Elspeth Resplendent MTG Card


Elspeth Resplendent provides major card advantage and options diversification for players. Her abilities can rapidly escalate game tempo and creature potential on the board. Instant speed card fetching with Elspeth fosters flexibility and agile playstyles.
Card setsReleased in 7 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Planeswalker — Elspeth
Loyalty 5

Text of card


+1: Choose up to one target creature. Put a +1/+1 counter and a counter from among flying, first strike, lifelink, or vigilance on it.
-3: Look at the top seven cards of your library. You may put a permanent card with mana value 3 or less from among them onto the battlefield with a shield counter on it. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
-7: Create five 3/3 white Angel creature tokens with flying.


Cards like Elspeth Resplendent

Elspeth Resplendent shines in her role in Magic: The Gathering, a planeswalker whose strength lies in versatile utility and buffing capabilities. She echoes the thematic elements of renowned cards like Gideon Blackblade, who also excels at enhancing creatures and providing a measure of protection. However, Elspeth Resplendent goes a step further, granting not only +1/+1 and various abilities but also card advantage by fetching an enchantment card when her loyalty increases.

Another counterpart in Magic’s vast gallery is Ajani Steadfast. Like Elspeth, Ajani focuses on empowering creatures, but his abilities favor a more aggressive stance, strengthening an army rather than individual units. Elspeth Resplendent’s card-drawing differentiation offers a subtle but impactful long-term advantage, selectively targeting the enrichment of your deck’s resources.

As we navigate through the planeswalker landscape, it becomes clear that Elspeth Resplendent’s blend of boosting and bolstering strategies with card advantage positions her in a sweet spot among her peers, catering to those aiming to maintain momentum while developing a formidable battlefield presence.

Gideon Blackblade - MTG Card versions
Ajani Steadfast - MTG Card versions
Gideon Blackblade - MTG Card versions
Ajani Steadfast - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Elspeth Resplendent by color, type and mana cost

Gideon Jura - MTG Card versions
Elspeth Tirel - MTG Card versions
Nahiri, the Lithomancer - MTG Card versions
Gideon, Martial Paragon - MTG Card versions
Ajani, Wise Counselor - MTG Card versions
Elspeth, Undaunted Hero - MTG Card versions
Gideon Jura - MTG Card versions
Elspeth Tirel - MTG Card versions
Nahiri, the Lithomancer - MTG Card versions
Gideon, Martial Paragon - MTG Card versions
Ajani, Wise Counselor - MTG Card versions
Elspeth, Undaunted Hero - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Elspeth Resplendent. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Mono-White TokensMono-White Tokens StandardMono-White TokensTraditional Standard Ranked Decklists: May 6, 2024
Mono-White MidrangeMono-White Midrange StandardMono-White ControlBLACK - FRI - 11AM - Chicago 75K Standard Open
4c Control4c Control Standard4c ControlTraditional Standard Ranked Decklists: April 29, 2024
Orzhov AngelsOrzhov Angels StandardOrzhov AngelsTraditional Standard Ranked Decklists: April 29, 2024
Selesnya MidrangeSelesnya Midrange StandardSelesnya MidrangeTraditional Standard Ranked Decklists: March 18, 2024
Azorius MidrangeAzorius Midrange StandardAzorius MidrangeStandard Challenge 64 2024-03-10
Mono-White AngelsMono-White Angels StandardMono-White AngelsTraditional Standard Ranked Decklists: March 4, 2024
Bant ComboBant Combo StandardBrokers AscendancyBOP! Standard Open
Esper EnchantmentsEsper Enchantments Standard4c ZurThe Pizza Box Open: Standard
Mono-White AggroMono-White Aggro StandardMono-White SoldiersBLACK - FRI - 11AM - Chicago 75K Standard Open

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Elspeth Resplendent shines by providing significant card advantage to players. When she enters the battlefield or you activate her plus one loyalty ability, you’re able to search for a card meeting certain criteria and put it into your hand. This effectively tips the scales in your favor by ensuring you consistently have access to more options and resources than your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: Her minus two loyalty ability allows you to put a +1/+1 counter on up to two creatures, which not only boosts your board presence but can also accelerate your plan by enhancing creatures that have mana abilities or grow stronger with counters. Encouraging aggressive strategies, she enables players to propel their game forward faster than usual.

Instant Speed: While Elspeth Resplendent herself isn’t played at instant speed, her ability to fetch instant cards enables you to keep up the tempo and respond to your opponent’s moves on the fly. This maximizes your flexibility in combat and other phases, all the while maintaining an imposing presence with her on the battlefield.


Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Elspeth Resplendent requires two white mana and three generic mana, which can restrict deck-building options as decks need to have a consistent enough mana base to support her casting cost.

Discard Requirement: While Elspeth Resplendent doesn’t have a direct discard requirement, her -3 loyalty ability requires you to forfeit a permanent if it targets the same permanent more than once, which may inadvertently cost valuable board presence.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At five mana, Elspeth Resplendent comes with a substantial mana investment. In the current META, there are more cost-effective alternatives offering control players stabilizing tools at a lower mana cost.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Elspeth Resplendent shines as a multi-faceted planeswalker, adept at elevating a wide array of white strategies. Her abilities bolster your creatures, offer protection, and can even lead to late-game advantages with card draw and life gain.

Combo Potential: She can easily slide into life-gain synergies or supercharge soldier tokens, while her ultimate can be a game-changer, fetching powerful permanents turn after turn.

Meta-Relevance: In a metagame teeming with creature-based tactics, Elspeth Resplendent becomes an asset, providing essential support and resilience against formidable opponents.


How to beat

Elspeth Resplendent is a formidable planeswalker known for bolstering your creatures and bolstering your options. To counter her, consider disruption tactics like instant-speed removals that can handle her before she accrues too much loyalty. Thoughtseize and other hand disruption spells can preemptively clear her from your opponent’s hand. Furthermore, pressure is crucial; a swift aggro lineup can overwhelm your opponent, giving them less time to benefit from her abilities. Red’s direct damage spells can help you target Elspeth directly, bypassing creatures that might protect her.

Diverse threats work well. Since Elspeth primarily excels in creature-focused decks, employing non-creature strategies such as enchantments or planeswalker-centric playstyles can outmaneuver Elspeth’s conventional setups. Also, having answers to her ultimate ability ensures you’re not caught off guard by its game-changing effect. Versatile answers in your deck such as Bedevil or Elspeth Conquers Death can remove her after she’s hit the battlefield, mitigating her impact. Remember, the key to defeating Elspeth Resplendent lies in immediate responses and strategic planning, keeping her from tipping the game’s balance.


BurnMana Recommendations

Elspeth Resplendent is an MTG card that merges resource acceleration, card advantage, and expansive flexibility into a formidable planeswalker. Mastering her use in gameplay is about strategizing your moves with precision and foresight. MTG players looking to enrich their decks with her unique abilities will find that she blends well into various strategies, encouraging a proactive playstyle. For those intrigued by her powerful dynamic on the battlefield, further exploration into building around Elspeth Resplendent is highly recommended. Dive deeper into her capabilities with us and discover how to maximize her potential in your deck compositions. Learn more about optimizing your MTG strategies with Elspeth Resplendent and securing your next win.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Elspeth Resplendent MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Streets of New Capenna Promos, 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 Elspeth Resplendent and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Elspeth Resplendent Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2022-04-29 and 2022-04-29. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 996852015NormalBlackTom Roberts
22022-04-29Streets of New Capenna PromosPSNC 11p2015NormalBlackAnna Steinbauer
32022-04-29Streets of New CapennaSNC 3412015NormalBlackKrharts
42022-04-29Streets of New CapennaSNC 2822015NormalBorderlessTom Roberts
52022-04-29Streets of New CapennaSNC 4412015NormalBlackKrharts
62022-04-29Streets of New Capenna PromosPSNC 11s2015NormalBlackAnna Steinbauer
72022-04-29Streets of New CapennaSNC 112015NormalBlackAnna Steinbauer

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Elspeth Resplendent has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2022-04-29 A creature with a shield counter on it may still be destroyed by state-based actions if it has damage marked on it equal to its toughness or has been dealt unpreventable damage by a source with deathtouch.
2022-04-29 For Elspeth's first ability, its controller chooses flying, first strike, lifelink, or vigilance, then that counter and the +1/+1 counter are placed on the target creature at the same time.
2022-04-29 If a permanent that would be dealt damage has more than one shield counter on it, that damage is prevented and only one shield counter is removed.
2022-04-29 If a permanent with a shield counter is dealt unpreventable damage, that damage will be dealt and a shield counter will still be removed.
2022-04-29 Removing a shield counter in this way isn't the same as regenerating a creature.
2022-04-29 Shield counters don't prevent players from sacrificing creatures.
2022-04-29 “Shield” is not an ability that creatures have and shield counters are not keyword counters. If a creature with a shield counter loses its abilities, the shield counter will still protect it as normal.
Vigilance card art

Guide to Vigilance card ability

In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.