Observant Alseid MTG Card


Observant Alseid - Theros
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment Creature — Nymph
Abilities Bestow, Vigilance
Released2013-09-27
Set symbol
Set nameTheros
Set codeTHS
Power 2
Toughness 2
Number24
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byTodd Lockwood

Key Takeaways

  1. Enhancement synergy via enchantments with Observant Alseid enables potential card advantage, adding strategic depth.
  2. Its versatility shines in enchantment-based decks, triggering additional benefits or resource accelerations.
  3. Limited by specific mana costs and higher casting expenses, managing resources is crucial for optimal play.
Vigilance card art

Guide to Vigilance card ability

In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.

Text of card

Bestow (If you cast this card for its bestow cost, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. It becomes a creature again if it's not attached to a creature.) Vigilance Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has vigilance.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Observant Alseid offers a valuable boost with its enchantment synergy, letting players potentially draw cards when combined with other abilities or effects that capitalize on enchantments being cast or entering the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: As a versatile common creature from the Theros set, Observant Alseid can help with resource acceleration by virtue of its constellation mechanic, which may trigger additional actions or resource benefits with each enchantment played.

Instant Speed: While not inherently an instant, the aura spell bestowed by Observant Alseid can activate abilities akin to triggering instant speed actions, by providing those benefits in response to enchantment play, giving players spontaneous advantages during the course of a match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: This enchantment creature may necessitate discarding a card, reducing your hand and potentially forcing you to give up valuable resources. Particularly in fast-paced games, this trade-off can be detrimental to maintaining your momentum.

Specific Mana Cost: Observant Alseid’s casting cost necessitates white mana. This specific requirement might not blend well in multicolor decks that can struggle to provide consistent white mana, thereby limiting the card’s overall flexibility and playability across various deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When considering the full capability of this card, you may find that the mana cost is on the higher side, especially when you weigh it against other cards with similar effects. The mana investment may not always coincide with the value it brings to the battlefield, which is a critical factor when building an efficient deck.


Reasons to Include Observant Alseid in Your Collection

Versatility: Observant Alseid serves multiple roles on the battlefield. As a quality enchantment creature with Vigilance, it can reliably engage in combat while having the flexibility of enchanting other creatures with its bestowed ability, enhancing its strength and usefulness in a variety of situations.

Combo Potential: Thanks to its bestow mechanic, this card can become an aura, making it an excellent piece for decks that trigger effects when enchantments enter the battlefield or target creatures. It can also synergize with Heroic abilities or strategies that play around auras and enchantments.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that emphasizes creature interactions, Observant Alseid can provide an unexpected boost in power and survivability to key creatures. It’s also relevant for strategies that benefit from having high counts of enchantments, supporting both aggressive and defensive tactics.


How to beat

Observant Alseid, a creature enchantment card in Magic: The Gathering, offers its controller both vigilance and an enchantment boost with Bestow. To effectively tackle this card, it’s crucial to be prepared with enchantment removal spells in your deck. Cards such as Disenchant or Back to Nature can efficiently handle the Alseid by directly removing it from the battlefield or stripping away its enchantment, negating the vigilance advantage it provides. Additionally, combat tricks and spells that outmatch the enchanted creature in power and toughness are equally effective. Cards that can bypass the vigilance trait by tapping the creature or preventing it from blocking, like Sleep or Claustrophobia, disrupt the Observant Alseid’s benefits, giving you the upper hand in battle.

Another strategy is to focus on the Bestow aspect. When the Alseid is used for its Bestow ability, removing the creature it’s enchanting can leave your opponent with a stranded Observant Alseid on the field, often at a disadvantageous moment. Plan your removal for maximum impact; time it wisely to disrupt your opponent’s plays. Remember, staying vigilant against vigilance is key, and with the right approach, Observant Alseid can be managed and overcome.


Cards like Observant Alseid

Observant Alseid is a unique enchantment creature card that offers a delightful blend of abilities for Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts. Its closest cousin in functionality might be other enchantment creatures like Nyxborn Shieldmate, which also provide a static boon in the form of bestowed abilities upon other creatures. However, Observant Alseid stands out with its potential to give a significant power increase and vigilance through its bestowed ability.

Comparing Observant Alseid to Hopeful Eidolon, another enchantment creature with bestow, we notice that Hopeful Eidolon grants lifelink instead of vigilance. Both cards are valued for their versatility, enabling players to enhance their creatures on the battlefield or use them as standalone entities. Observant Alseid, however, is inclined towards offensive strategies by bolstering creature attack capabilities without the cost of tapping, a benefit not mirrored by the lifelink of Hopeful Eidolon.

Ultimately, within the realm of enchantment creatures in Magic: The Gathering, Observant Alseid is quite a strong card. Its ability to keep creatures untapped and ready to defend after an aggressive push places it in a special position among its peers, marking Observant Alseid as a card to consider in decks aimed at relentless offense.

Nyxborn Shieldmate - MTG Card versions
Hopeful Eidolon - MTG Card versions
Nyxborn Shieldmate - Born of the Gods (BNG)
Hopeful Eidolon - Theros (THS)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Observant Alseid MTG card by a specific set like Theros, 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 Observant Alseid and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Observant Alseid has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2013-09-15 Auras attached to a creature don't become tapped when the creature becomes tapped. Except in some rare cases, an Aura with bestow remains untapped when it becomes unattached and becomes a creature.
2013-09-15 If a permanent with bestow enters the battlefield by any method other than being cast, it will be an enchantment creature. You can't choose to pay the bestow cost and have it become an Aura.
2013-09-15 On the stack, a spell with bestow is either a creature spell or an Aura spell. It's never both, although it's an enchantment spell in either case.
2013-09-15 Unlike other Aura spells, an Aura spell with bestow isn't countered if its target is illegal as it begins to resolve. Rather, the effect making it an Aura spell ends, it loses enchant creature, it returns to being an enchantment creature spell, and it resolves and enters the battlefield as an enchantment creature.
2013-09-15 Unlike other Auras, an Aura with bestow isn't put into its owner's graveyard if it becomes unattached. Rather, the effect making it an Aura ends, it loses enchant creature, and it remains on the battlefield as an enchantment creature. It can attack (and its abilities can be activated, if it has any) on the turn it becomes unattached if it's been under your control continuously, even as an Aura, since your most recent turn began.

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