Shambling Attendants MTG Card
2014-09-26 - Number 89y
2014-09-26 - Number 89
2019-11-07 - Number 769
2020-09-26 - Number KTK-89
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 8 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Zombie |
| Abilities | Deathtouch,Delve |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 5 |
Key Takeaways
- Offers deck utility by using the graveyard to lower its casting cost, valuable in resource management.
- Combines well with instant-speed interactions, cleaning up the graveyard for more potent plays.
- Leveraging a high toughness and Deathtouch, it serves as both a defense and an offensive threat.
Text of card
Delve (Each card you exile from your graveyard while casting this spell pays for .) Deathtouch (Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Shambling Attendants offer the advantage of added deck utility when delving from your graveyard, effectively reducing its casting cost and preserving the cards in hand.
Resource Acceleration: The delve mechanic can act as a form of resource acceleration, enabling you to potentially deploy a high toughness creature earlier than usual by utilizing the graveyard as an alternative resource.
Instant Speed: While the Shambling Attendants themselves are not an instant, they can pave the way for instant-speed interactions in your deck by cleaning up your graveyard, ensuring cards like delve are more potent and ready to be maximized during any phase of the game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Shambling Attendants require delving into your graveyard, which means you’re churning through potentially valuable cards just to cast this creature. This can be a costly demand, especially when your graveyard resources could be used more effectively with other cards.
Specific Mana Cost: In order to cast Shambling Attendants, one of the mana specified must be black. This makes it a little less flexible and can be a drawback in decks that aren’t already heavily invested in black mana or in multicolored decks that may have better uses for their black mana sources.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: These creatures come with a total cost of eight mana, which is hefty even with the option to delve. They might take up space in your hand while you set up your graveyard. By the time you can afford them, you could be at a point in the game where faster, more impactful plays are necessary.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Shambling Attendants offers a unique blend of creature survivability with Deathtouch, allowing it to act as both a defensive asset and an aggressor in various deck builds. Its presence on the battlefield makes it a flexible card suited for multiple game scenarios.
Combo Potential: As a creature that can be delved, Shambling Attendants works seamlessly in strategies centered around graveyard mechanics. It can be easily cast from the graveyard, thereby enabling and benefiting from combo plays that capitalize on card types in the graveyard.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta-game that is creature-focused, the ability to block and eliminate larger threats with Shambling Attendants’ Deathtouch becomes especially pertinent, potentially swinging the game in your favor.
How to beat
Shambling Attendants is a creature that can be a formidable presence on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering, known for its deathtouch ability, promising to take down any blocker regardless of size. This card, however, isn’t without its weaknesses. To effectively counter Shambling Attendants, consider employing creatures with flying or other forms of evasion, as they can soar above the zombies’ reach. Utilize removal spells that don’t require creatures to enter combat, such as Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile, which bypass the deathtouch ability altogether.
Speed is another factor to leverage against Shambling Attendants – they carry a hefty mana cost of eight, including one black mana. Therefore, implementing an aggressive, fast-paced strategy can pressure your opponent before they have the resources to summon their undead horde. When Shambling Attendants hit the table, ensure you’re in a position where its impact is minimal by already having a strong, developed board presence or holding removal in hand.
Lastly, edict effects like Diabolic Edict, which force a player to sacrifice a creature, are indifferent to deathtouch and can be another effective measure to deal with these resilient undead. By combining these tactics, Shambling Attendants can be overcome, and you can maintain control over the game’s flow.
Cards like Shambling Attendants
Shambling Attendants is a card that offers a straightforward approach to creature design in Magic: The Gathering. In evaluating its characteristics, the Attendants often find themselves compared to other delve creatures such as Gurmag Angler. Both units capitalize on utilizing the graveyard to mitigate mana costs, with Gurmag Angler typically requiring one less mana than the Attendants. The Angler, while less tough, swiftly enters the battlefield due to its lower cost, providing a faster offensive option for players.
Murderous Cut is another card in the delve category that players might examine. Although not a creature, this instant removal spell can be a more flexible tool in a match, utilizing the graveyard to reduce its mana cost and allowing for efficient control during gameplay.
Reviewing multiple delve options within MTG illustrates the dynamic range of strategies these cards can accommodate. Despite not boasting aggressive speed like Gurmag Angler or reactive capabilities like Murderous Cut, Shambling Attendants holds its position within the format by offering a resilient body that can act as both an aggressive and defensive asset in longer games.
Cards similar to Shambling Attendants by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Shambling Attendants MTG card by a specific set like Khans of Tarkir and Khans of Tarkir, 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 Shambling Attendants 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 Shambling Attendants Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2014-09-26 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2014-09-26 | Khans of Tarkir | KTK | 89y | 2015 | Normal | Black | Andreia Ugrai | |
| 2 | 2014-09-26 | Khans of Tarkir | KTK | 89 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Daarken | |
| 3 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 769 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Daarken | |
| 4 | The List | PLST | KTK-89 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Daarken |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Shambling Attendants has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Shambling Attendants card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2014-09-20 | Because delve isn’t an alternative cost, it can be used in conjunction with alternative costs. |
| 2014-09-20 | Delve doesn’t change a spell’s mana cost or converted mana cost. For example, Dead Drop’s converted mana cost is 10 even if you exiled three cards to cast it. |
| 2014-09-20 | The rules for delve have changed slightly since it was last in an expansion. Previously, delve reduced the cost to cast a spell. Under the current rules, you exile cards from your graveyard at the same time you pay the spell’s cost. Exiling a card this way is simply another way to pay that cost. |
| 2014-09-20 | You can’t exile cards to pay for the colored mana requirements of a spell with delve. |
| 2014-09-20 | You can’t exile more cards than the generic mana requirement of a spell with delve. For example, you can’t exile more than nine cards from your graveyard to cast Dead Drop. |
