Holy Strength MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 23 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant

Key Takeaways

  1. Boosts creature power and toughness efficiently with a minimal mana investment, ensuring resource optimization.
  2. Retains card advantage and fits various strategies without consuming significant hand resources or mana.
  3. Though simple and restrictive, it reinforces key creatures in creature-centric metas, increasing deck resilience.

Text of card

Target creature gains +1/+2.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Holy Strength doesn’t provide a direct way to draw additional cards, its low casting cost ensures that you maintain resources for other card plays. It’s an efficient method to strengthen your creatures without sacrificing hand size.

Resource Acceleration: As a one-mana enchantment, Holy Strength enables quick enhancement of your creatures. This minor investment can lead to a significant increase in board presence, allowing you to divert resources to other strategic plays much sooner.

Instant Speed: Although Holy Strength itself is not an instant, its straightforward mana cost allows for easy incorporation into a turn where you’re keeping mana open for other instant speed interactions. It’s adaptable across various phases of the game, bolstering your strategy without impeding your ability to react swiftly to opponents’ moves.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Holding onto Holy Strength until the right creature comes along might clog your hand in fast-paced games, a challenge when you want to maintain card flow.

Specific Mana Cost: Holy Strength requires white mana, which restricts its use to decks that include white or are willing to accommodate its mana needs, potentially affecting deck consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While only costing one white mana, the boost of +1/+2 might not always justify a card slot compared to other cards with greater impact or versatility at a comparable mana investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Holy Strength is a classic aura that can be slotted into various decks. It’s a simple and cost-effective way to boost a creature’s power and toughness, perfect for early aggressive plays or bolstering a key defender.

Combo Potential: This enchantment shines when combined with cards that capitalize on buffed creatures or enchantment synergies. Its low mana cost makes it a suitable choice for strategies seeking to create a single, unstoppable creature.

Meta-Relevance: Though Holy Strength may not dominate headlines, its straightforward power boost is always relevant, particularly in metas filled with creature-based combat. It’s a subtle yet potent way to edge out victories in tight matchups.


How to beat

Holy Strength is a classic aura that players often use in Magic: The Gathering to boost their creatures. The enchantment is straightforward: it gives a creature an additional +1/+2, enhancing its offensive and defensive capabilities. Your approach to overcoming this card hinges on efficient removal options. Considering its cost-effectiveness and the power-toughness boost, the key is to deal with the enchanted creature before the buff makes a substantial impact.

Spot removal spells are your best allies against creatures boasting Holy Strength. Options like Murder, Path to Exile, or Disenchant directly target and handle the threat these bolstered creatures present. Instant-speed spells are particularly effective as they can disrupt your opponent’s strategy during their turn, potentially wasting their mana and card advantage. Another strategy is to employ creatures with deathtouch capabilities to neutralize the threat regardless of the pumped stats the aura provides.

Remember, Holy Strength’s main drawback is its reliance on the creature it enchants. If you remove the creature or the enchantment itself, the card’s impact fades away. By maintaining control of the board and managing threats quickly, you can minimize the impact of Holy Strength in your matches.


Cards like Holy Strength

Holy Strength is an iconic enchantment in the MTG landscape, offering a modest but reliable power boost. It bears similarity to cards such as Giant Growth, which provides a substantial temporary boost to a creature’s power and toughness. Unlike Holy Strength, Giant Growth’s effect lasts only until the end of the turn, yet it can be the difference between winning and losing a crucial combat.

Then there is the enchantment Ethereal Armor, which not only increases a creature’s power and toughness but also grants First Strike depending on the number of enchantments you control. While Holy Strength is consistent, Ethereal Armor has the potential for a larger impact in the right deck. Another card worthy of mention is Mark of the Vampire, which not only gives a creature a larger boost in power and toughness but also Lifelink, transforming any creature into a significant threat and a source of life gain.

Holy Strength shines in its simplicity and cost-effectiveness, making it a staple when it comes to enchanting creatures for a lasting bonus. Although it might not carry the immediate impact of some alternatives, its low mana cost and permanence make it a worthy consideration for decks looking to enhance creatures over the long haul.

Giant Growth - MTG Card versions
Ethereal Armor - MTG Card versions
Mark of the Vampire - MTG Card versions
Giant Growth - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Ethereal Armor - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Mark of the Vampire - Magic 2013 (M13)

Cards similar to Holy Strength by color, type and mana cost

White Ward - MTG Card versions
Green Ward - MTG Card versions
Lance - MTG Card versions
Consecrate Land - MTG Card versions
Animate Wall - MTG Card versions
Black Ward - MTG Card versions
Blue Ward - MTG Card versions
Holy Armor - MTG Card versions
Red Ward - MTG Card versions
Land Tax - MTG Card versions
Brainwash - MTG Card versions
Spirit Link - MTG Card versions
Green Scarab - MTG Card versions
Blue Scarab - MTG Card versions
Armor of Faith - MTG Card versions
Kithkin Armor - MTG Card versions
Flickering Ward - MTG Card versions
Limited Resources - MTG Card versions
Mask of Law and Grace - MTG Card versions
Shield of Duty and Reason - MTG Card versions
White Ward - Revised Edition (3ED)
Green Ward - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Lance - Revised Edition (3ED)
Consecrate Land - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Animate Wall - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Black Ward - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
Blue Ward - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Holy Armor - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Red Ward - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Land Tax - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Brainwash - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Spirit Link - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Green Scarab - Ice Age (ICE)
Blue Scarab - Ice Age (ICE)
Armor of Faith - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Kithkin Armor - Weatherlight (WTH)
Flickering Ward - Tempest (TMP)
Limited Resources - Exodus (EXO)
Mask of Law and Grace - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Shield of Duty and Reason - Apocalypse (APC)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Holy Strength MTG card by a specific set like Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, 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 Holy Strength and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Holy Strength Magic the Gathering card was released in 18 different sets between 1993-08-05 and 2022-11-28. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11993-08-05Limited Edition AlphaLEA 241993normalblackAnson Maddocks
21993-10-04Limited Edition BetaLEB 251993normalblackAnson Maddocks
31993-12-01Unlimited Edition2ED 251993normalwhiteAnson Maddocks
41993-12-10Collectors' EditionCED 251993normalblackAnson Maddocks
51993-12-10Intl. Collectors' EditionCEI 251993normalblackAnson Maddocks
61994-04-01Revised Edition3ED 241993normalwhiteAnson Maddocks
71994-04-01Foreign Black BorderFBB 241993normalblackAnson Maddocks
81994-06-21Summer Magic / EdgarSUM 241993normalwhiteAnson Maddocks
91995-04-01Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border4BB 301993normalblackAnson Maddocks
101995-04-01Fourth Edition4ED 301993normalwhiteAnson Maddocks
111997-03-24Fifth Edition5ED 351997normalwhiteAnson Maddocks
122001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 201997normalwhiteScott M. Fischer
132001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 20★1997normalblackScott M. Fischer
142003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 24★2003normalblackScott M. Fischer
152003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 242003normalwhiteScott M. Fischer
162005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 19★2003normalblackScott M. Fischer
172005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 192003normalwhiteScott M. Fischer
182007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 222003normalblackTerese Nielsen
192007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 22★2003normalblackTerese Nielsen
202009-07-17Magic 2010M10 152003normalblackTerese Nielsen
212010-07-16Magic 2011M11 162003normalblackTerese Nielsen
222022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 3211997normalblackAnson Maddocks
232022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 242015normalblackAnson Maddocks

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Holy Strength has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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