Stone Haven Medic MTG Card
2015-10-02 - Number 51
2019-11-07 - Number 248
2020-09-26 - Number BFZ-51
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Kor Cleric |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Text of card
, : You gain 1 life.
"These days, soldiers never stick around long enough for a proper healing. They just want me to knit them up so they can hurry back to the fight."
Cards like Stone Haven Medic
Stone Haven Medic serves as a modest yet reliable addition to the suite of White cards in MTG that balance creature presence with utility effects. It shares similarities with other low-cost creatures like Soul Warden, which also has the ability to gain you life. However, unlike the Medic, Soul Warden automatically grants life whenever another creature enters the battlefield, requiring no additional input from the player.
Similarly, there’s the Healer’s Hawk, boasting both lifelink and flying, providing passive life gain with combat damage and an increased utility with evasion. Stone Haven Medic, in contrast, requires mana investment for each activation of its life gain ability, yet it also stands as a blocker when needed. Cards like Nyx-Fleece Ram also echo this life-gain theme, offering a dependable body on the field while buffering your life total at the beginning of your upkeep with no activation cost.
Breaking down these comparisons further, Stone Haven Medic finds its niche in providing both a tangible presence and a repeatable life-gaining mechanism, solidifying its role in decks that benefit from the flexibility of choice and control over when to gain life.
Cards similar to Stone Haven Medic by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Although Stone Haven Medic does not directly allow for drawing additional cards, its synergy with lifegain strategies can indirectly lead to card advantage. By enabling consistent life increase, it can enhance the value of cards that trigger upon gaining life.
Resource Acceleration: Stone Haven Medic itself may not provide traditional mana acceleration, it can contribute to resource acceleration in decks that utilize creature tap abilities. By reliably tapping each turn for its lifegain ability, it pairs well with cards or mechanics that benefit from creatures being tapped or from lifegain.
Instant Speed: The medic’s ability to gain life operates at instant speed, granting flexibility during gameplay. This allows players to respond to threats or triggers that are based on life totals, making it a tactical asset during opponents’ turns or when unexpected damage is dealt.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Stone Haven Medic doesn’t have a traditional discard requirement, it does ask players to pay a specific cost to activate its ability. This can sometimes feel like a discard in terms of resource allocation, especially when there are other cards that might provide healing without any additional cost.
Specific Mana Cost: Stone Haven Medic requires white mana to play, making it a card that fits primarily into white or multicolor decks with a white component. This requirement can limit its flexibility in deck building, as it’s not a viable option for mono-color decks of other colors.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of two mana for a 1/3 creature, the Medic might not seem overpriced at first glance. However, to make use of its healing ability, you also need to invest an additional white mana every turn. When compared to other cards with similar lifegain effects, the Medic’s cost for the benefit provided could be considered inefficient within the game’s fast-paced and resource-conscious environment.
Reasons to Include Stone Haven Medic in Your Collection
Versatility: Stone Haven Medic offers a low-cost option for white decks that need reliable lifegain. Its ability to consistently provide incremental health boosts makes it a sturdy support card suitable for a range of decks, from aggro to control.
Combo Potential: With the right deck, the medic’s ability can be part of a lifegain strategy, working in tandem with cards that benefit from gaining life or activate additional abilities when you gain life. This could form the backbone of a potent synergy-centric deck.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment where aggressive strategies are prevalent, Stone Haven Medic holds its ground by providing a buffer against early onslaughts, extending the game and allowing your more powerful cards to come into play.
How to Beat Stone Haven Medic
Stone Haven Medic serves as a sturdy early-game unit in Magic: The Gathering, offering a consistent option for life gain. This creature comes into play with synergy in defensive decks, providing a bonus to your survivability each turn. When facing up against the Medic, it’s crucial to disrupt this lifeline. One strategy is to use removal spells that outpace its low cost, like Lightning Bolt or Fatal Push. Such cards remove the Medic efficiently without sacrificing card advantage.
Targeted disruption spells can also be effective. Thoughtseize allows you to pluck the Medic from your opponent’s hand before it hits the battlefield. If the Medic is already in play, effects that prevent life gain such as Skullcrack can negate its ability and swing the race into your favor. Moreover, consider cards that grant evasion to your creatures, such as Flying, making it hard for the Medic to block and preventing it from exercising its full potential.
Ultimately, defeating a Stone Haven Medic on the battlefield hinges on overriding its lifegain ability with timely removal, disruption, or evasion strategies, helping to assert your own game plan and diminish your opponent’s defenses.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Stone Haven Medic MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar and Mystery Booster, 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 Stone Haven Medic and other MTG cards:
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- 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
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Printings
The Stone Haven Medic Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2015-10-02 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Anna Steinbauer.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015-10-02 | Battle for Zendikar | BFZ | 51 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Anna Steinbauer | |
| 2 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 248 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Anna Steinbauer | |
| 3 | The List | PLST | BFZ-51 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Anna Steinbauer |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Stone Haven Medic has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |