Lone Missionary MTG Card

Great for defense, Lone Missionary offers life cushion to thwart aggressive decks, increasing your strategic longevity. Its synergy with flicker effects allows for recurring life gains, enhancing its value in gameplay. While efficient, consider opportunity costs, as it may not fit all strategies, particularly in late-game scenarios.
Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Kor Monk
Power 2
Toughness 1

Text of card

When Lone Missionary enters the battlefield, you gain 4 life.

His mission has become a grim pilgrimage, a tour of the Eldrazi-stricken outposts across Zendikar. But he marches on alone, stubborn as the daily dawn.

Cards like Lone Missionary

Lone Missionary stands as a noteworthy creature in Magic: The Gathering, particularly for players fond of life gain strategies. Its parallel could be found in cards like Cathedral Sanctifier, which also provides a burst of life upon entering the battlefield. However, Lone Missionary offers an additional perk with its higher power, making it not just a life buffer but also a more formidable presence on the board.

Examining Squadron Hawk offers a different angle, focusing not on life gain but on deck thinning and board presence. While not directly comparable in function, the attribute of card advantage shared by both draws a line of similarity. Then there’s Kitchen Finks, another creature that excels in providing life gain. Though it arrives with a higher mana cost, it also brings the persist mechanic, allowing for recurring value and resilience against removal.

Assessing them side by side, Lone Missionary holds a special place in the MTG environment as a cost-effective option for players looking to improve their longevity in matches, while also commencing an early offensive strategy.

Cathedral Sanctifier - MTG Card versions
Squadron Hawk - MTG Card versions
Kitchen Finks - MTG Card versions
Cathedral Sanctifier - MTG Card versions
Squadron Hawk - MTG Card versions
Kitchen Finks - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Lone Missionary. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Boros MidrangeBoros Midrange PauperBoros SynthesizerLiga Gacha de Pauper 2024 - Etapa 1
Abzan MidrangeAbzan Midrange PauperPestilenceSprint Wheel Event - Geddon Series 1^ tappa MILANO 2024

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The ability of Lone Missionary to provide a life cushion helps to preserve your resources against aggressive strategies, effectively granting indirect card advantage by making the opponent’s cards less relevant.

Resource Acceleration: While Lone Missionary doesn’t directly accelerate resources in terms of mana, its low casting cost allows for efficient use of mana in the early game which can free up resources for other spells sooner.

Instant Speed: While Lone Missionary itself is not an instant, it promotes flexible play. Its enter-the-battlefield effect of gaining life pairs well with flicker or bounce effects at instant speed, offering repeated life gain and board presence.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Lone Missionary does not directly impose a discard requirement on its caster, but it’s important to note that in a game where every card in hand counts, playing this creature could represent a missed opportunity to cast a more impactful spell, particularly in the late game where life gain might be less relevant than more aggressive board control.

Specific Mana Cost: This creature’s casting cost demands one colorless and one white mana. Decks that don’t have a solid white mana base can struggle to cast Lone Missionary efficiently, potentially causing it to sit uselessly in hand while you find the necessary mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While two mana for a 2/1 creature that grants 4 life may seem economical, in more competitive formats, players often look for multiversatile or more influential creatures at this cost. The opportunity cost of including Lone Missionary could be high, especially when deck space is at a premium and there are more versatile options available that can affect the board state significantly.

Reasons to Include Lone Missionary in Your Collection

Versatility: Lone Missionary is a highly adaptable card. Its simple casting cost and immediate life gain effect make it an easy fit in various white-based decks, particularly those in need of life gain strategies to stabilize against aggressive opponents.

Combo Potential: This card has noticeable synergy with blink or flicker effects, allowing players to repeatedly gain life as Lone Missionary re-enters the battlefield. Pairing it with cards that manipulate enter-the-battlefield triggers can create a formidable life cushion, bolstering your resilience in the game.

Meta-Relevance: The rising popularity of aggro decks makes Lone Missionary a timely inclusion in your arsenal. Its ability to offer a decent body on the field, coupled with instant life boost, grants players a valuable edge in sustaining through early to mid-game assaults, making it a card worth considering in the current competitive landscape.

How to Beat Lone Missionary

Lone Missionary stands out in MTG as a valuable card, especially within decks that focus on life gain strategies. Its entrance into the battlefield is marked by a significant benefit – gaining 4 life, which can be a small but meaningful buffer in many games. This makes the card particularly annoying to deal with if you’re trying to maintain pressure on your opponent and reduce their life total steadily.

To effectively counteract Lone Missionary, removal spells that can bypass its life gain trigger are key. Cards like Path to Exile or Fatal Push can dispatch it before the life gain effect becomes a concern. It’s also smart to have answers ready for when Lone Missionary is recycled with flicker or bounce effects, which can repeatedly activate its life gain ability. Counterspells or graveyard disruption tools such as Tormod’s Crypt can prevent these combos from taking place.

In essence, the key to overcoming Lone Missionary is to either preemptively remove it from play or interrupt strategies designed to exploit its life gain mechanic. Balancing aggression with strategic removal will diminish the impact of its entrance and help maintain control of the gameplay tempo.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lone Missionary MTG card by a specific set like Rise of the Eldrazi and Duel Decks: Speed vs. Cunning, 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 Lone Missionary and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Lone Missionary Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2010-04-23 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Svetlin Velinov.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-04-23Rise of the EldraziROE 342003NormalBlackSvetlin Velinov
22014-09-05Duel Decks: Speed vs. CunningDDN 492015NormalBlackSvetlin Velinov
32017-03-17Modern Masters 2017MM3 142015NormalBlackSvetlin Velinov
42019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 1632015NormalBlackSvetlin Velinov
52020-09-26The ListPLST DDN-492015NormalBlackSvetlin Velinov

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Lone Missionary has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal