Kitsune Healer MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Fox Cleric
Released	2004-10-01
Set symbol
Set name	Champions of Kamigawa
Set code	CHK
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	27
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Michael Sutfin

Key Takeaways

Kitsune Healer excels in turning the tide of combat with its potent damage prevention ability.
Its requirement for white mana and card discard necessitate careful deck integration and hand management.
Despite mana cost concerns, its defensive value against aggressive strategies makes it a worthy addition.

Text of card

: Prevent the next 1 damage that would be dealt to target creature or player this turn. : Prevent all damage that would be dealt to target legendary creature this turn.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Kitsune Healer offers a strategic advantage as it can potentially nullify the threat of an opponent’s creature each turn, maintaining a card’s utility and often causing card advantage indirectly by forcing the opponent to address it.

Resource Acceleration: While not a direct source of resource acceleration, the Kitsune Healer aids in resource preservation by protecting your more valuable creatures, effectively saving the mana and resources previously invested in them.

Instant Speed: Its ability to be activated at instant speed gives you the flexibility to respond to your opponent’s moves during their turn, adapt to changing board states, and strategically choose the moment to shield your creatures from harm.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: For those who draw the Kitsune Healer, the card demands a card to be discarded for its ability activation. This can lead to a challenging dilemma when your hand is nearly depleted or each card is vital to your strategic roadmap.

Specific Mana Cost: Being a creature deeply rooted in white mana, the Kitsune Healer requires a specific mana allocation. This can narrow down its integration to decks primarily running white or having a mana base that effectively supports white spells.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the Kitsune Healer comes with a life-saving ability, its entrance onto the battlefield at a steeper mana cost can be cumbersome. The cost-to-benefit ratio may not always align with players’ expectations, especially when other cards with a lower mana threshold can produce a similar or more immediate impact on the game state.

Reasons to Include Kitsune Healer in Your Collection

Versatility: Kitsune Healer offers multilevel utility, capable of providing both protection and life gain. Its ability to prevent damage makes it a valuable card for defensive strategies in various deck builds, guarding key creatures or the player themselves.

Combo Potential: The card’s ability to synergize with other life-gain or damage-prevention cards opens up multiple combo avenues. It can be instrumental in decks that capitalize on altering combat outcomes or in combination with cards that are triggered by life-gain events.

Meta-Relevance: In a metagame where aggressive strategies are prevalent, Kitsune Healer can be a crucial inclusion. Its capacity to thwart damage from multiple sources can extend games, allowing decks that benefit from longer play time to execute their strategies effectively.

How to beat

Kitsune Healer is a unique creature card that shines in decks tailored towards damage prevention strategies in Magic: The Gathering. With its ability to prevent damage that would be dealt to other creatures you control, it can thwart combat calculations and surprise opponents who rely on direct damage spells to clear your board.

Combatting Kitsune Healer requires a shift in strategy. Since it focuses on keeping other creatures safe, removing it first is paramount. Cards like Doom Blade or Path to Exile can be effective tools for bypassing the healer’s protective aura. Additionally, tactics that impose limitations on your opponents actions such as counterspells or abilities that prevent abilities from being activated, like Pithing Needle, can neutralize the Kitsune Healer’s influence on the game.

It’s also worth considering an approach that sidesteps combat altogether. Employing alternative win conditions, such as using mill strategies or assembling combo pieces for an infinite damage loop, can leave the defensive capabilities of Kitsune Healer irrelevant. By carefully planning and adjusting your playstyle, you can ensure that this seemingly formidable card becomes a minor hurdle rather than a game-ending obstacle.

Cards like Kitsune Healer

Kitsune Healer is a unique creature in Magic: The Gathering that offers players a nuanced form of protection. It stands alongside other protective creatures such as Mother of Runes, which also grants the ability to shield creatures from colors of your choice. However, Kitsune Healer takes a different approach by specifically preventing all damage that would be dealt to and dealt by another target creature.

Examining closely related cards, Devoted Caretaker offers a similar protective ability but extends this to include enchantments, artifacts, and lands. This makes it versatile, although limited to only one permanent per turn. Blessed Breath is another spell in this category, which not only can protect a creature but also has the splice onto arcane ability, potentially offering greater utility within certain decks revolving around arcane spells.

To wrap it up, while Kitsune Healer may not be as versatile as other protective options in Magic: The Gathering, its targeted damage prevention is a vital tool in creature-focused decks, especially when maintaining board presence is key to victory. Its effectiveness in combat makes it a card worth considering for decks that need to guard their valuable creatures.

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

Coalition Honor Guard - MTG Card versions

Mangara, the Diplomat - MTG Card versions

Lightkeeper of Emeria - MTG Card versions

Cho-Manno, Revolutionary - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Kitsune Healer MTG card by a specific set like Champions of Kamigawa, 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 Kitsune Healer and other MTG cards: