Sea Eagle MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Bird
Abilities Flying
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Sea Eagle offers card advantage by disrupting opponent’s plans and enhancing your game knowledge.
  2. Instant speed casting of Sea Eagle provides flexibility to respond to threats strategically.
  3. Despite a high mana cost, Sea Eagle can fit into aggressive strategies with aerial synergies.

Text of card

Flying

Where air meets water, fish meets talon.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sea Eagle comes into play with a peck at your opponent’s hand, permitting a glance at their strategic plans and an opportunity to discard a nonland card of your choice. This interaction allows you to disrupt their tactics while enhancing your knowledge of their resources, a form of card advantage that keeps you one step ahead.

Resource Acceleration: Upon swooping into the battlefield, Sea Eagle may not provide direct resource acceleration through treasure tokens, but it can pave the way for smoother plays ahead. By potentially discarding a key piece from your adversary’s grip, you ensure that your subsequent turns are met with less resistance, thereby speeding up your own game plan.

Instant Speed: With the agility of an avian predator, Sea Eagle can be summoned at instant speed, offering you the flexibility to adapt and react to threats or opportunities at the most tactical moment. Whether it’s end of turn or mid-combat, this swift winged creature ensures your mana is never idle if there’s no need for immediate action.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Sea Eagle’s effectiveness is somewhat diminished by a mandatory discard clause. This means whenever you wish to deploy this card onto the battlefield, you’re compelled to part with another card in your hand. This trade-off can put you at a disadvantage, especially in tense moments when your hand size is critical for maintaining your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting of Sea Eagle demands a precise combination of mana types. Notably, it requires blue mana, which can be restrictive. Decks not aligned with blue mana sources or those running multiple colors might find it challenging to consistently meet the card’s mana requirements without compromising their mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Sea Eagle offers distinct airborne capabilities, its casting cost is on the higher side when compared to other creatures with similar abilities. Players often look for cost-effective options, and in the case of Sea Eagle, the mana investment may not match up favorably against alternatives with lower costs or those that offer additional benefits beyond just flying.


Reasons to Include Sea Eagle in Your Collection

Versatility: Sea Eagle offers flexibility for decks that require an early threat in the air. Its flying ability makes it a dependable option for evasion tactics, fitting seamlessly into various aggressive blue strategies.

Combo Potential: This card works well with synergistic effects that capitalize on flying creatures such as favorable winds or cards that benefit from having multiple creatures with flying on the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: As the meta frequently adjusts to the dominance of ground-based creatures, having Sea Eagle in your collection provides an inexpensive way to gain an aerial advantage, potentially outmaneuvering popular deck archetypes focused on terrestrial power.


How to beat

Overcome the soaring threat of Sea Eagle in Magic: The Gathering with strategic plays. This avian creature card may not appear formidable at first glance, given its low casting cost and modest abilities, but in the right deck it can be a persistent nuisance. Assess your removal options – spells that can target flying creatures or those that deal damage irrespective of a creature’s abilities will be crucial here. Cheap, efficient removal like Shock or Fatal Push can handily dispose of Sea Eagle before it can cause too much trouble.

Alternatively, enhancing your own aerial defenses can be a sound strategy. Utilization of cards with reach or your own flyers can block Sea Eagle effectively, nullifying the aerial advantage it seeks to establish. Don’t let its simplicity deceive you; with a focused game plan, you can readily clip the wings of this unassuming adversary. Stick to your removal spells and blockers, and Sea Eagle’s impact will be minimal, ensuring you maintain control of the skies and the game.

Understanding when to remove a threat or when to build a stronger board presence is key to victory. Keeping Sea Eagle in check will allow you to dominate the tempo and pace, leading your deck to triumph as you navigate the intricacies of Magic: The Gathering.


Cards like Sea Eagle

Sea Eagle from Magic: The Gathering flutters into the realm of low-cost flying creatures, reminiscent of other winged entries such as Healer’s Hawk and Faerie Miscreant. What Sea Eagle brings to the table is its cost-efficient flying trait which for two mana offers a 1/1 creature that can often evade ground defenses effortlessly.

The Healer’s Hawk, albeit just one mana, not only flies but also boasts lifelink, providing a dual threat as it both pressures the opponent and stabilizes your life total. Meanwhile, the Faerie Miscreant adds utility by potentially drawing a card, adding a layer of advantage when more than one is in play. Although lacking additional abilities, Sea Eagle’s strength lies in its blue identity, which can be pivotal in decks that emphasize on flying synergies or tribal bonuses with birds or drakes.

Despite its simplicity, Sea Eagle’s role in bolstering aerial strategies shouldn’t be underestimated. As part of a flier-focused deck, it can provide an early and consistent presence in the skies, enabling more sophisticated plays as the game progresses.

Healer's Hawk - MTG Card versions
Faerie Miscreant - MTG Card versions
Healer's Hawk - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)
Faerie Miscreant - Magic Origins (ORI)

Cards similar to Sea Eagle by color, type and mana cost

Vodalian Soldiers - MTG Card versions
Zephyr Falcon - MTG Card versions
Giant Albatross - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Sphere - MTG Card versions
Skyshroud Condor - MTG Card versions
School of Piranha - MTG Card versions
Coral Merfolk - MTG Card versions
Wu Light Cavalry - MTG Card versions
Overtaker - MTG Card versions
Hazy Homunculus - MTG Card versions
Darting Merfolk - MTG Card versions
Thought Eater - MTG Card versions
Spellstutter Sprite - MTG Card versions
Sneaky Homunculus - MTG Card versions
Coral Eel - MTG Card versions
Storm Crow - MTG Card versions
Aquamoeba - MTG Card versions
Soratami Cloudskater - MTG Card versions
Minamo Sightbender - MTG Card versions
Kaijin of the Vanishing Touch - MTG Card versions
Vodalian Soldiers - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Zephyr Falcon - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Giant Albatross - Homelands (HML)
Phantasmal Sphere - Alliances (ALL)
Skyshroud Condor - Tempest (TMP)
School of Piranha - Exodus (EXO)
Coral Merfolk - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Wu Light Cavalry - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Overtaker - Mercadian Masques Promos (PMMQ)
Hazy Homunculus - Prophecy (PCY)
Darting Merfolk - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Thought Eater - Odyssey (ODY)
Spellstutter Sprite - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Sneaky Homunculus - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Coral Eel - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Storm Crow - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Aquamoeba - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Soratami Cloudskater - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Minamo Sightbender - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Kaijin of the Vanishing Touch - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sea Eagle MTG card by a specific set like Starter 1999 and Starter 2000, 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 Sea Eagle and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sea Eagle Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1999-07-01 and 2003-07-28. Illustrated by Anthony S. Waters.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11999-07-01Starter 1999S99 501997normalwhiteAnthony S. Waters
22000-04-01Starter 2000S00 181997normalwhiteAnthony S. Waters
32003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED S42003normalwhiteAnthony S. Waters

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sea Eagle has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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