Topplegeist MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Spirit
Abilities Delirium,Flying
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Topplegeist excels in disruption by tapping enemies upon entry and during each upkeep with Delirium.
  2. Delirium requirement shapes gameplay, encouraging strategic graveyard management for maximum benefit.
  3. White mana specificity influences deck types, offering both a limitation and a focused strategy.

Text of card

Flying When Topplegeist enters the battlefield, tap target creature an opponent controls. Delirium — At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, if there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard, tap target creature that player controls.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Topplegeist offers a unique card advantage in the form of its ability to tap an opponent’s creature right when it enters the battlefield. This can disrupt an opponent’s carefully laid plans, giving you an upper hand.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly accelerating resources, Topplegeist’s Delirium ability – which activates if there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard – lets you tap an opponent’s creature at each of your upkeep turns. This ongoing control can translate into a resource advantage by effectively neutralizing potential threats column-by-column

Instant Speed: Topplegeist’s ability is not at instant speed, but its eternally useful effect can be considered as a preemptive action that sets up defense or clears the way for your assault. Knowing when to deploy Topplegeist can feel as tactical as playing an instant, timing being key in maximizing its disruptive potential.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Topplegeist demands a player to have Delirium — four or more card types in their graveyard — to utilize its full potential. Achieving this can sometimes require deliberate discard actions which might deplete your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Topplegeist requires white mana to cast, restricting it to certain deck archetypes, primarily those that include white or are able to generate white mana effectively, potentially limiting deck-building flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although costing only a single white mana may seem low, for decks focusing on efficiency, Topplegeist’s effect — tapping a single creature — can be underwhelming without the Delirium bonus. Other cards may offer better control options for the same or slightly higher mana investments.


Reasons to Include Topplegeist Mtg Card in Your Collection

Versatility: Topplegeist possesses a flexible skill that allows it to tap potential threats the moment it hits the battlefield. Its ability is not limited to creature decks but is also useful in controlling matchups to manage opposing threats.

Combo Potential: As it harbors the ability to repeatedly tap opponents’ creatures if you achieve Delirium, Topplegeist synergizes well with cards that enable graveyard strategies, potentially locking down an opponent’s board in the late game.

Meta-Relevance: In a game climate where small creatures can have a big impact, Topplegeist’s early game utility and late-game relevance offer a unique tool against both aggressive and creature-based decks, making it a timely addition to any collection.


How to beat Topplegeist

In the realm of MTG, Topplegeist is not your typical one-drop creature. It has the unique ability to tap an opponent’s creature as it enters the battlefield. Moreover, its Delirium ability can be a persistent nuisance, tapping down an adversary’s asset every turn if you have four or more card types in your graveyard. But even the most ethereal foes have their weaknesses.

To counteract Topplegeist, consider adding instant-speed removal spells in your deck that can respond to it being played or activated. Cards with graveyard hate capabilities, such as Relic of Progenitus or Scavenging Ooze, can thwart Delirium, making Topplegeist a simple spirit without its lockdown potential. Keeping the number of card types entering your graveyard to a minimum will also reduce the chance of Topplegeist taking full flight. Strategic planning and situational removal are key to ensuring this spirit doesn’t haunt your matches for long.

Ultimately, facing a Topplegeist means being smart about your graveyard and ready with an immediate answer. With thoughtful play, the spectral presence of Topplegeist can be managed effectively, keeping you in control of the battle and on a path to victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

If you’re looking to enhance your deck with a unique spirit that disrupts opponents and maneuvers through matches with dexterity, Topplegeist is a card worth considering. This ephemeral ally offers early game disruption and, with Delirium, becomes a formidable force in sustained board control. It excels in decks that capitalize on graveyard strategies, providing an edge in both aggressive and controlling match-ups. Embrace the tactical advantage of Topplegeist, fortify your deck, and challenge your opponents with a clever combination of strategy and ghostly precision. Discover more insights and strategies to optimize your MTG gameplay with us.


Cards like Topplegeist

Topplegeist is a distinctive spirit creature within MTG that effortlessly finds its niche among other one-mana creatures. Its unique ability to tap a target creature when it enters the battlefield by virtue of its Delirium skill is akin to another one-drop, Gideon’s Lawkeeper. However, the Lawkeeper demands mana investment every turn for its tapping ability, which is not the case with Topplegeist once Delirium is active, showcasing cost efficiency in the long game.

Analogous in the realm of disruptive spirits is the Judge’s Familiar, a card that also costs a single mana and can curb the opponent’s plays by threatening to counter spells unless a mana tax is paid. Though not directly tapping creatures, the Familiar contributes to controlling the board in a similar tempo-oriented playstyle. Still, Topplegeist stands apart with its potential enduring board control enabled through graveyards’ card-type variety.

Ultimately, when considering the economy of mana and the persistent utility offered, Topplegeist shines in decks built around graveyard strategies and offers a unique option for players seeking sustained board control alongside their ethereal allies. Its place in MTG is well-defined, carving out its own space in the spirit archetype with finesse.

Gideon's Lawkeeper - MTG Card versions
Judge's Familiar - MTG Card versions
Gideon's Lawkeeper - Magic 2012 (M12)
Judge's Familiar - Return to Ravnica (RTR)

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Topplegeist MTG card by a specific set like Duel Decks: Blessed vs. Cursed and Shadows over Innistrad, 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 Topplegeist and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Topplegeist Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2016-02-26 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by Seb McKinnon.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-02-26Duel Decks: Blessed vs. CursedDDQ 212015normalblackSeb McKinnon
22016-04-08Shadows over InnistradSOI 452015normalblackSeb McKinnon
32023-03-21Shadows over Innistrad RemasteredSIR 522015normalblackSeb McKinnon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Topplegeist has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Topplegeist card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2016-04-08 Because you consider only the characteristics of a double-faced card’s front face while it’s not on the battlefield, the types of its back face won’t be counted for delirium.
2016-04-08 In some rare cases, you can have a token or a copy of a spell in your graveyard at the moment that an object’s delirium ability counts the card types among cards in your graveyard, before that token or copy ceases to exist. Because tokens and copies of spells are not cards, even if they are copies of cards, their types will never be counted.
2016-04-08 Most triggered delirium abilities use an intervening “if” clause. There must be four or more card types among cards in your graveyard in order for these abilities to trigger, otherwise they never trigger at all. There’s no way to have the ability trigger if there aren’t enough card types, even if you intend to raise that number in response to the triggered ability. The number of card types is checked again as the trigger resolves, and if it has become too low somehow, the ability does nothing. If which card types are in your graveyard changes but the quantity of card types stays the same (or increases), then the delirium triggered ability will still resolve.
2016-04-08 The card types in Magic are artifact, creature, enchantment, instant, land, planeswalker, sorcery, and tribal (a card type that appears on some older cards). Supertypes (such as legendary and basic) and subtypes (such as Human and Equipment) are not counted.
2016-04-08 The number of card types matters, not the number of cards. For example, Wicker Witch (an artifact creature) along with Catalog (an instant) and Chaplain’s Blessing (a sorcery) will enable delirium.

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