Springmantle Cleric MTG Card

Springmantle Cleric excels in board presence, becoming a potential threat with scalable growth through diverse mana usage. Its demand for specific mana types poses both deck-building challenges and opportunities for strategic resource allocation. Notably, the Cleric’s mana cost competes with impactful creatures, crucial when considering deck efficiency and curve.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Elf Cleric
Released	2020-09-25
Set symbol
Set name	Zendikar Rising
Set code	ZNR
Power	2
Toughness	3
Number	205
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Cristi Balanescu

Text of card

Springmantle Cleric enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it for each color of mana spent to cast it.

Hope and courage bloom in her wake.

Cards like Springmantle Cleric

Springmantle Cleric joins the ranks of creature cards in Magic: The Gathering that offer a dynamic play based on the diversity of the player’s mana pool. A clear parallel can be drawn with Chamber Sentry, which gains power and toughness for each color of mana spent to cast it. However, one could argue that Chamber Sentry presents an added level of versatility with its ability to deal damage based on the colors of mana spent, but lacks the Cleric synergy provided by Springmantle Cleric.

Similarly, we have Faeburrow Elder, another card that thrives on a player’s mana diversity, gaining strength for each color represented among the lands they control. Unlike Springmantle Cleric, Faeburrow Elder also provides a mana ability, which can be a significant advantage for mana ramp strategies. However, it doesn’t offer the entry-effect of gaining life like the Cleric does. Also, the renown Realmwalker shares this theme, featuring the ability to play creature cards of the chosen type from the top of one’s library, though it doesn’t scale with the number of colors used in casting.

Evaluating these options, Springmantle Cleric can be appreciated for its life gain upon entry and its potential size in a multicolored deck. It serves as a testament to MTG’s intricate playstyles where creature utility ranges widely based on deck composition and playing strategy.

Cards similar to Springmantle Cleric by color, type and mana cost

Ashaya, Soul of the Wild - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Springmantle Cleric’s ability to influence the board upon entry means you’re effectively transforming a single card from your hand into a tangible in-game asset. Its capability to potentially grow larger based on the amount of different colors used to cast it can translate to substantial presence, pressuring opponents and dictating the flow of play.

Resource Acceleration: Though it doesn’t directly generate additional mana, by cleverly managing your mana base, Springmantle Cleric can act as a form of resource acceleration. By requiring an assortment of colors for optimizing its entry effect, the card encourages a diversified mana development, thus impacting the resource allocation in multicolor decks.

Instant Speed: While Springmantle Cleric itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, its versatile nature enables seamless integration into strategies that rely heavily on instant speed interactions. This ensures that playing the Cleric in your main phase doesn’t impede your ability to respond to opponents’ threats during their turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Springmantle Cleric promotes diversity in deck construction, its ability requires a significant commitment of a specific mana type which can be a downside in a multi-color deck that might require mana for various other spells.

Specific Mana Cost: Springmantle Cleric demands a green and white mana, which might not always align smoothly with the fluid mana needs of dynamic gameplay and could be challenging to generate in the early game, especially if the land draw isn’t in your favor.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value of four, Springmantle Cleric struggles to compete against other creatures in the same slot that might offer immediate impact or stronger abilities onto the battlefield. This cost positions it unfavorably in the curve when efficiency is key.

Reasons to Include Springmantle Cleric in Your Collection

Versatility: Springmantle Cleric thrives in “go-wide” strategies and can seamlessly slot into decks that focus on creature buffs. Its ability to gain a +1/+1 counter for each color of mana spent on it makes it adaptable to multicolor synergies, potentially growing into a significant threat on the board.

Combo Potential: This Cleric accelerates “counters matter” mechanics, pairing well with proliferate engines or cards that give perks to creatures with counters. It can also anchor lifegain combos when combined with cards that reward counters or creature casting.

Meta-Relevance: In the ever-shifting metagame, the ability to customize Springmantle Cleric’s power and toughness means it can counteract both aggressive and control archetypes, fitting into a variety of situations and providing a flexible response to emerging trends.

How to beat

Springmantle Cleric is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering that brings a blend of mana flexibility and potential for sturdiness on the battlefield. Its strength and toughness are determined by the number of colors used to cast it, which can make it a formidable opponent in multicolor decks. To effectively counter this card, players should look into removal options that don’t depend on the creature’s size. Direct damage spells or universal removals such as Murder or Doom Blade can take it off the board regardless of its power and toughness.

Another strategy is to bypass the buff provided by its casting conditions altogether by using cards that nullify its abilities. Pacifism, for example, can easily neutralize Springmantle Cleric without having to deal with its potentially large size. Moreover, counterspells like Negate or Essence Scatter provide proactive solutions to prevent the Cleric from entering the battlefield in the first place. Employing these tactics will ensure that Springmantle Cleric doesn’t become a long-term threat and allows the player to maintain control of the game’s pace and flow.

Overall, while Springmantle Cleric can be a flexible asset in multicolor decks, a strategic approach using targeted removals, ability neutralizers, or counterspells can effectively contain this creature and prevent it from impacting the game significantly.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Springmantle Cleric MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar Rising, 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 Springmantle Cleric and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Springmantle Cleric has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2020-09-25	Colorless mana won’t give Springmantle Cleric another +1/+1 counter. Colorless is not a color.
2020-09-25	If Springmantle Cleric enters the battlefield without being cast, it receives no +1/+1 counters.
2020-09-25	If an effect allows you to spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast Springmantle Cleric, you consider only the actual mana spent to determine how many counters it receives.
2020-09-25	If another creature enters the battlefield as a copy of Springmantle Cleric, consider what mana was spent to cast that creature to determine how many +1/+1 counters it enters with.