Aven Battle Priest MTG Card
2015-07-17 - Number 6
2019-11-07 - Number 30
2020-09-26 - Number ORI-6
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Bird Cleric |
| Abilities | Flying |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Text of card
Flying (This creature can't be blocked except by creatures with flying or reach.) When Aven Battle Priest enters the battlefield, you gain 3 life.
When the shadow of the aven falls across the battlefield, hope rises in the hearts of the soldiers.
Cards like Aven Battle Priest
Aven Battle Priest is a card that often finds its place in decks that favor life gain strategies within Magic: The Gathering. Comparable to cards like Serra Angel, the Aven Battle Priest offers a bonus of life gain beyond just being a flying creature. However, it doesn’t share the same vigilance ability that makes Serra Angel ready to attack and defend without tapping.
Healer’s Hawk is another card in the life link family but is much lighter on the mana cost. It may not be as powerful in terms of strength and toughness, yet its low-cost makes it a common choice for early gameboard presence. On the other end, we have the imposing Sunscorch Regent, which not only gains you life but also grows in strength whenever an opponent casts a spell, showcasing a dynamic that can quickly turn it into a game-ending threat.
Analyzing Aven Battle Priest alongside these alternatives, it becomes clear that it holds a situational advantage within MTG, especially in limited formats where its impact on the battlefield can shift the tides in a player’s favor through incremental life gain and as a respectable flyer.
Cards similar to Aven Battle Priest by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Aven Battle Priest’s ability to gain you life upon entering the battlefield can be indirectly related to card advantage. In matchups where life totals are critical, each point of life can equate to an extra card, because it can prolong the game, allowing you to draw into your other resources.
Resource Acceleration: Although not directly a resource acceleration tool, Aven Battle Priest fits well in decks that aim to accelerate through mana. Its ability to stabilize the board through life gain complements a strategy that seeks to play the long game, where mana ramping is essential.
Instant Speed: While Aven Battle Priest itself does not have an ability that can be activated at instant speed, it synergizes with cards that function at instant speed. This can include cards like “Eerie Interlude” or “Cloudshift,” which can blink Aven Battle Priest, taking advantage of its enter-the-battlefield ability multiple times to gain incremental life advantage over the course of a match.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Although Aven Battle Priest itself does not have a discard requirement, decks incorporating this card must carefully manage hand resources. Including creatures like the Aven Battle Priest might pressure the player into sacrificing valuable cards for other, more immediately impactful spells.
Specific Mana Cost: With its casting cost requiring white mana, Aven Battle Priest may not seamlessly fit into multicolored decks. Dependence on white mana means it is generally reserved for mono-white or two-color decks that can reliably provide the necessary mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The Aven Battle Priest’s mana cost is on the higher side for its stat line and abilities. In today’s fast-paced games, a 6 mana creature that does not impact the board immediately might be less favorable compared to lower-cost creatures with more aggressive stats or effects.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Aven Battle Priest fits effortlessly into decks that lean on a strong flying presence or require life gain for stability. Its ability to heal you upon entering the battlefield makes it a flexible option for various game moments.
Combo Potential: Leveraging the lifelink ability can seamlessly work with strategies that get benefits from gaining life—enabling triggers for numerous other cards that react to life changes, thus potentially creating advantageous combos.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where aggressive strategies are prevalent, the lifegain provided by Aven Battle Priest can be a game-changer, helping to stabilize your health total while offering a defensive airborne blocker.
How to beat
Understanding your opponent’s deck and the synergies they aim to exploit is crucial in MTG. A card like Aven Battle Priest can be a pesky obstacle due to its lifelink ability, which allows players to gain life equal to the damage it deals. A straightforward way to handle this card is through removal spells. Targeted removals like Doom Blade for black decks or Path to Exile for white decks can efficiently dispatch the Aven Battle Priest before its lifelink becomes a problem.
Counterspells also serve as a solid defense, negating the Aven Battle Priest before it even hits the battlefield. Blue players might hold up a Mana Leak or Negate, depending on whether the focus is strictly on noncreature spells or a more general approach. Additionally, red decks might employ direct damage spells like Lightning Strike to deal with the Aven Battle Priest swiftly.
Lastly, it’s worth considering that Aven Battle Priest has a higher mana cost for its stats, so playing a more aggressive deck that puts pressure early on can keep your opponent on the back foot, rendering their Aven Battle Priest too little, too late in the game. Effective strategies involve using lower-cost creatures to quickly build a board presence or using haste creatures to bypass the priest’s defenses altogether.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Aven Battle Priest MTG card by a specific set like Magic Origins and Mystery Booster, 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 Aven Battle Priest and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
Printings
The Aven Battle Priest Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2015-07-17 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by John Severin Brassell.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015-07-17 | Magic Origins | ORI | 6 | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Severin Brassell | |
| 2 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 30 | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Severin Brassell | |
| 3 | The List | PLST | ORI-6 | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Severin Brassell |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Aven Battle Priest has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |