Yuki-Onna MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Spirit
Power 3
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Yuki-Onna excels in controlling the board by returning snow permanents, disrupting opponents.
  2. Best suited for snow-structured decks, its synergy unveils powerful mana and play combos.
  3. Demands thoughtful deck composition due to specific mana needs and discard mechanics.

Text of card

When Yuki-Onna comes into play, destroy target artifact. Whenever you play a Spirit or Arcane spell, you may return Yuki-Onna to its owner's hand.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Yuki-Onna provides an efficient way to disrupt your opponent by allowing you to return a target snow permanent to its owner’s hand when it enters the battlefield. This can be particularly useful for reclaiming key pieces of your own board or dismantling your adversary’s setup.

Resource Acceleration: Although Yuki-Onna itself doesn’t inherently accelerate resources, its synergy with other snow cards can lead to powerful combos that enable faster mana generation or more efficient use of snow-related effects.

Instant Speed: The ability to play Yuki-Onna at instant speed adds a layer of strategic depth, offering the opportunity to surprise an opponent by disrupting their plays during their turn or at the end of their turn to optimize your resource management and board state for your next move.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging with Yuki-Onna comes with the catch of needing to discard another card. If your hand is already suffering, this could worsen your strategical options, potentially impacting your game plan negatively.

Specific Mana Cost: Commanding a precise blend of mana types, Yuki-Onna necessitates both snow and nonsnow mana for casting. This can result in cumbersome deck-building restrictions, specifically if you wish to optimize your mana base for a diverse spell library.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Burdened with a moderately steep casting cost, when set against other creatures or spells of similar calibre, Yuki-Onna might not always be the most economical choice. Savvy players often seek out alternatives that pack more punch or provide added utility. Hence, scrutiny of what value Yuki-Onna brings to the battlefield is prudent when assembling your deck.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Yuki-Onna offers flexible play options, seamlessly fitting into decks that are designed to control the board or preserve card advantage. As a creature that can manipulate the battlefield by returning to your hand, this card adapts to various in-game situations, enhancing your defensive or aggressive strategies.

Combo Potential: This card shines in combos, notably with cards that benefit from casting spells or returning permanents to hand. Yuki-Onna’s ability to repeatedly come back to your hand enables synergies with cards that capitalize on creature spells or enter-the-battlefield triggers, adding layers of strategy to your deck.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that prizes adaptability and disruption, Yuki-Onna holds its ground. With the capability to disrupt opponents’ hands while offering itself as an ever-ready blocker, it fits well into the current game environment where control and tempo decks are prominent.


How to beat

Yuki-Onna stands as a challenging card within the MTG realm, possessing the ability to disrupt strategies by tapping pivotal permanents. Its frosty grip can stall an opponent’s momentum, equally capable of hindering creatures, artifacts, or lands. To effectively navigate past this icy obstacle, a focus on versatility is key. Cards with multiple use cases or those that can untap your own permanents can mitigate the freezing effect Yuki-Onna brings to the table.

Consider spells like Vitalize or cards with built-in untap abilities – these provide a counterbalance to Yuki-Onna’s control. Not to mention, creature abilities that trigger upon becoming tapped could inadvertently benefit from Yuki-Onna’s ability. The goal is to maintain agility in your play, adapting to the frost’s embrace and using it to your advantage. There’s also the route of removal – prioritizing the direct elimination of Yuki-Onna to thaw the grip on your game.

Securing a win requires insight and adaptation against such formidable card control. Through tactical diversification and prompt responses, one can overcome the chilly challenge that is the Yuki-Onna card, ensuring your strategy remains fluid even in the face of the iciest opponents in MTG.


Cards like Yuki-Onna

Delving into the realm of intriguing MTG creatures, Yuki-Onna emerges as a unique comparison to other cards with its ability to freeze the opponent’s assets. Cards like Frost Lynx share this cold touch, entering the battlefield and tapping an enemy creature that won’t untap during the next untap step. Yuki-Onna enhances this icy effect as it not only targets tapped artifacts but also brings the versatility to potentially destroy an enchanted and tapped artifact.

Similarly, Icefall comes to mind, embracing both destruction and freezing components. It destructively untaps a land, which can also be an artifact if the entwine cost is paid. Yet, Yuki-Onna stands out with its capacity to recur from the graveyard if a snow permanent is under your control, reinforcing its presence and strategic advantage in snow-centric decks.

Assessing the territory of chilly control, Yuki-Onna offers an interesting blend of recurrent disruption and conditional removal that differentiates itself within the MTG landscape. It brings not just a single event of hindrance but a renewable resource that can adapt to continually shifting battlefields and strategies.

Frost Lynx - MTG Card versions
Icefall - MTG Card versions
Frost Lynx - Magic 2015 (M15)
Icefall - Coldsnap (CSP)

Cards similar to Yuki-Onna by color, type and mana cost

Dragon Whelp - MTG Card versions
Keldon Warlord - MTG Card versions
Crimson Manticore - MTG Card versions
Márton Stromgald - MTG Card versions
Reckless Embermage - MTG Card versions
Wildfire Emissary - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Giant - MTG Card versions
Rathi Dragon - MTG Card versions
Mogg Bombers - MTG Card versions
Warmonger - MTG Card versions
Bloodfire Kavu - MTG Card versions
Whipkeeper - MTG Card versions
Anger - MTG Card versions
Nalathni Dragon - MTG Card versions
Everquill Phoenix - MTG Card versions
Goblin Goon - MTG Card versions
Lesser Gargadon - MTG Card versions
Krark-Clan Engineers - MTG Card versions
Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked - MTG Card versions
Ogre Taskmaster - MTG Card versions
Dragon Whelp - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
Keldon Warlord - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Crimson Manticore - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Márton Stromgald - Ice Age (ICE)
Reckless Embermage - Mirage (MIR)
Wildfire Emissary - Mirage (MIR)
Flowstone Giant - Tempest (TMP)
Rathi Dragon - Tempest (TMP)
Mogg Bombers - Stronghold (STH)
Warmonger - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Bloodfire Kavu - Apocalypse (APC)
Whipkeeper - Odyssey (ODY)
Anger - Judgment (JUD)
Nalathni Dragon - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Everquill Phoenix - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
Goblin Goon - Legions (LGN)
Lesser Gargadon - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Krark-Clan Engineers - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Ogre Taskmaster - Ninth Edition (9ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Yuki-Onna MTG card by a specific set like Saviors of Kamigawa and Salvat 2005, 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 Yuki-Onna and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Yuki-Onna Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2005-06-03 and 2005-08-22. Illustrated by Hideaki Takamura.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12005-06-03Saviors of KamigawaSOK 1202003normalblackHideaki Takamura
22005-08-22Salvat 2005PSAL C412003normalwhiteHideaki Takamura

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Yuki-Onna has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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