Descendant of Kiyomaro MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Human Soldier |
| Released | 2005-06-03 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Saviors of Kamigawa |
| Set code | SOK |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 3 |
| Number | 7 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Christopher Rush |
Text of card
As long as you have more cards in hand than each opponent, Descendant of Kiyomaro gets +1/+2 and has "Whenever this creature deals combat damage, you gain 3 life."
"The blood of Kiyomaro flows in my veins. He did not let Eiganjo fall and neither shall I."
Cards like Descendant of Kiyomaro
Descendant of Kiyomaro is an intriguing creature card in Magic: The Gathering that echoes the gameplay strategy of other life-linked, defensive cards. A standout comparison is with other creatures like Nyx-Fleece Ram, which also grants you life at the beginning of your upkeep. However, while the Ram is a more passive defender, Descendant of Kiyomaro has the potential to be a formidable attacker, rewarding a player with more cards in hand with increased power and toughness.
Looking at a different angle, Wall of Reverence is another card that synergizes well with a life-gain strategy. It doesn’t grow in power like Descendant of Kiyomaro but instead offers consistent life gain based on the power of your other creatures. Lastly, Ajani’s Pridemate can be a valuable benchmark. Even though it doesn’t provide life gain itself, each life gain event strengthens it, representing a more aggressive scaling mechanism compared to Descendant of Kiyomaro’s conditional stat boost.
In weighing the benefits among these similar cards, Descendant of Kiyomaro stands out with its capacity to build a stronger defense while simultaneously holding the potential to transition into an offensive threat depending on the player’s hand size. This duality may make it a preferred card for those aiming to control the battlefield through both life gain and board presence.
Cards similar to Descendant of Kiyomaro by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Descendant of Kiyomaro shines in this aspect by offering you a unique edge in your hand count. The ability to gain life equal to the number of cards in your hand when you have more cards than an opponent keeps your hand flush and your life total climbing, which is crucial in longer, more drawn-out matches. This not only helps to maintain card advantage but also subtly pressures your opponent to match your hand count or risk you gaining significant incremental advantage.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana acceleration, the Descendant of Kiyomaro’s ability to bolster your life total can indirectly be a resource boon. This added survivability affords you more time to deploy your lands and other resources without being under the immediate threat of defeat, effectively giving you a more robust foundation to cast more impactful spells sooner than you might otherwise.
Instant Speed: Though Descendant of Kiyomaro itself is not an instant-speed magic card, it encourages a playstyle that benefits from holding up mana for instant-speed interactions. By dictating the pace of play with its defensive capabilities, you’re able to better control the flow of the game, choosing to react to opponents’ threats with instant-speed spells while safely developing your board presence and life total.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Pivotal to the balance of Descendant of Kiyomaro’s abilities is a constraint that could tip scales unfavorably – holding a minimum of four cards in hand to unlock its potential. This may pose a challenge during late game scenarios or against strategies that force discards, turning an asset into a liability.
Specific Mana Cost: The card’s mana requirement, tethered to white mana, mandates a dedicated deck arrangement. Players looking to harness this creature’s strengths may find this color-specific demand complicating their mana base, especially in multi-colored deck builds.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With three mana investment for a 3/3 creature, Descendant of Kiyomaro competes for a slot against other three-drops that may offer immediate board impact or less conditional advantages. The cost-to-benefit ratio becomes a pivotal consideration when evaluating its inclusion in your deck.
Reasons to Include Descendant of Kiyomaro in Your Collection
Versatility: Descendant of Kiyomaro’s health-gaining ability makes it a strong fit for life-based decks, as well as those looking to utilize creatures with above-average endurance.
Combo Potential: This creature’s ability to gain life every upkeep not only helps stabilize your position but also has synergy with strategies that capitalize on life changes, enabling you to trigger effects or activate abilities tied to your life total.
Meta-Relevance: Given the fluctuating MTG landscape, Descendant of Kiyomaro can serve as a crucial piece within decks geared to counteract aggressive, fast-paced plays, providing a valuable lifeline and helping to maintain board presence.
How to beat
Descendant of Kiyomaro presents a unique challenge on the battlefield due to its power-boosting ability when you have more cards in hand than your opponent. With a defensive orientation, this creature can deter attacks and even turn the tide by providing life gain. An effective approach to overpowering this card involves minimizing the hand-size disparity.
Applying pressure with discard effects can rapidly undermine Descendant of Kiyomaro’s strength. Cards like Thoughtseize or Duress help equalize or shrink your opponent’s hand, weakening the Descendant’s impact and making it more manageable to handle in combat. Another tactic is ramping up card draw to ensure your hand remains full, thereby lessening the power gap and neutralizing the life-gain feature.
Control strategies also work well by countering spells or removing threats before they start to influence the game. Efficient removal spells, such as Path to Exile or Fatal Push, can dispatch the Descendant regardless of its size. Thus, through strategic hand control and removal, Descendant of Kiyomaro can be overcome, allowing you to maintain an advantageous position on the field.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Descendant of Kiyomaro MTG card by a specific set like Saviors 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 Descendant of Kiyomaro 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
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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Descendant of Kiyomaro has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Descendant of Kiyomaro card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2005-06-01 | Changing the number of cards in any player’s hand can cause Descendant of Kiyomaro to lose the life-gain triggered ability. Once an ability triggers, however, it exists independently of its source. |
| 2005-06-01 | If any opponent has more cards or as many cards in hand as Descendant of Kiyomaro’s controller, Descendant of Kiyomaro doesn’t get any bonus. |