Dutiful Attendant MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Human Warrior
Power 1
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Dutiful Attendant grants card advantage by retrieving creatures from the graveyard to maintain hand volume.
  2. The card’s synergy with instant speed sacrifice outlets can create unexpected and beneficial plays.
  3. Despite its utility, its specific mana cost and comparatively high casting cost can limit deck inclusion.

Text of card

When Dutiful Attendant dies, return another target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.

The dragon who eats the last head in the basket is entitled to the servant's.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dutiful Attendant offers a unique form of card advantage. Upon its demise, you’re able to return another creature from your graveyard to your hand, effectively replacing itself and keeping your hand stocked with options.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly linked to traditional mana acceleration, the return of a creature to your hand via Dutiful Attendant can accelerate your board presence, giving you more resources to deploy on subsequent turns.

Instant Speed: Although Dutiful Attendant’s ability is not at instant speed, pairing it with sacrifice outlets that operate at instant speed can create unexpected plays, allowing you to retrieve key creatures at critical moments during your opponent’s turn or in response to removal.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Dutiful Attendant provides a benefit upon death, the loss of this creature without compensation, unless you have graveyard interactions, can put you at a slight disadvantage by diminishing your board presence.

Specific Mana Cost: Dutiful Attendant requires both colorless and black mana to cast. This could potentially limit its integration into multicolored decks, especially those that prioritize mana flexibility over strict color requirements.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing three mana (two colorless and one black), the card’s ability to return another creature from your graveyard to your hand might not be as cost-effective when compared with other lower-cost creatures or spells that offer similar or broader graveyard retrieval options.


Reasons to Include Dutiful Attendant in Your Collection

Versatility: Dutiful Attendant serves as a reliable way to recur key creatures from your graveyard. This utility makes it a solid addition to a vast array of deck types, from control to combo, ensuring that your pivotal creatures get another chance on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: This card opens the door to numerous combinations in decks that capitalize on creature sacrifice or graveyard manipulation. When strategically paired with other cards, Dutiful Attendant can become an integral piece in a well-oiled combo that further amplifies its utility and impact on the game.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where removal is prevalent and creatures are frequently hitting the graveyard, having access to Dutiful Attendant can be a game-changer. It maintains its relevance by providing a way to reclaim your valued creatures from the graveyard, ensuring you are rarely at a loss for resources even when the board state is not in your favor.


How to beat

Dutiful Attendant is a card that is known for its resilience and the ability to recur other creatures from your graveyard when it dies. To effectively counter this persistent creature, you might want to consider strategies that either exile it or use graveyard disruption. Cards like Scavenging Ooze or Bojuka Bog can help remove Dutiful Attendant and the potential targets it could retrieve from the game entirely.

Additionally, applying pressure with aggressive creature strategies can force an opponent to trade off their Dutiful Attendant before they’re ready or before the graveyard is stocked with valuable targets. Another effective tactic could be to use enchantments like Grafdigger’s Cage to prevent cards from being brought back from the graveyard, which directly neutralizes the Attendant’s ability.

Remember that allowing the Attendant to keep returning key creatures can turn the tides of a match. Therefore, dealing with it in a way that doesn’t simply send it to the graveyard is essential. Sideboard accordingly, and keep an eye out for those key interactions that will mitigate the Attendant’s effectiveness and keep you one step ahead of your opponent.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the depths of MTG’s strategic gameplay is an ongoing quest and Dutiful Attendant is a card that could potentially further your journey. With its unique ability to retrieve creatures upon demise, learning to harness its full potential is key. Understanding both its strengths and limitations aids in making informed decisions that could shape the outcome of your games. For players who seek to maximize their deck’s efficiency with graveyard interactions and want to add a tactical edge to their gameplay, we encourage you to dive deeper into our resources. Unlock the power of Dutiful Attendant and refine your deck to outmaneuver opponents, ensuring you’re always prepared for the battle ahead.


Cards like Dutiful Attendant

Dutiful Attendant serves as a notable piece in the intricate world of creature-based strategies in Magic: The Gathering. It echoes the utility found in cards like Cadaver Imp, which also grants the ability to return a creature from your graveyard to your hand when it enters the battlefield. However, Dutiful Attendant waits until it dies to offer its benefit, adding a strategic layer of timing to its use.

In a similar paradigm is Gravedigger, persisting in this shared space of graveyard resourcefulness. Like Dutiful Attendant, Gravedigger returns a creature from the graveyard to the hand, but does so immediately upon hitting the field. The difference in mana cost between these two also influences deck building decisions, with Gravedigger typically requiring a more substantial mana investment.

To wrap up the discussion, Dutiful Attendant embodies reliability and tactical depth within the creature recovery niche. Although it might not have the instant impact of some alternatives, its synergetic potential in decks that manipulate or benefit from creature death sets it apart as a valuable asset in MTG strategies.

Cadaver Imp - MTG Card versions
Gravedigger - MTG Card versions
Cadaver Imp - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Gravedigger - Portal (POR)

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

Nettling Imp - MTG Card versions
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El-Hajjâj - MTG Card versions
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Sorceress Queen - MTG Card versions
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Deepwood Ghoul - MTG Card versions
Dross Prowler - MTG Card versions
Nim Lasher - MTG Card versions
Nim Abomination - MTG Card versions
Vesper Ghoul - MTG Card versions
Nettling Imp - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Royal Assassin - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
El-Hajjâj - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Plague Rats - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Frozen Shade - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Scathe Zombies - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Sorceress Queen - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Wall of Bone - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Lost Soul - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Mindstab Thrull - Masters Edition (ME1)
Mischievous Poltergeist - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Strongarm Thug - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Razortooth Rats - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Ghastly Remains - Legions (LGN)
Lord of the Undead - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Deepwood Ghoul - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Dross Prowler - Mirrodin (MRD)
Nim Lasher - Mirrodin (MRD)
Nim Abomination - Darksteel (DST)
Vesper Ghoul - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dutiful Attendant MTG card by a specific set like Dragons of Tarkir and Jumpstart, 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 Dutiful Attendant and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dutiful Attendant Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2015-03-27 and 2020-07-17. Illustrated by Aaron Miller.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12015-03-27Dragons of TarkirDTK 992015normalblackAaron Miller
22020-07-17JumpstartJMP 2262015normalblackAaron Miller

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dutiful Attendant has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

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