Wildwood Geist MTG Card


Wildwood Geist - Avacyn Restored
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Spirit
Released2012-05-04
Set symbol
Set nameAvacyn Restored
Set codeAVR
Power 3
Toughness 3
Number204
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byLars Grant-West

Key Takeaways

  1. Grow stronger each turn, the Geist turns into a significant, escalating threat enhancing board presence.
  2. Boosts without extra mana, providing substantial resource acceleration and combat potential for green decks.
  3. Works well with instants, transforming from a passive defender to an aggressive attacker on your turn.

Text of card

Wildwood Geist gets +2/+2 as long as it's your turn.

The geists that dwell in the deep forests of Kessig are as untamable as the woods themselves.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Wildwood Geist provides substantial value by potentially growing stronger each turn, offering a consistent threat that can lead to a card advantage due to its increasing threat on the board.

Resource Acceleration: This spirit creature’s power boost during your turn can accelerate the damage you deal without additional mana investment, making it a resource-smart play in green decks.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, Wildwood Geist synergizes well with instant-speed spells that can be played during your opponent’s turn, leaving the Geist as an unassuming defender that transforms into a powerful attacker on your turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Wildwood Geist may have an ability tied to discarding another card, which could be a downside if your hand lacks disposable options.

Specific Mana Cost: This spirit creature often requires a blend of specific mana types, potentially restricting it to decks that can consistently produce the necessary forest energy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that could be on the heavier side, you might find other creatures or spells that provide a similar or better value for a lower investment, making the Geist potentially less attractive in fast-paced matches.


Reasons to Include Wildwood Geist in Your Collection

Versatility: Wildwood Geist is a useful creature card that can slot seamlessly into a variety of green decks. Its strength in night conditions makes it adaptable to strategies focusing on day-night mechanics.

Combo Potential: The power boost Wildwood Geist receives at night pairs exceptionally well with cards that manipulate the day-night cycle, fostering potent synergies and dynamics within the deck.

Meta-Relevance: Given the card’s ability to be a consistent threat in games that stretch into longer night cycles, Wildwood Geist holds a place in the meta where such conditions are frequent, adding to its strategic value.


How to beat

Wildwood Geist presents an intriguing challenge on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering, boasting a night-bound ability that enhances its power during a player’s turn if it’s night. As a creature that can grow stronger under specific conditions, it requires a strategic approach to overcome. One effective tactic is to control the day and night cycle, ensuring it remains daytime to prevent the Geist’s power boost. Additionally, employing removal spells that can bypass hexproof abilities during the day, such as Doom Blade or Path to Exile, can directly address the threat.

Beyond direct removal, board wipes like Wrath of God are unselective solutions that can clear the Geist along with other creatures. Ensnaring the Geist with enchantments that prevent it from attacking or blocking, such as Pacifism, can neutralize it without having to send it to the graveyard. Or, you can outpace the Geist by building up your board with creatures that can outmatch it in combat, especially when it’s not empowered by the night. Moreover, countering the Geist when it’s being cast is an efficient way to keep it off the battlefield entirely.

Defeating Wildwood Geist often comes down to timing, battlefield control, and having the right answers at the right moment. Successfully managing these aspects can ensure victory against this formidable spirit of the woods.


Cards like Wildwood Geist

Wildwood Geist is an intriguing creature card in the vast universe of Magic: The Gathering. Its kinship is closest to cards like Wandering Wolf and Boneyard Wurm in terms of green creatures that utilize graveyard mechanics for power boosts. The Geist significantly thrives on the density of creature cards in a player’s graveyard, directly influencing its strength on the battlefield.

Looking at Wandering Wolf, one notices its evasion ability, presenting a different strategic value compared to the direct combat prowess of Wildwood Geist. Both are creatures that demand answers from opponents but deploy divergent forms of pressure. The comparison then stretches to Boneyard Wurm, another graveyard-dependent creature, which, like Wildwood Geist, grows stronger with a well-stocked graveyard but lacks the Geist’s reach ability that can fend off flying threats.

Gauging their niches within the green creature archetype, Wildwood Geist stands out with its reach attribute, providing a unique defensive edge while also being a formidable force if the graveyard is aptly utilized, making it a valued card for players focusing on graveyard synergy.

Wandering Wolf - MTG Card versions
Boneyard Wurm - MTG Card versions
Wandering Wolf - Avacyn Restored (AVR)
Boneyard Wurm - Wizards Play Network 2011 (PWP11)

Cards similar to Wildwood Geist by color, type and mana cost

Thicket Basilisk - MTG Card versions
Cockatrice - MTG Card versions
Ironroot Treefolk - MTG Card versions
Elvish Bard - MTG Card versions
Durkwood Boars - MTG Card versions
Elven Riders - MTG Card versions
Redwood Treefolk - MTG Card versions
Spined Wurm - MTG Card versions
Rabid Wolverines - MTG Card versions
Deadly Insect - MTG Card versions
Vintara Elephant - MTG Card versions
Spring-Leaf Avenger - MTG Card versions
Okina Nightwatch - MTG Card versions
Primeval Force - MTG Card versions
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Tel-Jilad Lifebreather - MTG Card versions
Llanowar Behemoth - MTG Card versions
Bramble Elemental - MTG Card versions
Indrik Stomphowler - MTG Card versions
Thicket Basilisk - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Cockatrice - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Ironroot Treefolk - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Elvish Bard - Alliances (ALL)
Durkwood Boars - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Elven Riders - Duels of the Planeswalkers (DPA)
Redwood Treefolk - Weatherlight (WTH)
Spined Wurm - Stronghold (STH)
Rabid Wolverines - Exodus (EXO)
Deadly Insect - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Vintara Elephant - Prophecy (PCY)
Spring-Leaf Avenger - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Okina Nightwatch - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Primeval Force - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Spitting Spider - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Copperhoof Vorrac - Mirrodin (MRD)
Tel-Jilad Lifebreather - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Llanowar Behemoth - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Bramble Elemental - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Indrik Stomphowler - Commander 2015 (C15)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Wildwood Geist MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored, 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 Wildwood Geist and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Wildwood Geist has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal

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