Do All Slivers Have Haste? Unpacking the Slippery Truth
The short and direct answer is no, not all Slivers have haste. While some Slivers do grant the haste ability to themselves and/or other Slivers, it is not an inherent characteristic of the Sliver creature type. This is a common misconception, often stemming from the fact that many popular Sliver cards do, in fact, convey this crucial ability. Understanding the specifics is essential for any Magic: The Gathering (MTG) player looking to master these hive-minded creatures.
Understanding Sliver Abilities
Slivers are a unique creature type in MTG, known for their shared abilities. A key mechanic of Slivers is that they grant their abilities to all Slivers on the battlefield, regardless of who controls them. This can lead to powerful and sometimes chaotic interactions on the board. However, this also makes them vulnerable to mass removal.
The confusion surrounding haste arises because certain pivotal Slivers, like Cloudshredder Sliver and Heart Sliver, explicitly grant haste to other Slivers. For instance, Cloudshredder Sliver bestows both flying and haste to all Sliver creatures you control. Another early, but crucial Sliver, Heart Sliver grants the ability haste to all Slivers.
Without these specific cards, your Slivers will be subject to summoning sickness, meaning they won’t be able to attack or tap for activated abilities the turn they enter the battlefield. This makes having a dedicated haste enabler crucial for a Sliver deck looking to close out games quickly.
Haste in MTG: A Brief Refresher
To understand the impact of haste on Slivers, let’s briefly review what haste does in MTG:
- Bypassing Summoning Sickness: Haste allows a creature to attack or tap for abilities the turn it enters the battlefield. Without haste, a creature is considered to have summoning sickness and cannot attack or use tap abilities.
- Speed and Aggression: Haste is an incredibly valuable ability that enables fast and aggressive strategies. It is vital in allowing a creature to impact the battlefield right away.
In the context of a Sliver deck, haste translates to the ability to quickly overwhelm opponents, combining the shared stat boosts and abilities with immediate offensive or utility pressure.
Haste and the Sliver Archetype
While not all Slivers natively have haste, the mechanics of the Sliver tribe often make the inclusion of haste essential. A typical Sliver game plan revolves around building up a synergistic board state of shared abilities, using that combined power to overwhelm the opponent. The ability to attack and use tap abilities immediately is vital for that type of plan.
How Do Slivers Typically Get Haste?
Here are the most common ways that slivers gain haste:
- Specific Sliver Cards: As mentioned earlier, the most straightforward way to grant haste to all your Slivers is through specific Sliver cards such as Heart Sliver and Cloudshredder Sliver.
- Enchantments: Another common tactic is to use enchantments like Fervor to grant all your creatures haste. This is beneficial because it works in addition to your haste-granting Slivers and gives you more protection against creature removal.
- Equipment: While less common, some equipment cards can grant haste to a specific creature that the equipment is attached to. This is less effective for a deck trying to grant haste to all their creatures, but useful nonetheless.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Slivers and Haste
To further clarify the intricacies of Slivers and haste, here are some frequently asked questions:
1. Can Slivers Only be Blocked by Slivers?
No, Slivers can be blocked by any creature unless they have a specific ability that prevents it. There are specific slivers that grant protection from certain colors, however, unless specified otherwise, Slivers can be blocked by any creature.
2. What Does the Ward Sliver Do?
Ward Sliver grants all Slivers protection from a chosen color. This protection prevents the chosen colored cards from damaging, enchanting, equipping, blocking, or targeting your Slivers.
3. Does Haste Apply to Tap Abilities?
Yes, haste allows creatures to attack or tap for activated abilities the turn they come under your control. Without haste, those abilities would be restricted by summoning sickness.
4. Does Haste Bypass Summoning Sickness?
Yes, having haste allows a creature to bypass or ignore summoning sickness. It does not prevent the creature from having summoning sickness outright, but it allows you to act despite having the sickness.
5. What Is the Most Powerful Sliver Commander?
Sliver Overlord is often considered the most powerful Sliver commander due to its ability to search your library for any Sliver. This can provide consistent access to key pieces in your strategy.
6. What Happens If a Creature Loses Haste Mid-Turn?
If a creature loses haste on the turn it enters the battlefield, it will then be subject to summoning sickness. For example, a card like Dress Down can remove all abilities from a creature. If that creature gained haste somehow, and then lost it via the use of dress down, that creature would not be able to attack or tap.
7. Why is Sliver Queen So Expensive?
Sliver Queen is expensive because it is on the Reserved List, meaning it will never be reprinted. It is also a powerful card and popular with Commander players.
8. Are Sliver Decks Legal in Modern?
Yes, Sliver decks are legal in Modern since the vast majority of the sliver cards were printed within legal modern card sets. Some slivers are not, of course.
9. Are Slivers Legal in Commander?
Yes, all 109 Sliver cards are legal in Commander. The sheer number of available Slivers also allows for much creativity in deck building.
10. Does Sliver Queen Count as a Sliver?
Yes, Sliver Queen is a Sliver and its ability to produce 1/1 Sliver tokens makes her exceptionally powerful.
11. What Are the Best Slivers in MTG?
Some of the top Slivers include Cloudshredder Sliver, Gemhide Sliver/Manaweft Sliver, Harmonic Sliver, Hatchery Sliver, Quick Sliver, Sliver Gravemother, Predatory Sliver/Muscle Sliver/Sinew Sliver, and Galerider Sliver. This list highlights the variety of abilities that the Sliver tribe has.
12. What is the Reserved List?
The Reserved List is a list of cards that Wizards of the Coast has stated they will never reprint, making those cards more scarce and expensive.
13. Can Sliver Queen Be Reprinted?
No, Sliver Queen cannot be reprinted because she is on the Reserved List, which is a list of cards that will never be printed again.
14. What Does Haste Actually Do?
In MTG, Haste grants the ability to attack and use abilities that involve the tap symbol on the turn a player gains control of a creature, instead of having to wait until their next turn. It speeds up your board.
15. Is it Possible to Build a Good Sliver Commander Deck?
Yes, Sliver decks are quite popular in Commander, with commanders like The First Sliver and Sliver Overlord being particularly effective and powerful. The strength of the Sliver tribe lies in its synergistic nature.
Conclusion
While not all Slivers have haste inherently, the ability is crucial to most Sliver strategies. By understanding which Slivers grant haste and how to supplement those abilities with enchantments or equipment, you can harness the full potential of this unique creature type. Remember to carefully evaluate your game plan and make sure you have ways to enable your Slivers to attack without waiting for a turn. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be well-equipped to lead your own unstoppable Sliver swarm into victory!