Tithe Taker MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Human Soldier
Abilities Afterlife
Power 2
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Tithe Taker provides card advantage with a spirit token afterlife ability, ensuring continued board presence.
  2. With its taxing ability, it slows opponents’ play, creating indirect resource acceleration for the player.
  3. Its effect on instant speed interactions imposes crucial mana costs, protecting your strategies.

Text of card

During your turn, spells your opponents cast cost more to cast and abilities your opponents activate cost more to activate unless they're mana abilities. Afterlife 1 (When this creature dies, create a 1/1 white and black Spirit creature token with flying.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Tithe Taker makes an impact not only by providing a creature on the board but also through its afterlife ability, which grants you a 1/1 white and black Spirit creature token with flying when it dies. This ensures that you continue to maintain presence on the battlefield even after Tithe Taker’s removal, effectively translating into card advantage as you’ve replaced your lost resource with a new one without spending an extra card from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: While Tithe Taker itself doesn’t ramp your mana in the traditional sense, its taxing ability forces opponents to pay more during your turn, potentially slowing down their resource deployment and acceleration. This indirect resource advantage can lead to a more favorable pace of play for you, as it can hinder your opponents’ ability to develop their board and answers efficiently.

Instant Speed: The true strength of Tithe Taker lies in its deterrent effect on instant speed interaction from your opponent during your turn. The additional cost imposed by Tithe Taker can be crucial in timing battles, as it comes into play by making it more challenging for the opponent to effectively utilize their mana to cast spells like counterspells or removals, thereby granting you a level of protection for your strategies.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Tithe Taker doesn’t explicitly necessitate discarding cards, it pressures opponents to strategize their spells and abilities around it. This could require them to discard cards to find an immediate answer or to simply wait out its effect until they can utilize their resources more freely.

Specific Mana Cost: Tithe Taker’s casting cost requires white mana, which can potentially restrict its inclusion to only certain decks that can generate white mana consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of two mana, Tithe Taker faces competition from other two-drops that may provide more immediate board presence or value. In an environment where mana efficiency is crucial, its cost can occasionally feel steep, especially considering its 2/1 body might not stand up against the numerous cost-efficient creatures and removal spells in the format.


Reasons to Include Tithe Taker in Your Collection

Versatility: Tithe Taker is a unique card that offers flexibility in white-based decks. Its ability to tax opponents’ spells during your turn adds an element of control, while its death trigger provides an afterlife token, ensuring your board presence even in demise.

Combo Potential: This card works well with strategies that utilize death triggers or token generation. Its afterlife ability provides fodder for sacrifice-based combos, seamlessly integrating into various mechanic-focused builds.

Meta-Relevance: In a format where instant-speed interaction is prevalent, Tithe Taker shines by making opponent’s spells costlier during your turn. This passive disruption aligns perfectly with the current meta, imposing a tax on control and combo decks alike.


How to beat

The Tithe Taker is a unique card in the Magic: The Gathering roster, often creating a significant tactical hurdle with its ability to tax opponents’ spells during your turn. Standing as a stout defender with its afterlife ability, the card poses a persistent threat even after leaving the battlefield. By generating a 1/1 white and black Spirit creature token with flying upon its demise, it continues to exert its influence, challenging adversaries to think twice before removing it.

To effectively counteract Tithe Taker, consider utilizing removal spells on your own turn, bypassing its taxing effect altogether. Cards like Shock and Cast Down, which are cast at a lower mana cost, provide an efficient way to remove Tithe Taker without incurring additional costs. Additionally, sweepers like Cry of the Carnarium can clear multiple creatures, including any tokens left behind, offering an effective strategy to comprehensively deal with threats posed by the Tithe Taker. Board wipes thus emerge as advantageous tools in resetting the playing field, nullifying the card’s immediate impact and its lingering aftereffect.

In strategic terms, sidestepping the obstacles set by Tithe Taker revolves around timing and selection of removal spells. Timing your removals for your turn alleviates the taxing burden, while choosing spells that outpace its defenses ensures a seamless flow of your game plan.


BurnMana Recommendations

With its nuanced abilities, Tithe Taker establishes itself as a strategic asset in any MTG player’s collection. Whether you’re aiming to fortify your defense or disrupt the rhythm of your opponent’s gameplay, this card is a tool of subtle force. Tailor your strategies by accounting for its afterlife token generation and spell taxing elements to stay one step ahead. Curious about evolving your gameplay with cards like Tithe Taker or sharpening your tactic against it? Connect with us for insights that transform your game plan from ordinary to extraordinary.


Cards like Tithe Taker

Tithe Taker stands out in the realm of taxing effects in Magic: The Gathering, sharing attributes with renowned cards like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben. Both impose additional costs on opponents’ spells — Thalia uniformly affects noncreature spells, while Tithe Taker has a specific timing during your opponents’ turns. This can be critical for disrupting the opponent’s strategy and pacing in a match.

Looking at another comparable card, Baird, Steward of Argive provides a similar deterrent by taxing attacking creatures. While Baird addresses a broader stage of the game, Tithe Taker stands apart due to its afterlife ability, providing additional board presence after it leaves the battlefield. This gives it an edge in games that drag into longer, attrition-based battles.

Summarizing the comparison, Tithe Taker finds a unique niche within Magic: The Gathering as an early game piece that frustrates opponents and provides value even after its initial purpose is fulfilled. With its tactical advantage of applying pressure both on and off the battlefield, it serves as a strong pick in decks focusing on resource denial and tempo control.

Thalia, Guardian of Thraben - MTG Card versions
Baird, Steward of Argive - MTG Card versions
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben - Dark Ascension (DKA)
Baird, Steward of Argive - Dominaria (DOM)

Cards similar to Tithe Taker by color, type and mana cost

White Knight - MTG Card versions
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Soltari Monk - MTG Card versions
Keeper of the Light - MTG Card versions
Faith Healer - MTG Card versions
Angelic Page - MTG Card versions
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White Knight - Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons (DDG)
Soul Shepherd - Weatherlight (WTH)
Soltari Monk - Tempest (TMP)
Keeper of the Light - Exodus (EXO)
Faith Healer - Urza's Saga (USG)
Angelic Page - Urza's Saga (USG)
Spirit Weaver - Invasion (INV)
Voice of the Blessed - Innistrad: Crimson Vow (VOW)
Stoneforge Mystic - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Drannith Magistrate - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
Leonin Lightscribe - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Silver Knight - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Longbow Archer - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Silverflame Squire // On Alert - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Flumph - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Cloudreach Cavalry - Legions (LGN)
Samite Healer - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Kor Firewalker - DCI Promos (PDCI)
Revered Dead - Planar Chaos (PLC)
Starlight Invoker - Tenth Edition (10E)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tithe Taker MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica Allegiance Promos and Ravnica Allegiance Promos, 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 Tithe Taker and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Tithe Taker Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2019-01-25 and 2023-09-08. Illustrated by Aaron Miller.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-01-25Ravnica Allegiance PromosPRNA 27p2015normalblackAaron Miller
22019-01-25Ravnica Allegiance PromosPRNA 27s2015normalblackAaron Miller
32019-01-25Ravnica AllegianceRNA 272015normalblackAaron Miller
42023-09-08Wilds of Eldraine CommanderWOC 802015normalblackAaron Miller

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Tithe Taker has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Tithe Taker card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2019-01-25 Activated abilities contain a colon. They're generally written "
-ost:
-ffect]." Some keyword abilities are activated abilities and will have colons in their reminder text. An activated mana ability is one that produces mana as it resolves, not one that costs mana to activate. Triggered abilities (starting with "when," "whenever," or "at") are unaffected by Tithe Taker.
2019-01-25 An opponent's activated ability that costs no mana to activate will cost plus its non-mana costs during your turn.
2019-01-25 Because blockers are chosen all at once, you can't block with a creature with afterlife, wait for it to die, then block with the resulting Spirit tokens.
2019-01-25 To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you're paying, add any cost increases (such as that of Tithe Taker's effect), then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.

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