Solitary Camel MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Camel
Power 3
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Lifelink potential with Deserts enhances board presence, providing continual life gain as a defensive asset.
  2. The Camel’s low casting cost and Desert synergy contribute towards efficient mana usage in early game.
  3. While reliant on Deserts, the Camel’s unique abilities make it a valuable addition to land-centric strategies.

Text of card

Solitary Camel has lifelink as long as you control a Desert or there is a Desert card in your graveyard. (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.)

Deserts are inhospitable, not uninhabitable.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Given that Solitary Camel has the potential to gain lifelink when there is a Desert card in your graveyard or on the battlefield, this characteristic can be particularly advantageous in a deck that’s focused on life gain strategies. It’s a creature that can continually offer benefits every time it deals damage while solidifying your position on the board.

Resource Acceleration: While Solitary Camel itself isn’t a direct source of resource acceleration, its low cost and synergies with Desert cards can indirectly contribute to a more efficient game plan. By deploying a relatively inexpensive creature that can quickly become a threat, you’re able to reserve mana for other plays, helping to speed up your game and efficiently allocate resources.

Instant Speed: Although Solitary Camel does not inherently possess abilities that operate at instant speed, its potential lifelink ability ensures that your life total is better protected. This allows you to be more flexible and responsive with other instant-speed interactions during the game, knowing you have a reliable life buffer through combat phases and various exchanges.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Solitary Camel relies on you having a desert in your graveyard to gain lifelink. This dependence not only necessitates careful management of your land resources but also could force premature discarding or land sacrifice, potentially disrupting your mana curve and game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: Not only does Solitary Camel need a specific land type in play or the graveyard to be fully effective, but it also requires a white mana source for casting. This requirement may restrict the card’s versatility across various deck types, particularly in multi-colored decks where mana base consistency is critical.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Three mana for a 3/2 creature without intrinsic lifelink might be considered steep, considering other creatures at the same cost may offer additional abilities or higher stats without conditional requirements. This can sometimes make Solitary Camel a less attractive option in a deck that could leverage other creatures with a better cost-to-benefit ratio.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Solitary Camel shines in decks looking to tap into life gain mechanics. Its ability to gain indestructible when you have a Desert in play or in your graveyard gives it a unique form of protection that can be easily utilized in a variety of deck builds, especially in a format like Limited where evasion is key.

Combo Potential: Given its reliance on Deserts, Solitary Camel has natural synergy with land-centric strategies. Pairing it with cards that can cycle or retrieve Deserts from your deck or graveyard can create a resilient threat that’s hard for your opponent to deal with permanently.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that values creatures with situational defenses, a 3/2 creature like Solitary Camel that can potentially become indestructible poses a unique challenge for opponents. This meta-relevance is particularly pronounced in environments where Deserts are commonly played, leveraging their intrinsic value beyond mana generation.


Understanding Solitary Camel’s Strengths and Weaknesses

Solitary Camel is a unique creature card in MTG that can prove to be a valuable asset in specific deck builds. Its power lies in the desert-themed ability, offering it lifelink as long as there’s a Desert card in your graveyard or among the lands you control. This feature can bolster your defenses and help maintain a healthy life total, which is critical in prolonged matches.

How to beat

Solitary Camel’s effectiveness is contingent on the presence of Desert lands, so one strategic angle is land control. Cards that allow you to exile lands from the opponent’s graveyard can weaken the Camel’s lifelink ability. Alternatively, employing spells that restrict life gain can undercut the Camel’s main advantage, reducing its impact on the game.

Additionally, since Solitary Camel is not particularly sturdy, direct removal spells or creatures with superior power can deal with it without much fuss. Board control tactics, such as sweepers or cards that limit creature abilities, also work well against it. Lastly, flying or unblockable creatures can circumvent the Camel, as it does not have blocking capabilities against such threats.

Considering these strategies can effectively neutralize Solitary Camel’s benefits and ensure that this creature doesn’t become an insurmountable obstacle on your path to victory.


Cards like Solitary Camel

Delving into the Monowhite landscape of Magic the Gathering, it’s hard not to notice the subtle strengths of Solitary Camel. Bridging similarities with other desert-themed creatures, the Camel finds kinship with cards like Resolute Survivors and Sidewinder Naga. Like Solitary Camel, these combatants embrace the desert lands, gaining bonuses whenever a Desert comes into play or rests in the graveyard. While the Camel benefits from lifelink under such conditions, Resolute Survivors dishes out direct damage to opponents and Sidewinder Naga may become unblockable, both rewarding the player with combat advantages.

Despite these parallels, Solitary Camel has a unique niche due to its lifelink ability, which pairs well with white’s theme of durability and longevity. Compared to the others, the Camel offers a defensive edge that can be paramount in outlasting an adversary. While not as aggressive as cards like Sidewinder Naga or as straightforward as Resolute Survivors, Solitary Camel serves as a testament to the diversity within MTG’s myriad of creatures, each with distinct roles yet sharing common ground in their desert synergy.

Indeed, for players seeking to exploit the power of deserts in their arsenal, Solitary Camel proudly stands among its peers, emphasizing endurance within the game’s broader strategic tapestry.

Resolute Survivors - MTG Card versions
Sidewinder Naga - MTG Card versions
Resolute Survivors - Hour of Devastation (HOU)
Sidewinder Naga - Hour of Devastation (HOU)

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Solitary Camel MTG card by a specific set like Hour of Devastation and Amonkhet Remastered, 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 Solitary Camel and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Solitary Camel Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2017-07-14 and 2020-08-13. Illustrated by Aaron Miller.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12017-07-14Hour of DevastationHOU 232015normalblackAaron Miller
22020-08-13Amonkhet RemasteredAKR 362015normalblackAaron Miller

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Solitary Camel has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2017-07-14 If an ability checks whether you control a Desert or there is a Desert card in your graveyard, having more than one doesn’t matter. Controlling one is the same as controlling five. There is also no extra bonus for both controlling one and having one in your graveyard.

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