Samite Elder MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Human Cleric |
| Released | 2001-02-05 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Planeshift |
| Set code | PLS |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 2 |
| Number | 14 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Terese Nielsen |
Key Takeaways
- Samite Elder excels in protection, turning potential vulnerabilities into surprising strengths on the battlefield.
- The Elder enforces a white mana deck focus but may challenge mana flexibility in multicolored decks.
- While not a color immunity expert, it adds a layer of adaptability crucial for creature-centric strategies.
Text of card
oc T: Creatures you control gain protection from the color(s) of target permanent you control until end of turn.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Samite Elder may not directly allow you to draw cards, but it serves as a key piece in maintaining control over the board. By leveraging its ability to protect your creatures, you efficiently preserve your in-game resources and card economy.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting mana resources, Samite Elder accelerates your strategic resources. It enables decisive actions at crucial moments, allowing for a more consistent defense and turning the tide in creature standoffs without spending additional cards.
Instant Speed: The Elder’s ability functions at instant speed, offering flexibility and surprise. This allows players to wait until the most opportune moment to activate its effect, protecting multiple creatures from color-specific threats and ensuring you always have the upper hand against opponent strategies that rely on targeted removal.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Samite Elder can be a tactical asset, one downside is that activating its ability requires you to discard a card. This can pose a significant drawback, especially if you’re running low on hand resources or if the discarded card is essential for your strategy.
Specific Mana Cost: Samite Elder’s casting cost includes white mana, necessitating a firm commitment to that color in your deck configuration. For multicolored decks that rely heavily on other colors, fitting Samite Elder into the mana base could be challenging, potentially restricting its usage in more diverse deck builds.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing three mana to cast might not seem overly expensive, but in the competitive landscape where efficiency is key, there are alternatives that might offer more impact or versatility for the same or even lower investment. Players might opt for creatures with more immediate board presence or lower-cost spells that provide similar benefits.
Reasons to Include Samite Elder in Your Collection
Versatility: Samite Elder serves multiple roles on the battlefield. As an activator for a creature-based deck’s abilities or as a political tool in multiplayer formats, it can protect your crucial creatures or negotiate beneficial board states.
Combo Potential: This card has the potential to make strategic partnerships with cards that benefit from targeted protection. It can safeguard key combo pieces in your deck from targeted removal, giving you that extra edge when setting up for the win.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where spot removal and targeted effects are prevalent, Samite Elder’s ability to grant protection can be essential. It helps maintain board presence and ensures your important creatures survive to push your strategy forward.
How to beat
The Samite Elder is a unique creature in Magic: The Gathering that offers a level of flexibility in protection and combat strategies. This card enables you to change the color of creatures you control until end of turn. When faced with an opponent using Samite Elder, your best approach is to consider a strategy that isn’t reliant on color-specific threats or protections.
One solid method would be to harness colorless creatures or spells as they are unaffected by the Elder’s ability. Lands with versatile mana capabilities or artifacts that can adjust your creatures’ colors also serve as a practical solution. Control tactics such as board wipes or spells that hinder activated abilities can disrupt the Elder’s usefulness in your opponent’s strategy. Additionally, focusing on rapid aggro may pressure your opponent before they fully leverage the Elder’s potential. Considering these angles will guide you through constructing a winning strategy against Samite Elder’s color-changing shenanigans.
Ultimately, it’s about being one step ahead and keeping your options open. Adaptability in your deck construction and in-game decisions can ensure that the Elder’s impact is minimal during gameplay – securing your path to victory.
Cards like Samite Elder
Samite Elder stands out as a notable figure in the realm of creature support within Magic: The Gathering for its ability to simultaneously protect your creatures while potentially turning their weaknesses into strengths. When we consider cards such as Brave the Elements or Mother of Runes, we see a similar theme of creature defense. Unlike Samite Elder, these cards are less about direct swapping of power and toughness but more focused on granting protection from a color of your choice or making a creature unblockable for a turn. This can be particularly beneficial in matchups where color-specific threats are prevalent.
Moving to another card in the discussion, Giver of Runes further cements itself in the protective category, offering not just unblockable status but also protection from colorless which can be invaluable against decks with heavy artifact reliance. However, the Elder offers more proactive combat tricks, as Samite Elder’s ability to manipulate the power and toughness of your creatures can turn the tide of the battle in an unexpected way, especially in densely populated strategies with numerous creatures on the battlefield.
Ultimately, Samite Elder may not provide the pinpoint protection of specific color immunity that these cards carry, but it serves as a multi-faceted tool, excelling in strategies where altering creature stats is key to overcoming adversaries on the battlefield.
Cards similar to Samite Elder by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Samite Elder MTG card by a specific set like Planeshift, 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 Samite Elder 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 MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Samite Elder has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Samite Elder 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 the color of that permanent changes after the ability takes effect, the color of protection that was granted does not change. |
| 2004-10-04 | The color is determined on resolution. |