Herbal Poultice MTG Card

Herbal Poultice’s instant speed action enhances strategic depth and combat flexibility in matches. While mana-intensive, it synergizes with artifact-centric strategies, augmenting both durability and combo potential. Its unique role in MTG decks is bolstered by meta-relevance in creature-heavy and removal-rich environments.

Mana cost
Rarity	Common
Type	Artifact
Released	2007-10-12
Set symbol
Set name	Lorwyn
Set code	LRW
Number	257
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Scott Hampton

Text of card

, Sacrifice Herbal Poultice: Regenerate target creature.

"Apply orange leaf to a wound at dawn to clean it, at dusk to prevent the same injury from happening again." —Kithkin superstition

Cards like Herbal Poultice

When examining the Herbal Poultice in MTG, its restorative capabilities invite comparisons with other healing cards. Much like the poultice, the card Veteran’s Reflexes also targets creatures but focuses on boosting defense and offense for a single turn rather than offering a sustainable recovery option. Herbal Poultice provides a reusable source of healing, though it requires tapping and a small sacrifice of another artifact or creature, setting it apart with its continuous utility.

Considering Alabaster Potion, we notice a somewhat related effect in life gain and the potential for targeted creature healing. However, Alabaster Potion is a one-shot deal compared to the repeatable nature of Herbal Poultice. The trade-off here lies in the immediacy and scalability of the potion’s effects versus the long-term, albeit smaller, benefits of the poultice.

In weighing these options, Herbal Poultice aligns more with a strategy that values incremental advantage and resource management. Its capacity for repeated use, at the cost of some setup, can play a critical role in outlasting opponents in prolonged encounters. It’s the kind of card that excels in a grindy, attrition-based game plan.

Cards similar to Herbal Poultice by color, type and mana cost

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Herbal Poultice offers a nuanced form of card advantage. While it doesn’t allow you to draw cards outright, it enables the recovery of valuable creatures that might have otherwise been lost in battle. Every time you prevent or reverse a creature’s death, it’s akin to drawing an extra creature card, which can be decisive in the long run.

Resource Acceleration: While Herbal Poultice doesn’t directly produce additional mana, it plays a part in resource acceleration by saving mana that would have been spent recasting creatures. This saved mana can then be allocated towards furthering your board state or casting impactful spells sooner than you otherwise could have.

Instant Speed: The ability to use Herbal Poultice at instant speed provides significant flexibility. You can wait until the last possible moment before deciding to use it, potentially baiting opponents into unfavorable attacks or using their removal prematurely. Instant speed also means you can retain open mana for other tactics and only commit to using the Poultice if no better play materializes.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Players may hesitate to use Herbal Poultice in situations where retaining hand advantage is crucial, since its ability demands the discard of another card. This could stall gameplay for those wanting to maintain a full grip of strategic options.

Specific Mana Cost: Herbal Poultice’s activation cost includes generic mana, but it requires players to have white mana available. This specification can restrict the card’s inclusion in multi-colored decks that may not always have access to white mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When evaluating the cost-effectiveness of regeneration abilities, Herbal Poultice’s total mana requirement to both cast and activate may seem steep. This high mana investment for preserving a single creature often leads players to seek alternative cards with a more equitable cost-to-benefit ratio.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Herbal Poultice offers a unique flexibility that can be a boon across a variety of deck types, serving as an easily accessible source of creature regeneration. This makes it particularly useful in decks that aim to protect key creatures or maintain a presence on the board against targeted removal.

Combo Potential: This artifact possesses the ability to mesh well with cards and strategies that capitalize on artifacts being sacrificed. In decks that care about such interactions, Herbal Poultice can become an integral part of a combo, providing both utility and synergy.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that’s heavy on creature-based strategies or where removal spells are prevalent, having a repeatable source of regeneration can be crucial. Herbal Poultice fits neatly within such environments, protecting creatures from being lost in battle or deterring opponents from using their removal spells hastily.

How to beat

Herbal Poultice may not be the star of every deck, but it certainly can become a nuisance if you’re facing it in a long, drawn-out match. This nifty little artifact has the ability to regenerate a creature, which basically means it can help keep your opponent’s key creatures from being destroyed. Knowing this, your strategy needs to evolve to sideline this card’s capabilities.

One approach to overcoming the resilience Herbal Poulice provides is through the use of creature exile or bounce spells. By changing the state of the battlefield, the regeneration shield from Herbal Poultice becomes moot. Consider adding some Unsummon or Path to Exile cards to your deck to seamlessly sidestep its effects. Targeted removal like Doom Blade or Go for the Throat can also work around the Poultice by eliminating creatures before the artifact’s ability is activated. Directly dealing with the Poultice itself via artifact destruction spells like Smash to Smithereens will also render it ineffective.

However, keep in mind that in a game setting as intricate as Magic: The Gathering, each card plays an essential role. As such, if you anticipate going up against Herbal Poultice, preparing a well-rounded plan will ensure that you keep their strategy at bay and stay ahead of the game.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Herbal Poultice MTG card by a specific set like Lorwyn, 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 Herbal Poultice and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Herbal Poultice has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal