Dark Supplicant MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Human Cleric |
| Released | 2003-02-03 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Legions |
| Set code | LGN |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
| Number | 64 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | normal |
| Border | black |
| Illustred by | Mark Zug |
Key Takeaways
- Dark Supplicant provides card advantage without hand depletion, maximizing creature utility.
- It enables early high-cost creature plays, significantly hastening board threat presence.
- Operating at instant speed, this card enhances strategic depth and surprises opponents.
Text of card
, Sacrifice three Clerics: Search your graveyard, hand, and/or library for a card named Scion of Darkness and put it into play. If you search your library this way, shuffle it.
Cabal clerics serve two masters: their patriarch and their god.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Dark Supplicant presents a unique form of card advantage through its ability to synergize with other cards, effectively transforming three creatures into a powerful entity without losing card quantity from hand.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana, the summoning capability of the Dark Supplicant enables a rapid escalation in board presence, often bringing high-cost creatures into play far earlier than normal mana progression would allow.
Instant Speed: This card operates at instant speed, giving players the tactical edge to make decisive plays during the end step of an opponent’s turn, thereby optimizing the element of surprise and strategic planning.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Dark Supplicant needs you to sacrifice three Clerics for its ability, which can deplete your board presence and leave you vulnerable to your opponent’s strategies.
Specific Mana Cost: It requires black mana to cast, making it less flexible and potentially restrictive as it fits primarily into mono-black or black-inclusive multicolor decks.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although the mana cost to cast Dark Supplicant is low, the cumulative cost of assembling three Clerics plus the Supplicant can be steep in terms of time and resources, when considering more mana-efficient creatures or game-altering spells available.
Reasons to Include Dark Supplicant in Your Collection
Versatility: Dark Supplicant offers a singular ability to cheat powerful creatures into play. It aligns well with deck themes centered around clerics or recursion strategies, enabling players to repurpose their creatures for significant gains.
Combo Potential: This card shines in combos, particularly with its ability to summon the ominous Scion of Darkness. By sacing three clerics, you can escalate your board presence, giving you an edge in both casual and competitive play circles.
Meta-Relevance: In metagames where longer, grindier matches prevail, Dark Supplicant can be a game-changer. It acts as a deterrent, pressuring opponents to deal with it or face the consequences of what it can bring to the battlefield.
How to beat
Confronting a Dark Supplicant on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering can be an ominous sign for what lies ahead. This cleric has the unnerving ability to bring forth Scion of Darkness by sacrificing herself and two other clerics. Your primary strategy to outmaneuver this play lies in disruption and removal. Targeted removal spells that can take out the Supplicant before the sacrifice trigger is essential. Cards like Path to Exile or Fatal Push are efficient answers to eliminate this looming threat early on.
Another effective tactic is to apply pressure with aggressive creatures, forcing your opponent to use the Supplicant defensively. If they’re focused on blocking instead of orchestrating their combo, you’re effectively stymying their plans. Counterspells also play a critical role when dealing with combo-oriented cards like Dark Supplicant. Be prepared with a Mana Leak or Dovin’s Veto to counteract the summoning spell, preventing the Scion of Darkness from ever entering the fray.
In essence, staying ahead of the Dark Supplicant requires a blend of preemptive strikes and maintaining control over the board. Swiftly deal with the threat, and you’ll prevent your opponent from leveraging its full potential, keeping the tides of battle in your favor.
Cards like Dark Supplicant
Dark Supplicant is a noteworthy inclusion in the realm of creature cards within Magic: The Gathering. It draws parallels to similar cards such as Shadowborn Apostle, a creature that also centers around the idea of sacrificing creatures for a powerful effect. However, Dark Supplicant is unique in its singularity purpose – to specifically summon Scion of Darkness. In this regard, it presents a more targeted strategy compared to Shadowborn Apostle which can summon any Demon creature card.
Comparatively, we look at Skirsdag High Priest, another card embodying the theme of sacrifice for gain. It demands a different setup, tapping two creatures along with Skirsdag High Priest and meeting the morbid condition to create a large Demon token. While not as specialized as Dark Supplicant, Skirsdag High Priest offers a recurring advantage, potentially summoning multiple Demon tokens over time.
Deciphering the advantages of these creature cards in gameplay is critical to enhancing deck strategies in Magic: The Gathering. Each serves a distinct role; Dark Supplicant excels in a dedicated deck build, while Shadowborn Apostle and Skirsdag High Priest provide more flexible sacrifice options.
Cards similar to Dark Supplicant by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Dark Supplicant MTG card by a specific set like Legions, 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 Dark Supplicant 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 Magic products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Dark Supplicant has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Dark Supplicant card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | You can choose which and how many of the three zones (graveyard, hand, and library) you want to search. |
| 2004-10-04 | You only shuffle your library if you choose to search it. |
