Selfless Spirit MTG Card
Card sets | Released in 7 setsSee all |
Mana cost | |
Converted mana cost | 2 |
Rarity | Rare |
Type | Creature — Spirit Cleric |
Abilities | Flying |
Power | 2 |
Toughness | 1 |
Text of card
Flying Sacrifice Selfless Spirit: Creatures you control gain indestructible until end of turn.
"There is always more to give."
Cards like Selfless Spirit
Selfless Spirit offers a unique defensive advantage for creature-based strategies in MTG. It finds parallels with Dauntless Escort from older sets, another creature dedicated to protecting fellow creatures from destruction effects. Selfless Spirit requires less mana, making it a more efficient choice, especially as it can be activated at instant speed without any mana cost, simply by sacrificing it.
Another card worthy of comparison is Forge Tender, which serves a narrower purpose by only protecting from red spells but at a lower cost. Selfless Spirit, however, shields from all colors, giving a wider scope of protection. Then there is Burrenton Forge-Tender’s cousin, Giver of Runes, which can’t shield all creatures at once but provides protection to individual creatures on a recurring basis and has the added ability to grant protection from colorless, which could be a game-changer depending on the matchup.
Thus, while there are a variety of options available for safeguarding your creatures in MTG, Selfless Spirit stands out due to its versatility, speed, and potential to impact the game significantly right up to the moment it leaves the battlefield.
Cards similar to Selfless Spirit by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Selfless Spirit. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
# | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
---|---|---|---|---|
Azorius Spirits | Free form | d00mwake's Pure Modern 5 | ||
Abzan Amalia Combo | Pioneer | Abzan Amalia Combo | Pioneer League 2024-03-30 | |
WG | Pioneer | Pioneer Challenge 32 2024-04-29 | ||
Selesnya Company | Pioneer | Selesnya Company | Pioneer Challenge 64 2024-03-24 | |
Selesnya Humans | Pioneer | Selesnya Humans | Pioneer Challenge 64 2024-04-13 | |
Bant Tempo | Explorer | The Pizza Box Open: Explorer | ||
Azorius Tempo | Gladiator | Sword and Sandals Showdown: EMEA Week 13 2024 | ||
Orzhov Angels | Gladiator | Sword and Sandals Showdown: AM Week 15 2024 | ||
Boros Death & Taxes | Gladiator | Gladiator Proving Grounds: Week 13 2024 | ||
Selesnya Midrange | Gladiator | Gladiator Proving Grounds: Week 13 2024 |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Selfless Spirit provides a significant edge in matchups with a focus on creature-based strategies. Its ability to protect your wider board from effects like sweepers or targeted destruction can often lead to a card advantage by negating an opponent’s spell and maintaining your board presence.
Resource Acceleration: While Selfless Spirit itself doesn’t accelerate resources in the traditional sense, its presence allows for more aggressive play with minimal risk. By ensuring your key creatures survive, it effectively accelerates your game plan, maintaining pressure without the need to hold back resources for protection.
Instant Speed: The sacrificial ability of Selfless Spirit can be activated at instant speed, offering flexibility and strategic depth. This enables savvy players to respond to threats or spells unfavorably, ensuring that its protective benefits are utilized at the most opportune moment, often catching opponents off guard and securing a tactical advantage.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Selfless Spirit demands a sacrifice for its ability activation, requiring you to let go of this valuable asset, potentially leaving you exposed.
Specific Mana Cost: Selfless Spirit’s mana cost locks it into white mana-centric decks, which might restrict its integration into a more diverse mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: This card comes with a two-mana cost, which, while not steep, can be a consideration for decks aiming for maximum mana efficiency in the early game.
Reasons to Include Selfless Spirit in Your Collection
Versatility: Selfless Spirit offers flexibility across various deck archetypes, notably in strategies that prioritize creature protection. Its ability to grant indestructibility to your creatures at a moment’s notice makes it a solid addition in both aggressive and control-oriented builds.
Combo Potential: With its sacrifice effect, Selfless Spirit synergizes well with decks that capitalize on death triggers or graveyard interactions. It can serve as a key piece in combos that protect key creatures or enable recursive strategies for continuous board presence.
Meta-Relevance: In environments teeming with board wipes and removal, Selfless Spirit shines by safeguarding your most valued creatures against sweepers. As players adapt to control-heavy metas, having this card can be a critical move to maintain advantage and tempo against disruption.
How to Beat Selfless Spirit
Selfless Spirit is a powerful staple for creature-based strategies in Magic the Gathering. It shines by granting your team indestructibility when sacrificed, a robust line of defense against many common board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation. This makes navigating around it crucial for players facing this vigilant spirit.
One effective method to handle Selfless Spirit relies on using spells that force opponents to sacrifice creatures, such as Liliana of the Veil’s edict effect. By doing so, you sidestep its ability since sacrificing isn’t destruction. Another strategic play is to deploy exile-based removal like Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares; these spells ensure that Selfless Spirit can’t protect anything, including itself. Furthermore, counterspells like Negate or Dovin’s Veto offer preemptive solutions when Selfless Spirit is on the stack, preventing it from ever hitting the board and posing a threat.
Adjusting strategies to incorporate these tactics will increase your resilience against decks that feature Selfless Spirit. Minimizing its impact helps to keep the board clear and maintain a path to victory. It’s all about choosing the right tool for the job—whether preemptively or reactively—to deal with this guardian of the skies.
BurnMana Recommendations
Diving into MTG not only involves building powerful decks but also understanding the nuances of each card. Selfless Spirit stands as a key player in many white-oriented decks, offering both protection and strategic depth. Whether safeguarding your creatures against mass removal or enabling aggressive plays, it’s an asset that often tips the scales in your favor. Curious to learn how this card can revolutionize your gameplay or want to discover new synergies and strategies? Join the BurnMana community where seasoned MTG players and fresh faces alike gather to share insights, build unstoppable decks and unlock the full potential of their MTG collections. Your journey towards mastery is just one click away.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Selfless Spirit MTG card by a specific set like Eldritch Moon and Eldritch Moon 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 Selfless Spirit and other MTG cards:
BUY NOWBurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
- 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
See MTG Products
Printings
The Selfless Spirit Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2016-07-22 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
# | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2016-07-22 | Eldritch Moon | EMN | 40 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Seb McKinnon | |
2 | 2016-07-22 | Eldritch Moon Promos | PEMN | 40s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Seb McKinnon | |
3 | The List | PLST | EMN-40 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Seb McKinnon | ||
4 | 2022-06-10 | Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate | CLB | 706 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Seb McKinnon | |
5 | 2022-10-01 | Regional Championship Qualifiers 2022 | PRCQ | 2 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Justine Jones | |
6 | 2022-12-02 | Jumpstart 2022 | J22 | 239 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Seb McKinnon | |
7 | 2023-03-21 | Shadows over Innistrad Remastered | SIR | 42 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Seb McKinnon |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Selfless Spirit has restrictions
Format | Legality |
---|---|
Historicbrawl | Legal |
Commander | Legal |
Historic | Legal |
Legacy | Legal |
Modern | Legal |
Oathbreaker | Legal |
Vintage | Legal |
Duel | Legal |
Explorer | Legal |
Gladiator | Legal |
Pioneer | Legal |
Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Selfless Spirit card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
Date | Text |
---|---|
2016-07-13 | The set of creatures affected by Selfless Spirit's last ability is determined as the ability resolves. Creatures you begin to control later in the turn won't gain indestructible. |