Congregate MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 10 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityCommon
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Congregate provides pivotal life gains with potential to change the course of the game when cast.
  2. Instant speed and ability to synergize with life gain strategies make it a tactical asset.
  3. Despite mana and situational limitations, the card’s benefits can justify its inclusion in decks.

Text of card

Target player gains 2 life for each creature in play.

"In the gathering there is strength for all who founder, renewal for all who languish, love for all who sing." —*Song of All*, canto 642


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Congregate shines in providing a significant boost in life totals, which can tip the balance in prolonged games or multiplayer formats where preserving a high life total can be crucial for outlasting opponents.

Resource Acceleration: Although Congregate does not directly produce mana or tokens, it accelerates your game plan by giving you a substantial life buffer, potentially enabling strategies that thrive on high life totals and synergizes with cards that trigger off life gain.

Instant Speed: The instant nature of Congregate allows for strategic flexibility, enabling you to cast it at the end of an opponent’s turn or in response to combat or spells. This surprise factor can drastically alter the state of the game, potentially saving you from what would otherwise be lethal damage.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Congregate doesn’t force you to discard, the need to have it in your hand rather than something else can feel like a discarded opportunity, particularly in tight situations where each card must count.

Specific Mana Cost: Congregate’s mana cost includes white, making it exclusive to decks that run white mana. This restricts flexibility and can be a setback in multicolored decks that may need more color diversity for optimal play.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of four mana, Congregate commands a significant investment for an effect that only sometimes translates into a game-winning move. There can be many situations where using four mana in a single turn to gain life could be less impactful than developing your board or dealing with threats directly.


Reasons to Include Congregate in Your Collection

Versatility: Congregate has a place in decks that can gain advantage from life gain mechanics. Whether you’re piloting a white token deck or need a defensive maneuver, Congregate’s ability to potentially provide a massive life boost can turn games in your favor.

Combo Potential: This card shines when combined with life gain multipliers or cards that trigger effects with each instance of life gain. Its synergy with such strategies can help you outlast opponents in prolonged matches.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where aggro decks are prevalent, Congregate can be a game-changer by giving you enough life to withstand the onslaught and stabilize your board, making it a tactical inclusion in your sideboard or main deck based on current trends.


How to beat

Congregate is a powerful card known for its life-gaining abilities in MTG, offering a significant boost during a match when multiple creatures are on the board. This makes it a key card, especially in multiplayer games or against token strategies where the creature count is high. To effectively counter Congregate, controlling the battlefield becomes crucial.

Strategies that excel in creature removal or limit the amount of creatures opponents can muster will dampen Congregate’s impact. Board wipes like Wrath of God or Doomskar can be instrumental in resetting the playing field. If you’re playing blue, countermagic such as Negate or Disallow can prevent Congregate from resolving altogether, thwarting your opponent’s attempt to gain a massive life advantage.

Another tactic is to employ graveyard disruption, like Scavenging Ooze or Leyline of the Void, to minimize the effectiveness of Congregate’s late-game play. Finally, incorporating life total manipulation with cards like Erebos, God of the Dead, can keep your opponent’s life-gaining strategies in check. With these techniques, you can maintain control against Congregate, keeping you in the lead and paving the way towards victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Diving into the depth of Congregate’s potential reveals its unique role in MTG. Its life-gaining prowess can pivot a match, shining in a field rife with creatures. As you sculpt your collection, consider its synergy with life-based strategies and meta relevance against aggressive decks. Should your playstyle revolve around such tactics, Congregate can bolster your deck’s resilience. Remember, the MTG journey is about adaptation and seizing the meta. If you’re ready to explore strategic deck building and refine your game with cards like Congregate, join us to learn more and navigate the ever-evolving landscape of MTG.


Cards like Congregate

Congregate stands as a notable instant in the pantheon of life-gaining spells within Magic: The Gathering. Commonly compared to cards like Healing Salve, Congregate offers a potentially larger life boost, as it provides two life points for each creature on the battlefield, not just a flat amount irrespective of the board state.

Examining another relative, Heroes’ Reunion grants a set amount of seven life, which is immediate and guaranteed, but lacks the scalability of Congregate. However, Heroes’ Reunion does boast the advantage of being at instant speed and less mana-intensive. Invigorating Falls could also enter this conversation, offering a life gain based on the number of cards in your hand, which can vary but offers control over the life gained through hand management.

Ultimately, when comparing these cards, Congregate stands out in scenarios where the field is crowded with creatures, potentially offering a dramatic swing in life totals during a game. Despite variability, its strength could be unmatched in the right deck, making it a staple card for players seeking to turn the tide in battles of attrition.

Healing Salve - MTG Card versions
Heroes' Reunion - MTG Card versions
Invigorating Falls - MTG Card versions
Healing Salve - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Heroes' Reunion - Invasion (INV)
Invigorating Falls - Torment (TOR)

Cards similar to Congregate by color, type and mana cost

Rapid Fire - MTG Card versions
Scour - MTG Card versions
Reverent Mantra - MTG Card versions
Sivvi's Ruse - MTG Card versions
Mirror Strike - MTG Card versions
Surprise Deployment - MTG Card versions
Ray of Distortion - MTG Card versions
Chastise - MTG Card versions
Akroma's Will - MTG Card versions
Semester's End - MTG Card versions
Recuperate - MTG Card versions
Solidarity - MTG Card versions
Altar's Light - MTG Card versions
Abuna's Chant - MTG Card versions
Retaliate - MTG Card versions
Aether Shockwave - MTG Card versions
Return to Dust - MTG Card versions
Divine Verdict - MTG Card versions
Join the Ranks - MTG Card versions
Refraction Trap - MTG Card versions
Rapid Fire - Legends (LEG)
Scour - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Reverent Mantra - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Sivvi's Ruse - Nemesis (NEM)
Mirror Strike - Prophecy (PCY)
Surprise Deployment - Planeshift (PLS)
Ray of Distortion - Odyssey (ODY)
Chastise - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Akroma's Will - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC)
Semester's End - March of the Machine Commander (MOC)
Recuperate - Scourge (SCG)
Solidarity - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Altar's Light - Mirrodin (MRD)
Abuna's Chant - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Retaliate - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Aether Shockwave - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Return to Dust - Doctor Who (WHO)
Divine Verdict - Rivals of Ixalan (RIX)
Join the Ranks - Worldwake (WWK)
Refraction Trap - Worldwake (WWK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Congregate MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga and Planechase, 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 Congregate and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Congregate Magic the Gathering card was released in 10 different sets between 1998-10-12 and 2023-01-13. Illustrated by Mark Zug.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11998-10-12Urza's SagaUSG 81997normalblackMark Zug
22009-09-04PlanechaseHOP 22003normalblackMark Zug
32011-06-17Commander 2011CMD 112003normalblackMark Zug
42013-07-19Magic 2014M14 142003normalblackMark Zug
52014-07-18Magic 2015M15 62015normalblackMark Zug
62017-06-09Commander AnthologyCMA 72015normalblackMark Zug
72018-03-16Masters 25A25 82015normalblackMark Zug
82019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 602015normalblackMark Zug
92020-09-26The ListPLST M15-62015normalblackMark Zug
102023-01-13Dominaria RemasteredDMR 42015normalblackMark Zug

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Congregate has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2022-12-08 Count the number of creatures as Congregate resolves to determine how much life is gained.

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