Master Healer MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 7 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Human Cleric
Power 1
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Master Healer excels in defense, protecting creatures to maintain a strategic edge in prolonged matches.
  2. Functions as indirect resource acceleration, conserving mana for pivotal game plays and board development.
  3. Offers flexibility with instant-speed activation, allowing for timely disruption and superior battlefield control.

Text of card

oc T: Prevent the next 4 damage to target creature or player this turn.

Behind his eyes is the pain of every soldier his hands have healed.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Master Healer doesn’t directly draw cards but serves to protect key creatures, effectively preserving your hand and board state for more drawn-out battles. By keeping your valuable creatures in the game longer, you maintain the cards that make up your strategic advantage.

Resource Acceleration: While not a source of mana, Master Healer can be an indirect form of resource acceleration. By preventing damage to your creatures, it saves the resources you would have otherwise spent to replace them, thus allowing you to allocate mana elsewhere.

Instant Speed: Master Healer’s ability can be activated at instant speed, providing flexibility in your defense strategy. This allows you to wait until the crucial moment during combat or in response to an opponent’s spell to ensure your creatures survive, effectively disrupting your opponent’s plans while keeping your board intact.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Not applicable to Master Healer as it does not require discarding as part of its abilities.

Specific Mana Cost: Master Healer’s mana cost includes two white mana symbols, which may restrict it to primarily white or two-color decks that can consistently provide the right mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of 1 colorless and two white mana, Master Healer has a three-mana value which might be considered steep compared to other creatures or spells that offer more immediate board impact or versatility.


Reasons to Include Master Healer in Your Collection

Versatility: Master Healer can seamlessly integrate into life-gain decks, providing a valuable resource to maintain high life totals. Its ability to prevent damage helps it serve as both a defensive and strategic asset in various game scenarios.

Combo Potential: With its damage prevention ability, Master Healer can be a linchpin in combos that require sustaining creatures or key permanents. Pairing it with cards that benefit from or trigger upon damage prevention can unlock new levels of synergy.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that sees aggressive decks aiming to deal quick damage, Master Healer can be a crucial inclusion, tipping the scales in your favor by disrupting opponent strategies reliant on direct damage to win.


How to beat

Master Healer is a specialized card in Magic: The Gathering, known for its remarkable ability to prevent damage. Dealing with such a resilient threat requires specific strategies. Its strength lies in its static ability, which can turn the tides of combat, making it an essential target to address during gameplay. To effectively navigate around this card, one might consider employing removal spells that don’t rely on dealing damage, such as exile or destroy effects.

It’s crucial to time your removal appropriately, aiming for moments when your opponent’s mana is limited, or their defences are down, to ensure the Master Healer can’t negate the impact of your actions. Direct damage spells are ineffective against it, hence the emphasis on alternative methods. Employing cards that limit the opponent’s ability to cast spells or use activated abilities, such as pithing needle, can also lock down Master Healer’s potency on the battlefield.

In summary, while Master Healer can present a significant challenge due to its damage prevention capabilities, it is counterbalanced by its vulnerability to non-damage based removal. By adapting your strategy to include such solutions, you can overcome its defenses and maintain a balanced field of play.


Cards like Master Healer

Master Healer is an intriguing card in Magic: The Gathering, known for its ability to prevent damage. Its ability is reminiscent of Cho-Manno, Revolutionary, with both offering a form of damage prevention. However, Master Healer permits the player to prevent potentially unlimited damage to creatures or players, making it incredibly versatile in defensive decks.

Looking across the spectrum, we find cards like Samite Ministration, another card that prevents damage, but it redirects the damage to the player’s life total, offering a different tactical advantage. Samite Healer, a more quaint but noteworthy comparison, provides a minimalistic version of the Master Healer’s ability, limiting the prevention to just one point of damage and only to creatures.

Despite the presence of these similar cards, Master Healer distinguishes itself with its comprehensive protective capabilities. Players who prioritize safeguarding their permanents or life points often see the value that Master Healer brings to a match. Its robust defensive power makes it an essential card for those who favor a control-focused playstyle in Magic: The Gathering.

Cho-Manno, Revolutionary - MTG Card versions
Samite Ministration - MTG Card versions
Samite Healer - MTG Card versions
Cho-Manno, Revolutionary - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Samite Ministration - Invasion (INV)
Samite Healer - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

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

Veteran Bodyguard - MTG Card versions
Rashida Scalebane - MTG Card versions
Avenging Angel - MTG Card versions
Lancers en-Kor - MTG Card versions
Radiant, Archangel - MTG Card versions
Angel of Mercy - MTG Card versions
Serra Angel - MTG Card versions
Border Patrol - MTG Card versions
Enduring Angel // Angelic Enforcer - MTG Card versions
Sigardian Savior - MTG Card versions
Celestial Gatekeeper - MTG Card versions
Collector Protector - MTG Card versions
Kiyomaro, First to Stand - MTG Card versions
Belfry Spirit - MTG Card versions
Petra Sphinx - MTG Card versions
Barrenton Medic - MTG Card versions
Ivory Gargoyle - MTG Card versions
Shu Elite Companions - MTG Card versions
Conclave Phalanx - MTG Card versions
Shattered Angel - MTG Card versions
Veteran Bodyguard - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
Rashida Scalebane - Mirage (MIR)
Avenging Angel - Tempest (TMP)
Lancers en-Kor - Stronghold (STH)
Radiant, Archangel - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Angel of Mercy - The List (PLST)
Serra Angel - Commander Anthology (CMA)
Border Patrol - Judgment (JUD)
Enduring Angel // Angelic Enforcer - Innistrad: Midnight Hunt (MID)
Sigardian Savior - Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Promos (PMID)
Celestial Gatekeeper - Legions (LGN)
Collector Protector - Unhinged (UNH)
Kiyomaro, First to Stand - Saviors of Kamigawa Promos (PSOK)
Belfry Spirit - Guildpact (GPT)
Petra Sphinx - Masters Edition (ME1)
Barrenton Medic - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Ivory Gargoyle - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Shu Elite Companions - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Conclave Phalanx - Duel Decks: Elspeth vs. Tezzeret (DDF)
Shattered Angel - Commander 2011 (CMD)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Master Healer MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Destiny and Seventh Edition, 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 Master Healer and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Master Healer Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 1999-06-07 and 2005-07-29. Illustrated by 6 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11999-06-07Urza's DestinyUDS 121997normalblackAdam Rex
22001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 27★1997normalblackGreg Hildebrandt & Tim Hildebrandt
32001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 271997normalwhiteGreg Hildebrandt & Tim Hildebrandt
42003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 302003normalwhiteGreg Hildebrandt & Tim Hildebrandt
52003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 30★2003normalblackGreg Hildebrandt & Tim Hildebrandt
62005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 282003normalwhiteAdam Rex
72005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 28★2003normalblackAdam Rex

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Master Healer has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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