Ishkanah, Grafwidow MTG Card


Ishkanah Grafwidow excels in swarming the board with spider tokens, tipping the scales in your favor. Its delirium-triggered resource acceleration can propel you into a stronger late-game standing. Leverage Ishkanah’s life drain power at instant speed for critical tactical plays against opponents.
Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — Spider
Abilities Delirium,Reach
Power 3
Toughness 5

Text of card

Reach Delirium — When Ishkanah, Grafwidow enters the battlefield, if there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard, put three 1/2 green Spider creature tokens with reach onto the battlefield. : Target opponent loses 1 life for each Spider you control.


Cards like Ishkanah, Grafwidow

Ishkanah, Grafwidow stands out as a unique creature option within Magic: The Gathering. Ishkanah is often compared to the likes of Arachnogenesis or Spider Spawning. The key distinction lies in Ishkanah’s ability to interact directly with Delirium – having four different card types among cards in your graveyard to unleash spiders onto the battlefield. Unlike Arachnogenesis, which is an instant that detours attacks by creating spider tokens without requiring graveyard synergy.

Meanwhile, Spider Spawning itself delves into graveyard resources, creating a number of spiders equal to the number of creatures in your graveyard. This sorcery, while powerful, doesn’t carry the additional utility of being a 3/5 with reach nor the capability to drain life from an opponent as Ishkanah does once Delirium is active. Another card, Nyx Weaver, offers graveyard interaction and creature retrieval, but lacks the explosive token-generating effect and direct opponent life loss interaction found with Ishkanah, Grafwidow.

Considering these factors, it becomes evident that Ishkanah, Grafwidow carves a distinct niche for itself in the realm of graveyard-utilizing creatures, offering a combination of board presence and potential opponent life drain that few cards can match.

Arachnogenesis - MTG Card versions
Spider Spawning - MTG Card versions
Nyx Weaver - MTG Card versions
Arachnogenesis - MTG Card versions
Spider Spawning - MTG Card versions
Nyx Weaver - MTG Card versions

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Korozda Gorgon - MTG Card versions
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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ishkanah Grafwidow excels in providing card advantage by leveraging its ability to generate spider tokens, which can quickly outnumber and overwhelm your opponent. This can lead to a significant presence on the board, giving you an edge as the game progresses.

Resource Acceleration: By utilizing its delirium ability, which activates with at least four different card types in your graveyard, Ishkanah Grafwidow fuels resource acceleration. This can potentially ramp up your resources, allowing for a stronger late-game position or enabling you to cast high-cost spells earlier than usual.

Instant Speed: Even though Ishkanah itself is not an instant speed spell, it creates an army of spiders that can be a formidable defense during your opponent’s turn. Furthermore, its ability to drain life from your opponent can be used at instant speed, giving you a tactical advantage by keeping mana available until the most opportune moment to strike or disrupt your opponent’s strategy.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Ishkanah Grafwidow doesn’t directly involve a discard mechanic, playing it optimally requires delirium, which often means strategically placing several card types in the graveyard. This can backfire if you’re forced to discard key cards earlier in the game to achieve delirium, potentially depleting your hand when you need resources the most.

Specific Mana Cost: Ishkanah comes with a specific mana requirement, including both generic and green mana. This can be restrictive, as the reliance on green mana means the card is best suited to green or green-inclusive decks, limiting its versatility across various deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, Ishkanah Grafwidow may be considered costly compared to other creatures that can be played earlier in the game. While the ability to create spider tokens can provide significant board presence, the initial mana investment is substantial, and there may be occasions where deploying other strategies with a lower mana cost could be more advantageous. Additionally, the activated ability also has a steep cost, requiring six mana to utilize, which can be a tall order in faster-paced games.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Ishkanah Grafwidow brings a dynamic presence to the board with its ability to create spider tokens. This not only provides defense against airborne threats but can also transition into an offensive strategy when needed.

Combo Potential: With delirium activated, Ishkanah’s ability to drain life from opponents offers a powerful finisher when paired with cards that mill or self-enchant to enable delirium swiftly.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where graveyard strategies are flourishing, Ishkanah Grafwidow gains significant value. It can quickly turn the tide in matches, making it a potent inclusion against a variety of decks in the current competitive scene.


How to beat

Ishkanah, Grafwidow is a distinctive creature card bringing a unique dynamic to Magic: The Gathering games. This card, famous for its Delirium ability, can spawn a trio of Spider tokens, fortifying your defenses promptly. To counter this arachnid threat, consider deploying spells that hinder graveyard strategies, curtailing Delirium’s potential. Spells like Relic of Progenitus or Leyline of the Void can disrupt the accumulation of card types in graveyards, thus diminishing Ishkanah’s efficacy.

In addition, evasion tactics can be your ally. Since Ishkanah and her Spiderlings possess reach, flying isn’t a reliable escape route. Instead, cards that grant unblockability or can bypass creatures, like Rogue’s Passage, can be pivotal in sealing your victory. Similarly, employing board wipes such as Damnation or Wrath of God can clear the cluster of spiders, providing a clean slate for you to press the advantage. Always keep in mind the importance of timing your removal spells to neutralize Ishkanah’s impact before her brood becomes overwhelming.

Combining graveyard disruption with strategic creature removal offers a solid game plan when facing against Ishkanah, Grafwidow. In doing so, you dismantle the Delirium dependencies and render her abilities significantly less threatening, steering the game into your favor.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into the world of MTG where strategy and adaptability go hand in hand, and cards like Ishkanah Grafwidow can redefine the battle. Navigate the webs of gameplay like a master tactician equipped with the knowledge of when to leverage her token generation and life-draining abilities. The meta constantly evolves and understanding how to integrate such powerful cards can give you the upper hand. Whether it’s enhancing your collection or refining your competitive deck, there’s more to discover. Join us for in-depth analysis, deck-building tips, and all the secrets to optimizing your play with Ishkanah Grafwidow.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ishkanah, Grafwidow MTG card by a specific set like Eldritch Moon and Eldritch Moon 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 Ishkanah, Grafwidow and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ishkanah, Grafwidow Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2016-07-22 and 2023-06-23. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-07-22Eldritch MoonEMN 1622015NormalBlackChristine Choi
22016-07-22Eldritch Moon PromosPEMN 162s2015NormalBlackChristine Choi
32020-09-26The ListPLST EMN-1622015NormalBlackChristine Choi
42023-03-21Shadows over Innistrad RemasteredSIR 2042015NormalBlackChristine Choi
52023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 5162015NormalBorderlessGreg Hildebrandt & Tim Hildebrandt

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ishkanah, Grafwidow 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 Ishkanah, Grafwidow card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2016-07-13 The number of Spiders you control is checked only as Ishkanah’s last ability resolves. The ability will count Ishkanah itself if it’s still on the battlefield.