A-Lier, Disciple of the Drowned MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Mythic |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Human Wizard |
| Released | 2021-09-24 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Innistrad: Midnight Hunt |
| Set code | MID |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 4 |
| Number | A-59 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Ekaterina Burmak |
Key Takeaways
- Maximizes spells usage by granting them flashback, doubling your tactical moves.
- Boosts resource acceleration, enabling casting of multiple spells in a turn without hand depletion.
- Allows instant speed play from the graveyard, maintaining hand ambiguity and disrupting opponents.
Text of card
Spells can't be countered. As long as it's your turn, each instant and sorcery card in your graveyard has flashback. The flashback cost is equal to that card's mana cost.
Beneath the waves, lost gods stir in their slumber.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: A-Lier, Disciple of the Drowned shines in providing consistent access to spells in your graveyard. Every spell gains flashback until the end of turn when you cast A-Lier. This doesn’t just recover resources but effectively doubles your spell usage potential, ensuring you’re never short on options.
Resource Acceleration: A-Lier can be key in decks that thrive on casting multiple spells in a single turn. By granting flashback to your spells, you naturally accelerate your resource usage without expending additional cards from your hand, thus propelling you ahead in the resource game.
Instant Speed: A-Lier’s ability to give instant speed spells a second life can completely shift the tide of a match. Playing instants from your graveyard during an opponent’s turn keeps them guessing and can disrupt their strategy, all while preserving the surprise element of what’s in your hand.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One setback for players considering A-Lier, Disciple of the Drowned for their deck is the discard element involved. In situations where your hand is already dwindling, having to discard can further deplete valuable resources, potentially hampering your game strategy and leaving you vulnerable to your opponent’s next move.
Specific Mana Cost: A-Lier, Disciple of the Drowned demands a specific mana configuration to cast—three blue mana. This requirement can be restrictive and at times difficult to achieve, especially early in the game or in a multicolored deck where mana resources must be allocated efficiently. Players may find this to be a limiting factor in terms of deck versatility and consistency.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, A-Lier, Disciple of the Drowned sits at a higher threshold in terms of mana investment. When compared to other cards occupying the same or similar roles within a deck, A-Lier’s cost might seem steep, leading players to consider other alternatives that provide strategic advantages at a lower mana cost.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: A-Lier, Disciple of the Drowned serves as an incredibly versatile card, fitting seamlessly into various blue-centric or spell-heavy decks. Its capacity to give spells flashback from your graveyard offers continuous utility throughout the game.
Combo Potential: This card boasts immense combo potential. Its unique ability to grant flashback to all spells in your graveyard can be the linchpin in strategies that revolve around casting the same powerful spells multiple times, thus maximizing the impact of your key cards.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where control decks or strategies emphasizing instant and sorcery spells are dominant, A-Lier, Disciple of the Drowned can prove to be a game-changer, offering repeated access to your most impactful spells and continuously shaping the battlefield to your advantage.
How to Beat
Confronting the prowess of A-Lier, Disciple of the Drowned on the battlefield requires a well-thought-out strategy. This powerful creature card from Magic: The Gathering offers its controller the unrivaled advantage of giving spells in their graveyard flashback until the end of turn. This means that any nonland card in the graveyard can essentially be used twice, which can be a game-changer when played correctly.
To counter A-Lier effectively, targeted graveyard removal becomes key. Utilizing cards such as Tormod’s Crypt or Relic of Progenitus can help disrupt this strategy by removing the graveyard as a resource pool for the opposing player. Instant speed removal or exile effects are also valuable, as they can eliminate A-Lier before the flashback ability is activated. Additionally, prioritizing counterspells to prevent A-Lier from ever entering the field can mitigate the risk before it even begins. Combine these tactics with vigilant game play, and you’ll enhance your chances of overcoming the daunting challenge that A-Lier, Disciple of the Drowned brings to the table.
In essence, while formidable, A-Lier’s influence can be diminished by strategically depriving your opponent of their graveyard resources and handling A-Lier before its ability becomes a recurring threat throughout the game.
Cards like A-Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
In Magic: The Gathering, A-Lier, Disciple of the Drowned stands out among spellslinger enabling cards. This card is in the same league as Snapcaster Mage, which allows you to cast target instant or sorcery from your graveyard for that turn only. A-Lier, however, uniquely removes the timing restrictions, giving you the freedom to cast any number of spells from your graveyard.
Another peer is Mission Briefing, offering a glimpse at the top of your library and granting a brief resurgence by allowing the casting of a spell in your graveyard that turn. While A-Lier does not provide the surveil benefit, it shines in long-term strategy for its indefinite grimoire crack open. Looking at Kess, Dissident Mage, she permits casting an additional spell from the yard on each of your turns but limits your choices to sorcery speed on opponents’ turns. A-Lier’s passive ability breaks this speed barrier, making it a distinguishing feature against comparable alternatives.
In essence, while each of these cards empowers flashback-like effects, A-Lier, Disciple of the Drowned provides a sustained and unrestricted access to the spell arsenal in your graveyard, crafting a unique niche for itself amongst MTG’s similar offerings.
Cards similar to A-Lier, Disciple of the Drowned by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase A-Lier, Disciple of the Drowned MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, 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 A-Lier, Disciple of the Drowned and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where A-Lier, Disciple of the Drowned has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |