Kalastria Healer MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Vampire Cleric Ally
Abilities	Rally
Released	2015-10-02
Set symbol
Set name	Battle for Zendikar
Set code	BFZ
Power	1
Toughness	2
Number	114
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Anthony Palumbo

Key Takeaways

Boosts card advantage with dual-threat creature cards and ally-entering-the-battlefield triggers.
Allows early play and multiple spell casts in a turn for resource-efficient strategies.
Synergistic ally interactions offer surprise plays, maximizing Kalastria Healer’s impact.

Text of card

Rally — Whenever Kalastria Healer or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

"Time and again, I have demonstrated my skills as a healer. Why, then, are you so ill at ease?"

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When you’re wielding a deck with multiple allies, Kalastria Healer’s ability to provide incremental life gain and consistent damage to your opponent every time it or another ally enters the battlefield can be a subtle yet formidable way to gain card advantage. As your board presence grows, so too does the impact of each ally’s arrival, turning each creature card into a potential dual threat.

Resource Acceleration: While Kalastria Healer itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources in terms of mana, its low casting cost allows for an early play or enables you to cast multiple spells in a single turn in the mid to late game. This efficiency ensures your mana is used to its fullest potential each turn, supporting a swift and effective strategy.

Instant Speed: Although Kalastria Healer is a creature that’s summoned at sorcery speed, its ability triggers during any phase of the game if an ally card is played at instant speed. This allows you to surprise your opponent, optimize your resource usage, and maximize the impact of your ally synergy at the perfect moment, altering the battlefield conditions in your favor without warning.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While the Kalastria Healer itself does not require you to discard cards, it can be less impactful when you’re behind and unable to maintain a hand with other relevant allies to trigger its rally effect repeatedly.

Specific Mana Cost: This card has an Orzhov color identity, requiring both white and black mana. Decks that can’t generate both types of mana consistently may struggle to cast it on curve, limiting its versatility across various deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Given its cost of two mana, which includes a white and a black, and considering it’s a creature with only moderate impact, there are situations where you might find higher value plays at the same mana cost, especially if you’re playing a non-ally deck where its rally ability would be underutilized.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Kalastria Healer’s ability to provide consistent life drain makes it a strong component in any deck that thrives on lifegain strategies or seeks to leverage opponent life-total manipulation.

Combo Potential: This ally creates synergy that scales with each ally entering the battlefield, amplifying the effect and providing opportunities for game-swinging combos in decks designed around this tribe.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where small incremental advantages can lead to victory, Kalastria Healer’s passive drain effect can be a deciding factor, carving out its niche in the ever-evolving competitive environment.

How to beat

Kalastria Healer is renowned in the world of MTG for its powerful ally synergy and the ability to chip away at an opponent’s life total. This card shines in decks that focus on the ally creature type, especially in the backdrop of the Zendikar blocks where allies are plentiful. But how does one effectively neutralize the impact of this card on the battlefield?

The key lies in disrupting the ally mechanic that Kalastria Healer leverages. Removal spells that can wipe the board clean or selectively target creatures are essential. Cards that restrict or negate lifegain can also put a damper on the Healer’s effectiveness. Moreover, keeping the player’s creature count low limits the life loss triggered by its ability. Quick removal or using instant-speed interactions can assist in minimizing the advantage a Kalastria Healer provides before its controller can build an insurmountable board presence.

Employing strategies that target the core of ally-based decks can curb the influence of cards like Kalastria Healer. Whether through creature control, life gain negation, or countering synergistic spells, a well-prepared player can ensure that the Healer’s impact is nothing more than a fleeting discomfort.

Cards like Kalastria Healer

Kalastria Healer stands out in the realm of ally-triggered cards in MTG, offering a unique advantage every time an ally enters the battlefield under your control. Comparatively, we examine Ondu Cleric – a card that relies on a similar ally mechanism. While Ondu Cleric provides a potent life gain ability, based on the number of allies you control, it does not offer the direct damage to opponents that Kalastria Healer can inflict.

Another card of interest in this space is Drana’s Emissary. It offers a passive approach to damage and life gain, dealing one damage to each opponent and giving you life at the beginning of your upkeep. What sets Kalastria Healer apart is its potential for combo plays; each ally played amplifies the damage and healing immediately, as opposed to the steady tick of Drana’s Emissary’s ability.

In summary, within the synergy-based MTG ally decks, Kalastria Healer offers a strategic edge with its immediate impact on life totals, which can scale swiftly alongside a thriving board of allies. This instant effect can set it above peers in games where timing and immediate board presence is crucial.

Cards similar to Kalastria Healer by color, type and mana cost

Order of the Ebon Hand - MTG Card versions

Nezumi Graverobber // Nighteyes the Desecrator - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Kalastria Healer MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar, 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 Kalastria Healer and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Kalastria Healer has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2015-08-25	If a creature with a rally ability enters the battlefield under your control at the same time as other Allies, that ability will trigger once for each of those creatures and once for the creature with the ability itself.
2015-08-25	When an Ally enters the battlefield under your control, each rally ability of the permanents you control will trigger. You can put them on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one to resolve.