Colfenor, the Last Yew MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Creature — Treefolk Shaman
Abilities Reach, Vigilance
Power 3
Toughness 7

Key Takeaways

  1. Card advantage is key, Colfenor provides a constant creature supply, boosting on-board presence and endurance.
  2. Colfenor’s mana cost and discard requirements may hinder its fit in some decks, impacting versatility.
  3. Incorporating Colfenor can result in potent combos and a resilient board state, valuable for various strategies.
Vigilance card art

Guide to Vigilance card ability

In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.

Text of card

Vigilance, reach Whenever Colfenor, the Last Yew or another creature you control dies, return up to one other target creature card with lesser toughness from your graveyard to your hand.

"To reach my age, you must know when to bend with the winds and when to stand tall."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Colfenor the Last Yew ensures a continuous flow of creatures to your hand thanks to its ability to return a creature card with lesser toughness from your graveyard whenever another creature you control dies. This ability is crucial for outlasting opponents by maintaining a robust presence on the board.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana, Colfenor’s unique ability can effectively accelerate your resources by consistently returning key creature cards to your hand. This enables you to redeploy threats and establish board dominance without expending additional card resources from your hand.

Instant Speed: Although Colfenor itself does not operate at instant speed, its triggered ability can be extremely advantageous during your opponent’s turn. The effect can trigger instantaneously as your creatures die, ensuring that your hand is replenished and ready to go on your next turn, thus keeping the tempo in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Colfenor the Last Yew provides a boon upon death of other creatures, it requires having a creature to discard to optimize its triggered ability. This requirement can become burdensome if your hand is nearly empty or if you’re aiming to maintain card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Colfenor comes with a precise mana cost split between black, green, and white. This could pose a challenge for decks that aren’t tuned for such a specific mana base, potentially limiting its integration into various deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of six mana, Colfenor the Last Yew is positioned on the higher end of the mana curve. As a result, players might find it too slow in a meta where faster threats and responses are more prevalent.


Reasons to Include Colfenor the Last Yew in Your Collection

Versatility: Colfenor the Last Yew offers a unique combination of resilience and support for creature-based strategies. Its ability to bring creatures back from the graveyard ensures a continuous presence on the board, making it a robust inclusion for decks focused on value and longevity.

Combo Potential: With the right lineup of creatures, Colfenor unlocks powerful synergies. Its ability to retrieve creatures with persist, or those that have death triggers, allows for complex and potentially game-ending interactions that can be built into various combo decks.

Meta-Relevance: In a format where creature strategies are prevalent, Colfenor the Last Yew can serve as a key piece to counteract removal-heavy decks. Its persistent ability to recover creatures gives you an edge in attrition wars, keeping your board state robust against sweepers and targeted removal, pivotal in maintaining meta-competitiveness.


How to Beat Colfenor, the Last Yew

Colfenor, the Last Yew is a resilient treefolk shaman that can be a formidable opponent on the battlefield. It stands out with its ability to provide card advantage and propagate your board presence upon the demise of creatures with toughness greater than their power. Understanding how to navigate its strengths is key to overcoming this mighty arboreal ally. One effective approach is by leveraging removal spells that exile rather than destroy, as Colfenor’s ability is triggered upon death. Cards like Path to Exile or Scavenging Ooze disrupt this synergy and hinder the replenishing aspect of Colfenor’s game plan.

A creature’s power/toughness inversion doesn’t have to be a setback. Manipulating these attributes with effects that switch power and toughness, such as Inside Out, can turn an enemy Colfenor into a liability for its controller. Countering Colfenor’s cast with a well-timed Counterspell can also be effective, preventing it from ever taking root on the battlefield. Lastly, since Colfenor thrives in a permanent-heavy setup, favoring an aggressive strategy that pressures life totals directly can circumvent Colfenor’s incremental value and lead to victory before its advantages can be fully realized.


BurnMana Recommendations

As we’ve discussed, Colfenor the Last Yew brings unique capabilities to the table, enhancing decks with its persistent creature retrieval. If you’re enticed by the prospect of commanding a board that bounces back with vigor or you relish the thought of outlasting the opposition with a steady stream of resources, Colfenor could be an exceptional addition to your collection. With nuances that complement a variety of strategies and a resilience against removal-heavy decks, integrating this card into your deck design can provide you with a strategic advantage. Keen on fortifying your deck with Colfenor the Last Yew’s enduring strength? Discover more insights and deckbuilding tips by joining us in our MTG community.


Cards like Colfenor, the Last Yew

Colfenor, the Last Yew brings a unique dynamic to commander-centric decks in Magic: The Gathering. This legendary creature has similarities with other cards that offer durability and recovery, such as Lumbering Battlement. Both cards create value when your creatures leave the battlefield, but Colfenor focuses on bringing creatures back to your hand when they die, offering a recurring advantage in long games.

In a similar concert of resilience, we have Karador, Ghost Chieftain, allowing you to cast creature cards from your graveyard. While Karador offers more direct reanimation, Colfenor ensures that creatures with toughness greater than their power find their way back to your hand, primed for a replay. The distinct difference here is Colfenor’s specific condition for the type of creatures that benefit from his ability.

Tying into the theme of endurance, Golgari Thug also complements the strategy of recurring creatures from the graveyard. Nonetheless, Colfenor stands out by not limiting the return to only the next upkeep and allowing immediate reuse of the creatures’ abilities. This capacity can crucially affect the rhythm and strategy of your play, cementing Colfenor, the Last Yew’s position in decks focused on long-term value and creature recovery.

Lumbering Battlement - MTG Card versions
Karador, Ghost Chieftain - MTG Card versions
Golgari Thug - MTG Card versions
Lumbering Battlement - Ravnica Allegiance Promos (PRNA)
Karador, Ghost Chieftain - Commander 2011 (CMD)
Golgari Thug - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)

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Teneb, the Harvester - MTG Card versions
Abzan Guide - MTG Card versions
Teneb, the Harvester - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Abzan Guide - The List (PLST)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Colfenor, the Last Yew MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Commander Legends, 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 Colfenor, the Last Yew and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Colfenor, the Last Yew Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-11-20 and 2020-11-20. Illustrated by Filip Burburan.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 862622015normalblackFilip Burburan
22020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 2742015normalblackFilip Burburan
32020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 5942015normalblackFilip Burburan

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Colfenor, the Last Yew has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-11-10 Colfenor's last ability can't target the creature card whose death caused the ability to trigger, but if two or more creatures die at the same time, each can be the target of the ability caused by one of the others.
2020-11-10 If Colfenor dies at the same time as another creature you control, its last ability triggers for each of them.
2020-11-10 Use the toughness of the dying creature as it last existed on the battlefield and the toughness of the creature cards in your graveyard to determine which of those cards are legal targets.

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