Wildborn Preserver MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Elf Archer
Abilities Reach, Flash
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Grows more potent with each creature played, enhancing board presence without additional cards.
  2. Flash allows strategic plays by surprising opponents and reacting on-the-go.
  3. However, requires careful mana management to fully utilize its potential in matches.
Flash card art

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.

Text of card

Flash Reach Whenever another non-Human creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may pay . When you do, put X +1/+1 counters on Wildborn Preserver.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Wildborn Preserver offers a unique method of achieving card advantage. Instead of drawing, it grows by accumulating +1/+1 counters as creatures enter the battlefield under your control. This translates to more power and toughness per card, maximizing the impact of your creature spells.

Resource Acceleration: This card’s ability to build up counters is a form of resource acceleration. By investing mana into the Preserver, you’re essentially converting your vast mana into permanent on-board advantages—increasing its power and toughness without having to use additional cards from your hand.

Instant Speed: The flash ability of Wildborn Preserver allows you to play it at instant speed, giving you the flexibility to react to your opponent’s actions or to surprise them with an unanticipated blocker. This adds a tactical layer to your game, keeping your foes guessing and making it harder for them to commit to an advantageous attack.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Wildborn Preserver does not explicitly require discarding cards, its Flash ability encourages holding mana for instant plays, which can indirectly lead to discarding if you’ve reached your maximum hand size by your next cleanup step.

Specific Mana Cost: The activation cost of Wildborn Preserver’s ability requires green mana, which may limit its inclusion only to decks that are capable of producing green mana, thus reducing its versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Its mana cost may be considered high when you intend to utilize its ability multiple times. Continuous investment in the creature can lead to significant mana expenditure, overshadowing other potential plays during the game.


Reasons to Include Wildborn Preserver in Your Collection

Versatility: Wildborn Preserver is a flexible addition to your lineup, seamlessly integrating into elves, flash, and counters-matter themes. Its ability to scale with the game by gaining +1/+1 counters makes it a formidable threat in many situations.

Combo Potential: This card pairs well with other creatures that enter the battlefield frequently, utilizing its flash ability to grow in strength at instant speed. This synergy can quickly escalate the power on your board, especially in decks designed around creature synergy.

Meta-Relevance: In a game climate that favors instant-speed interaction, Wildborn Preserver shines by allowing you to hold up mana for counterspells or other instant effects while still developing your board if no threats arise. This keeps you on tempo with the current fast-paced, interactive play styles prevalent in many competitive formats.


How to Beat

Wildborn Preserver is a versatile creature in MTG, allowing players to efficiently manage their resources while contributing to the board’s strength. With flash and the ability to put +1/+1 counters on itself, it’s a dynamic card that can surprise opponents and grow in power throughout the game.

To tackle Wildborn Preserver, timing is key. Since it can flash in as a blocker, playing your creatures in the first main phase minimizes its utility as a surprise defender. Prioritize removal spells that can target it while it’s on the stack before its counters are in place, such as instant-speed removals like Murder or Fatal Push. Additionally, board wipes circumvent its growing size by not allowing it to leverage the counters it accumulates. Lastly, remember to limit the elves and non-human creatures you play if you’re ahead, as they give your opponent the chance to strengthen their Preserver without committing to their own turn.

By understanding the Preserver’s intricate playstyle and preparing a strategic response, you increase your chances of maintaining the upper hand against this adaptable guardian of the wilds.


BurnMana Recommendations

Strategizing around Wildborn Preserver is akin to nurturing a seed into a towering tree within your MTG collection. As a unique creature card, it commands a presence by growing with each non-Human creature you summon. Leveraging its abilities can radically shift the balance on the battlefield, presenting a challenge for your opponents. To enhance your gameplay and make the most out of this adaptable entity, consider diving deeper into strategies that accentuate the Preserver’s potential. Grasp the intricacies of when to hold back mana and when to unleash its growth spurt. For those keen on strengthening their decks with this versatile card and outmaneuvering adversaries, join us and learn to master your MTG realm.


Cards like Wildborn Preserver

Wildborn Preserver adds unique flair to the family of flash creatures within Magic: The Gathering. It stands in parallel with other cards like Scavenging Ooze in the context of instant speed creature plays. Yet, Wildborn Preserver boasts an exclusive mechanism, allowing players to pay any amount of mana to put that many +1/+1 counters on it whenever another non-Human creature enters the battlefield under your control, thereby adapting to dynamic game states.

Convergence with Nightpack Ambusher can be noted, as both offer the ability to flash in and impact the board immediately. Although Nightpack Ambusher also creates wolf token creatures, it does not provide the flexible scalability of the Preserver. Essence Flux is another intriguing comparison, granting the blink ability to a creature and potentially a +1/+1 counter—all at instant speed. The distinct contrast here lies in Wildborn Preserver’s continuous growth potential compared to the one-time effect of Essence Flux.

Ultimately, Wildborn Preserver finds its niche within Creature-based strategies favoring flexibility and growth potential. It allows MTG aficionados to respond to evolving battlefield conditions while steadily building a larger threat, showcasing a harmonization of utility and adaptability.

Scavenging Ooze - MTG Card versions
Nightpack Ambusher - MTG Card versions
Essence Flux - MTG Card versions
Scavenging Ooze - Commander 2011 (CMD)
Nightpack Ambusher - Core Set 2020 Promos (PM20)
Essence Flux - Shadows over Innistrad (SOI)

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Wildborn Preserver MTG card by a specific set like Throne of Eldraine and Throne of Eldraine, 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 Wildborn Preserver and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Wildborn Preserver Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-10-04 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Lius Lasahido.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-10-04Throne of EldraineELD 3752015normalblackLius Lasahido
22019-10-04Throne of EldraineELD 1822015normalblackLius Lasahido
32022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 7382015normalblackLius Lasahido

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Wildborn Preserver has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-10-04 If you pay while Wildborn Preserver's triggered ability is resolving, the reflexive triggered ability triggers and will resolve separately. This is different from effects that say “If you do . . .” in that players may take actions after you've paid mana but before the creature gets +1/+1 counters.

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