Centaur Healer MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Centaur Cleric
Power 3
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Lends considerable life totals, enhancing player resilience in close contests.
  2. Efficiently costed, it bolsters board development early in the game.
  3. Resembling instant effects, its entry provides immediate impact on play.

Text of card

When Centaur Healer enters the battlefield, you gain 3 life.

Instructors at the Kasarna training grounds are capable healers in case their students fail to grasp the subtleties of combat.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Centaur Healer, you’re not just playing a creature; you’re also gaining a life buffer. The 3-life gain on entry helps maintain or swing the life advantage in your favor, which can be crucial in tight matches.

Resource Acceleration: This creature offers a solid body for its cost, efficiently accelerating your board presence without sacrificing life total. Its reasonable mana requirement helps develop your gameplay more swiftly.

Instant Speed: Although Centaur Healer isn’t an instant, its effect upon entering the battlefield provides an immediate benefit, akin to the instantaneous life gain often found in instant-speed spells. This gives the card a semblance of that timely impact you’d expect from an instant.


Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Centaur Healer requires a specific combination of mana to cast: one green, one white, and one other. This mana mix may restrict the card’s inclusion to certain two-color decks and can pose a problem in mana-strapped situations where a player cannot meet the color requirements.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of three mana, Centaur Healer may be considered costly when compared to other creatures with similar stats. While it does offer a health gain bonus, some players might prefer lower cost creatures that can be played earlier in the game or that offer other types of utility or synergy with their deck’s strategy.

Discard Requirement: Although Centaur Healer itself does not have a discard requirement, it is important to consider that it could compete for deck space with other cards that have additional effects without such demands. Players must balance the advantage of immediate life gain against potential card advantage provided by other options without a discard trade-off.


Reasons to Include Centaur Healer in Your Collection

Versatility: Centaur Healer offers a convenient blend of life gain and a solid body on the battlefield, fitting well in a variety of deck types ranging from aggressive to midrange. Its three mana cost makes it easily slottable in ramp or multicolor decks craving stabilization against early aggression.

Combo Potential: The creature’s ability to gain life upon entering the battlefield can trigger a myriad of synergies within decks that capitalize on life gain or creature casting effects, fueling strategies that require a reliable life buffer or an increased creature count.

Meta-Relevance: With a metagame that often fluctuates, the inclusion of Centaur Healer could be quite strategic. Its relevance peaks in environments where aggressive decks are prevalent, allowing players to regain footing with its decent toughness and immediate life gain, thus disrupting the tempo of opponent’s plays.


How to Beat Centaur Healer

Centaur Healer is a creature card that has been a stable inclusion in many MTG midrange decks. Its appeal comes from not only its solid stats as a 3/3 for a low cost but also its ability to gain you 3 life upon entering the battlefield.

When up against Centaur Healer, one effective strategy involves prioritizing removal spells that can take it out without triggering its life gain ability. This may include using instant speed spells that can eliminate it in response to its cast, before it has the chance to resolve and give your opponent that health advantage. Additionally, board clear spells can be an efficient solution, wiping out Centaur Healer along with other creatures your opponent controls.

Another angle of approach focuses on being more aggressive in your gameplay. Deploying a faster deck with an aggressive curve can help you outpace the life gain provided by Centaur Healer and pressure your opponent before they stabilize their board presence. Utilizing creatures with evasive abilities or spells that prevent them from gaining life ensures Centaur Healer becomes only a minor setback in your path to victory.

Recognizing the timing and knowing when to counteract Centaur Healer’s entry effect is key. By controlling the field and maintaining pressure, you can mitigate its impact and continue to dominate the game, ensuring that the addition of Centaur Healer to your opponent’s deck doesn’t deter your path to triumph.


Cards like Centaur Healer

Centaur Healer stands as a solid choice for players seeking life-gain creatures within Magic: The Gathering. This card compares to creatures like Loxodon Hierarch, which also grants a burst of life when it enters the battlefield. The Hierarch offers a more significant life gain and has an additional ability to sac for protection, yet it comes at a higher mana cost.

In the realm of efficient life-gainers, Kitchen Finks is another noteworthy comparison. Much like Centaur Healer, it provides a life boost upon entering the battlefield. However, Kitchen Finks features persist, potentially giving you life gain not just once, but twice. A slight edge in resilience, potentially offering more tactical advantages over multiple turns compared to the one-time effect from our centaur friend.

Evaluating the synergy and cost-effectiveness of such creatures, Centaur Healer remains competitive. It finds a balance between mana cost, utility, and the instant health buffer – a blend appealing to many deck strategies in MTG. Its presence in a match can shift momentum and its dual creature type offers various tribal synergies, making it a valuable inclusion in certain decks that benefit from either Centaur or Healer attributes.

Loxodon Hierarch - MTG Card versions
Kitchen Finks - MTG Card versions
Loxodon Hierarch - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Kitchen Finks - Shadowmoor (SHM)

Cards similar to Centaur Healer by color, type and mana cost

Beast Walkers - MTG Card versions
Radiant Essence - MTG Card versions
Ranger en-Vec - MTG Card versions
Noble Panther - MTG Card versions
Benalish Emissary - MTG Card versions
Hedge Troll - MTG Card versions
Anurid Brushhopper - MTG Card versions
Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers - MTG Card versions
Oracle of Nectars - MTG Card versions
Kitchen Finks - MTG Card versions
Knight of the Reliquary - MTG Card versions
Loxodon Smiter - MTG Card versions
Chronicler of Heroes - MTG Card versions
Selvala, Explorer Returned - MTG Card versions
Veteran Warleader - MTG Card versions
Joraga Auxiliary - MTG Card versions
Renegade Rallier - MTG Card versions
Wayfaring Temple - MTG Card versions
Pride Sovereign - MTG Card versions
Atzocan Seer - MTG Card versions
Beast Walkers - Homelands (HML)
Radiant Essence - Mirage (MIR)
Ranger en-Vec - Anthologies (ATH)
Noble Panther - Invasion (INV)
Benalish Emissary - Invasion (INV)
Hedge Troll - Planar Chaos Promos (PPLC)
Anurid Brushhopper - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers - Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons (DDG)
Oracle of Nectars - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Kitchen Finks - Ultimate Masters (UMA)
Knight of the Reliquary - Historic Anthology 2 (HA2)
Loxodon Smiter - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Chronicler of Heroes - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Selvala, Explorer Returned - Dominaria United Commander (DMC)
Veteran Warleader - Battle for Zendikar Promos (PBFZ)
Joraga Auxiliary - Oath of the Gatewatch (OGW)
Renegade Rallier - Friday Night Magic 2017 (F17)
Wayfaring Temple - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Pride Sovereign - Hour of Devastation (HOU)
Atzocan Seer - Rivals of Ixalan (RIX)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Centaur Healer MTG card by a specific set like Return to Ravnica and Modern Masters 2017, 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 Centaur Healer and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Centaur Healer Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2012-10-05 and 2018-11-02. Illustrated by Mark Zug.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12012-10-05Return to RavnicaRTR 1482003normalblackMark Zug
22017-03-17Modern Masters 2017MM3 1562015normalblackMark Zug
32018-06-08BattlebondBBD 2192015normalblackMark Zug
42018-11-02GRN Guild KitGK1 1102015normalblackMark Zug

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Centaur Healer has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

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