Wellwisher MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 9 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Elf
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides recurring life gain, pivotal in Elf-heavy decks for a sustained advantage.
  2. Activates at instant speed, allowing strategic, flexible response to gameplay.
  3. Demands removal or board control by opponents due to its snowballing effect.

Text of card

oc T: You gain 1 life for each Elf in play.

"Close your ears to the voice of greed, and you can turn a gift for one into a gift for many."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Wellwisher’s ability to gain life for each Elf on the battlefield can translate to a significant source of card advantage over time. In a deck abundant with Elves, Wellwisher essentially provides a recurring, non-depleting resource that can overwhelm opponents without the need to expend additional cards.

Resource Acceleration: Though Wellwisher does not directly produce mana, the life gained can be pivotal for stabilizing your board and enabling more investment in other elements of your strategy. In multi-player games, Wellwisher can amass large amounts of life, effectively accelerating your resource pool when using cards that leverage life totals to gain advantages.

Instant Speed: The ability to activate at instant speed allows for flexible play, where you can wait until the end of your opponent’s turn to maximize the number of Elves in play. This reactive use of Wellwisher boosts its potential impact, as it often necessitates immediate answers from opponents during their own turns, thereby disrupting their strategies.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Wellwisher does not require a discard when it’s played, but for decks that aggressively churn through cards, its lack of an immediate impact might lead you to discard it in favor of a more reactive card in a tight situation.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting requirement is exclusively green, which could marginalize its utility in multi-colored decks that could benefit from mana of any type at various stages of the game.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite being a lower-cost card at two green mana, in a fast-paced game, the advantage gained from Wellwisher’s life-gain ability might not keep pace with more proactive cards at similar or even lower mana costs that could contribute to board control or direct victory conditions.


Reasons to Include Wellwisher in Your Collection

Versatility: Wellwisher has earned a place in many Elf tribal and lifegain-focused decks. Its ability to gain life equal to the number of Elves on the battlefield allows it to be effective in casual play and various commander formats. This makes it a tool for stabilizing against aggressive strategies while also supporting synergistic tribal decks.

Combo Potential: This card becomes an engine in conjunction with other elves that tap for benefits, such as generating mana or creating tokens. It can also activate abilities multiple times in a turn with untap mechanics, leading to significant swings in life totals that can be hard for opponents to overcome.

Meta-Relevance: With the consistent presence of aggressive decks in many metagames, having a reliable life-gain mechanic can be the difference between an early loss and a comeback victory. Wellwisher is a simple and effective way to stay out of reach of common burn strategies or to buy time until you can execute your game-winning plays.


How to beat

Wellwisher stands out as an exceptional life-gaining card in Magic: The Gathering, often seen as a cornerstone in Elf-based decks. By simply tapping, Wellwisher has the potential to generate a vast amount of life, equivalating to the number of Elves on the battlefield, thereby fortifying the player’s life total against aggressive strategies.

To effectively counteract Wellwisher, it’s crucial for players to utilize removal spells adeptly. Cards like Lightning Bolt or Fatal Push are excellent choices, as they can swiftly eliminate Wellwisher before it can activate its ability. Moreover, it’s vital to manage the board and keep the number of Elves in check, preventing the exponential life gain. Strategies involving sweepers such as Wrath of God or board control elements are also beneficial, either by removing Wellwisher or constraining the Elf population.

Erecting a formidable defense against Wellwisher involves timely interruptions and maintaining authority over the board state. By adopting a proactive approach and wielding the right kind of removal, players can successfully mitigate Wellwisher’s influence and safeguard against the overwhelming life gain it promises.


BurnMana Recommendations

Wellwisher is a card that asks you to think strategically about the makeup of your deck and the timing of your plays. With its ability to gain life per elf on the battlefield, it’s clear why this could be a game-changer in the right setting. If your collection doesn’t include Wellwisher yet, consider the edge it could bring, especially in multiplayer games where its life-gain ability can snowball into a substantial advantage. Curious about integrating Wellwisher into your Elf deck or exploring its synergies? Our extensive guides and discussions are just a tap away. Embark on the journey to unlocking the full potential of your MTG deck composition with us.


Cards like Wellwisher

Wellwisher is a charming asset in any MTG elf-centric deck, akin to other mana-generating creatures such as Priest of Titania. Both cards harness the power of elves, but Wellwisher shifts the dynamic towards life gain, providing an invaluable lifeline in prolonged games. Priest of Titania, while it ramps your mana resources by tapping into the number of elves on the field, doesn’t offer the same cushion of health points.

Another similar card is Essence Warden, which also provides life gain. It gives you health each time another creature enters the battlefield, potentially offering a steadier stream of life. However, it lacks the explosive healing potential of Wellwisher that can pivot the game in a single turn. Alternatively, there’s Joraga Treespeaker, which offers an accelerant in mana production for elf decks but without the defensive edge Wellwisher grants through its life-giving ability.

Assessing the synergy and functional nuances each card brings to elf decks is crucial for players crafting a strategy. Wellwisher stands out for its unmatched potential to create large life disparities, an aspect that deters opponents and offers players a durable advantage in the long game.

Priest of Titania - Urza's Saga (USG)
Essence Warden - Planar Chaos (PLC)
Joraga Treespeaker - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Wellwisher MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught and Salvat 2005, 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 Wellwisher and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Wellwisher Magic the Gathering card was released in 9 different sets between 2002-10-07 and 2019-12-02. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-10-07OnslaughtONS 3001997normalblackChristopher Rush
22005-08-22Salvat 2005PSAL B72003normalwhiteChristopher Rush
32007-11-16Duel Decks: Elves vs. GoblinsDD1 152003normalblackChristopher Rush
42014-11-07Commander 2014C14 2232015normalblackKarl Kopinski
52014-12-05Duel Decks Anthology: Elves vs. GoblinsEVG 152015normalblackChristopher Rush
62017-06-09Commander AnthologyCMA 1662015normalblackKarl Kopinski
72019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 13702015normalblackKarl Kopinski
82019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 7832015normalblackChristopher Rush
92020-09-26The ListPLST CMA-1662015normalblackKarl Kopinski

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Wellwisher has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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