Briarknit Kami MTG Card


Briarknit Kami - Saviors of Kamigawa
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Spirit
Released2005-06-03
Set symbol
Set nameSaviors of Kamigawa
Set codeSOK
Power 3
Toughness 3
Number124
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byBrian Despain

Key Takeaways

  1. Briarknit Kami provides card advantage by duplicating modified creatures, offering a resourceful edge.
  2. Its instant speed casting allows for adaptable strategic plays, increasing your tactical options.
  3. Despite mana and discard prerequisites, its versatility makes it a valuable green-focused card.

Text of card

Whenever you play a Spirit or Arcane spell, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.

One thorn to warn, ten thorns to defend, a hundred thorns to destroy.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Briarknit Kami offers a unique form of card advantage by creating a copy of a modified creature when it enters the battlefield. This essentially offers a two-for-one deal, crucial for outpacing your opponents in resources.

Resource Acceleration: This kami enables resource acceleration by providing an additional creature on the battlefield. This can lead to more efficient mana distribution, allowing you to deploy other threats or answers more quickly.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Briarknit Kami at instant speed offers strategic depth, allowing you to adapt to the board state during either player’s turn. It’s perfect for surprise blocks or for end-of-turn plays, keeping your opponents on their toes.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Briarknit Kami requires you to discard a card to leverage its full potential. While enabling you to transform it into a creature, if you’re in a pinch for tangible assets on the field, the discard can set you back, particularly against hand-disruption strategies.

Specific Mana Cost: The need for green mana to cast Briarknit Kami restricts it to decks that run forests or mana fixing capabilities. For players not running a green-centric or compatible mana base, incorporating this card could present a challenge in maintaining a fluid mana curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a spectrum of options available in MTG, the cost of four mana for a 1/1 creature, even with an upside, is steep. When considering the investment, one has to weigh the delayed benefit against immediate board impact provided by other cards within the same mana range.


Reasons to Include Briarknit Kami in Your Collection

Versatility: Briarknit Kami is a flexible addition to decks that capitalize on +1/+1 counters and creature synergies. It seamlessly integrates into both aggressive and controlling green-based strategies, enhancing your board presence.

Combo Potential: This little spirit works wonders in combo-centric builds, especially paired with cards that proliferate or double counters, allowing for explosive growth and potentially game-ending turns.

Meta-Relevance: Considering the evolving MTG meta where creature strategies are common, Briarknit Kami holds a firm position, disrupting opponents with its graft ability and providing substantial boosts to newly summoned creatures.


How to beat

Overcoming a Briarknit Kami in MTG hinges on recognizing the strength it brings to green creature-based decks. With the ability to modify itself using its channel ability, it can be a formidable presence on the battlefield. It adds a layer of versatility, and its +1/+1 counter distribution can quickly escalate the threat level of your opponent’s creatures.

One strategy is to keep removal spells on hand that can target Briarknit Kami the moment it becomes a creature, or even while it’s still in the graveyard ready for its channel ability. Cards like Fatal Push or Path to Exile are efficient at dealing with it. Additionally, graveyard hate cards that exile cards from the graveyard, such as Relic of Progenitus, can be incredibly effective at neutralizing Briarknit Kami’s channel ability before it’s even used. By anticipating your opponent’s moves and managing the stack as well as the graveyard, you’ll be able to mitigate the impact of Briarknit Kami in the game.

Ultimately, the key to beating a card like Briarknit Kami is to disrupt the synergies within your opponent’s deck, keeping their battlefield clear and their graveyard in check. This prevents the Kami from being utilized to its full potential and maintaining control of the game.


Cards like Briarknit Kami

Briarknit Kami offers a unique role in the realm of MTG by infusing creatures with a life cycle that mirrors nature itself. It’s akin to cards like Ivy Lane Denizen, which also revolves around +1/+1 counters, albeit without the channel ability Briarknit Kami possesses. The Denizen serves a static role, giving counters whenever another green creature enters the battlefield—constant but lacking the flexible choice of Kami’s channeling.

Exploring further, Armorcraft Judge comes to mind. This card also interacts with creatures carrying +1/+1 counters, awarding card draw based on the quantity of such creatures. While Judge is beneficial in a counter-heavy deck, its effect is entirely dependent on the board state, unlike Briarknit Kami, which can be utilized from the hand or graveyard for its effect.

Lastly, compare Briarknit Kami to cards like Ridgescale Tusker, which distributes +1/+1 counters upon entry to each other creature you control. This is a one-time substantial boost, contrasting with Briarknit Kami’s ongoing enhancement strategy. Each of these cards has a distinct niche, with Briarknit Kami enabling a particular synergy between using +1/+1 counters and leveraging graveyard resources.

Ivy Lane Denizen - MTG Card versions
Armorcraft Judge - MTG Card versions
Ridgescale Tusker - MTG Card versions
Ivy Lane Denizen - Gatecrash (GTC)
Armorcraft Judge - Kaladesh (KLD)
Ridgescale Tusker - Aether Revolt (AER)

Cards similar to Briarknit Kami by color, type and mana cost

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Llanowar Behemoth - MTG Card versions
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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 Briarknit Kami MTG card by a specific set like Saviors of Kamigawa, 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 Briarknit Kami and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Briarknit Kami has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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