Sylvan Ranger MTG Card


Fetching a land with Sylvan Ranger prevents missed land drops, aiding mana flow and deck consistency. Deck thinning and mana fixing with Sylvan Ranger improves drawing odds and supports multicolored play. Instant-speed spells benefit from the additional land in hand, allowing reactive plays while developing the board.
Card setsReleased in 11 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Elf Scout Ranger
Power 1
Toughness 1

Text of card

When Sylvan Ranger enters the battlefield, you may search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.

"Not all paths are found on the forest floor."


Cards like Sylvan Ranger

Sylvan Ranger offers Magic: The Gathering players a modest yet effective way to ensure land drops. This card mirrors the function of cards like Civic Wayfinder, wherein both allow you to search your library for a basic land card and put it in your hand when they enter the battlefield. Nevertheless, Sylvan Ranger excels with its lower cost of just two mana, making it an early game facilitator for mana consistency without giving immediate board presence like Civic Wayfinder, which also grants you a 2/2 body on the field.

Another card that operates in a similar scope is Farhaven Elf. Similar to Sylvan Ranger, the elf searches for a basic land when it hits the field. However, Far Finder leaps ahead by putting that land onto the battlefield instead, hence providing an immediate mana advantage at the cost of one extra green mana. The difference in mana acceleration can be pivotal in certain decks that value the speed at which lands are played.

Surveying comparable options highlights Sylvan Ranger’s role in a player’s deck as a reliable, cost-effective method for maintaining land drops, especially vital in multi-colored builds that demand mana stability to execute their strategies smoothly.

Civic Wayfinder - MTG Card versions
Farhaven Elf - MTG Card versions
Civic Wayfinder - MTG Card versions
Farhaven Elf - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Sylvan Ranger by color, type and mana cost

Wyluli Wolf - MTG Card versions
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Utopia Tree - MTG Card versions
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Sakura-Tribe Elder - MTG Card versions
Stonewood Invoker - MTG Card versions
Oran-Rief Survivalist - MTG Card versions
Wyluli Wolf - MTG Card versions
Whirling Dervish - MTG Card versions
River Boa - MTG Card versions
Albino Troll - MTG Card versions
Silverglade Pathfinder - MTG Card versions
Quirion Elves - MTG Card versions
Blurred Mongoose - MTG Card versions
Llanowar Loamspeaker - MTG Card versions
Genesis Hydra - MTG Card versions
Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse - MTG Card versions
Scavenging Ooze - MTG Card versions
Heir of the Wilds - MTG Card versions
Mayor of Avabruck // Howlpack Alpha - MTG Card versions
Wren's Run Vanquisher - MTG Card versions
Muscle Sliver - MTG Card versions
Utopia Tree - MTG Card versions
Bloodline Shaman - MTG Card versions
Sakura-Tribe Elder - MTG Card versions
Stonewood Invoker - MTG Card versions
Oran-Rief Survivalist - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Even though Sylvan Ranger doesn’t directly allow you to draw more cards, it lets you search your library for a basic land card and put it into your hand, effectively ensuring you don’t miss a land drop. This can be crucial in maintaining card flow and giving you the resources you need when you need them.

Resource Acceleration: By fetching a basic land from your deck, Sylvan Ranger can be seen as a form of resource acceleration. It helps to thin your deck, slightly increasing the chances of drawing into non-land cards in subsequent turns, while also fixing your mana base by allowing you to get the specific basic land type you need.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, Sylvan Ranger’s ability to grab a land can set you up to use instant-speed spells more effectively in later turns. Having additional lands in hand ensures that you can keep mana open for reactive plays while still developing your board presence.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While the Sylvan Ranger doesn’t require a discard upon entering the battlefield, other cards within a similar mana range may offer abilities without necessitating such a trade-off. In specific deck strategies that value card retention, the absence of an entry effect or discard option could be seen as a downside for maintaining hand advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Sylvan Ranger carries a mana cost that includes green, which means its integration is naturally limited to decks that can generate green mana. This makes it less versatile in decks that do not operate within the green mana spectrum or multi-colored decks that may struggle with mana fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For its ability to search for a basic land card, some players might view the cost of two mana (one of which is green) a bit steep. While the benefit of mana fixing is undeniable, particularly in multi-colored decks, alternative cards might provide more utility or stronger board presence at a similar, or even lower, mana investment.


