Twilight Shepherd MTG Card
2008-05-02 - Number 25
2009-04-10 - Number 11
2014-11-07 - Number 94
2014-12-05 - Number 11
Text of card
Flying, vigilance When Twilight Shepherd comes into play, return to your hand all cards in your graveyard put there from play this turn. Persist (When this creature is put into a graveyard from play, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to play under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
Cards like Twilight Shepherd
Twilight Shepherd stands out in the realm of creature cards with persistence abilities in MTG. This celestial card returns to the battlefield after being destroyed with a -1/-1 counter, reminiscent of other creatures with undying or persist qualities. However, unlike Kitchen Finks, which also has persist and provides life gain, Twilight Shepherd has the unique ability to return other creatures you control to your hand upon entering the battlefield or dying. This makes it an exceptional choice for recovery after a board wipe.
Another card with a similar resurrection theme is Reveillark. While it doesn’t possess persist, Reveillark’s leave-the-battlefield ability allows you to return up to two target creatures with power 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. Despite Reveillark’s lower power, this ability can be a strategic advantage in decks focusing on small but powerful creatures. There’s also Sun Titan, which brings permanents with converted mana cost 3 or less back from the graveyard to the battlefield. Sun Titan has a recurring trigger that activates upon attacking or entering the battlefield, providing more frequent value compared to the Shepherd’s one-time effect when dying.
When reviewing these cards, Twilight Shepherd offers a specific benefit for players seeking resilience against board wipes, while contributing to creature-heavy strategies in MTG.
Cards similar to Twilight Shepherd by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Twilight Shepherd’s ability to return to your hand upon death, paired with its Vigilance, makes it a resilient presence on the battlefield. When it dies, if its persist ability triggers, you can often bring back numerous other creatures from your graveyard to your hand, flipping the script on card loss and turning it into an overwhelming advantage.
Resource Acceleration: While Twilight Shepherd itself doesn’t directly produce mana or tokens, the creature recovery it enables contributes indirectly to resource acceleration. By reclaiming key creatures from your graveyard, it helps you maintain or even improve your board state without expending additional cards from your hand, effectively speeding up your in-game progress.
Instant Speed: Though Twilight Shepherd is a creature and not an instant, it’s vital to consider how it strategically interacts with instant-speed cards. Casting spells or using abilities with instant timing to protect or sacrifice Twilight Shepherd in response to threats allows you to maximize its persist ability and creature recovery, turning your opponent’s moves into opportunities for your own gain.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Twilight Shepherd requires a careful balance of card advantage as there are no inherent mechanisms to mitigate the potential loss of valuable cards from your hand after its triggered ability resolves.
Specific Mana Cost: Twilight Shepherd demands a precise combination of mana with two white and four other mana sources which could be challenging for multicolor decks to consistently provide on curve.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of six mana, Twilight Shepherd enters the battlefield later in the game. This can be a setback in fast-paced matches where lower-cost creatures or spells could provide a more immediate impact.
Reasons to Include Twilight Shepherd in Your Collection
Versatility: Twilight Shepherd stands out for its flexible role in various decks. Its ability to return creatures from your graveyard to your hand during end-of-turn phases makes it a cornerstone in decks that thrive on recursion strategies or need a reliable form of board recovery.
Combo Potential: With a powerful persist mechanic, Twilight Shepherd pairs exceptionally well with cards that utilize +1/+1 counters or sacrifice effects. This synergy not only maximizes its potential but can also orchestrate impactful plays that tip the game in your favor.
Meta-Relevance: Given the dynamics of current gameplay where creatures and board presence are pivotal, Twilight Shepherd’s ability to act as a safeguard against board wipes and enable comebacks renders it a meta-relevant asset in both casual and competitive scenes.
How to beat
Twilight Shepherd is an ethereal creature card that presents a unique challenge in the realm of Magic the Gathering. With its daunting flying ability, it can evade many ground defenses, making it quite the adversary. Plus, its capacity to bring back creatures from your graveyard to your hand upon its demise makes it a resilient force on the battlefield. However, there are strategic ways to mitigate its influence on the game.
Countering Twilight Shepherd begins by minimizing its revival impact. Cards that exile it from the game, like Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, sidestep its persist ability elegantly. Cards that force a player to sacrifice creatures can also skirt around Twilight Shepherd’s defenses by bypassing its flying attribute. Additionally, graveyard hate cards like Relic of Progenitus or Leyline of the Void can suppress its secondary ability by ensuring there’s nothing to return to the hand upon its departure from the battlefield.
Ultimately, understanding the synergy Twilight Shepherd brings to the table and having a game plan that includes exile effects or graveyard disruption can significantly reduce the card’s potential to dominate. Through calculated plays and an awareness of the Shepherd’s strengths, skilled players can effectively neutralize this celestial guardian and maintain control of the match.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Twilight Shepherd MTG card by a specific set like Shadowmoor and Duel Decks: Divine vs. Demonic, 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 Twilight Shepherd and other MTG cards:
BUY NOW BurnMana 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 Twilight Shepherd Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2008-05-02 and 2014-12-05. Illustrated by Jason Chan.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2008-05-02 | Shadowmoor | SHM | 25 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Jason Chan | |
| 2 | 2009-04-10 | Duel Decks: Divine vs. Demonic | DDC | 11 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Jason Chan | |
| 3 | 2014-11-07 | Commander 2014 | C14 | 94 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jason Chan | |
| 4 | 2014-12-05 | Duel Decks Anthology: Divine vs. Demonic | DVD | 11 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jason Chan |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Twilight Shepherd has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Twilight Shepherd card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2013-06-07 | If a creature with persist stops being a creature, persist will still work. |
| 2013-06-07 | If a creature with persist that has +1/+1 counters on it receives enough -1/-1 counters to cause it to be destroyed by lethal damage or put into its owner’s graveyard for having 0 or less toughness, persist won’t trigger and the card won’t return to the battlefield. That’s because persist checks the creature’s existence just before it leaves the battlefield, and it still has all those counters on it at that point. |
| 2013-06-07 | If a permanent has multiple instances of persist, they’ll each trigger separately, but the redundant instances will have no effect. If one instance returns the card to the battlefield, the next to resolve will do nothing. |
| 2013-06-07 | If a token with no -1/-1 counters on it has persist, the ability will trigger when the token is put into the graveyard. However, the token will cease to exist and can’t return to the battlefield. |
| 2013-06-07 | If multiple creatures with persist are put into the graveyard at the same time (due to combat damage or a spell that destroys all creatures, for example), the active player (the player whose turn it is) puts all of their persist triggers on the stack in any order, then each other player in turn order does the same. The last trigger put on the stack is the first one that resolves. That means that in a two-player game, the nonactive player’s persist creatures will return to the battlefield first, then the active player’s persist creatures do the same. The creatures return to the battlefield one at a time. |
| 2013-06-07 | The persist ability triggers when the permanent is put into a graveyard. Its last known information (that is, how the creature last existed on the battlefield) is used to determine whether it had a -1/-1 counter on it. |
| 2013-06-07 | When a permanent with persist returns to the battlefield, it’s a new object with no memory of or connection to its previous existence. |
Guide to Vigilance card ability
In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.