Sage-Eye Avengers MTG Card


Returning creatures to hands, Sage-Eye Avengers offers sustained card advantage and game disruption. Its spell mastery boosts late-game strategies, fitting well in instant-speed control decks. Despite a high mana cost, the Avengers’ adaptability and combo potential make it a powerful ally.
Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Djinn Monk
Abilities Prowess
Power 4
Toughness 5

Text of card

Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.) Whenever Sage-Eye Avengers attacks, you may return target creature to its owner's hand if its power is less than Sage-Eye Avengers's power.


Cards like Sage-Eye Avengers

Sage-Eye Avengers stands as a formidable presence in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, with a particular prowess in controlling opponents’ creatures. With its ability to return a target creature to its owner’s hand whenever Sage-Eye Avengers attacks, it offers a recurring disruption not unlike that of Man-o’-War. The latter also bounces creatures but does so only once upon entering the battlefield. However, Man-o’-War is more cost-efficient with less power and toughness.

Another card worth mentioning is Aether Adept, which similarly returns a creature to its owner’s hand, but like Man-o’-War, this is a one-time effect and lacks the repeatable nature of Sage-Eye Avengers. Aether Adept does, however, require less mana investment. Additionally, Venser, Shaper Savant falls into this category with its flexibility in bouncing spells or creatures, yet it diverges with a higher cost and a single-use effect.

Evaluating these options, Sage-Eye Avengers claims a unique spot on the battlefield, combining aggressive assaults with a control element that adds strategic depth to each attack, distinguishing it within the Magic: The Gathering lineup of creature control cards.

Man-o'-War - MTG Card versions
Aether Adept - MTG Card versions
Venser, Shaper Savant - MTG Card versions
Man-o'-War - MTG Card versions
Aether Adept - MTG Card versions
Venser, Shaper Savant - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Sage-Eye Avengers by color, type and mana cost

Sea Serpent - MTG Card versions
Sibilant Spirit - MTG Card versions
Drifting Djinn - MTG Card versions
King Crab - MTG Card versions
Sea Monster - MTG Card versions
Sun Quan, Lord of Wu - MTG Card versions
Sliptide Serpent - MTG Card versions
Zanam Djinn - MTG Card versions
Mahamoti Djinn - MTG Card versions
Deepfathom Skulker - MTG Card versions
Sakashima's Protege - MTG Card versions
Zahid, Djinn of the Lamp - MTG Card versions
Shoreline Ranger - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Dismisser - MTG Card versions
Novijen Sages - MTG Card versions
Storm Elemental - MTG Card versions
Draining Whelk - MTG Card versions
Brine Elemental - MTG Card versions
Arcanis the Omnipotent - MTG Card versions
Quicksilver Dragon - MTG Card versions
Sea Serpent - MTG Card versions
Sibilant Spirit - MTG Card versions
Drifting Djinn - MTG Card versions
King Crab - MTG Card versions
Sea Monster - MTG Card versions
Sun Quan, Lord of Wu - MTG Card versions
Sliptide Serpent - MTG Card versions
Zanam Djinn - MTG Card versions
Mahamoti Djinn - MTG Card versions
Deepfathom Skulker - MTG Card versions
Sakashima's Protege - MTG Card versions
Zahid, Djinn of the Lamp - MTG Card versions
Shoreline Ranger - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Dismisser - MTG Card versions
Novijen Sages - MTG Card versions
Storm Elemental - MTG Card versions
Draining Whelk - MTG Card versions
Brine Elemental - MTG Card versions
Arcanis the Omnipotent - MTG Card versions
Quicksilver Dragon - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Sage-Eye Avengers enters the battlefield or attacks, you can return target creature to its owner’s hand if you have spell mastery. This disrupts your opponent’s board and pads your hand, providing substantial card advantage over the course of the game.

Resource Acceleration: While Sage-Eye Avengers doesn’t directly accelerate resources, bouncing creatures back to your opponent’s hand effectively slows them down. This allows you to use your mana efficiently, deploying threats or answers without worrying about an immediate response.

Instant Speed: Sage-Eye Avengers itself isn’t an instant, but its ability complements an instant-speed strategy. By holding up mana for instants and flashing in the Avengers during the late game, you can maintain pressure while still reacting to your opponent’s moves, pivoting as needed for control.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One aspect that players need to consider is any potential drawback when integrating Sage-Eye Avengers into their deck. A card requirement that involves discarding can equate to a tough decision when your hand is already running thin on valuable resources.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost to summon Sage-Eye Avengers is quite particular, requiring a mix that is heavily skewed towards blue mana. This can make it a challenging fit for multi-colored decks that aren’t blue-dominated and could restrict its inclusion to only blue-centric builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The casting cost of Sage-Eye Avengers stands out when compared to other creatures and spells within the same power bracket. Players could potentially cast other spell cards or deploy creatures with a lower mana cost and achieve similar or better results, making Sage-Eye Avengers a less attractive option when optimizing their MTG strategies.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Sage-Eye Avengers are highly adaptable, slotting effortlessly into any deck that values bouncing nonland permanents to their owner’s hands. Their prowess function only amplifies their utility as both an offensive and defensive asset.

Combo Potential: These Avengers synergize well with spells that trigger on casting, enhancing your ability to respond to opponents’ threats or building up a powerful board presence. Their ability to clear the battlefield for a direct attack can often turn the tides in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where the battlefield can quickly become cluttered with powerful creatures and threats, Sage-Eye Avengers hold their ground by providing a consistent method to disrupt your opponents’ plans. Especially in a meta where tempo plays a significant role, this card’s impact can be profound.


How to beat

Sage-Eye Avengers is a unique creature that shines in control decks in Magic: The Gathering. Its prowess and ability to bounce opponents’ creatures to their hand upon dealing damage to a player make it a formidable card on the battlefield. To counteract this card, it’s crucial to limit its opportunity to strike directly. Players can achieve this by setting up reliable defenses through creatures with high toughness, ensuring that the Avengers can’t deal combat damage easily.

Another strategy is to remove the Sage-Eye Avengers before they have a chance to attack. Efficient removal spells, such as Murder or Path to Exile, can handle this threat regardless of its size, providing a direct answer to this creature. Additionally, counter spells are effective in preventing the Avengers from ever entering the battlefield, negating their abilities altogether.

Taking a proactive stance, players can also use spells that restrict the opponent’s ability to play creatures with higher mana costs or deploy hand disruption techniques to remove key cards before they can impact the game. By employing these strategies, players can deftly navigate around the strengths of Sage-Eye Avengers and maintain control of the game.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sage-Eye Avengers MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Fate Reforged 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 Sage-Eye Avengers and other MTG cards:

TCGPlayerBUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The Sage-Eye Avengers Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2015-01-23 and 2017-03-31. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 557092015NormalBlackViktor Titov
22015-01-23Fate Reforged PromosPFRF 50s2015NormalBlackDan Scott
32015-01-23Fate ReforgedFRF 502015NormalBlackDan Scott
42015-01-23Fate Reforged PromosPFRF 502015NormalBlackViktor Titov
52017-03-31Duel Decks: Mind vs. MightDDS 82015NormalBlackDan Scott

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sage-Eye Avengers has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2014-11-24 Any spell you cast that doesn’t have the type creature will cause prowess to trigger. If a spell has multiple types, and one of those types is creature (such as an artifact creature), casting it won’t cause prowess to trigger. Playing a land also won’t cause prowess to trigger.
2014-11-24 Once it triggers, prowess isn’t connected to the spell that caused it to trigger. If that spell is countered, prowess will still resolve.
2014-11-24 Prowess goes on the stack on top of the spell that caused it to trigger. It will resolve before that spell.
2014-11-24 Prowess triggers only once for any spell, even if that spell has multiple types.