Mourning Patrol // Morning Apparition MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Human Soldier
Abilities Disturb,Transform, Vigilance
Power 2
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Intrinsic card advantage is highlighted by Mourning Patrol’s transformative ability into a more potent presence.
  2. Vigilance aids in sustaining offensive and defensive postures simultaneously, optimizing resource allocation.
  3. Its Disturb cost at instant speed adds strategic flexibility, enhancing combat and defense unpredictability.
Vigilance card art

Guide to Vigilance card ability

In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.

Text of card

Vigilance Disturb (You may cast this card from your graveyard transformed for its disturb cost.)

"It's creepy out here, isn't it, boy? I always feel like someone's watching us."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mourning Patrol // Morning Apparition offers an intrinsic advantage by providing a robust platform for card recursion. When it transforms into Morning Apparition, you gain access to an additional creature, increasing your on-board presence without depleting resources from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly providing mana or treasure, the vigilant nature of Mourning Patrol aids in maintaining a sturdy defense while committing to an offensive strategy, indirectly accelerating your board state’s development and preserving resources for other spells and actions.

Instant Speed: The Morning Apparition side of the card features a vital Disturb cost that can be played at instant speed. This offers a significant tactical edge, allowing you to wait for the most opportune moment to resurrect Mourning Patrol from the graveyard, surprising your opponent and setting the stage for unexpected combat or defensive maneuvers.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Mourning Patrol // Morning Apparition requires you to have another card to discard, possibly depleting your hand when you may not have the luxury to do so. This can be particularly challenging in decks that don’t have a reliable draw engine to replenish the cards you’ve lost.

Specific Mana Cost: Being a card with a white mana cost, it demands a commitment to that color in your mana base. This can restrict the card’s inclusion to primarily white or two-color decks and is not as easily splashed into multicolor decks that might not prioritize white mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The cost to get the card into play, along with the subsequent cost to transform it into Morning Apparition, is steep relative to other options in the same cost bracket. Decks might find this mana investment to be too much of a tempo loss, especially in formats where lower-cost, high-impact creatures are preferred.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Mourning Patrol // Morning Apparition is a flexible addition to any White deck. As a creature, Mourning Patrol provides a solid early blocker that can evolve into a threat. After transforming into Morning Apparition, the increased power level offers an offensive advantage.

Combo Potential: This card carries potential for combos in decks that capitalize on transforming mechanics or spirit synergies. Its double-faced nature allows it to interact uniquely with both graveyard recursion and exile effects, making it an interesting piece in puzzle-like deck builds.

Meta-Relevance: With a meta that continually shifts, including a card like Mourning Patrol // Morning Apparition can prove beneficial. Its ability to adapt to various situations makes it a contender in matches where versatility and transformation can catch an opponent off guard.


How to beat

Mourning Patrol and its flip side, Morning Apparition, offer a blend of resilience and offensive capability to Magic: The Gathering players. This intriguing double-sided card poses a unique challenge because killing Mourning Patrol alone isn’t enough—Morning Apparition can rise from the graveyard and continue to influence the battlefield.

To effectively counter this spectral duo, removal spells that exile creatures from play prove to be considerably valuable. Direct exile effects sidestep the card’s persistent nature, preventing its return to the game. Players can also turn to graveyard manipulation strategies, disrupting the normal flow of Mourning Patrol’s transformation into Morning Apparition. Cards such as Tormod’s Crypt can purge graveyards at a moment’s notice, while Rest in Peace keeps graveyards perpetually clear, ensuring the Patrol’s second act is never realized.

The core strategy lies in preventing Mourning Patrol from settling into its ethereal stride. Board-wipes offer an effective clean slate, while sacrifice effects force opponents to make tough decisions, potentially sacrificing their Mourning Patrol prematurely. By staying one step ahead of the transformation and utilizing the right tools, players can maintain control over these spectral threats.


Cards like Mourning Patrol // Morning Apparition

Mourning Patrol // Morning Apparition distinguish themselves within the Magic: The Gathering realm of transform cards. They share a kinship with Legion Conquistador in their ability to bring consistency to the battlefield. Both are creatures that can be played relatively early, securing a presence on the board. Yet, Mourning Patrol // Morning Apparition offer a transformative twist, becoming a spectral advantage when certain conditions are met. Their spectral half, Morning Apparition, can pressure opponents with flying—a trait Legion Conquistador lacks.

Another card that echoes the dual nature is Delver of Secrets, starting as a weak creature and potentially turning into a powerful Insectile Aberration, infusing games with surprise and agility. However, what sets Mourning Patrol // Morning Apparition apart is their vigilant role, favoring defense as well as offense. They pivot between these roles without the need for a specific card type in the graveyard—a requirement for Delver of Secrets to transform.

The balance of early playability and mid-game transformation makes Mourning Patrol // Morning Apparition a unique contender in decks that capitalize on versatility and adaptability, making them a valuable asset for players seeking to fortify their battlefield strategy.

Legion Conquistador - MTG Card versions
Legion Conquistador - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mourning Patrol // Morning Apparition MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad: Midnight Hunt and Innistrad: Double Feature, 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 Mourning Patrol // Morning Apparition and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Mourning Patrol // Morning Apparition Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-09-24 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Greg Opalinski.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight HuntMID 282015TransformBlackGreg Opalinski
22022-01-28Innistrad: Double FeatureDBL 282015TransformBlackGreg Opalinski

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mourning Patrol // Morning Apparition has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Mourning Patrol // Morning Apparition card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2021-09-24 "Disturb
-ost]" means "You may cast this card transformed from your graveyard by paying
-ost] rather than its mana cost."
2021-09-24 A spell cast this way enters the battlefield with its back face up.
2021-09-24 Disturb is found only on the front faces of some double-faced cards.
2021-09-24 If you copy a permanent spell cast this way (perhaps with a card like Double Major), the copy becomes a token that's a copy of the card's back face, even though it isn't itself a double-faced card.
2021-09-24 The back face of each card with disturb has an ability that instructs its controller to exile if it would be put into a graveyard from anywhere. This includes going to the graveyard from the stack, so if the spell is countered after you cast it using the disturb ability, it will be put into exile.
2021-09-24 To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost (such as a disturb cost) you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of a spell cast using disturb is determined by the mana cost on the front face of the card, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was. (This is a special rule that applies only to transforming double faced-cards, including ones with disturb.)
2021-09-24 When you cast a spell using a card's disturb ability, the card is put onto the stack with its back face up. The resulting spell has all the characteristics of that face.

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