Convalescent Care MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Enchantment |
| Released | 2002-10-07 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Onslaught |
| Set code | ONS |
| Number | 14 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Greg Hildebrandt & Tim Hildebrandt |
Text of card
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you have 5 life or less, you gain 3 life and draw a card.
Enlightenment comes most swiftly at life's end.
Cards like Convalescent Care
Convalescent Care represents a unique spot in the realm of life gain enchantments in the game. When considering cards with analogous effects, one might look at Beacon of Immortality, which doubles a player’s life total. While Beacon is a one-shot event, Convalescent Care provides a consistent life gain each turn, although contingent upon meeting its specific life threshold requirement.
Another similar card, Sun Droplet, accumulates counters as the player takes damage and converts them into life points during each upkeep, paralleling the life-gain over time theme. Sun Droplet, however, is more passive, banking on received damage to generate its benefit. Alhammarret’s Archive amplifies life gain and draw, yet unlike Convalescent Care, it does not condition its benefit on the player’s life total being low but instead magnifies an already existing strategy of drawing and gaining life.
Each enchantment has its place within different strategies, but Convalescent Care carves out its niche by offering consistent advantage to those who masterfully maneuver their life total, marking its valued role amongst life gain mechanisms in the game.
Cards similar to Convalescent Care by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Convalescent Care. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Convalescent Care offers a steady stream of card advantage once your life total is sufficiently diminished, granting you the ability to draw an additional card at the beginning of your upkeep if you have 5 or less life, thereby supporting your strategic comebacks.
Resource Acceleration: Despite not directly providing mana or treasure tokens, Convalescent Care helps you maintain a high life total, indirectly allowing you to use your life as a resource. This resilience can enable you to leverage other cards and mechanics to accelerate resources without the same pressure on your life total.
Instant Speed: While Convalescent Care itself is an enchantment that operates at sorcery speed, its life gain effect can synergize well with other instant-speed spells and abilities in your deck. Keeping you stabilized above critical life thresholds can enable surprise gameplay pivot opportunities during your opponent’s turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Convalescent Care necessitates the player discarding another card to activate certain abilities. In the heat of a game, the cost of discarding can be substantial, reducing strategic options and possibly leading to a depletion of essential hand resources. This trade-off makes it vital for players to weigh the immediate benefits against future game plans.
Specific Mana Cost: Convalescent Care has a distinct mana cost that demands white mana. This requirement could constrain the card’s integration into multicolor decks or strategies that do not generate a consistent supply of white mana. Players focusing on versatility might find this particular mana cost limiting when crafting their deck’s mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When placed alongside other options in the game, Convalescent Care’s mana cost is on the higher side for its effects. Magic the Gathering offers a variety of cards that could potentially provide more value or a more significant impact on the game’s state at a lower mana cost, making alternative choices potentially more attractive for players looking to optimize their gameplay efficiency.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Convalescent Care offers unique benefits to decks that focus on life gain and provides a steady source of card advantage each turn. This makes it a useful tool for both aggro lifegain builds and slower, control-oriented strategies.
Combo Potential: Paired with cards that enable you to manipulate your life total, or with effects that trigger off gaining life or drawing cards, Convalescent Care can become a pivotal piece in an intricate combo puzzle, potentially leading you to a win condition.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where games tend to be longer and grindier, the consistent lifegain and draw offered by Convalescent Care can provide the edge needed to outlast opponents, especially in formats where lifegain synergies are prevalent.
How to beat Convalescent Care
Convalescent Care is an enchantment card in MTG that offers players a unique form of sustain, renowned for its ability to provide an extra layer of defense by granting card draw and life gain. While it may seem like a stable source of recovery, this card comes with caveats that allow savvy opponents to counteract its benefits. Since it only triggers if you have 3 or less life, maintaining a higher life total is key to neutralizing its effect.
To outmaneuver Convalescent Care, players should focus on adaptable strategies including life gain suppression, enchantment removal, and aggressive tactics. Utilizing direct damage spells or creatures can ensure your opponent’s life total stays above the activation threshold, while cards like Disenchant or Naturalize provide a clean answer by removing Convalescent Care directly from the battlefield. Applying steady pressure can also hinder your opponent from stabilizing, thus negating the long-term value Convalescent Care provides.
In essence, understanding the conditions under which Convalescent Care thrives is crucial. Thwarting its activation or removing it promptly from the game can easily turn the tables in your favor, solidifying your position and leading you towards victory.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Convalescent Care MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught, 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 Convalescent Care 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
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Convalescent Care has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |