Pious Wayfarer MTG Card
2020-01-24 - Number 32
2022-12-02 - Number 227
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Scout |
| Abilities | Constellation |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Text of card
Constellation — Whenever an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
Every footstep is a prayer, every road a temple.
Cards like Pious Wayfarer
Pious Wayfarer holds a unique position within the MTG universe, offering a lightweight, creature-based strategy to boost other permanents. Its ability to grant a +1/+1 counter stands comparable to cards like Karametra’s Favor, which also empowers creatures but through enchantment, differing in its utility with mana generation. Another parallel is found in the card Giant Growth. While Giant Growth provides a temporary +3/+3 boost for combat scenarios and requires instant speed, Pious Wayfarer’s effect is more subtle and permanent, changing the dynamic of ongoing gameplay.
The card Alseid of Life’s Bounty also serves as an interesting comparison. This enchantment creature not only offers the power to protect other creatures and enchantments but, like Pious Wayfarer, plays into the thematic aspect of devotion often found in white card strategies. Vanguard of Brimaz, too, operates in the white creature space, allowing token generation under similar conditions of casting spells during your turn, albeit without the buffing capability of the Wayfarer.
Evaluating Pious Wayfarer against its alternatives, we notice that it’s a strategic piece in decks focused on bolstering permanents and maintaining the battlefield presence. It subtly enhances other cards, and thus, holds its ground in decks that leverage synergistic plays and cumulative advantages.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While the Pious Wayfarer isn’t a direct source of drawing cards, it provides a strategic advantage by bolstering your board presence, effectively turning each aura and enchantment played into a potential threat enhancer. This way, the Wayfarer can be seen as indirectly adding to your card advantage through the utility it provides across multiple turns.
Resource Acceleration: The Pious Wayfarer itself doesn’t produce additional mana, yet it accelerates your game plan by increasing the effectiveness of your resources. Every enchantment played transforms into an additional source of power or toughness, making your creatures more formidable and hence, speeding up your victory clock.
Instant Speed: The Pious Wayfarer’s ability works at instant speed, which means you can cast an aura or enchantment during your opponent’s turn to unexpectedly bolster another creature. This can result in advantageous blocks or surprise damage, manipulating the battle to your benefit. It keeps opponents guessing and can disrupt their calculations and combat strategies.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Although Pious Wayfarer doesn’t directly require you to discard a card, it necessitates a certain playstyle that involves permanents entering the battlefield under your control, which in some scenarios can be as limiting as a discard requirement.
Specific Mana Cost: The Wayfarer’s one white mana cost demands a commitment to white mana in your deck’s mana base, potentially restricting its inclusion in multicolored decks that have a tight color curve.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While having a low mana cost itself, Pious Wayfarer expects you to trigger its ability through playing other permanent cards, which indirectly increases the overall mana investment needed to get value from it, making it costlier than it appears initially.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Pious Wayfarer has the flexibility to bolster any deck that revolves around enchantments or creature strategies. Its ability to grant a power boost with each enchantment played makes it a dynamic early game addition.
Combo Potential: This card pairs excellently with auras and equipment, setting the stage for powerful synergies. By harnessing its trigger, players amplify the threat level of key creatures on the board.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment where aggressive white-based decks shine, Pious Wayfarer stands out as a relevant card. It supports the deck’s momentum and adapts to the fast-paced duel scenes where every point of damage counts.
How to beat Pious Wayfarer
Pious Wayfarer presents a unique challenge in MTG as it boosts other creatures and requires a strategic approach to overcome. This agile one-drop can quickly escalate the power of an opponent’s board state, particularly in decks that heavily rely on enchantments. Even though this creature may seem minor at first glance, underestimating its impact can lead to a quick defeat, especially if the wayfarer’s ability is triggered multiple times in a game.
One effective method to neutralize Pious Wayfarer is through removal spells that are readily accessible in most decks. Instant speed removal such as Fatal Push or Shock allows you to dispatch the Wayfarer before its ability becomes a problem. It’s key to prioritize the timing of these spells, preferably casting them before the opponent has the opportunity to play their second turn and start building momentum. Board wipes can also be invaluable if the Wayfarer is part of a more extensive creature strategy. Lastly, include cards that limit the opponent’s ability to cast multiple spells or stack enchantments, thereby curbing the effectiveness of the Wayfarer’s ability.
Unquestionably, while Pious Wayfarer may seem like a card easily dispatched, never underestimate its potential for establishing early-game advantages. With strategic counters and timing, you can mitigate its influence and maintain control of the match.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Pious Wayfarer MTG card by a specific set like Theros Beyond Death and Jumpstart 2022, 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 Pious Wayfarer and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
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Printings
The Pious Wayfarer Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-01-24 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Mark Zug.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2020-01-24 | Theros Beyond Death | THB | 32 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Mark Zug | |
| 2 | 2022-12-02 | Jumpstart 2022 | J22 | 227 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Mark Zug |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Pious Wayfarer has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Pious Wayfarer card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2020-01-24 | A constellation ability triggers whenever an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control for any reason. Enchantments with other card types, such as enchantment creatures, will also cause constellation abilities to trigger. |
| 2020-01-24 | An Aura spell that has an illegal target when it tries to resolve doesn’t resolve and is instead put into its owner’s graveyard. It doesn’t enter the battlefield, so constellation abilities don’t trigger. |
| 2020-01-24 | If an enchantment creature enters the battlefield under your control, Pious Wayfarer’s ability can target it. |