Ghirapur Osprey MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Bird
Abilities	Flying
Released	2017-01-20
Set symbol
Set name	Aether Revolt
Set code	AER
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	20
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Zezhou Chen

Key Takeaways

Ghirapur Osprey’s flying ability offers consistent damage and evades many ground defenders.
Its specific mana cost may limit deck inclusion, translating to less versatility.
Other cards like Healer’s Hawk offer additional benefits such as lifelink for the same cost.

Text of card

Flying

Many airship captains keep pets that share their love of the sky.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Ghirapur Osprey offers consistent aerial pressure due to its flying ability, which frequently goes uncontested in the early to mid-game, but it doesn’t directly influence card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: While the Osprey itself isn’t a source of resource acceleration, its low mana cost allows you to deploy other cards alongside it without delaying your plays.

Instant Speed: As a creature, Ghirapur Osprey does not have instant speed, but its straightforward deployment can keep your opponent guessing about what spells you might cast with your remaining mana.

Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Ghirapur Osprey requires a specific combination of mana to play. Its casting cost includes white mana, which means it can only be seamlessly incorporated into decks that are built around, or at least include, white mana sources. This requirement may restrict its inclusion to certain archetypes, potentially excluding it from a variety of more diverse deck constructions.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While not exorbitantly costly, Ghirapur Osprey’s mana cost to power and toughness ratio is on the higher side when compared to other creatures in its class. For the same amount of mana, players might find creatures with additional abilities or more favorable stats, making the Osprey a less optimal choice for competitive play where every mana point counts.

Discard Requirement: Although Ghirapur Osprey itself does not have a discard requirement, it is noteworthy that it does not offer any protection against discard effects. In environments where discard strategies are prevalent, the Osprey can become a liability in your hand without methods to offer it security or leverage it as an asset against such strategies.

Reasons to Include Ghirapur Osprey in Your Collection

Versatility: Ghirapur Osprey is capable of being slotted into various decks that benefit from evasive creatures. Its ability to fly overhead can be a simple solution to dealing consistent damage in a format where grounded blockers are common.

Combo Potential: While it may not be the centerpiece of a combo, the Osprey can complement strategies that capitalize on the presence of flying creatures or those that benefit from artifact synergies, given its flavor as a constructed bird of the imaginative Ghirapur city in MTG.

Meta-Relevance: In a gameplay environment that heavily favors aggressive tactics, the Ghirapur Osprey shines by being a low-cost flyer, capable of maintaining pressure and swinging in for damage even against more elaborate board states.

How to beat

Ghirapur Osprey is a creature that can present a challenge to unprepared players in MTG. This flier is notable for its evasion, allowing it to skirt past ground-based defenders with ease. While it might not possess overwhelming power, its ability to consistently chip away at an opponent’s life total makes it a pesky adversary.

To effectively handle this card, one should consider including removal spells that do not depend on targeting grounded creatures. Spells like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can deal with the Osprey efficiently, regardless of its ability to fly. Other strategies include using creatures with reach or ones that can also fly to block and ultimately remove Ghirapur Osprey from the battlefield. Incorporating board wipes in your deck is another universal solution since they can clear out all creatures at once, mitigating the impact of standalone threats like the Osprey.

Mastering the control of the airspace in the game is essential, and recognizing the right moment to deploy your answers can make the difference between victory and defeat. In this way, while Ghirapur Osprey could be an annoyance, a well-prepared deck and a keen sense of timing can neutralize this avian nuisance with minimal fuss.

Cards like Ghirapur Osprey

Ghirapur Osprey holds a specific role as a flyer in the ecosystem of Magic: The Gathering creatures. As a creature with flying, the Osprey shares common ground with the likes of the Concordia Pegasus. Both offer the evasion flying trait which can be crucial for getting past ground-based defenses. However, the Osprey is slightly more aggressive, having one more point of power compared to Concordia Pegasus’s balanced power and toughness. This slight advantage enables the Osprey to press in attacks with more force.

Another bird that soars in the same skies is the Healer’s Hawk. Both creatures are low-cost flyers, making them accessible from the early game, but the Hawk comes with lifelink, providing an added benefit of increasing your life total with every combat damage dealt. While not as powerful as the Osprey, the Healer’s Hawk can impact the game by tipping the life balance in your favor over time.

Assessing the various feathered friends, Ghirapur Osprey stands out as a solid choice for those looking to include an offensive flying creature in their deck. With its evasion and power, the Osprey can be an efficient component in both aggressive and defensive strategies on the battlefield.

Cards similar to Ghirapur Osprey by color, type and mana cost

Pianna, Nomad Captain - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ghirapur Osprey MTG card by a specific set like Aether Revolt, 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 Ghirapur Osprey and other MTG cards: