Devout Monk MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Human Monk Cleric
Released	1999-07-01
Set symbol
Set name	Starter 1999
Set code	S99
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	14
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	White
Illustred by	Daniel Gelon

Key Takeaways

Devout Monk’s entrance triggers card draw, enhancing hand resources and maintaining board presence momentum.
Despite hand-size growth potential, it necessitates a card discard, which could constrict strategic options during play.
Its life gain and solid body provide early game defense, yet they must be weighed against its specific mana cost.

Text of card

When Devout Monk comes into play, you gain 1 life.

Discipline wears many robes.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Devout Monk shines in generating card advantage by allowing you to draw a card upon entering the battlefield. This ability not only provides an immediate benefit but also helps sustain momentum as you continue to build your board presence.

Resource Acceleration: While this creature doesn’t directly create additional mana, the capacity to increase your hand size can indirectly lead to resource acceleration by drawing into more land or spells that can ramp your mana production, keeping the pace up with more demanding strategies.

Instant Speed: While Devout Monk itself is not an instant, it fits smoothly into a deck that prefers to operate at instant speed. Its low mana cost makes it convenient to deploy after you’ve left mana open for other instant-speed interactions during your opponent’s turn, optimizing the use of your resources every cycle of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing the Devout Monk might put you in a tricky spot when your hand is already running thin. Each monk requires you to let go of another card which might be critical for your game plan, thereby reducing your options and potential plays.

Specific Mana Cost: Tailored to fit primarily into white mana-based decks, the Devout Monk demands a very particular mana arrangement, restricting flexibility. It’s not just any mana that will summon this faithful character to the field; you need to have those plains ready.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the Devout Monk provides a benefit upon entering the battlefield, the cost it comes at is substantial relative to its impact. There are other creatures and spells in the magic world that can offer you more bang for your buck, with lower mana investments and possibly stronger or more useful effects. In the competitive landscape where every mana point counts, one might ponder if the Devout Monk is worth the investment.

Reasons to Include Devout Monk in Your Collection

Versatility: Devout Monk can seamlessly integrate into life-gain themed decks or serve as an early blocker in control builds. Its ability to contribute to your life total might be marginal, but in the world of MTG, every point can count towards victory.

Combo Potential: While not a combo piece in the traditional sense, Devout Monk’s life gain on entry can trigger various abilities from other cards that react to life increases, potentially setting off a chain of beneficial effects.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where aggressive strategies dominate, having a creature that can offer an immediate life buffer provides a crucial extra turn or two to stabilize the board and mount a comeback.

How to beat

The Devout Monk card is an interesting component in creature-based strategies within Magic: The Gathering. Serving primarily as a life buffer, this card can be deceptively simple, but knowing the right approach can negate its advantages. For starters, countering it with removal spells like Lightning Bolt or Doom Blade before its life gain ability triggers is effective. If the Monk is already in play, spells that reduce the opposing creatures’ power or prevent life gain can limit its impact. Cards like Sulfuric Vortex or Tainted Remedy transform life gain into a disadvantage, completely turning the tide.

Beyond direct removal, taking advantage of its modest stats is key. Playing creatures with higher power can easily contest and surpass Devout Monk on the battlefield, voiding the lifegain through combat pressure. Enabling trample on stronger creatures will also help bypass the Monk and focus damage directly on the opponent’s life total. Moreover, cards affecting multiple creatures, such as board sweepers or those imposing -X/-X effects, can effectively address Devout Monk along with other threats on the board.

Ultimately, while Devout Monk offers a nice boost in health for its controller, a prepared player with the right tactics and cards should find it a minor hurdle to overcome in a competitive game.

Cards like Devout Monk

Devout Monk enters the vibrant tapestry of creatures in Magic: The Gathering as a modest figure. Resembling cards like Cathedral Sanctifier, both provide an immediate life gain effect upon entering the battlefield. Devout Monk offers a life cushion of one, compared to the Sanctifier’s three, yet it stands in the same vein of early game presence to stabilize against aggro decks.

Another parallel can be drawn with cards like Healer’s Hawk. While the Hawk offers a recurring life gain through lifelink, Devout Monk provides a one-time benefit which makes it less advantageous in prolonged matches. However, it compensates with a more substantial body on the field. Comparatively, Chaplain’s Blessing offers a larger life gain for one white mana, but it doesn’t leave a creature behind to defend your life total or press the attack.

Gauging the different options, Devout Monk might not be the powerhouse in terms of life gain or offensive capabilities, but as an early game creature, it carries its own weight by offering immediate life buffer and a creature on board with potential synergies in certain MTG decks.

Cathedral Sanctifier - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Devout Monk by color, type and mana cost

Faerie Guidemother // Gift of the Fae - MTG Card versions

Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful - MTG Card versions

Bushi Tenderfoot // Kenzo the Hardhearted - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Devout Monk MTG card by a specific set like Starter 1999, 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 Devout Monk and other MTG cards: