D'Avenant Healer MTG Card


D'Avenant Healer - Time Spiral
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Human Cleric Archer
Released2006-10-06
Set symbol
Set nameTime Spiral
Set codeTSP
Power 1
Toughness 2
Number11
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byMichael Sutfin

Key Takeaways

  1. Its ability to prevent damage offers control and protection, enhancing player strategies during gameplay.
  2. Despite a specific mana requirement, the card’s early game presence and tactical edge can alter opponent plays.
  3. It may pose a higher mana cost, but its defensive utility makes it a formidable piece in many deck builds.

Text of card

: D'Avenant Healer deals 1 damage to target attacking or blocking creature. : Prevent the next 1 damage that would be dealt to target creature or player this turn.

"One arrow keenly fired might prevent more battlefield wounds than I could treat."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: D’Avenant Healer gives players a tactical edge by allowing them to tap the card to prevent 1 damage to any target. This reactive ability can be used to protect important creatures from damage-based removal or to keep life totals in a safe range, essentially adding layers of defense and control over the game’s flow.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting mana resources, D’Avenant Healer’s low casting cost ensures you can deploy it early in the game. Its presence can change how opponents need to deal with your board, often forcing them to allocate resources elsewhere or play inefficiently to avoid the damage prevention effect.

Instant Speed: The D’Avenant Healer’s ability to prevent damage can be used at instant speed, providing strategic flexibility during combat or in response to direct damage spells. This reactive capability can effectively disrupt an opponent’s strategy by neutralizing carefully planned attacks or burn spells targeted at key creatures or directly at your life total.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Carrying the downside of having to discard a card can be particularly challenging when your hand is already strained for options. This requirement can lead to difficult decisions on which valuable resources to let go, potentially hindering your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: D’Avenant Healer demands a specific mana alignment that might not always align with your deck’s color scheme. This can make it less flexible and harder to cast, especially in multicolored or off-theme decks where white mana may not be as readily available.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For what the card offers, the mana investment is on the steeper side, potentially setting back your tempo when compared with other cards in the same mana range that could provide more impactful board presence or utility.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: D’Avenant Healer is a versatile addition to any deck that benefits from life gain mechanics or requires a robust defensive unit. Its ability to prevent damage to creatures or players adds a strategic layer to gameplay, allowing for more flexible defensive tactics.

Combo Potential: With combo decks always looking for pieces that can interact beneficially with others, D’Avenant Healer can become a key component. It can be paired with cards that trigger off of life gain or creatures surviving combat, paving the way for powerful synergies.

Meta-Relevance: Given a meta that’s heavy on aggressive strategies, D’Avenant Healer provides a counterbalance. Its incremental life gain and protective capabilities can be a game-changer, stalling opponents and disrupting their tempo until you can set up your win conditions.


How to beat

D’Avenant Healer adds a strategic layer to creature cards in MTG, offering a combination of tap abilities that can manipulate combat outcomes. Its ability to tap to prevent the next 1 damage to any target this turn can be a consistent nuisance if not addressed swiftly. Overcoming this card in play typically involves limiting its ability to control the flow of damage through removal spells. In this situation, instant speed removals like Lightning Bolt or Path to Exile can be particularly effective as they can bypass the healer’s preventative ability due to their speed.

Another tactic is using creatures with abilities that trigger upon dealing damage, forcing the healer to tap out and leaving it vulnerable. Employing cards that can tap or otherwise incapacitate the D’Avenant Healer also proves efficient, as it prevents activation of its ability. For the proactive players, countermagic plays a critical role in ensuring the healer never touches the battlefield. Lastly, overwhelming the board with multiple threats can dilute the healer’s impact, rendering its damage prevention too limited to make a significant difference.


Cards like D'Avenant Healer

D’Avenant Healer is a modest yet multifaceted card from the world of Magic: The Gathering, falling into the category of creature spells with secondary abilities. Alongside its creature type, this card has the ability to tap for a point of damage prevention, a nod to classic cards like Samite Healer. The similarity is clear, with Samite Healer serving as a direct comparison due to its identical functional role on the battlefield as a damage preventative force.

Comparatively, we can also observe Hallow, which counters damage from a single spell and gains life equal to the damage prevented, reflecting an ephemeral but potentially more impactful version of damage prevention. It is an instant and, unlike D’Avenant Healer, doesn’t provide a creature presence. Then there’s the Dawn Charm, an instant defense offering versatility with options for damage prevention, creature regeneration, or counteracting other spells that target you. These traits give Dawn Charm an edge in flexibility, even as D’Avenant Healer lends consistent battlefield utility.

In essence, while the D’Avenant Healer provides steadfastness in its static creature form, it finds companionship with cards like Samite Healer, while differing from instants like Hallow and Dawn Charm that offer situational yet potent defensive strategies in Magic: The Gathering’s rich tapestry of cards.

Samite Healer - MTG Card versions
Hallow - MTG Card versions
Dawn Charm - MTG Card versions
Samite Healer - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Hallow - Darksteel (DST)
Dawn Charm - Planar Chaos (PLC)

Cards similar to D'Avenant Healer by color, type and mana cost

Argivian Blacksmith - MTG Card versions
Jamuraan Lion - MTG Card versions
Snow Hound - MTG Card versions
Femeref Knight - MTG Card versions
Border Guard - MTG Card versions
Benalish Knight - MTG Card versions
Regal Unicorn - MTG Card versions
Wild Griffin - MTG Card versions
Pianna, Nomad Captain - MTG Card versions
Dogged Hunter - MTG Card versions
Diving Griffin - MTG Card versions
Faithful Squire // Kaiso, Memory of Loyalty - MTG Card versions
Freewind Equenaut - MTG Card versions
Sanctum Guardian - MTG Card versions
Field Marshal - MTG Card versions
Kithkin Healer - MTG Card versions
Kor Hookmaster - MTG Card versions
Zhalfirin Commander - MTG Card versions
Silverblade Paladin - MTG Card versions
Emancipation Angel - MTG Card versions
Argivian Blacksmith - Antiquities (ATQ)
Jamuraan Lion - Media Inserts (PMEI)
Snow Hound - Ice Age (ICE)
Femeref Knight - Mirage (MIR)
Border Guard - Portal (POR)
Benalish Knight - Anthologies (ATH)
Regal Unicorn - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Wild Griffin - Starter 2000 (S00)
Pianna, Nomad Captain - Odyssey (ODY)
Dogged Hunter - Odyssey (ODY)
Diving Griffin - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Faithful Squire // Kaiso, Memory of Loyalty - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Freewind Equenaut - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Sanctum Guardian - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Field Marshal - Coldsnap (CSP)
Kithkin Healer - Lorwyn (LRW)
Kor Hookmaster - Zendikar (ZEN)
Zhalfirin Commander - Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons (DDG)
Silverblade Paladin - Avacyn Restored (AVR)
Emancipation Angel - Avacyn Restored (AVR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase D'Avenant Healer MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral, 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 D'Avenant Healer and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where D'Avenant Healer has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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