Skyclave Cleric // Skyclave Basilica MTG Card


Skyclave Cleric // Skyclave Basilica - Zendikar Rising
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Kor Cleric
Released2020-09-25
Set symbol
Set nameZendikar Rising
Set codeZNR
Power 1
Toughness 3
Number40
Frame2015
LayoutModal DFC
BorderBlack
Illustred byJohannes Voss

Key Takeaways

  1. Skyclave Cleric offers a two-in-one card value, acting as a creature or land depending on your needs.
  2. As a land, it boosts mana resources immediately, providing a smooth ramp in earlier turns.
  3. Entering as a land, it indirectly supports casting spells at instant speed more efficiently.

Text of card

When Skyclave Cleric enters the battlefield, you gain 2 life.

"Well, she can jump farther than I can." —Aelah, expedition cleric


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Skyclave Cleric enters the battlefield as a dual-faced card, offering the versatility of either a land or a creature. This flexibility can effectively count as two cards in one, enhancing your hand’s potential without depleting resources.

Resource Acceleration: As a land, Skyclave Cleric can tap for white mana the turn it comes into play, contributing to your mana base without the summoning sickness that affects creatures. This helps accelerate your mana resources smoothly and quickly.

Instant Speed: Though Skyclave Cleric itself does not operate at instant speed, its introduction to the battlefield as a land can be a strategic resource that supports your capacity to cast instant-speed spells more efficiently in the following turns.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Skyclave Cleric offers versatility as a modal double-faced card, it does not require you to discard. Instead, players should be mindful of its second side, Skyclave Basilica, which enters the battlefield tapped, potentially slowing your tempo when you need specific mana untapped for responses.

Specific Mana Cost: Skyclave Cleric demands a white mana to cast, tying it closely to decks that run Plains or have a white mana base. This is a factor that could limit its inclusion only to certain deck types that can reliably produce white mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For its stats and abilities, some might consider one white and one other mana expensive, especially when benchmarked against other two-drop creatures that provide more immediate impact on the board state. The competition within this mana slot could push Skyclave Cleric out in favor of creatures with more aggressive stats or valuable triggers upon entering the battlefield.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Skyclave Cleric serves a dual role as both a land and a creature, seamlessly fitting into decks that require flexibility. This means it can contribute to your mana stability early on or provide a creature for defense or synergy later.

Combo Potential: In decks that hinge on life gain or cleric synergies, Skyclave Cleric amplifies these interactions. As a cleric, it can work with popular cards like Cleric of Life’s Bond, enhancing your strategy.

Meta-Relevance: The shifting dynamics of the game often see creature-based strategies come to the fore. Skyclave Cleric holds relevance in such environments, offering life gain to offset aggressive strategies and supporting key tribal components.


How to beat

Skyclave Cleric presents its own set of challenges on the battlefield as a versatile card in Magic: The Gathering. Arriving as a creature that can be flipped and played as a land, it ensures players have options for mana stability or a life-gaining ally. Overcoming this dual-threat involves a strategic approach that might require a touch of patience.

To effectively counteract the Cleric aspect, creature removal spells work wonders. Direct damage or destroy spells like Fatal Push or Lightning Bolt can remove it before its life-gain ability becomes a factor. Prioritize utilizing instant-speed removal to prevent your opponent from taking advantage of Skyclave Cleric’s Enter the Battlefield effect. As for the land side, enchantment-based land destruction or land bounce cards such as Field of Ruin or Boomerang can disrupt your adversary’s mana curve and set them back.

Staying ahead requires a mix of prompt responses to the cleric and preventive measures to keep the land from stabilizing your opponent’s position. Keep in mind that timing is crucial, and conservation of resources for key moments can mean the difference between victory and defeat when facing off against the Skyclave Cleric in your MTG matches.


BurnMana Recommendations

The Skyclave Cleric card embodies adaptability, offering players a strategic edge with its dual-faced nature. Whether leveraging it early as a land for mana acceleration or utilizing it later as a creature for synergistic plays, it can be a key asset in your MTG collection. Given its unique role, it merits consideration for decks that value flexibility and life-gain interactions. To further enhance your gameplay and collection, we invite you to delve into the depths of MTG strategy and card analysis with us. Discover the synergies, optimize your deck, and equip yourself to face the shifting tides of MTG with confidence.


Cards like Skyclave Cleric // Skyclave Basilica

In the world of Magic: The Gathering, Skyclave Cleric serves as a unique addition to the landscape of dual-purpose cards. It bears similarity to cards like Azorius Guildgate when considered purely as a land, providing color fixing without coming into play untapped. Where Skyclave Cleric stands out is in its versatility. Not only does it function as a land, but it can also be played as a creature, offering both deck-thinning and board presence.

Exploring further, we come across cards like Hearthfire Hobgoblin which, while not offering the land option, presents a low-cost creature with a defensive upside. While Skyclave Cleric provides a lifegain benefit, Hearthfire Hobgoblin boasts double strike, giving it offensive capabilities. Another counterpart worth mentioning is the Pilgrim’s Eye, delivering a creature that can also influence your mana base by fetching a basic land card upon entering the battlefield, albeit not becoming land itself.

Even with alternatives in the MTG universe, Skyclave Cleric retains its niche due to the duality of its purpose, balancing the scales between land availability and creature utility, thus carving out a distinct spot for itself within the game’s vast collection of modal double-faced cards.

Azorius Guildgate - MTG Card versions
Hearthfire Hobgoblin - MTG Card versions
Pilgrim's Eye - MTG Card versions
Azorius Guildgate - MTG Card versions
Hearthfire Hobgoblin - MTG Card versions
Pilgrim's Eye - MTG Card versions

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Angelic Page - MTG Card versions
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Spirit Weaver - MTG Card versions
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Longbow Archer - MTG Card versions
Silverflame Squire // On Alert - MTG Card versions
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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Skyclave Cleric // Skyclave Basilica MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar Rising, 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 Skyclave Cleric // Skyclave Basilica and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Skyclave Cleric // Skyclave Basilica has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2020-09-25 A modal double-faced card can’t be transformed or be put onto the battlefield transformed. Ignore any instruction to transform a modal double-faced card or to put one onto the battlefield transformed.
2020-09-25 If an effect allows you to play a land or cast a spell from among a group of cards, you may play or cast a modal double-faced card with any face that fits the criteria of that effect.
2020-09-25 If an effect allows you to play a specific modal double-faced card, you may cast it as a spell or play it as a land, as determined by which face you choose to play. If an effect allows you to cast (rather than “play”) a specific modal double-faced card, you can’t play it as a land.
2020-09-25 If an effect instructs a player to choose a card name, the name of either face may be chosen. If that effect or a linked ability refers to a spell with the chosen name being cast and/or a land with the chosen name being played, it considers only the chosen name, not the other face’s name.
2020-09-25 If an effect puts a double-faced card onto the battlefield, it enters with its front face up. If that front face can’t be put onto the battlefield, it doesn’t enter the battlefield.
2020-09-25 In the Commander variant, a double-faced card’s color identity is determined by the mana costs and mana symbols in the rules text of both faces combined. If either face has a color indicator or basic land type, those are also considered.
2020-09-25 The converted mana cost of a modal double-faced card is based on the characteristics of the face that’s being considered. On the stack and battlefield, consider whichever face is up. In all other zones, consider only the front face. This is different than how the converted mana cost of a transforming double-faced card is determined.
2020-09-25 There is a single triangle icon in the top left corner of the front face. There is a double triangle icon in the top left corner of the back face.
2020-09-25 To determine whether it is legal to play a modal double-faced card, consider only the characteristics of the face you’re playing and ignore the other face’s characteristics.