Cabal Paladin MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Human Knight
Released	2018-04-27
Set symbol
Set name	Dominaria
Set code	DOM
Power	4
Toughness	2
Number	79
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Lius Lasahido

Key Takeaways

Transforms casting historic spells into consistent damage, pressuring opponents while expanding your board presence.
Integrates into specific strategies, bringing synergy to artifact and historic-focused MTG decks for potency.
Requires tactical removal to counter, managing its threat with instant-speed interaction and board wipes.

Text of card

Whenever you cast a historic spell, Cabal Paladin deals 2 damage to each opponent. (Artifacts, legendaries, and Sagas are historic.)

"The Demonlord has ruled every age. Every ruin, myth, and nightmare proves his power." —"Rite of Belzenlok"

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Cabal Paladin offers a distinct mechanism to churn through your deck, leveraging historic spells to chip away at opponents’ life totals. This ability can turn artifacts, legendaries, and sagas into a form of repeatable damage, indirectly pressuring your opponents as you deploy your spells.

Resource Acceleration: While Cabal Paladin doesn’t directly produce additional mana or ramp, its four mana cost places it solidly on curve. This allows for a seamless transition into mid-game where it can regularly contribute to your board state while impacting your adversary’s life count.

Instant Speed: Although Cabal Paladin doesn’t function at instant speed, its ability triggers upon casting historic spells. This synergizes well with instant speed historic cards, enabling you to maximize strategic plays during either player’s turn, keeping opponents on their toes and exploiting the best timing for casting your spells.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Cabal Paladin requires specific actions to trigger its ability—casting historic spells. This may lead to situational usefulness because if you’re short on historic spells in hand, you’re missing opportunities to capitalize on the Paladin’s potential.

Specific Mana Cost: Cabal Paladin’s casting cost demands two black mana, which could be restrictive for multicolored decks aiming for a smooth mana curve. This specificity mandates heavy commitment to black mana sources in a deck’s land base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana, including two of which are color-specific, Cabal Paladin’s cost is substantial compared to other creatures with similar or stronger abilities. This can slow down your game, especially in a fast-paced match where lower-cost creatures are preferable.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Cabal Paladin slides effortlessly into artifact-centric or historic decks, offering steady damage output whenever you cast historic spells, which encompasses artifacts, sagas, and legendary spells.

Combo Potential: With the right setup, this card can be a consistent source of damage. Pair it with a deck that casts multiple historic spells in a turn, and you can quickly whittle down your opponent’s life total.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that’s heavy on artifacts or historic strategies, Cabal Paladin proves to be an effective and recurring source of damage, helping to pressure opponents and shape the pace of the game.

How to beat

Cabal Paladin is an intriguing component of the historic archetype in MTG, particularly for its synergy with artifacts. Each time you cast a historic spell, Cabal Paladin deals 2 damage to each opponent. This trait can escalate the game’s pace, putting pressure on the opposing player with consistent damage.

To effectively counter this card, it’s advisable to eliminate it swiftly before the artifact synergy can be fully utilized. Removal spells that can handle four-toughness creatures are key. Consider using instant-speed removals like Cast Down or Abrade to disrupt the Paladin’s potential combo plays during your opponent’s turn. Additionally, keeping the board clear of other historic spells will stifle the Paladin’s ability to inflict incremental damage.

Board wipes can also be an effective strategy against decks that heavily rely on creatures like Cabal Paladin. Cards like Wrath of God or Damnation can reset the playing field, hindering the Paladin’s impact. So by managing your opponent’s artifacts and employing timely removal, you can mitigate the threat posed by Cabal Paladin and maintain control of the game.

Cards like Cabal Paladin

Cabal Paladin carves a unique niche within the vast array of creatures in Magic: The Gathering. This card’s potency shines in decks that lean heavily on historic spells with its ability to inflict direct damage upon casting artifacts, sagas, or legendary spells. A card akin to Cabal Paladin is Firebrand Archer, a creature that also deals damage when noncreature spells are cast, although it doesn’t restrict itself to just historic spells, offering flexibility at the cost of smaller damage increments.

Another similar card in the MTG realm is Reckless Fireweaver, a creature that deals damage to each opponent whenever an artifact enters the battlefield under your control. While Reckless Fireweaver demands less mana commitment than Cabal Paladin, the latter promises a higher damage output per trigger if your deck strategy revolves around historic spells.

The comparison between these cards and Cabal Paladin leads us to appreciate the tailored abilities and strategic depth they bring to the game. Each creature has its own merit depending on the deck you craft, showcasing the variety of strategies that MTG players can adopt. Cabal Paladin remains a compelling choice, especially for those looking to harness the potential of historic spells.

Cards similar to Cabal Paladin by color, type and mana cost

Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions

Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Cabal Paladin MTG card by a specific set like Dominaria, 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 Cabal Paladin and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Cabal Paladin 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 Cabal Paladin card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2018-04-27	A card, spell, or permanent is historic if it has the legendary supertype, the artifact card type, or the Saga subtype. Having two of those qualities doesn’t make an object more historic than another or provide an additional bonus—an object either is historic or it isn’t.
2018-04-27	An ability that triggers “whenever you cast a historic spell” doesn’t trigger if a historic card is put onto the battlefield without being cast.
2018-04-27	Lands are never cast, so abilities that trigger “whenever you cast a historic spell” won’t trigger if you play a legendary land. They also won’t trigger if a card on the battlefield transforms into a legendary land, as the Ixalan and Rivals of Ixalan double-faced cards do.
2018-04-27	Some abilities trigger “whenever you cast a historic spell.” Such an ability resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger. It resolves even if that spell is countered.