Worthy Cause MTG Card

Worthy Cause offers card advantage by turning losing creatures into life gain opportunities. It allows resource acceleration and adds strategic depth with instant speed flexibility. Despite its power, its sacrifice requirement and specific mana cost can be limiting.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Abilities	Buyback
Released	1997-10-14
Set symbol
Set name	Tempest
Set code	TMP
Number	53
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	John Matson

Text of card

Buyback (You may pay an additional when you play this spell. If you do, put it into your hand instead of your graveyard as part of the spell's effect.) Sacrifice a creature: Gain life equal to the sacrificed creature's toughness.

Cards like Worthy Cause

When examining Worthy Cause within the context of Magic: The Gathering, its life gain mechanic offers a stark contrast to other options. Much like Moment of Heroism, which gives creatures a boost and temporary lifelink, Worthy Cause can also be a lifesaver by converting a creature on the brink of destruction into valuable life points. Both card’s defensive nature provides players with unexpected resilience in the face of adversity.

Comparing Worthy Cause to more direct forms of life gain, such as Rest for the Weary, it becomes apparent that the former offers strategic flexibility, allowing players to capitalise on the sacriﬁce of dying creatures for an immediate increase in life total. Unlike Rest for the Weary, which grants a fixed life boost, Worthy Cause can offer a dynamic response to on-board threats. Congregate is another life gain card, pooling life points equivalently to the number of creatures on the battlefield, but it lacks the surgical timing and sacrificial benefit that makes Worthy Cause a versatile tool in a player’s arsenal.

Ultimately, Worthy Cause sits comfortably in the pantheon of life gain cards, bringing a unique blend of control, sacrifice, and survival to the table, proving its namesake as a stratagem worth considering for players looking to tip the scales in their favor.

Cards similar to Worthy Cause by color, type and mana cost

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Worthy Cause stands out as a key card advantage tool. It enables you to capitalize on creatures that are already target of removal spells or at the brink of death in combat. By sacrificing them, you ensure your valuable creatures don’t go to waste, effectively turning a potential loss into a life-gain opportunity.

Resource Acceleration: In the ecosystem of MTG, the ability to accelerate resources beyond mana is crucial. Worthy Cause provides this acceleration in the form of life gain. This can be particularly potent in strategies built around life as a resource, giving you more staying power against aggressive decks and enabling synergies with cards that key off high life totals.

Instant Speed: The allure of instant speed spells lies in their flexibility and Worthy Cause epitomizes this. With the ability to cast it at instant speed, you’ve got the upper hand, as you can wait until the last possible moment to make a strategic decision. This keeps opponents on their toes, wondering whether their attacks or removals will result in unexpected shifts in life totals that turn the tide of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Worthy Cause mandates that you sacrifice a creature, which could be seen as a major downside, especially if you are trying to maintain board presence and don’t have expendable creatures.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring white mana for activation, it might not fit smoothly into multi-colored decks that aren’t heavily invested in white or where mana fixing isn’t optimal.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although only one white mana is needed, the additional need to tap lands can set you back in terms of tempo, especially in the earlier stages of the game or when facing speedy aggro decks. Moreover, other cards could provide life gain without such a cost to your board state.

Reasons to Include Worthy Cause in Your Collection

Versatility: Worthy Cause is a flexible card that can be included in a variety of white decks. Its ability to convert creatures into life points can be useful in both aggressive strategies looking to preserve life and control decks aiming to stabilize the board.

Combo Potential: The instant speed of Worthy Cause allows for surprise interactions and can be utilized in combos that revolve around life gain or leveraging creature sacrifice for strategic advantages.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment rich with creature-based strategies, having a card that turns potential damage from opponents into a life buffer can be extremely relevant and can help turn the tide of a match.

How to Beat Worthy Cause

Worthy Cause is a tactical enchantment that can be a game-changer in Magic: The Gathering, especially when used in decks that capitalize on sacrificing creatures for an advantage. Beating this card requires a multi-angle approach. Firstly, recognizing that instant speed makes it flexible, being ready to deal with it on your opponent’s terms is crucial. Employing counter spells that target enchantments can disrupt their strategy and minimize their gains.

Another effective strategy is to limit the number of creatures your opponent controls. Board clearing spells or selective removal can help control the field, leaving Worthy Cause with fewer targets to exploit. Moreover, running cards that can exile or bounce enchantments back to hand can help manage the threat it poses. Finally, maintaining pressure and presenting multiple threats can stretch an opponent’s resources thin, reducing the effectiveness of a defensive card like Worthy Cause.

Ultimately, while Worthy Cause can create strong defensive positions and life gain for your opponent, understanding its mechanics and having a versatile response in your deck will greatly increase your odds of overcoming this challenging component in their strategy.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Worthy Cause MTG card by a specific set like Tempest, 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 Worthy Cause and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Worthy Cause has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-04-15	Players can only respond once this spell has been cast and all its costs have been paid. No one can try to destroy the creature you sacrificed to prevent you from casting this spell.
2013-04-15	You must sacrifice exactly one creature to cast this spell; you cannot cast it without sacrificing a creature, and you cannot sacrifice additional creatures.