Life Finds a Way MTG Card
2023-11-17 - Number 5
2023-11-17 - Number 31
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Enchantment |
| Abilities | Populate |
Text of card
Whenever a nontoken creature with power 4 or greater enters the battlefield under your control, populate. (Create a token that's a copy of a creature token you control.)
"Life breaks free. It expands to new territories and crashes through barriers. Painfully, maybe even dangerously. But, uh, well there it is." —Ian Malcolm
Cards like Life Finds a Way
The intriguing Life Finds a Way breathes new life into the pantheon of creature support spells within MTG. Its closest kin on the battlefield is the renowned Heroic Intervention, which is famed for its ability to render your creatures invincible to destruction for the turn. Where Life Finds a Way differs is its unique offering of not only protection but the added growth potential by strengthening your creatures permanently with +1/+1 counters whenever they survive damage.
A kindred card in effect is Inspiring Call which also dishes out +1/+1 counters, with the added perk of drawing cards for each creature with a counter on it. While it doesn’t prevent harm like Life Finds a Way, the card advantage obtained can be just as pivotal in turning the tides of a match. Another parallel is found in Make a Stand, which gives creatures indestructibility for a turn, similar to Heroic Intervention, but additionally bolsters them with a temporary +1/+1 boost during the turn it’s played.
Analyzing these options reveals that Life Finds a Way holds its own in MTG strategies that favor resilience and progressive strengthening of creatures, blending defense with offense in a way that can continually tilt the board in your favor.
Cards similar to Life Finds a Way by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Life Finds a Way delivers not only a valuable creature on the battlefield but also replenishes your hand by potentially drawing you a card. This advantageous interaction increases the likelihood of having the right answers and threats as the match progresses.
Resource Acceleration: By potentially placing a land card onto the battlefield when Life Finds a Way resolves, you’re essentially ramping up your available resources. Having access to more mana ahead of your opponent can be a crucial advantage, opening the door for casting more impactful spells sooner than expected.
Instant Speed: Flexibility in Magic the Gathering is key, and Life Finds a Way provides just that. Being able to cast at instant speed keeps your options open, allowing you to respond appropriately to an opponent’s moves. Whether it’s interrupting their strategy or simply advancing your own board state, the ability to act on their turn is a tactical edge not to be underestimated.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The need to discard a card to activate Life Finds a Way’s ability could be cumbersome, particularly when your hand is running low on cards or when every card is crucial for your strategy.
Specific Mana Cost: Life Finds a Way demands a mix of mana types, which might not comfortably fit into decks that don’t consistently generate both required colors.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Necessitating a notable amount of mana to cast, this card competes with others in the same cost bracket, which could potentially offer more immediate impact on the battlefield or provide better value.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: The adaptability of Life Finds a Way makes it a perfect addition to various deck types. Whether you’re running a creature-heavy build or a control strategy, this card can provide significant value and help keep your game plan resilient against various threats.
Combo Potential: Life Finds a Way can synergize with decks that capitalize on life gain or creature recursion. Its ability to return a creature card from your graveyard when you gain life means it can act as an engine in the right setup, making it a linchpin for combos that can swing the game in your favor.
Meta-Relevance: Given the current landscape of competitive play, where life totals can be a tug-of-war and graveyard manipulation is common, Life Finds a Way holds relevance. It provides a much-needed lifeline in matches where recovery is crucial and can be the difference between victory and defeat.
How to beat
Life Finds a Way is a distinctive card that can present quite the puzzle in Magic: The Gathering, particularly when it comes to its resilience and ability to recover board state. To effectively counter this card, it’s important to prioritize removal spells that can exile or permanently deal with creatures, negating the advantages Life Finds a Way provides in recurring them from the graveyard. Cards like Path to Exile and Ashiok, Dream Render can be key as they directly undermine the mechanics that Life Finds a Way seeks to exploit.
Additionally, employing graveyard hate mechanics can be a strategic move, since cards like Grafdigger’s Cage or Leyline of the Void prevent cards like Life Finds a Way from accessing the powerful creatures they tend to resurrect. It’s also beneficial to manage the pace of the game by being cautious about when to remove creatures, potentially waiting until Life Finds a Way has resolved to avoid giving your opponent a reactionary advantage.
Ultimately, understanding the intricacies of MTG’s dynamic gameplay and knowing which cards can dismantle your opponent’s strategy are essential. Timely interaction and smart deck construction can turn the tide against a card as potentially game-altering as Life Finds a Way.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Life Finds a Way MTG card by a specific set like Jurassic World Collection and Jurassic World Collection, 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 Life Finds a Way and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
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Printings
The Life Finds a Way Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2023-11-17 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by Inkognit.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023-11-17 | Jurassic World Collection | REX | 5 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Inkognit | |
| 2 | 2023-11-17 | Jurassic World Collection | REX | 31 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Inkognit |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Life Finds a Way has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Life Finds a Way card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2023-11-10 | Any "as -his creature] enters the battlefield" or " -his creature] enters the battlefield with" abilities of the new token will work. |
| 2023-11-10 | If you control no creature tokens when you populate, nothing will happen. |
| 2023-11-10 | The new creature token copies the characteristics of the original token as stated by the effect that created the original token. |
| 2023-11-10 | The new token doesn't copy whether the original token is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or Auras and Equipment attached to it, or any non-copy effects that have changed its power, toughness, color, and so on. |