Favor of the Woods MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2012-02-03
Set symbol
Set name	Dark Ascension
Set code	DKA
Number	113
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Tomasz Jedruszek

Key Takeaways

Boosts creature resilience, creating an indirect advantage by deterring opponents from unfavorable trades.
Encourages resource preservation, extending the impact of your deployed assets without additional investment.
Requires careful balancing with its discard trigger, which adds complexity in utilizing to its full potential.

Text of card

Enchant creature Whenever enchanted creature blocks, you gain 3 life.

Feeling abandoned by Avacyn, some Kessigers turned to the pagan rituals of their ancestors.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: “Favor of the Woods” provides a layer of resilience for your creatures. Once enchanted, your creature gains the ability to potentially deter an opponent’s attack, as they might avoid trading with a creature that can result in their disadvantage. This can indirectly lead to card advantage by protecting your valuable creatures from combat losses.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing resource acceleration, “Favor of the Woods” helps maintain your board presence which is foundational in preserving the resources you’ve already invested in. Ensuring your creatures have a greater chance of surviving attacks could be seen as a form of asset protection, allowing you to accelerate your game plan without needing to redeploy resources to the board.

Instant Speed: Although “Favor of the Woods” is not an instant, its presence can influence an opponent’s decisions during their turn. The foreknowledge of your creatures becoming tougher to kill can be enough to make an opponent reconsider their attacks or use removal prematurely, thereby giving you the strategic upper hand during their turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When diving into Favor of the Woods, players often notice that it requires not only a tap of the enchanted creature but also a discard to trigger its effect. This element adds an extra layer of complexity as it forces players to weigh the value of the card in hand against the potential benefits conferred by the enchantment.

Specific Mana Cost: The card’s mana cost is specifically green which means it can only be seamlessly integrated into decks that are geared towards or can accommodate the green mana source. This limits its universal applicability, making it less appealing for multi-colored or non-green strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of three mana for an aura that offers defensive utility, Favor of the Woods may not always be the most mana-efficient choice. Players could find themselves in situations where the mana committed to casting this card could be better spent on other spells or creatures that may provide more immediate and versatile benefits on the battlefield.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Favor of the Woods offers a unique enchantment for decks that are geared towards defense, bolstering your creature’s ability to withstand attacks and potentially deterring opponents from engaging in combat with the enchanted creature.

Combo Potential: This card pairs well with strategies that benefit from creatures being targeted. It can work in tandem with other cards that trigger upon being enchanted, amplifying the utility and synergy within enchantment-focused decks.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where aggressive, creature-based strategies are prevalent, Favor of the Woods can serve as a counter-measure, giving an edge by increasing the survivability of your key creatures and influencing combat decisions in your favor.

How to beat

Favor of the Woods is an enchantment that can befuddle MTG players with its potentially game-altering life gain ability. When strapped onto a creature, it works as a deterrent, making opponents second-guess their attacks due to the consistent life padding it offers. Despite this, penetrating through this enchantment’s defense is not an insurmountable task.

Efficient removal spells are the key. Targeted enchantment removal like Naturalize or Disenchant can directly dispatch Favor of the Woods, stripping its protective veil. For a broader approach, board wipes such as Wrath of God or Damnation effectively reset the playing field, clearing the creature carrying the enchantment as collateral damage.

Alternately, evasion tactics can bypass the enchantment’s effect altogether. Cards granting flying or unblockable can ensure your creatures connect with your opponent without engaging in combat with the buffed creature. This strategic sidestepping allows you to maintain pressure notwithstanding the life gain buffer Favor of the Woods provides. Crafty deck building and precise play are the linchpins to overcoming the challenges posed by this enchanting card.

Cards like Favor of the Woods

In the dynamic landscape of Magic: The Gathering, Favor of the Woods stands as an intriguing defensive enchantment. When assessing similar cards, one can’t help but consider the likes of Spider Umbra. This Aura also grants a toughness boost, but with Totem Armor, it offers a protective one-time shield against destruction. In contrast, Favor of the Woods provides ongoing protection with its clause to create a deterrent wolf token during combat.

Exploring further, we find cards like Holy Mantle that also adorn creatures with more than just a boost. Holy Mantle imparts the powerful ability of protection from creatures, meaning the enchanted creature cannot be blocked, attacked, or touched by anything creature-related. While this doesn’t generate blockers like Favor of the Woods, its passive effect on the gameplay can be game-altering.

When considering utility and flexibility, Favor of the Woods might have a narrower appeal, but its unique mechanism of creating a recurring defender sets it apart in decks that seek to capitalize on defensive strategies. Players valuing a persistent board presence might find Favor of the Woods a favorable addition to their MTG arsenal.

Cards similar to Favor of the Woods by color, type and mana cost

The Dragon-Kami Reborn // Dragon-Kami's Egg - MTG Card versions

Rites of Flourishing - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Favor of the Woods MTG card by a specific set like Dark Ascension, 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 Favor of the Woods and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Favor of the Woods has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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