Garrulous Sycophant MTG Card
2016-08-26 - Number 43
2016-11-16 - Number 17
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Advisor |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Text of card
At the beginning of your end step, if you're the monarch, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
"Marchesa's poison is delivered by more than daggers." —Adriana, Captain of the Guard
Cards like Garrulous Sycophant
The Garrulous Sycophant from Magic: The Gathering finds its unique place in the realm of creature cards with conditional benefits. Its ability parallels that of cards like Blood Artist, which also capitalizes on the death of creatures. However, Garrulous Sycophant requires you to have the highest life total to reap its advantages, thus promoting a different gameplay dynamic centered around life gain strategies.
Given its capacity for incremental life point advantages, it’s reminiscent of Zulaport Cutthroat, yet with a note of exclusivity in its activation. Zulaport Cutthroat does not condition its trigger on life totals, providing a more equally accessible benefit. Additionally, Falkenrath Noble brings a similar effect to the table, but unlike Garrulous Sycophant, it focuses on flying and is less restrictive on the presence of a higher life total.
The strategic implementations of Garrulous Sycophant can notably alter the course of match. While it integrates well within life-gain decks that can consistently sustain the requirement for its ability, its nuances offer a fun twist to deck-building and on-the-fly decision-making in the Magic: The Gathering universe.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Garrulous Sycophant shines in its ability to offer consistent card advantage. By enabling card draw under certain gameplay conditions, it allows players to pull ahead by having more options on hand than the opponent.
Resource Acceleration: In some decks, Garrulous Sycophant can act as a form of resource acceleration. Its potential to gain additional benefits from the card interactions it encourages can lead to a snowballing effect, putting you in a commanding position.
Instant Speed: The capability to utilize Garrulous Sycophant’s effects at instant speed not only grants players flexibility in their strategy but also allows for surprise plays and responses that can disrupt opponent tactics while keeping your game plan agile and less predictable.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Garrulous Sycophant’s ability demands that you discard another card — a serious downside if your hand is already scant. Players need to weigh the card’s potential benefits against the cost of depleting their hand, which could leave them at a disadvantage in prolonged games.
Specific Mana Cost: Deploying Garrulous Sycophant requires a precise combination of mana colors, restricting its use to decks that can accommodate its black mana cost. This restriction can be particularly limiting in multicolored deck formats that feature a wide spectrum of mana requirements.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a mana value that is on the higher side for its effects, there are alternative cards that might provide similar benefits at a lower cost. Players often look for efficiency in their card choices, and Garrulous Sycophant’s cost may be seen as prohibitive when considering its overall impact on the game.
Reasons to Include Garrulous Sycophant in Your Collection
Versatility: Garrulous Sycophant is a flexible card that can be easily integrated into a variety of deck types. Its ability to provide card advantage can be crucial for decks that thrive on maintaining a full hand.
Combo Potential: This card works well with strategies that revolve around life total manipulation. In decks aiming to benefit from life gain or drain, Garrulous Sycophant could become a key component that triggers pivotal combos.
Meta-Relevance: Considering the shifting dynamics of the game, Garrulous Sycophant might be particularly effective in a meta where controlling the pace and flow of the game via card draw and life total is essential to outlasting opponents.
How to beat
The Garrulous Sycophant card brings a unique dynamic to MTG games, with its ability to leverage political strategy in multiplayer formats. Just like cards that challenge you to rethink traditional combat tactics, this card requires a different approach to conquer. Its strength lies in passive life gain, wherein preserving your board state isn’t the key, but rather dictating the flow of combat amongst your peers. It’s crucial to employ strategies that discourage opponents from becoming the monarch, a title this card so heavily relies on for its benefits.
One effective method is to employ removal or counter spells tailored to engage with creatures that become significantly stronger by the monarch mechanic. Alternatively, engage in creature combat to preemptively remove potential threats or to claim monarchy for yourself. Controlling card advantage through card draw spells or setting up defensive measures to protect against being usurped as monarch are also viable strategies.
In essence, understanding the nuanced interactions in a multiplayer setting and being proactive in managing the monarch status is the crux to outmaneuvering opponents utilizing Garrulous Sycophant. Do so, and you’ll rob them of their power, thereby negating the advantages they would gain and paving your way towards victory.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Garrulous Sycophant MTG card by a specific set like Conspiracy: Take the Crown and Treasure Chest, 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 Garrulous Sycophant 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 Garrulous Sycophant Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-08-26 and 2016-11-16. Illustrated by Lake Hurwitz.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016-08-26 | Conspiracy: Take the Crown | CN2 | 43 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Lake Hurwitz | |
| 2 | 2016-11-16 | Treasure Chest | PZ2 | 17 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Lake Hurwitz |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Garrulous Sycophant has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Garrulous Sycophant card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2016-08-23 | Abilities that trigger whenever you “become the monarch” trigger only if you aren’t already the monarch. For example, if you are already the monarch as Custodi Lich enters the battlefield, its last ability won’t trigger. |
| 2016-08-23 | If the triggered ability that causes the monarch to draw a card goes on the stack, and a different player becomes the monarch before that ability resolves, the first player will still draw the card. |
| 2016-08-23 | The game starts with no monarch. Once an effect makes one player the monarch, the game will have exactly one monarch from that point forward. |
| 2016-08-23 | The last ability of Garrulous Sycophant checks to see if you’re the monarch as your end step begins. If you’re not, the ability won’t trigger at all. You won’t be able to do anything that would make you the monarch during your end step in time to have that ability trigger. The ability will also check to see if you’re the monarch as it tries to resolve. If you’re not the monarch at that time, the ability will have no effect. |