There’s nothing else in Magic: The Gathering quite like the MTG slivers. These bizarre beasts are one of the most unique original creatures in all of Magic. With their eyeless bony beaked heads, multiple whiplike tails, and single taloned appendages sprouting from their chests, the slivers of MTG are arguably even weirder than the Eldrazi.
Slivers are also strange mechanically. Because, in the game’s lore, these creatures operate as a hivemind, pretty much every MTG sliver card is able to give each other sliver its abilities. If you play a Winged Sliver, for instance, suddenly every sliver you control has flying. Sliver cards are popular with players who enjoy tribal decks because they are all designed to make each other stronger and operate as a team. One sliver is laughable. A swarm of slivers? Well, that’s a terrifying threat.
There are 109 sliver cards in total, which means that while all MTG slivers work well together, you can’t stick every single sliver card in your deck – not even if you’re trying to build a Commander deck. Fortunately we’ve come up with a list of the top 10 MTG slivers, so you can be sure you’re only using the cream of the crop. If you want a digital Sliver or two of your own, you could try your luck with some free cards with our guide to MTG Arena codes. Otherwise, read on…
The best MTG Slivers are:
- Sliver Queen
- Sliver Overlord
- Cloudshredder Sliver
- Manaweft Sliver
- Harmonic Sliver
- Crystalline Sliver
- Necrotic Sliver
- Spiteful Sliver
- Sliver Hivelord
- The First Sliver
Sliver Queen
Pretty much every MTG sliver deck relies on generating a critical mass of slivers so you can overwhelm your opponents. As well as being one of a number of great five-colour sliver commanders you can put in your sliver EDH deck, Sliver Queen is perfect for quickly building up your board presence, shooting out multiple slivers in a turn without using up your precious cards.
Sliver Overlord
Another very powerful sliver commander, Sliver Overlord again gives you access to the full five colours, so no sliver is off the table. It performs a similar role to Sliver Queen, helping you build up your sliver collection.
However, instead of making tokens, Sliver Overlord lets you tutor up any sliver you like, ensuring you always have exactly the tool you need, and your game always goes exactly the way you want it to.
Cloudshredder Sliver
Providing two useful abilities (haste and flying) for just two mana, Cloudshredder Sliver is incredibly efficient. Once it’s out on the field your slivers all get much more aggressive, attacking in the skies on the same turn you play them.
Manaweft Sliver
The best MTG sliver for ramping, Manaweft Sliver lets all your slivers tap for mana, letting you play more powerful cards that much sooner. While ultra-aggressive sliver decks won’t need this effect, it’s invaluable in slower decks. Every sliver Commander deck, for instance, will want one of these.
Harmonic Sliver
There are usually a lot of powerful artifacts and enchantments hanging around in Commander games, from benign but useful things like mana rocks, to game-changing cards like Smothering Tithe. Harmonic Sliver turns each of your slivers into artifact and enchantment removal – very useful for dealing with all kinds of different threats.
Just be aware that the removal ability is not optional – if your opponents don’t have any enchantments or artifacts left, your slivers will end up hitting your own stuff. That downside isn’t enough to knock this card off our list, because MTG sliver decks are mostly focused on creatures, and not other card types.
Crystalline Sliver
A built-up board full of slivers is almost unstoppable – unless your opponent picks off a key creature at just the wrong moment. Crystalline Sliver prevents that, giving all your slivers shroud. This ability means none of them can be targeted by spells, meaning your only vulnerability is board wipes. Pair this card with Sliver Hivelord and you’re really off to the races.
Necrotic Sliver
Most sliver decks are light on removal. It’s a simple calculation really – more removal cards equals less space for sliver cards. Fortunately, there are a few MTG slivers that can fill this role for you. Necrotic Sliver is one of the very best choices, letting you sacrifice your worst sliver to deal with any permanent that’s causing you problems.
Spiteful Sliver
Spiteful Sliver makes it very difficult for your opponent to attack you or block your slivers. A very mean sliver indeed! With Spiteful Sliver on the battlefield, all your slivers can deal back any damage they’re dealt to a player or planeswalker of your choice.
This sliver makes the list because it makes all your opponents’ creatures much less effective If your foe has big creatures, using them at all can suddenly become a death sentence.
Sliver Hivelord
The main weakness for MTG slivers is board wipes. Since each sliver card you play makes all your other slivers exponentially stronger, you can’t win the game unless you have a lot of slivers under your command. A board wipe can therefore stop sliver decks in their tracks, and put you in a really painful position, struggling to rebuild from scratch with a now depleted hand.
But if you have a Sliver Hivelord, all your slivers are indestructible, and worrying about board wipes becomes a thing of the past. This is another card that makes for a great sliver commander.
The First Sliver
Speaking of which, here’s The First Sliver, ironically showing up last (but not least) on our list. The First Sliver gives all your creatures (so long as they’re slivers, which if you’re using this card, they should be) cascade.
That’s a mighty keyword indeed – it lets you cast another spell of lower mana value, every single time you cast a sliver. With The First Sliver as your commander, your army of slivers will swiftly be unstoppable – immediately ready to slither all over your opponents.