Canyon Jerboa MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Mouse
Abilities Landfall
Power 1
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Canyon Jerboa’s landfall grants significant board strength, potentially swaying games in your favor.
  2. Synergizes with land-centric decks to accelerate your path to victory with every land played.
  3. Instant-speed land plays can utilize the Jerboa’s ability to surprise opponents and shift momentum.

Text of card

Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: When you landfall with Canyon Jerboa, your creatures get a +1/+1 counter which effectively builds board presence and can tip the scales in your favor by bolstering all your creatures at once. This consistent advantage can lead to winning game states over time.

Resource Acceleration: Although Canyon Jerboa itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, it synergizes well with decks that are heavy on land plays. Through landfall, it amplifies the value of each land you put into play by enhancing your creature forces, indirectly accelerating your path to victory.

Instant Speed: While Canyon Jerboa is a creature card, its landfall ability can create an instant-like impact during your own turn or strategically during your opponent’s turns when lands are played through various instant-speed land cards or abilities. This utility at critical moments can rapidly shift the momentum to your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: With the need to discard another card to activate certain abilities, Canyon Jerboa may force you to deplete your hand, potentially putting you at a disadvantage against decks that capitalize on card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Canyon Jerboa requires one white mana, which could restrict it to multicolored decks with a reliable mana base or monowhite decks that can consistently provide the necessary resources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Casting this creature involves a notable investment of three mana. For that cost, one might expect a bigger impact on the game state right away, yet Canyon Jerboa’s initial presence might not provide immediate payoff compared to other creatures at a similar mana cost.


Reasons to Include Canyon Jerboa in Your Collection

Versatility: Canyon Jerboa’s landfall ability allows it to seamlessly integrate into various deck builds that capitalize on land plays. This makes it a valuable addition for players running strategies centered around land synergies or increased land drops each turn.

Combo Potential: The creature’s power to buff up your entire board with every landfall triggers, can be remarkably potent when combined with decks that generate multiple land drops in a single turn. It can quickly create a significant threat out of an otherwise unassuming army of creatures.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that’s heavy with aggro decks, having a card that scales in power with each land drop can provide the edge needed to outpace other swift strategies. Plus, as a low-cost creature, it fits well into aggro and midrange decks, making it a flexible option for current game dynamics.


How to beat

Canyon Jerboa has been a notable creature card since its introduction in the MTG world. This small creature may seem harmless at first glance, but its ability to scale up your team with landfall can quickly outpace an unprepared opponent. When dealing with the Jerboa, it’s key to disrupt the landfall trigger. Counteracting this ability slims down its impact immensely, making it a manageable threat.

Another effective tactic against this creature is to prioritize removals or use cards that prevent it from attacking or blocking. Spells that can deal with creatures at instant speed, like Shock or Heartless Act, are exceptional as they can respond immediately to the Jerboa hitting the battlefield. Additionally, utilizing board wipes strategically to clear multiple threats, including the Jerboa and its boosted allies, can shift the game back in your favor.

Controlling the tempo is also crucial. Speedy aggro decks can race against the Jerboa’s incremental growth, while control decks should keep up with card advantage and resource denial. Always be aware of the land count and anticipate potential landfall abilities that can turn the tide for the Canyon Jerboa. Stay ahead, and the desert mouse won’t stand a chance.


Cards like Canyon Jerboa

Canyon Jerboa has found a niche in Magic: The Gathering decks that are land-focused, especially in the Commander and Limited formats. This quaint creature from Zendikar Rising turns landfall into power on the board with its ability to give creatures +1/+1 counters. It shares thematic similarities with Steppe Lynx, another creature that benefits directly from land plays, gaining a temporary boost in power and toughness until end of turn.

Much like Akoum Stonewaker, which also plays off the landfall mechanic, creating a token with trample that must be sacrificed at the beginning of the next end step, Canyon Jerboa offers a sustained impact by permanently buffing your creatures. This can turn an innocuous squad of creatures into formidable threats over the course of a few turns. While creatures like Scute Swarm take the landfall mechanic in a different direction by multiplying its presence on the field, Canyon Jerboa instead elevates the existing board.

While there are multiple creatures in Magic: The Gathering that react to landfall, Canyon Jerboa’s ability to bolster multiple creatures simultaneously allows for significant swings in board state, making it a unique and synergistic option for players capitalizing on land plays.

Steppe Lynx - MTG Card versions
Akoum Stonewaker - MTG Card versions
Scute Swarm - MTG Card versions
Steppe Lynx - MTG Card versions
Akoum Stonewaker - MTG Card versions
Scute Swarm - MTG Card versions

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Argivian Blacksmith - MTG Card versions
Jamuraan Lion - MTG Card versions
Snow Hound - MTG Card versions
Elvish Healer - MTG Card versions
Soraya the Falconer - MTG Card versions
Femeref Knight - MTG Card versions
Border Guard - MTG Card versions
Stern Marshal - MTG Card versions
Soltari Crusader - MTG Card versions
Town Sentry - MTG Card versions
Benalish Knight - MTG Card versions
Regal Unicorn - MTG Card versions
Wild Griffin - MTG Card versions
Pianna, Nomad Captain - MTG Card versions
Dogged Hunter - MTG Card versions
Sanctum Prelate - MTG Card versions
Diving Griffin - MTG Card versions
Faithful Squire // Kaiso, Memory of Loyalty - MTG Card versions
Kitsune Palliator - MTG Card versions
Freewind Equenaut - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Canyon Jerboa MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Zendikar Rising, 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 Canyon Jerboa and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Canyon Jerboa Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2020-09-25 and 2020-09-25. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 837022015NormalBlackDominik Mayer
22020-09-25Zendikar RisingZNR 2902015NormalBlackDominik Mayer
32020-09-25Zendikar RisingZNR 72015NormalBlackAntonio José Manzanedo
42020-09-26The ListPLST ZNR-2902015NormalBlackDominik Mayer

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Canyon Jerboa has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2020-09-25 A landfall ability doesn’t trigger if a permanent already on the battlefield becomes a land.
2020-09-25 A landfall ability triggers whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control for any reason. It triggers whenever you play a land, as well as whenever a spell or ability puts a land onto the battlefield under your control.
2020-09-25 Canyon Jerboa’s ability affects only creatures you control at the time it resolves. Creatures you begin to control later in the turn won’t get +1/+1.
2020-09-25 Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, each landfall ability of the permanents you control will trigger. You can put them on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one to resolve.

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