Silent Attendant MTG Card


Silent Attendant - Urza's Saga
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Human Cleric
Released1998-10-12
Set symbol
Set nameUrza's Saga
Set codeUSG
Power 0
Toughness 2
Number51
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byRebecca Guay

Key Takeaways

  1. Silent Attendant offers steady life gain, pivotal for outlasting aggressive MTG matchups.
  2. Its ability ties well into lifegain strategies but demands careful hand management.
  3. Despite a restrictive mana cost, its consistent performance can justify inclusion.

Text of card

oc T: Gain 1 life.

"The answer to life should never be death; it should always be more life, wrapped tight around us like precious silks."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Silent Attendant provides consistent life gain throughout the game, contributing to a lasting advantage in life total that could outpace your opponent’s strategy.

Resource Acceleration: In certain deck archetypes, the life accumulated can be a vital resource, integrating with cards that convert life into card draw or mana, subtly increasing your resources.

Instant Speed: While Silent Attendant itself isn’t an instant, it supports strategies that benefit from life gain at any phase of the turn, pairing well with cards that trigger effects at instant speed upon life gain.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Silent Attendant necessitates discarding another card as part of its activation, which could set you back in card advantage, particularly if your hand is already scarce.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting of Silent Attendant requires a singular devotion to white mana, potentially restricting its integration into multicolored or splash-friendly decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a three-white mana investment for a 1/2 creature, Silent Attendant can be overshadowed by other creatures or spells with greater impact or value at a similar or lower mana expenditure.


Reasons to Include Silent Attendant in Your Collection

Versatility: Silent Attendant offers a plug-and-play solution for lifegain strategies. It’s a straightforward addition to decks focused on incremental life gain or those that trigger off life-gain events. Its low casting cost makes it an ideal early game play or a flexible late-game option when mana is aplenty.

Combo Potential: In decks that capitalize on life total as an asset, Silent Attendant shines. It pairs elegantly with cards that react to life gain, such as “Ajani’s Pridemate,” by providing a consistent source of life to bolster other creatures or activate synergistic abilities.

Meta-Relevance: This card thrives in environments where aggro decks are dominant. The steady life gain can offset damage from fast, aggressive opponents, making it a tactical choice for shoring up your defenses and extending the game until your winning conditions are met.


How to beat

Silent Attendant is a unique card that can quietly become a nuisance on your opponent’s side. This enchanting creature is known for bolstering life totals turn after turn, which can lead to a challenging situation if left unchecked. Beating Silent Attendant efficiently involves tactics that disrupt regular life gain strategies. Unlike spells that result in a one-time life jump, Silent Attendant’s ability is continuous, making removal spells like Doom Blade or Path to Exile critical tools in your arsenal. Utilizing these will permanently remove the Silent Attendant from the battlefield before it tips the scales too far.

Consider also cards that negate life gain, such as Tainted Remedy or Erebos, God of the Dead, rendering Silent Attendant’s ability null and void. If you’re facing a deck relying on life gain, these cards can turn the tables dramatically. Moreover, aggressive strategies that outpace the life gained or effects that limit the number of times abilities can trigger can keep Silent Attendant from tipping the balance. Dealing with it quickly or bypassing its effect is often crucial in maintaining control over the game and ultimately leading to victory.


Cards like Silent Attendant

Silent Attendant stands as a unique fixture in the MTG realm of life-gain creatures. With its capability to consistently provide one life during each of your upkeeps, it finds kinship with cards like Ajani’s Mantra, another life-gain engine that operates similarly without demanding any further mana investment post-deployment. Yet, Silent Attendant requires the commitment of one white mana each turn for activation, which can be a strategic consideration for any deck.

Examining the Leonin Elder as a relative, we see an ability that triggers life gain whenever an artifact enters the battlefield under your control, potentially offering more life over a single turn, but with a less predictable gain pattern. Comparatively, Silent Attendant offers a more stable and controllable life-gain mechanic, albeit at a slower and costlier rate. Then there’s Nyx-Fleece Ram, another genteel life-giver. Its advantage over Silent Attendant is the sturdier body it brings to the battlefield, alongside a similar passive life-gain effect.

Considering these aspects, Silent Attendant may not shine as the most powerful life-gain creature available, but its consistent, predictable life boost can be a dependable asset in decks built around life manipulation and incremental advantages.

Ajani's Mantra - MTG Card versions
Leonin Elder - MTG Card versions
Nyx-Fleece Ram - MTG Card versions
Ajani's Mantra - Magic 2011 (M11)
Leonin Elder - Mirrodin (MRD)
Nyx-Fleece Ram - Journey into Nyx (JOU)

Cards similar to Silent Attendant by color, type and mana cost

Argivian Blacksmith - MTG Card versions
Jamuraan Lion - MTG Card versions
Snow Hound - MTG Card versions
Elvish Healer - MTG Card versions
Femeref Knight - MTG Card versions
Border Guard - MTG Card versions
Stern Marshal - MTG Card versions
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Regal Unicorn - MTG Card versions
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Argivian Blacksmith - Antiquities (ATQ)
Jamuraan Lion - Media Inserts (PMEI)
Snow Hound - Ice Age (ICE)
Elvish Healer - Ice Age (ICE)
Femeref Knight - Mirage (MIR)
Border Guard - Portal (POR)
Stern Marshal - Portal (POR)
Soltari Crusader - Tempest (TMP)
Benalish Knight - Anthologies (ATH)
Regal Unicorn - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Wild Griffin - Starter 2000 (S00)
Pianna, Nomad Captain - Odyssey (ODY)
Dogged Hunter - Odyssey (ODY)
Sanctum Prelate - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Diving Griffin - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Faithful Squire // Kaiso, Memory of Loyalty - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Kitsune Palliator - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Freewind Equenaut - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Sanctum Guardian - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Field Marshal - Coldsnap (CSP)

Where to buy

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

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Silent Attendant has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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