Emissary of Hope MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Spirit
Abilities	Flying
Released	2004-02-06
Set symbol
Set name	Darksteel
Set code	DST
Power	2
Toughness	1
Number	3
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	rk post

Key Takeaways

Provides card advantage and aids in deck resource acceleration, enhancing gameplay strategies.
Demanding specific mana and discard requirements can impede deck fluidity and efficiency.
Versatile in life-gain themed decks, it solidifies its place in artifact-heavy strategies.

Text of card

Flying Whenever Emissary of Hope deals combat damage to a player, you gain 1 life for each artifact that player controls.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Emissary of Hope shines when it comes down to refilling your hand with valuable resources. When the conditions are met, the card rewards players by generating an additional creature card, giving a boost in options and strategies during play.

Resource Acceleration: Emissary of Hope can serve as a pivotal piece in ramping up your mana resources. By contributing to the board state while also potentially decreasing the opponent’s, it provides an avenue to outpace adversaries and deploy threats or defenses more swiftly.

Instant Speed: This card’s capability to operate at instant speed offers versatility and strategic depth. It allows you to optimize your turn by reacting to opponents’ actions, thereby keeping them guessing and providing the element of surprise which could turn the tide of the game in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Emissary of Hope asks you to discard another card when tapping it for its ability, which can be costly if your hand is already running low on cards. This condition could potentially set back your game strategy, especially if you’re discarding critical pieces of your deck’s engine.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a specific mix of mana colors to cast. If your deck isn’t built around those particular colors, you may find it challenging to summon Emissary of Hope without prolonging its play or having to revise your mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a total mana value that’s above the curve for its abilities, Emissary of Hope may not provide the efficiency competitive players look for. Other options in the game might give you a better advantage for the same, if not less, mana investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Emissary of Hope can seamlessly slide into multiple types of decks, providing a crucial life gain that can tip the scales in a close match. This card excels in decks looking to build around life gain triggers or to simply bolster their defensive strategies.

Combo Potential: With every artifact your opponent controls, Emissary of Hope grants you life, setting up potential combos with cards that thrive off life gain or use life as a resource. It can be an integral piece in an engine designed to outpace your adversary through incremental advantage.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state dominated by artifact-heavy decks, Emissary of Hope becomes much more than a simple creature. It transforms into a consistent source of life, diminishing the impact of your opponent’s offensive strategies and keeping you firmly in the game.

How to beat

Emissary of Hope presents a strategic layer with its life-gain ability, especially in decks that capitalize on life total as a resource. On the surface, this card may seem daunting with the potential to continuously bolster your opponent’s life. To effectively counter it, removing creatures is key. Utilize spells that can exile or destroy without targeting, circumventing any protective measures such as hexproof.

Board wipes, like Wrath of God or Damnation, can clear the Emissary without the need for targeting. If you’re facing a deck with robust graveyard strategies, consider using Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void to prevent any from-the-graveyard shenanigans that could bring it back. It’s crucial to limit the lifegain avenues to keep the game in your control.

Adjusting your gameplay to include incidental life loss for your opponent, such as through cards like Sulfuric Vortex, can also counteract the lifegain from Emissary of Hope. With the right strategy and reactive plays, this creature can be managed, keeping you one step ahead in the match.

Cards like Emissary of Hope

Emissary of Hope finds its place among creature cards with a life-gain theme in Magic: The Gathering. It closely resembles creatures like Soul Warden, which also earns life for the controller whenever another creature enters the battlefield. Emissary of Hope adds to this by specifically rewarding the presence of artifact creatures, offering a focused bonus in decks that are heavy on artifacts.

Another peer in the MTG universe is Healer’s Hawk, a low-cost, flying creature that lends life through its lifelink ability with each successful attack. While the Emissary waits on the sideline for artifact creatures to come into play, Healer’s Hawk can proactively gain life with direct combat. Moving to a slightly different functionality, we have Ajani’s Pridemate, growing stronger with every instance of life gain, whereas Emissary of Hope offers a fixed benefit per occurrence.

Assessing these cards alongside Emissary of Hope, it’s clear that each one provides a unique advantage to life-gain strategies, with the Emissary being particularly synergistic in artifact-centric decks in MTG. It underscores the variety and strategy depth players can explore when integrating life-gain elements into their playstyle.

Cards similar to Emissary of Hope by color, type and mana cost

Pianna, Nomad Captain - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Emissary of Hope MTG card by a specific set like Darksteel, 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 Emissary of Hope and other MTG cards: