Irini Sengir MTG Card


Irini Sengir - Homelands
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeLegendary Creature — Vampire Dwarf
Released1995-10-01
Set symbol
Set nameHomelands
Set codeHML
Power 2
Toughness 2
Number54
Frame1993
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byPete Venters

Key Takeaways

  1. Irini Sengir can yield indirect card advantage by disrupting opponent graveyard strategies.
  2. It may slow enemy pace, potentially quickening your own strategic game position.
  3. This card thrives in main phases, encouraging proactive and thoughtful turn planning.

Text of card

White enchantments and green enchantments each cost an additional to cast.

"That cruel being brings shame to all her fellow Dwarves and misery to all the land. She is Sengir's daughter in spirit if not in blood." —Reveka, Wizard Savant


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Irini Sengir may not directly allow you to draw additional cards, but its ability to disrupt opponents by invalidating graveyard strategies can function as indirect card advantage. By negating an opponent’s reanimation targets or recurring threats, you essentially render parts of their deck useless, which can be just as powerful as drawing cards yourself.

Resource Acceleration: While Irini Sengir doesn’t provide traditional resource acceleration like ramp or treasure production, it can affect the pace at which an opponent can deploy threats from their graveyard. This can slow them down and potentially accelerate your relative position in the game as you continue to build your board presence unimpeded.

Instant Speed: Although Irini Sengir operates at sorcery speed, the card’s design aligns with the strategic placement of effects that are beneficial during your main phases. This encourages players to thoughtfully plan their turns and can lead to a tempo advantage when used to counter well-timed graveyard strategies by the opponent.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Irini Sengir doesn’t directly require you to discard a card, its utility may compel you to manage your hand in specific ways that can feel restrictive, particularly in decks that don’t capitalize on graveyard strategies.

Specific Mana Cost: Irini Sengir commands a precise mana alignment of two black and one green mana, which can be a stumbling block for decks that aren’t built to accommodate such a specialized mana base. This restricts the card’s inclusion to mainly black and green deck variations, potentially hindering its playability elsewhere.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana for a creature with only two power and two toughness, it’s arguable that Irini Sengir might not offer the best rate of return on your mana investment, especially when there are numerous other creatures that could present more immediate board impact or utility at or below this cost.


Reasons to Include Irini Sengir in Your Collection

Versatility: Irini Sengir is a unique card that can adapt to a variety of deck builds. Being both a Dwarf and a Cleric, it fits well into tribal strategies, while its ability to prevent regeneration can be pivotal against decks that rely heavily on this mechanic.

Combo Potential: Her ability can be leveraged in combination with cards that force creatures to regenerate or in metas where regeneration plays a key role, creating a synergistic lock against your opponent’s regenerative creatures.

Meta-Relevance: In game environments where creatures with regeneration are prominent, Irini Sengir provides a niche but effective counter strategy, giving your deck an edge in specific matchups.


How to beat

The Irini Sengir card is a unique component within the rogues’ gallery of Magic: The Gathering. This Dwarf Cleric carries an ability that may seem beneficial at a glance—preventing regeneration—that actually can be woven into strategic plays. To circumvent Irini Sengir’s abilities, it’s key to focus on removal spells that do not rely on regeneration. Cards like Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile that exile creatures directly can be incredibly efficient in this case. Additionally, board wipes such as Wrath of God or Damnation, which do not depend on the creature’s ability to regenerate, can effortlessly bypass Irini Sengir’s seemingly tricky ability.

Another approach is to rely on combat and creature abilities, utilizing larger creatures or those with deathtouch to ensure Irini Sengir is dispatched without any need for regeneration. Furthermore, cards that change creature types, like Amoeboid Changeling, can neutralize Irini’s prevention of regeneration by simply changing the creature’s type status. Ultimately, when facing an opponent’s Irini Sengir, the goal is to adapt your strategies to include non-regenerative removal methods for a smooth path to victory.


Cards like Irini Sengir

Irini Sengir, a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering, offers interesting gameplay options within a commander’s toolkit. Its closest relatives on the battlefield are often those which affect the abilities of other creatures, similar to cards like Linvala, Keeper of Silence or Harsh Mentor. Linvala prevents activated abilities of opponents’ creatures, which can be crucial in limiting an opponent’s strategy. However, unlike Irini Sengir, which has a specific hate-bear role against green creature abilities, Linvala’s blanket effect covers all colors.

Another card that echoes a fragment of Irini Sengir’s functionality is Torpor Orb. While Torpor Orb nullifies all creatures’ entering-the-battlefield abilities, not just the green ones, it is not a creature itself and thus doesn’t offer the board presence that Irini Sengir does. Then, examining a card like Cursed Totem, we find an artifact with a similar sweeping denial of all creatures’ activated abilities. Yet, it lacks the subtlety of Irini Sengir’s targeted approach and the additional benefits of being a creature in the battlefield mix.

These inter-card dynamics highlight how, within Magic: The Gathering, Irini Sengir maintains a niche ability that caters to specific strategic needs against green-heavy decks, balancing the scales with its tactical creature abilities negation.

Linvala, Keeper of Silence - MTG Card versions
Harsh Mentor - MTG Card versions
Torpor Orb - MTG Card versions
Cursed Totem - MTG Card versions
Linvala, Keeper of Silence - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Harsh Mentor - Amonkhet (AKH)
Torpor Orb - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Cursed Totem - Mirage (MIR)

Cards similar to Irini Sengir by color, type and mana cost

Hell's Caretaker - MTG Card versions
Rag Man - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Debaser - MTG Card versions
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions
Slinking Skirge - MTG Card versions
Gravedigger - MTG Card versions
Scandalmonger - MTG Card versions
Urborg Shambler - MTG Card versions
Whispering Shade - MTG Card versions
Filth - MTG Card versions
Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions
Bold Plagiarist - MTG Card versions
Toxin Sliver - MTG Card versions
Vampiric Spirit - MTG Card versions
Nim Shambler - MTG Card versions
Scourge of Numai - MTG Card versions
Deathgazer - MTG Card versions
Dirty Wererat - MTG Card versions
Faceless Butcher - MTG Card versions
Magus of the Abyss - MTG Card versions
Hell's Caretaker - Chronicles (CHR)
Rag Man - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Phyrexian Debaser - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Slinking Skirge - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Gravedigger - The List (PLST)
Scandalmonger - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Urborg Shambler - Invasion (INV)
Whispering Shade - Odyssey (ODY)
Filth - Judgment (JUD)
Demon of Catastrophes - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Bold Plagiarist - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Toxin Sliver - Legions (LGN)
Vampiric Spirit - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Nim Shambler - Mirrodin (MRD)
Scourge of Numai - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Deathgazer - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Dirty Wererat - Hachette UK (PHUK)
Faceless Butcher - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)
Magus of the Abyss - Future Sight (FUT)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Irini Sengir MTG card by a specific set like Homelands, 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 Irini Sengir and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Irini Sengir has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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