versions
Elvish Visionary - MTG Card versions
Courser of Kruphix - Born of the Gods (BNG)
Eidolon of Blossoms - Journey into Nyx Promos (PJOU)
Elvish Visionary - Shards of Alara (ALA)

Cards similar to Oak Street Innkeeper by color, type and mana cost

Cat Warriors - MTG Card versions
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Sabertooth Cobra - MTG Card versions
Quirion Druid - MTG Card versions
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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
Reki, the History of Kamigawa - MTG Card versions
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 Oak Street Innkeeper MTG card by a specific set like Return to Ravnica, 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 Oak Street Innkeeper and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Oak Street Innkeeper has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

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