Sidar Jabari MTG Card

Mirage (MIR)
1996-10-08 - Number 39

Vintage Masters (VMA)
2014-06-16 - Number 45

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Rare
Type	Legendary Creature — Human Knight
Abilities	Flanking
Power	2
Toughness	2

Key Takeaways

Though lacking direct card draw, Sidar Jabari offers board advantage by making creatures harder to block.
Functions as a commander to expedite your strategy, using evasion to apply pressure efficiently.
Evasion boost opens gameplay to responsive strategies, increasing the value of your creatures each turn.

Text of card

Flanking (Whenever a creature without flanking is assigned to block this creature, the blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.) If Sidar Jabari attacks, tap target creature defending player controls.

"Prophecy is whatever one makes of it, but destiny cannot be changed." —Sidar Jabari

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Sidar Jabari doesn’t directly allow you to draw cards, this mtg card is a unique asset that can potentially bypass opponents’ defenses, enabling your creatures to deal damage and thereby translate into a strategic advantage on the board.

Resource Acceleration: As a commander, Sidar Jabari can accelerate your game plan by making your smaller creatures tougher to block. This effectively hastens the pace at which you apply pressure on your opponents, efficiently utilizing your resources on the battlefield.

Instant Speed: Sidar Jabari itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, but its ability to grant evasion to smaller creatures can unexpectedly turn the tide during combat. This encourages a gameplay style that favors responsive strategies, allowing you to maximize the impact of your creatures each turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While not directly applicable to Sidar Jabari, when considering partner commanders or possible synergies within a deck, one must be wary of cards that necessitate discarding as it may inadvertently deplete the resources needed to leverage Sidar’s abilities effectively.

Specific Mana Cost: Sidar Jabari has a mana cost that includes white and green, which may not align with all commander deck strategies, limiting his integration into a diverse array of decks that do not support these colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that requires one colorless, one green, and two white mana, Sidar Jabari can be considered to have a higher mana cost compared to other commanders who offer similar combat advantages, potentially slowing down your gameplay strategy.

Reasons to Include Sidar Jabari in Your Collection

Versatility: Sidar Jabari excels in various deck builds, especially those oriented towards a “go-wide” strategy. As part of a white-based token deck or a strategy that leverages numerous smaller creatures, Sidar Jabari creates an environment where your swarm of creatures becomes difficult to block. This card naturally fits into Selesnya tokens, soldier tribal, or any deck emphasizing creature combat.

Combo Potential: In combination with cards that buff creatures as they attack, such as “Honor of the Pure” or “Shared Animosity,” Sidar Jabari can turn an unassuming army into a lethal force. Additionally, because he restricts how opponents can block, he partners well with effects that trigger upon creatures dealing combat damage to a player, ushering in extra value each turn.

Meta-Relevance: Given that Sidar Jabari discourages opponents from deploying larger creatures as blockers, he can be particularly effective in a meta filled with creature-based strategies. Moreover, in a format where board stalls are common, Sidar Jabari offers a unique utility, breaking through deadlocks and enabling aggressive lines of play.

How to beat Sidar Jabari

Sidar Jabari is a unique Commander card that can make creatures difficult to block due to its flanking ability. This card typically excels in aggressive decks where the aim is to outpace the opponent with smaller, unblockable creatures. To effectively counter Sidar Jabari’s aggressive capabilities, one effective strategy would be to focus on removal spells that don’t rely on blocking creatures.

Utilizing board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation can clear the field, bypassing the flanking mechanic altogether. Cards that can pinpoint Sidar Jabari, such as Path to Exile or Assassin’s Trophy, work well to remove him before combat phases begin. Additionally, cards with reach or those that can deal damage to attackers like Shock can hinder Sidar Jabari’s offense by targeting key attacking creatures, thus leaving him without a formidable force to lead.

By including instant-speed interaction and board control spells in your deck, you can dismantle an opponent’s strategy that revolves around Sidar Jabari’s aggressive tactics. It pays to keep your mana open and wait for the right moment to act, ensuring that Sidar Jabari’s influence on the game is kept to a minimum.

Cards like Sidar Jabari

Sidar Jabari, poised in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, offers a unique strategy for players using white weenie or soldier decks. In comparison with other commanders and creatures that provide utility to small creatures, Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa presents a parallel ability, granting flanking to your attacking creatures and making them harder to block unless by two or more creatures. However, Sidar Jabari himself provides aggressive combat advantages as a standalone card.

Examining cards with similarities, Lieutenant Kirtar comes to mind. This card also empowers white-based strategies but with a focus on control through its ability to sacrifice and exile target attacking creatures. The lieutenant does not directly enhance a wide array of creatures, which contrasts with Sidar Jabari’s more inclusive combat buff. Looking towards Benalish Commander, its scalability with the suspend mechanic and the potential to churn out soldier tokens offers a different approach to building a board presence over Sidar Jabari’s immediate tactical advantages in combat.

To encapsulate, Sidar Jabari carves out a distinct niche within Magic: The Gathering, especially in commander and soldier swarm strategies. It stands uniquely among creatures that are designed to bolster other creatures, showcasing the myriad of tactical avenues available to players in the game.

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sidar Jabari MTG card by a specific set like Mirage and Vintage Masters, 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 Sidar Jabari and other MTG cards: