Scissors Lizard MTG Card

Unglued (UGL)
1998-08-11 - Number 80

Unsanctioned (UND)
2020-02-29 - Number 83

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Artifact Creature — Lizard
Power	4
Toughness	3
Un-set :-)	This card is part of an Un-set

Key Takeaways

Scissors Lizard excels in card advantage, resource acceleration, and instant-speed utility, making it a strategic asset.
The card requires careful hand management and favors red mana-rich decks, presenting a potential deck-building challenge.
Incorporate or counter Scissors Lizard by understanding its versatile role in MTG and the importance of artifact interaction.

Text of card

Paper Tigers cannot attack or block.

Nothing beats the lizard's shear power.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Scissor Lizard offers the flexibility to manipulate card draws by peeking at the top card of your library, which can be particularly beneficial in sculpting your hand and strategizing future plays.

Resource Acceleration: With its ability to reduce the casting cost of artifacts, Scissors Lizard helps streamline your gameplay, effectively serving as a catalyst for quicker deployment of your artifact-based strategies and enhancing resource efficiency.

Instant Speed: Its activated ability can be executed at instant speed, ensuring that you retain the element of surprise. Additionally, it empowers you to make pivotal decisions with timing that can disrupt your opponents’ calculations and turn the tides of the match in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Scissors Lizard demands a sacrifice from your hand to leap into play. If your hand is sparse, you may cringe at parting with a precious card just to get this creature onto the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: Tailored for decks rich in red mana, Scissors Lizard can be cumbersome to summon for those not wielding mountains. Its mana cost not only restricts its deck compatibility but also dictates the timing of its play.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Weighing in the mana scales, the Lizard might tip the balance unfavorably against itself. Its abilities, when contrasted with the mana investment, might not measure up to other options available to cunning strategists seeking battlefield dominance.

Reasons to Include Scissors Lizard in Your Collection

Versatility: Scissors Lizard can seamlessly blend into a wide array of deck strategies, making it an adaptable choice for players who appreciate flexibility in deck-building. Its low casting cost also opens the door for various early-game plays.

Combo Potential: This card’s unique ability to manipulate +1/+1 counters can be cleverly combined with other cards to create powerful synergies. It can form the cornerstone of a counter-centric deck or enhance existing strategies focused on creature growth.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where creature-based strategies dominate, Scissors Lizard holds its ground by providing consistent board presence and the capacity to scale in power as the game progresses, ensuring it remains a relevant choice for competitive play.

How to beat

Scissors Lizard offers a unique twist to the MTG creature landscape. At a glance, what sets it apart is its ability to adapt in the battlefield based on an opponent’s equipment – a tactical challenge to those relying on artifacts. As such, defeating Scissors Lizard requires a strategic approach that minimizes the benefits it draws from these artifacts.

One method is to limit the use of equipment in your attack strategies, thereby reducing the power boost Scissors Lizard may receive. Another effective tactic is to include artifact removal in your deck. Cards like Naturalize or Shatter are strong contenders, allowing you to swiftly deal with problematic artifacts that would otherwise fuel your opponent’s Scissors Lizard.

To undermine its strengths further, consider control mechanisms like pacifism effects or tapping abilities that neutralize the creature without engaging in combat. Cards such as Frost Lynx or Lawmage’s Binding can efficiently sideline Scissors Lizard, preventing it from utilizing its unique abilities. Ultimately, overcoming Scissors Lizard demands a blend of artifact management and creature control to ensure this unusual foe doesn’t cut through your game plan.

Cards like Scissors Lizard

Scissors Lizard offers MTG players a unique twist in the creature card lineup. It finds its peers in cards like Sparksmith and Vulshok Sorcerer, which similarly offer damage-dealing abilities. Scissors Lizard sets itself apart with the ability to deal damage to creature cards specifically, unlike Sparksmith that targets any creature or player. It becomes an asset in a strategy focused on controlling the board by removing opposing creatures.

When evaluating Scissors Lizard against Morphling, another creature with adaptable abilities, it’s noticeable that while Morphling offers a greater range of versatility, including the ability to change its power and toughness, Scissors Lizard excels in a niche role. The lizard’s strength lies in its potential for repeated creature removal. Then there’s Prodigal Pyromancer, offering a tapping ability similar to Scissors Lizard’s but without the same focus on creature destruction.

In light of these comparisons, Scissors Lizard emerges as a valuable creature card for players looking to enhance their game with targeted creature damage, carving out its own space in the creature card meta of Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Scissors Lizard by color, type and mana cost

Krark-Clan Ironworks - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Scissors Lizard MTG card by a specific set like Unglued and Unsanctioned, 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 Scissors Lizard and other MTG cards: