Captivating Unicorn MTG Card

Captivating Unicorn - Theros Beyond Death (THB)

Theros Beyond Death (THB)
2020-01-24 - Number 6

Captivating Unicorn - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)

Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
2022-12-02 - Number 163

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Unicorn
Abilities	Constellation
Power	4
Toughness	4

Key Takeaways

Generates card advantage by triggering off enchantments, critical for maintaining momentum with a fuller hand.
Synergy with enchantments accelerates resources, potentially ramping up mana and enhancing board presence.
Instant speed interactions with flash enchantments provide tactical surprise elements against opponents.

Text of card

Constellation — Whenever an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, tap target creature an opponent controls.

"Gazing at the unicorn, I felt closer to the majesty of Nyx than I ever had before." —Oineus, traveling merchant

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Captivating Unicorn enables you to generate extra value as you play enchantments, opening the door to drawing more cards and keeping your hand fueled for continued play. This incremental advantage can help tilt the game in your favor over time.

Resource Acceleration: The unicorn’s synergy with enchantments can effectively accelerate your resources. By encouraging a strategy that spills more permanents onto the battlefield, you’re setting the stage for a more robust board presence that can benefit from various cost-reduction effects and potentially ramp up your mana availability for pivotal turns.

Instant Speed: Though not an instant itself, Captivating Unicorn pairs well with flash enchantments, allowing you to trigger its ability at instant speed. This can catch opponents off guard, providing surprise blockers or unexpected effects during their turn, disrupting their plans and maintaining your momentum.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One limitation of the Captivating Unicorn is its potential to compel a discard from your hand upon triggering certain abilities. This can lead to a strategic disadvantage, especially when you’re already low on cards and need every available option to maintain momentum in the game.

Specific Mana Cost: Tailoring your mana base to accommodate the Captivating Unicorn can be challenging. The card’s requirement for white mana can pigeonhole players into building around a specific color, possibly restricting the versatility and creative freedom of their deck designs.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The cost of bringing the Captivating Unicorn into play can be steep relative to its impact on the board. With a casting cost that might be considered high for its stated abilities, players could potentially find more cost-effective creatures that provide similar or better advantages without taxing their mana resources as heavily.

Reasons to Include Captivating Unicorn in Your Collection

Versatility: Captivating Unicorn offers flexibility in various deck builds, fitting seamlessly into enchantment-centric strategies or any deck looking to capitalize on creature synergies.

Combo Potential: This card’s ability to create a reactionary trigger each time an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control can be utilized to set off a chain of advantageous effects, making it a tactical piece in the right combo.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where enchantments are prevalent, Captivating Unicorn can serve as a critical component in punishing opponents or providing consistent value, ensuring it has a place in the constantly evolving game landscape.

How to Beat

The Captivating Unicorn is one of those creatures in Magic: The Gathering that truly live up to its enchanting name. When you’re up against this celestial being, it’s important to remember that preventing its constellation ability from triggering is key. This unicorn shines in decks that capitalize on enchantments, therefore disrupting this synergy is your main strategy.

Direct removal spells like Murder or Path to Exile quickly address the threat of the Captivating Unicorn itself, bypassing any protective enchantments that might be buffing it. That said, board wipes such as Wrath of God can reset the playing field when you’re facing a swarm strategy that the Unicorn often complements.

Lastly, countering the spells that trigger Captivating Unicorn’s ability with cards like Counterspell or Dovin’s Veto can stall your opponent’s plans, giving you the upper hand. With the right spells and a focus on disrupting your opponent’s strategy, the Captivating Unicorn’s magic can be effectively contained, preserving your path to victory.

Cards like Captivating Unicorn

Captivating Unicorn represents a unique asset in any deck that prioritizes enchantment synergy within the MTG universe. It echoes characteristics found in cards like Mesa Unicorn, which also offers a sense of resilience with its lifelink ability. However, Captivating Unicorn’s allure is in its potential to create a new token creature whenever you cast an enchantment, leveraging more than just life points.

Comparatively, we might look at Herald of the Pantheon, a creature that reduces the cost of casting enchantments while also granting life whenever one is played. The Unicorn does not reduce costs, but the automatic token generation capability can repeatedly bolster your battlefield presence, aligning with the strategies found in decks that focus heavily on enchantments. Then there’s Starfield Mystic, a creature that not only makes your enchantments cheaper but gains strength whenever an enchantment you own is sent to the graveyard. Different from reducing the cost or offering lifegain, Captivating Unicorn transforms your enchantment plays into immediate board impact.

Observing the nuances and diverse mechanics, Captivating Unicorn claims its stake among MTG enchantment-focused creatures due to its reliable and repeatable token production capability, merging well with enchantment-laden strategies.

Herald of the Pantheon - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Captivating Unicorn MTG card by a specific set like Theros Beyond Death and Jumpstart 2022, 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 Captivating Unicorn and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Captivating Unicorn Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-01-24 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Emrah Elmasli.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2020-01-24	Theros Beyond Death	THB		6	2015	Normal	Black	Emrah Elmasli
2	2022-12-02	Jumpstart 2022	J22		163	2015	Normal	Black	Emrah Elmasli

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Captivating Unicorn has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2020-01-24	A constellation ability triggers whenever an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control for any reason. Enchantments with other card types, such as enchantment creatures, will also cause constellation abilities to trigger.
2020-01-24	An Aura spell that has an illegal target when it tries to resolve doesn’t resolve and is instead put into its owner’s graveyard. It doesn’t enter the battlefield, so constellation abilities don’t trigger.