Martyrs of Korlis MTG Card
1994-03-04 - Number 6
2011-01-10 - Number 20
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Human |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 6 |
Key Takeaways
- Martyrs of Korlis guards your artifacts, allowing you to retain key cards in play without drawing more.
- It doesn’t directly accelerate resources but protects your artifacts, indirectly aiding resource acceleration.
- This card’s instant speed damage prevention ability is a reliable tool for defense strategies in MTG.
Text of card
Unless Martyrs of Korlis is tapped, any damage done to you by artifacts is instead applied to Martyrs of Korlis. You may not take this damage yourself, though you may prevent it if possible. No more than one Bodyguard of your choice can take damage for you in this manner each turn.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Martyrs of Korlis provides a unique form of advantage by protecting your key assets. Instead of drawing more cards, you keep the valuable ones you have in play secured. This preemptive measure can be as significant as drawing extra cards, especially when it comes to safeguarding cards like artifacts which are critical for your strategy.
Resource Acceleration: While Martyrs of Korlis doesn’t directly produce mana or accelerate resources, its role in defending other cards that do so is vital. It acts as a guard ensuring that your mana-producing artifacts or other accelerative tools remain untapped and ready for action, indirectly contributing to your resource acceleration.
Instant Speed: Although Martyrs of Korlis itself is not an instant, its capacity to protect artifacts can be utilized at instant speed since damage prevention can be activated whenever needed. This makes it a reliable piece in any player’s defensive array, capable of thwarting your opponent’s plans at critical moments, even during their turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Martyrs of Korlis doesn’t necessitate a discard, but be mindful if your strategy involves hand size management or discard synergies, as this card won’t directly support those tactics.
Specific Mana Cost: To cast this card, you must commit to white mana, which may pose a deck construction challenge for multicolor decks that are not heavily skewed towards white. This color-restricted cost can impinge on the card’s overall versatility within a broad range of deck archetypes.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Martyrs of Korlis offers a unique effect by absorbing all damage directed to the controller from artifacts, the card comes at the steep cost of five mana. Given the pace of many MTG games, investing this amount of resources into a single creature may not be the most mana-efficient play, especially when other cards might provide more immediate board presence or protection for less investment.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Martyrs of Korlis offers a unique defensive capability, providing excellent synergy in decks built around artifacts or strategies that take advantage of damage prevention. It can serve as a crucial shield for your more valuable permanents, especially in artifact-heavy decks.
Combo Potential: In decks that utilize life total as a resource, Martyrs of Korlis scales well with effects that amplify damage prevention. This can be part of a combo that allows you to pay life without the hazardous downside, effectively stabilizing your board presence while executing other strategic moves.
Meta-Relevance: Against decks that rely heavily on dealing direct damage, Martyrs of Korlis can be a game-changer. Its presence on the battlefield can deter opponents from targeting your artifacts, thereby enhancing the durability of key components in your strategy. It can also be particularly relevant when artifact strategies are prominent in the meta, providing a tailor-made defense.
How to beat
Martyrs of Korlis stands as a unique piece of the MTG strategy landscape, offering players protection for their artifacts by absorbing the damage dealt to them. This ability can be a thorn in the side of opponents who primarily depend on targeting key artifacts to dismantle your board. To counter this card effectively, players should consider incorporating untargeted damage or “sweeper” effects that can bypass the protective umbrella Martyrs of Korlis provides.
Options such as Wrath of God or Damnation can clear the board without needing to target, thereby removing the Martyrs along with any other creatures. Additionally, direct player damage spells can gradually reduce an opponent’s life total without engaging with Martyrs of Korlis’s effect at all. It’s also beneficial to use enchantment removal spells like Disenchant or Artifact Mutation to manage non-creature artifacts, as Martyrs of Korlis doesn’t shield those from being targeted. In essence, circumventing the protective ability of this card typically involves a strategic approach that doesn’t rely on directly engaging the artifacts it intends to safeguard.
To triumph over the Martyrs of Korlis, adapt your deck to have a blend of sweepers, direct damage, and versatile removal spells, thereby ensuring that your arsenal contains the necessary tools to dismantle this defensive strategy efficiently.
Cards like Martyrs of Korlis
Martyrs of Korlis, a distinctive card from the realm of Magic: The Gathering, offers a unique protection ability for players. It shares thematic similarities with cards like Paladin en-Vec that grant protection from specific colors. However, Martyrs of Korlis specializes in shielding artifacts, specifically redirecting all damage from artifacts to itself. Unlike Paladin en-Vec, which guards the player from colored spells, Martyrs of Korlis stands as a bastion for treasured artifacts.
Looking at other parallels, Indomitable Archangel comes to mind with its metalcraft ability, which provides artifacts with protection from all colors as long as you control three or more artifacts. Though Martyrs of Korlis doesn’t provide a blanket protection, it acts as a single point of defense, potentially safeguarding a game-changing artifact. Furthermore, there’s Leonin Abunas, which outright prevents your artifacts from being the targets of others’ spells or abilities, ensuring their enduring presence on the battlefield. Each of these cards provides a unique way to defend your valuable assets, making Martyrs of Korlis a useful consideration for decks that heavily rely on artifact strategies.
When comparing these protectors in the game, Martyrs of Korlis proves to be a niche yet potent guardian for players who build their strategy around vital artifacts, maintaining their stability and function against assaults.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Martyrs of Korlis MTG card by a specific set like Antiquities and Masters Edition IV, 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 Martyrs of Korlis 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
Printings
The Martyrs of Korlis Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1994-03-04 and 2011-01-10. Illustrated by Margaret Organ-Kean.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1994-03-04 | Antiquities | ATQ | 6 | 1993 | normal | black | Margaret Organ-Kean | |
| 2 | 2011-01-10 | Masters Edition IV | ME4 | 20 | 1997 | normal | black | Margaret Organ-Kean |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Martyrs of Korlis has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Oldschool | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Martyrs of Korlis 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 | If you have multiple Martyrs of Korlis, you can decide which one receives the redirected damage each time artifact damage would be dealt to you. |
