Soul Shepherd MTG Card


Soul Shepherd - Weatherlight
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Human Cleric
Released1997-06-09
Set symbol
Set nameWeatherlight
Set codeWTH
Power 2
Toughness 1
Number26
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byJohn Coulthart

Key Takeaways

  1. Soul Shepherd excels in graveyard strategies, turning a static resource into ongoing value.
  2. Ability to act at instant speed gives players flexibility and strategic advantage.
  3. Discard requirements and specific mana costs can limit Soul Shepherd’s versatility.

Text of card

o W, Remove a creature card in your graveyard from the game: Gain 1 life.

"The sidar who raised me had a saying: 'The first step into death is the hardest.'" —Gerrard of the *Weatherlight*


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Soul Shepherd specializes in leveraging graveyard strategies, which opens doors to significant card advantage over the course of a match. By utilizing creatures in your graveyard, Soul Shepherd effectively turns what would typically be a static resource into recurring value.

Resource Acceleration: Soul Shepherd can be an enabler for resource acceleration. With each creature it helps return from the graveyard to your hand or battlefield, it ensures that you’re not falling behind in terms of board presence. This can translate into an indirect form of ramp, as you preserve the mana you would otherwise spend on drawing or playing those creatures.

Instant Speed: The ability of Soul Shepherd to interact at instant speed gives players the flexibility to respond to an opponent’s actions during their turn. This keeps opponents guessing and allows MTG players to maximize their mana usage effectively without committing to a plan prematurely.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Soul Shepherd’s ability to manipulate the graveyard comes at a price, necessitating the discard of other potential resources. This can lead to a depleted hand, limiting strategic options and future plays.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting of Soul Shepherd hinges on white mana, making it exclusively viable in white-centric or multicolored decks. It can’t fit into a strategy that doesn’t support white mana, narrowing its versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Investing a significant amount of mana into playing Soul Shepherd can be a drawback, especially when measured against other cards with similar or more impactful abilities at a lower cost. Players may find it suboptimal in decks that require a quick tempo or those that operate on tighter mana economies.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Soul Shepherd’s ability to boost life gain strategies lends itself well to a variety of deck themes, from dedicated life gain to decks that incidentally benefit from life gain mechanics.

Combo Potential: This card works seamlessly with strategies that manipulate +1/+1 counters or benefit from consistent increments of life gain, enabling numerous synergies and interactions within a deck.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where aggro decks are prevalent, Soul Shepherd’s life gain facet can help stabilize the game, giving control and midrange decks a crucial edge.


How to beat

Soul Shepherd is a versatile support card in Magic: The Gathering known for its life-gaining abilities, which can be a pesky obstacle when facing decks that capitalize on sustaining and incrementally growing life totals. To counter this card effectively, players should consider using removal spells that can target and destroy creatures directly, such as Doom Blade or Murder, thus preventing any life gain from occurring. Additionally, incorporating cards that can exile creatures from the game, such as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, would nullify any attempts to use the graveyard as a resource.

Another strategic approach includes applying aggressive pressure early on to overwhelm an opponent before they can establish the life gain benefits of Soul Shepherd. Red decks, known for their swift and high-powered creatures and damage spells, can often outpace the gradual life gain Soul Shepherd provides. Indirect strategies that hinder an opponent’s ability to utilize their creatures, like enchantments with Pacifism effects, can also render Soul Shepherd ineffective. As a last resort, resorting to cards that reset the board, such as Wrath of God, clears the field of all creatures and neutralizes the incremental advantage that Soul Shepherd could potentially accumulate.


Cards like Soul Shepherd

Soul Shepherd is an intriguing creature card in the Magic: The Gathering landscape, likened to other life gain creatures within the game. Resembling cards such as Healer’s Hawk, Soul Shepherd provides an incremental advantage through its life gain ability. While Healer’s Hawk offers life gain coupled with flying, Soul Shepherd distinguishes itself with its ability to grow stronger by exiling cards from graveyards, enhancing its longevity and relevance in longer games.

Comparable to Ajani’s Pridemate, another life gain synergistic creature, Soul Shepherd can serve as a potent threat on the battlefield. Unlike Ajani’s Pridemate, which grows with each life gain trigger, Soul Shepherd’s strength lies in its utility, offering a means to manage graveyard strategies, a nuance that may tip the scales in certain matchups. Then drawing a parallel with Daxos, Blessed by the Sun, both cards excel in white-based life gain decks, yet Daxos provides a static toughness boost based on your devotion to white, presenting a different angle of resilience.

In essence, while analyzing the landscape of life-linked creatures, Soul Shepherd stands out for its versatility and strategic depth, making it a valued component in decks that capitalize on life gain and graveyard manipulation in Magic: The Gathering.

Healer's Hawk - MTG Card versions
Ajani's Pridemate - MTG Card versions
Daxos, Blessed by the Sun - MTG Card versions
Healer's Hawk - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)
Ajani's Pridemate - Magic 2011 (M11)
Daxos, Blessed by the Sun - Theros Beyond Death (THB)

Cards similar to Soul Shepherd by color, type and mana cost

White Knight - MTG Card versions
Soltari Monk - MTG Card versions
Talon Sliver - MTG Card versions
Keeper of the Light - MTG Card versions
Faith Healer - MTG Card versions
Angelic Page - MTG Card versions
Avenger en-Dal - MTG Card versions
Royal Falcon - MTG Card versions
Spirit Weaver - MTG Card versions
Voice of the Blessed - MTG Card versions
Stoneforge Mystic - MTG Card versions
Drannith Magistrate - MTG Card versions
Leonin Lightscribe - MTG Card versions
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Flumph - MTG Card versions
Soltari Priest - MTG Card versions
Luminarch Aspirant - MTG Card versions
Cloudreach Cavalry - MTG Card versions
White Knight - Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons (DDG)
Soltari Monk - Tempest (TMP)
Talon Sliver - Tempest (TMP)
Keeper of the Light - Exodus (EXO)
Faith Healer - Urza's Saga (USG)
Angelic Page - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Avenger en-Dal - Nemesis (NEM)
Royal Falcon - Starter 2000 (S00)
Spirit Weaver - Invasion (INV)
Voice of the Blessed - Innistrad: Crimson Vow (VOW)
Stoneforge Mystic - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Drannith Magistrate - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
Leonin Lightscribe - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Silver Knight - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Longbow Archer - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Silverflame Squire // On Alert - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Flumph - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Soltari Priest - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Luminarch Aspirant - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Cloudreach Cavalry - Legions (LGN)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Soul Shepherd MTG card by a specific set like Weatherlight, 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 Soul Shepherd and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Soul Shepherd has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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