Reasons to Include Sylvan Ranger in Your Collection

Versatility: Sylvan Ranger slips effortlessly into various decks, serving as a reliable mana fixer. Its ability to fetch a basic land card upon entering the battlefield makes it a practical choice for ensuring consistent land drops and smoothing out mana in multicolored decks.

Combo Potential: This card’s simple land tutoring effect can be a cog in the machine of landfall decks, triggering abilities whenever a land enters the battlefield. Additionally, as a creature, it can be recurred from the graveyard to repeat its land-searching ability, aiding in deck thinning and strategic setup.

Meta-Relevance: In a format where managing your mana base is crucial, Sylvan Ranger holds up as a functional utility creature. It can support strategies against aggressive metas by securing land drops and providing a blocker, or be a low-cost enabler in more synergistic, combo-driven decks.


How to beat

The Sylvan Ranger offers a straightforward yet beneficial ability for those looking to optimize their mana in Magic: The Gathering. As a two-drop creature that lets you search your deck for a basic land card and put it into your hand, it stands out in its capacity to smooth out your mana curve early in the game. While it may not impact the board significantly upon entry, its utility in setting up future plays is undeniable.

When facing the Ranger, the strategy is about minimizing its benefits. Since it’s often used in decks that capitalize on landfall abilities or multicolored mana bases, shutting down such synergies can dampen its effectiveness. Utilizing removal spells for more crucial creatures or saving that removal for bigger threats can be key. Land destruction or restrictions like “Leonin Arbiter” can hinder the Ranger before it can fully optimize that mana curve. Moreover, keep pressure with aggressive creatures to divert your opponent’s focus from land optimization to immediate threats, undercutting the long-term value the Ranger could have provided. Ultimately, the trick lies in anticipating and disrupting the broader strategy rather than the single card itself.


BurnMana Recommendations

Bringing Sylvan Ranger into your collection is an excellent choice for those seeking to maintain a steady land flow in their MTG gameplay. This card stands out for its ability to ensure you hit your land drops on time and enhance your deck’s consistency, particularly in multicolored decks craving mana stability. Its synergistic potential in both landfall strategies and as a recurring source of land tutoring cannot be ignored. Consider adding Sylvan Ranger to your arsenal today and discover how this small investment can make a significant impact on your deck’s performance. Explore more about optimizing your land strategy and other deck-building insights with us. Let’s walk the path of mastery together.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sylvan Ranger MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and DCI 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 Sylvan Ranger and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sylvan Ranger Magic the Gathering card was released in 10 different sets between 2006-01-02 and 2023-09-08. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 375922003NormalBlackCiruelo
22006-01-02DCI PromosPDCI 702003NormalBlackCiruelo
32006-01-02DCI PromosPDCI 512003NormalBlackCiruelo
42010-07-16Magic 2011M11 1982003NormalBlackChristopher Moeller
52011-09-02Duel Decks: Ajani vs. Nicol BolasDDH 82003NormalBlackChristopher Moeller
62014-11-07Commander 2014C14 2162015NormalBlackChristopher Moeller
72017-03-17Modern Masters 2017MM3 1402015NormalBlackChristopher Moeller
82017-06-09Commander AnthologyCMA 1512015NormalBlackChristopher Moeller
92019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 7792015NormalBlackCiruelo
102020-07-17JumpstartJMP 4352015NormalBlackChristopher Moeller
112023-09-08Wilds of Eldraine CommanderWOC 1342015NormalBlackChristopher Moeller

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sylvan Ranger has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
BrawlLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal