Basri's Acolyte MTG Card

Core Set 2021 (M21)
2020-07-03 - Number 287

Core Set 2021 (M21)
2020-07-03 - Number 8

Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
2022-12-02 - Number 154

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Cat Cleric
Abilities	Lifelink
Power	2
Toughness	3

Key Takeaways

Bolsters battlefield position with lifelink and +1/+1 counters, enriching both survival and attack strategies.
Strengthens synergies in life-gain and creature-enhancing decks, boosting their long-term endurance and power.
Flexibility makes it a staple for varied strategies, although deck construction should account for its mana needs.

Text of card

Lifelink When Basri's Acolyte enters the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on each of up to two other target creatures you control.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Basri’s Acolyte comes with lifelink, which although doesn’t directly draw cards, contributes to preserving life total. This indirectly maintains or even effectively increases your resources through its creature support capabilities.

Resource Acceleration: By bolstering other creatures with its +1/+1 counters, it helps in accelerating board presence, akin to resource amplification. This may not produce mana, but it strengthens your assets on the battlefield.

Instant Speed: While Basri’s Acolyte itself isn’t cast at instant speed, the ability to distribute +1/+1 counters can sometimes have a powerful impact mid-combat, potentially altering the tide during crucial turning points within a match.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Basri’s Acolyte lacks a discard mechanism, keep in mind that cards requiring you to part with valuable hand components pose a risk, especially when your strategic reserves are dwindling.

Specific Mana Cost: Basri’s Acolyte necessitates two white mana, which can be a hurdle in multicolored or mana-flexible decks. This requirement may restrict its inclusion to mono-white or decks heavily skewed towards white.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana (two colorless, two white), Basri’s Acolyte can be seen as a significant investment for the lifelink and +1/+1 counter abilities it provides. There are creatures available for less mana that offer similar benefits, potentially providing more cost-effective alternatives for your deck’s strategy.

Reasons to Include Basri’s Acolyte in Your Collection

Versatility: Basri’s Acolyte is recognized for its flexibility across various decks, serving as a solid support card in creature-based strategies. This card adds not only to your creature count but also buffs others with its lifelink counter ability, improving their survivability.

Combo Potential: With its lifelink counters, Basri’s Acolyte opens up synergies with cards that capitalize on gaining life or enhancing creatures. This card could be instrumental in decks aiming to outlast opponents through prolonged combat or intricate life-gain combos.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where creature interactions are pivotal, having Basri’s Acolyte can give you an edge. The ability to distribute lifelink counters makes your creatures more formidable, aligning perfectly with strategies that encourage incremental advantage through life gain.

How to beat

Basri’s Acolyte is a card that brings lifelink synergy and a pair of +1/+1 counters to creatures on the battlefield. Tackling this creature efficiently requires disrupting its primary strategy – the bolstering of allies. Removal spells that don’t target, like Shatter the Sky or Doomskar, can clear the field without being hindered by protection spells. Moreover, employing creatures with deathtouch, such as Foulmire Knight, can neutralize Basri’s Acolyte and any creatures it may have empowered, regardless of their augmented size.

To effectively counter Basri’s Acolyte’s impact, it’s crucial to maintain control over the board. Ensnaring spells such as Bloodchief’s Thirst offer versatility, granting an early answer to the Acolyte or any big threats later on. Direct damage spells, like Shock, can remove the Acolyte before its counters are used, minimizing your opponent’s lifegain opportunities and halting their momentum. Ultimately, incorporating various answers within your deck to address enhanced creatures ensures you won’t falter against Basri’s Acolyte and its potential to shape the battlefield.

In summary, dealing with Basri’s Acolyte calls for a strategic mix of board control, timely removal, and understanding the nuances of combat interactions to prevent your opponent from gaining too much advantage from its supportive capabilities.

Cards like Basri's Acolyte

Basri’s Acolyte is a creature card that stands out for its Lifelink ability and support of +1/+1 counters in Magic: The Gathering. Its closest kin within the game is Ajani’s Pridemate, a creature known for gaining counters whenever you gain life. While both foster growth through life gain, Basri’s Acolyte has the edge of conferring Lifelink to itself and an additional creature, a boon that does not come with Ajani’s Pridemate.

Another related card is Impassioned Orator, which gains you life whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, bolstering your health while potentially powering up cards like Ajani’s Pridemate. Basri’s Acolyte, on the other hand, excels with its ability to immediately impact the board with its counters, rather than waiting for subsequent creatures to trigger an effect.

Celestial Unicorn also shares the theme of playing well with lifegain, growing stronger each time you gain life. Whereas Basri’s Acolyte charms with its versatile kit, offering an immediate uptick in a creature’s threat level and sustained health boosts. This immediate bolstering of the battlefield presence can turn the tides in your favor, making Basri’s Acolyte a potent pick in deck strategies centered around Lifelink and +1/+1 counters.

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Basri's Acolyte MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2021 and Core Set 2021, 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 Basri's Acolyte and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Basri's Acolyte Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-07-03 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Leesha Hannigan.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2020-07-03	Core Set 2021	M21	287	2015	Normal	Black	Leesha Hannigan
2	2020-07-03	Core Set 2021	M21	8	2015	Normal	Black	Leesha Hannigan
3	2022-12-02	Jumpstart 2022	J22	154	2015	Normal	Black	Leesha Hannigan

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Basri's Acolyte has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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