Exultant Cultist MTG Card
2016-07-22 - Number 59
2023-03-21 - Number 68
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Wizard |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Text of card
When Exultant Cultist dies, draw a card.
Amid the gibbering chorus that rose from the drownyard temple, Jace recognized a single word: "Emrakul."
Cards like Exultant Cultist
Exultant Cultist offers a unique spin in the realm of creatures that facilitate card draw in Magic: The Gathering. This creature holds a kinship with Pilgrim’s Eye and Skyscanner, both of which are utility creatures designed to improve hand consistency. However, Exultant Cultist stands by its ability to draw a card upon death, making it a well-suited choice for decks that capitalize on sacrificial strategies.
Sea Gate Oracle is another card worth comparing, as it also belongs to the world of creatures that lets players dig deeper into their library. While Sea Gate Oracle allows for card selection upon entering the battlefield, Exultant Cultist provides the card advantage only when it leaves the battlefield. Although not as immediate as Sea Gate Oracle’s effect, Exultant Cultist gives the player the option for more strategic death-triggered synergies.
When examining the array of similar card-drawing creatures, the Exultant Cultist’s value becomes apparent in Magic: The Gathering. Its synergy with self-sacrifice and death-triggered mechanics offers strategic depth, making it a noteworthy consideration for decks seeking to leverage such tactics to their advantage.
Cards similar to Exultant Cultist by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: When you summon Exultant Cultist into the battlefield, you already start to draw into more of your deck, supporting strategies that thrive on having plenty of options at hand. Should the Cultist leave the field, its death triggers an additional draw, granting you even more opportunities to find answers or threats within your deck.
Resource Acceleration: While the Exultant Cultist doesn’t directly provide mana or tokens upon entering the battlefield, its ability to consistently ensure card advantage can lead to drawing into more land or mana resources. This helps you accelerate your play by increasing the resources available to you during your turns.
Instant Speed: Although the cultist itself is a creature card, many strategies involving it may revolve around cards that can interact or sacrifice it at instant speed. This means you can potentially benefit from its death-triggered ability to draw a card during your opponent’s turn, thus keeping your hand replenished while disrupting your opponent’s expectations.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Engaging in spells or abilities that require you to discard can thin out your hand, making the retainment of strategic resources a challenge. When you summon Exultant Cultist, maintaining a hand full of options becomes more difficult, especially in the fast-paced rounds where every card counts.
Specific Mana Cost: Casting Exultant Cultist demands a precise mana allocation with both generic and blue mana. This requirement often restricts deck flexibility, locking the card into specific archetypes that can support blue mana without jeopardizing the deck’s overall mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The total cost to play Exultant Cultist is three mana, which can be steep for a creature that offers only incremental advantage upon hitting the battlefield or leaving it. More streamlined cards might be available in MTG that provide a greater impact for a smaller investment, promising both immediate and long-term benefits to your strategy.
Reasons to Include Exultant Cultist in Your Collection
Versatility: Exultant Cultist slips seamlessly into a variety of deck archetypes, particularly those that leverage creature sacrifice or spells matter mechanics for value and synergy.
Combo Potential: When paired with cards that either benefit from creature deaths or that can repeatedly exploit its death trigger, Exultant Cultist becomes a recurrent source of card advantage, fueling your game plan.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where the battlefield often becomes cluttered with creatures, Exultant Cultist can be a beneficial inclusion, offering you card draw upon death to maintain your hand size and resources.
How to beat
Exultant Cultist is a valuable cog in the machine of self-sacrifice and graveyard-utilizing decks within MTG. Upon its death, it provides the controller an opportunity to draw a card, offering fuel for arcane strategies and cycling through the deck to find key pieces. To combat strategies employing the Cultist, it’s essential to hinder death-triggers or graveyard interactions. Counters such as Grafdigger’s Cage can prevent the retrieval of creatures from the graveyard, while cards like Rest in Peace clear the graveyard altogether, nullifying the Cultist’s death benefit.
Direct removal spells, like Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, which exile rather than destroy, can effectively sidestep the Cultist’s ability. Alternatively, imposing board control with cards that restrict the creature’s ability to die, like Lethal Vapors or Hushbringer, are also effective tactics. Employ strategic timing and anticipate when to remove the Cultist, ideally before your opponent can utilize sacrifice outlets or when it’s least beneficial for them. This approach helps maintain the upper hand against decks that lean into the incremental advantage Exultant Cultist provides.
Remember, understanding the synergy behind the Cultist and disrupting it is key to turning the tide in your favor during match-ups that feature this quirky card from the realm of MTG.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Exultant Cultist MTG card by a specific set like Eldritch Moon and Shadows over Innistrad Remastered, 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 Exultant Cultist 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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Printings
The Exultant Cultist Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-07-22 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by Joseph Meehan.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016-07-22 | Eldritch Moon | EMN | 59 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Joseph Meehan | |
| 2 | 2023-03-21 | Shadows over Innistrad Remastered | SIR | 68 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Joseph Meehan |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Exultant Cultist 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 |