Necromancer's Assistant MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Zombie
Abilities	Mill
Released	2014-07-18
Set symbol
Set name	Magic 2015
Set code	M15
Power	3
Toughness	1
Number	107
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Svetlin Velinov

Key Takeaways

Enables graveyard strategies, allowing for more complex and synergistic deck building.
Demands precise mana and self-mills, which may limit its versatility and risk key cards.
Maintains relevance by fitting into current meta with cards that exploit graveyards.

Text of card

When Necromancer's Assistant enters the battlefield, put the top three cards of your library into your graveyard.

Zombies and necromancers agree: easy access to brains is preferred.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Necromancer’s Assistant offers a unique form of card advantage by milling three cards from the top of your library into your graveyard. This fuels strategies that benefit from having certain card types or specific cards in the graveyard, effectively increasing your resources beyond what’s in your hand.

Resource Acceleration: By putting cards directly into the graveyard, Necromancer’s Assistant can accelerate your resource availability for mechanics that rely on delving, flashback, or other graveyard synergies. This makes it an excellent enabler for decks that thrive on such interactions, potentially giving you access to powerful plays earlier than expected.

Instant Speed: While Necromancer’s Assistant does not operate at instant speed, its ability to rapidly alter the contents of your graveyard can provide an immediate impact similar to instant-speed interactions. It sets the stage for instant-speed shenanigans by ensuring that your graveyard is stocked with tools for later use when the timing is perfect.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Necromancer’s Assistant requires players to put the top three cards of their library into their graveyard upon entering the battlefield. This self-mill mechanic, while potentially beneficial in a graveyard-focused deck, might also inadvertently discard crucial cards, resulting in reduced options during gameplay.

Specific Mana Cost: Summoning the Necromancer’s Assistant demands a precise mana combination, including both black and generic mana. This cost restricts the card’s inclusion to decks that can consistently provide the necessary black mana, making it less versatile in decks with a broader color pool.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana for a creature that provides a 3/1 body, Necromancer’s Assistant may be considered costly when evaluating its power and toughness. Other creatures and spells at similar or lower costs might offer more substantial board presence or additional effects, thereby providing better value for the mana spent.

Reasons to Include Necromancer’s Assistant in Your Collection

Versatility: Necromancer’s Assistant is more than just a creature. Its ability to mill three cards from your own deck upon entering the battlefield offers an array of strategic options, especially for decks focusing on graveyard mechanics.

Combo Potential: This dark ally finds its true power in combination with cards that capitalize on a well-stocked graveyard. Whether enabling delve, powering up threshold, or setting up for a reanimation spell, the Assistant’s self-mill can be a key component in your winning strategy.

Meta-Relevance: With graveyard strategies perpetually in favor, Necromancer’s Assistant maintains its value. It fits smoothly into decks that thrive on having numerous cards in the graveyard, offering a rapid and consistent way to fuel these mechanics in the current meta.

How to beat

The Necromancer’s Assistant is a unique creature in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, known for its ability to self-mill, pushing three cards from the top of your deck into your graveyard. This action can serve as a dual-edged sword, setting up graveyard strategies or causing possible setback by discarding key cards.

When facing the Necromancer’s Assistant, the priority is to suppress graveyard synergies. Employing cards such as Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void can halt graveyard reliance, rendering the Assistant’s ability a disadvantage rather than a boon to your opponent. Additionally, instant removal spells are effective to ensure this creature’s ability is a one-and-done event. Sweepers like Wrath of God or targeted spells such as Path to Exile work well in suppressing the Assistant before it becomes part of a bigger strategy.

Understanding the meta and anticipating your opponent’s deck can also give you an edge. If Necromancer’s Assistant is a known component, adjust your deck to include cards that counteract graveyard strategies. By doing so, you can neutralize the Assistant and gain control over the flow of the match.

Cards like Necromancer's Assistant

Necromancer’s Assistant enters the landscape of utility creatures in Magic: The Gathering with a twist on graveyard interaction. It’s akin to cards like Satyr Wayfinder, which also digs through the library and puts cards into the graveyard. But where Satyr Wayfinder permits a look at the top four cards, offering a chance to grab a land, Necromancer’s Assistant delves deeper with three cards but without the selectivity.

Dredge creatures such as Stinkweed Imp present another point of comparison. The Imp allows for a repetitive milling effect with the potential to stack your graveyard round after round. While Necromancer’s Assistant provides a one-time mill upon entering the battlefield, it is the more robust creature on board. Corpse Connoisseur is yet another creature offering graveyard synergy with its unearth ability and targeted tutoring right into the graveyard, a different approach to stacking the graveyard with key creatures.

Examining these options, Necromancer’s Assistant holds its place by offering a substantial body that contributes to the board while fueling strategies that benefit from a well-stocked graveyard, though it comes without the repeatability and precision of other alternatives.

Cards similar to Necromancer's Assistant by color, type and mana cost

Mischievous Poltergeist - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Necromancer's Assistant MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2015, 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 Necromancer's Assistant and other MTG cards: