Traveling Minister MTG Card
2021-11-19 - Number 39
2022-01-28 - Number 306
2021-11-19 - Number 19
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Cleric |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Key Takeaways
- Indirect card advantage can be gained through strategic creature boosting with Traveling Minister’s effect.
- Lifegain acceleration via Traveling Minister enhances board presence, triggering deck synergies.
- Flexibility in main phase utility complements lifegain-based instant-speed interactions.
Text of card
: Target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn. You gain 1 life. Activate only as a sorcery.
Priests of the Sigardian Sect travel to the farthest reaches to spread hope and healing, even in the darkest times.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While Traveling Minister doesn’t directly allow you to draw cards, it offers an ongoing advantage by supporting your creatures each turn. Buffing a creature’s power can turn it into a more effective blocker or attacker, which in some cases may lead to extra draws or crippling your opponent’s board, effectively creating indirect card advantage over time.
Resource Acceleration: Traveling Minister doesn’t accelerate mana resources in the traditional sense. However, it does accelerate your board presence by giving a life gain boost, which can be pivotal in strategies that benefit from lifegain triggers. This can lead to quicker access to certain abilities or conditions that your deck could be looking to exploit.
Instant Speed: Although this card operates at sorcery speed, its ability can be used during any of your main phases, giving you flexibility. In decks that utilize lifegain as a resource, the instant boost in life can be a timely enabler for other instant-speed interactions within your deck, contributing indirectly to that instant speed reactivity that is so valuable in MTG.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While the Traveling Minister doesn’t require discard directly, it’s essential to note that enhancing its impact often leverages sacrificing other cards for a more substantial board presence. This trade-off can deplete your hand when strategies demand card retention.
Specific Mana Cost: Traveling Minister demands a white mana to cast. This requirement can potentially restrict deck-building options, making it less versatile for multicolor decks that may not prioritize white mana or have it readily available.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite being a one-drop, the ongoing benefit of the Traveling Minister pales compared to some one-mana creatures or spells that might provide immediately impactful abilities or stats. Efficiency-minded players may find Traveling Minister’s subtle incremental gains insufficient amidst a meta where early game impact is crucial.
Reasons to Include Traveling Minister in Your Collection
Versatility: Traveling Minister is a flexible card that can easily find a home in a variety of white-based decks, particularly those requiring life gain and early board presence. Its ability to pump other creatures makes it a utility player on both offense and defense.
Combo Potential: This card offers synergies with life gain strategies and can enable various combos, especially in decks exploiting life total changes to activate abilities or trigger effects. It can bolster strategies that depend on life as a resource.
Meta-Relevance: Given that competitive environments often see a mix of aggressive decks requiring blockers and life stabilization, Traveling Minister is well-positioned to be a useful tool. Its low casting cost and the utility in buffing creatures make it relevant in current and evolving metas.
How to beat
Traveling Minister is a unique utility creature in Magic: The Gathering, often bolstering your deck with its ability to increase the life total while subtly boosting a creature’s power. Distinct from other life-gain cards, Traveling Minister offers a consistent one-life gain each turn, which when timed correctly can tip the scales in a drawn-out match.
Addressing this card requires an efficient strategy to limit its influence on the game. Trading early in combat, casting cost-effective removal spells, or employing creatures with similar life-gain denial effects can effectively mitigate the advantage gained from the Minister’s ability. Applying pressure through aggressive strategies can also outpace the life advantage and force the Minister’s controller to make difficult blocking decisions that could take the card off the board.
Ultimately, although Traveling Minister has the potential to disbalance the game with its life-gain and buffing abilities, a proactive approach with early, decisive plays can ensure that this card’s impact is kept in check, allowing savvy players to maintain control over the game dynamic. Remembering the importance of board presence and knowing when to strategically remove key pieces can be the difference between victory and defeat.
Cards like Traveling Minister
Traveling Minister is an intriguing card for MTG enthusiasts who enjoy incremental life gain and strategic creature boosting. It resonates with the functionalities of older cards like Soulmender, which also provide a reliable avenue for small doses of life gain each turn. Unlike Soulmender, Traveling Minister offers a versatility, allowing players not only to increase their life total but also to give a small boost to a creature’s power. This can be crucial during combat or for enhancing key creatures.
Another akin card is Suture Priest, which combines life gain with a punishing effect for your opponent whenever they play a creature. Although Suture Priest doesn’t offer the power increase, it can be a continuous source of life differential throughout the game. By contrast, the Minister is a more proactive choice, giving you control over when and where to apply its benefits.
When looking at Traveling Minister alongside its counterparts, it stands out for its dual utility in lifegain and combat support — a combination that can prove pivotal in many gameplay scenarios. Therefore, it holds a unique position in MTG, especially for players leveraging the lifegain strategy with an aggressive edge.
Cards similar to Traveling Minister by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Traveling Minister // Traveling Minister MTG card by a specific set like Crimson Vow Art Series and Innistrad: Crimson Vow, 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 Traveling Minister // Traveling Minister and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
See MTG Products
Printings
The Traveling Minister // Traveling Minister Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2021-11-19 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Slawomir Maniak.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crimson Vow Art Series | AVOW | 19 | 2015 | Art series | Borderless | Slawomir Maniak | ||
| 2 | 2021-11-19 | Innistrad: Crimson Vow | VOW | 39 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Slawomir Maniak | |
| 3 | 2022-01-28 | Innistrad: Double Feature | DBL | 306 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Slawomir Maniak |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Traveling Minister has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Traveling Minister card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-11-19 | After you exile Undead Butler from your graveyard, a second ability triggers. You choose the target creature card to return at that time. |
| 2021-11-19 | If the target of Traveling Minister's activated ability isn't legal as it tries to resolve, you won't gain 1 life. |
