Shipwreck Singer MTG Card
2013-09-27 - Number 203
2016-08-26 - Number 206
2019-11-07 - Number 1485
2020-09-26 - Number CN2-206
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Siren |
| Abilities | Flying |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Key Takeaways
- Manipulating combat with Shipwreck Singer’s abilities can lead to substantial card advantage over time.
- Its instant speed debuffing presents flexible defensive options during pivotal combat phases.
- Despite its powerful abilities, Shipwreck Singer requires careful resource management for optimal play.
Text of card
Flying : Target creature an opponent controls attacks this turn if able. , : Attacking creatures get -1/-1 until end of turn.
Her melody melds death and beauty with such artistry that even the gods weep to hear it.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: With Shipwreck Singer on the battlefield, players can manipulate their opponent’s combat decisions. Its ability to force an opponent’s creature to attack each turn can disrupt an opponent’s strategy, often leading to favorable trades or preserving your own creatures. Over the course of a game, this can translate into significant card advantage as you effectively diminish your opponent’s resources.
Resource Acceleration: Though not directly a tool for resource acceleration, Shipwreck Singer can indirectly aid in maintaining a healthy mana curve. By controlling combat phases and potential threats with its ability, it helps stabilize the board, allowing players to allocate mana efficiently for other spells and abilities crucial to their game plan.
Instant Speed: The second ability of Shipwreck Singer can be activated at instant speed, giving players the flexibility to debuff attacking creatures during the combat phase. This tactical advantage can turn the tide of battle unexpectedly, as the -1/-1 effect can lead to advantageous blocks or creature removal during your opponent’s most vulnerable moment—their attack phase.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: In the case of Shipwreck Singer, there’s no direct discard effect involved with this card’s abilities. However, balancing hand resources to make the most of its potential is key, since activating its abilities multiple times in a game could strain your hand without careful play.
Specific Mana Cost: Shipwreck Singer’s hybrid mana cost can be both a pro and a con. While it offers flexibility, being locked into blue and/or black mana means it’s restricted to decks that run those colors, potentially limiting its versatility across various deck types.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a fairly steep cost to activate its second ability, Shipwreck Singer may not always be the go-to option for controlling the battlefield. Players might find other creatures or spells with lower activation costs or more immediate impactful abilities for managing opponent’s creatures.
Reasons to Include Shipwreck Singer in Your Collection
Versatility: Shipwreck Singer offers a wide array of strategic options. Its ability to force opponents to attack and simultaneously weaken their creatures makes it a valuable tool in control decks or any blue-black based strategy looking for board manipulation.
Combo Potential: Its second ability synergizes well with cards that benefit from creatures dying, such as those with death triggers or morbid abilities. This makes Shipwreck Singer an interesting piece in decks centered around sacrifice and recursion themes.
Meta-Relevance: In environments teeming with aggressive creature strategies, Shipwreck Singer can serve as a solid defense mechanism. Its presence on the board can deter attacks or turn enemy creatures into easier targets for removal spells, thereby fitting into the current meta that rewards tactical creature management.
How to beat
Shipwreck Singer is an intriguing card in the Magic: The Gathering universe, known for its ability to influence the battlefield by forcing opponents’ creatures to attack and diminishing their strength. While it can seem like a daunting card to face, it’s not without its vulnerabilities. To counteract the Singer’s control, utilizing spells that can grant your creatures hexproof or indestructible can be pivotal, as they will be shielded from the Singer’s compulsory attack decree and debuffing aura.
Furthermore, cards that can silence activated abilities, like Pithing Needle, play a crucial role in neutralizing Shipwreck Singer’s influence on the game. This strategy can leave the Singer a mere creature on the board without its commanding presence. Another efficient tactic is to employ removal spells that can bypass its abilities, such as exile or destroy effects, swiftly taking the Singer out of play and clearing the path for your strategy. As with any strategy in Magic: The Gathering, knowing your deck and anticipating your opponent’s moves will always give you the upper hand.
When adeptly handled, the challenge posed by Shipwreck Singer can be turned into an opportunity to showcase strategic deck building and gameplay, ensuring that this MTG card’s siren call doesn’t lead your match to ruin.
Cards like Shipwreck Singer
Shipwreck Singer offers a unique presence on the battlefield within Magic: The Gathering, drawing comparisons to other creatures that control opponent’s creatures. In likeness to cards like Icy Manipulator, Shipwreck Singer can coerce enemy creatures into untimely attacks, albeit the Manipulator can also immobilize potential attackers. What sets Shipwreck Singer apart is its flying ability, granting it evasive maneuvers and its potential to systematically weaken opponents’ creatures.
It also shares its manipulative characteristics with a card like Throat Slitter, which also disrupts combat strategies, though Throat Slitter needs to be unblocked to use its ability. Unlike this Ninja card, Shipwreck Singer can affect the tides from the backlines without needing to engage directly in combat. Another similar card is Dungeon Geists which also provides a method of controlling the battlefield by locking down creatures, yet it lacks the flexibility of affecting multiple targets over time, as Shipwreck Singer does.
The utility of Shipwreck Singer in controlling the pace and outcome of battles places it in a particular niche, blending the power of manipulating enemy lines with the resilience afforded by its flight, making it a card worth considering for decks capitalizing on battlefield control within Magic: The Gathering.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Shipwreck Singer MTG card by a specific set like Theros and Conspiracy: Take the Crown, 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 Shipwreck Singer and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Shipwreck Singer Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2013-09-27 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Daarken.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2013-09-27 | Theros | THS | 203 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Daarken | |
| 2 | 2016-08-26 | Conspiracy: Take the Crown | CN2 | 206 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Daarken | |
| 3 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 1485 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Daarken | |
| 4 | The List | PLST | CN2-206 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Daarken |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Shipwreck Singer has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Shipwreck Singer card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2013-09-15 | If, during a player's declare attackers step, a creature is tapped, is affected by a spell or ability that says it can't attack, or hasn't been under that player's control continuously since the turn began (and doesn't have haste), then it doesn't attack. If there's a cost associated with having a creature attack, the player isn't forced to pay that cost, so it doesn't have to attack in that case either. |
| 2013-09-15 | The controller of each attacking creature still chooses which player or planeswalker that creature attacks. |
| 2013-09-15 | The last ability affects creatures that are already attacking when it resolves. Activating it before combat won't affect any creatures that attack later that turn. |
