Serra Advocate MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Angel
Abilities Flying
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Serra Advocate excels in mid-game, enhancing creature retention without direct card draw benefits.
  2. Offers tempo boost and synergy with instant-speed spells, but lacks direct mana ramp.
  3. Restrictive mana cost and absence of graveyard strategy synergy are key considerations.

Text of card

Flying oc T: Target attacking or blocking creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.

An angel's touch can prepare a soldier for battle more than a thousand military drills.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Serra Advocate shines in mid-game scenarios where maintaining board presence is crucial. While it doesn’t directly allow you to draw cards, the card supports a strategy that helps retain valuable creatures on the battlefield, effectively safeguarding your card investments.

Resource Acceleration: This angelic ally doesn’t provide traditional mana ramp, but what it does offer is a powerful tempo boost. By empowering your other creatures, particularly ones with vigilance, it helps you accelerate the pace at which you can apply pressure and utilize your resources more efficiently.

Instant Speed: Serra Advocate’s usefulness is enhanced by its ability to work well with instant-speed spells. It’s not an instant itself, but its ability to pump up creatures can be leveraged at the right moment – such as during the combat phase – to surprise an opponent and shift the tide of battle in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Serra Advocate makes no direct demands for discarding cards, but this absence does not necessarily position it as a favorable pick in decks focused on leveraging graveyard strategies or emerging synergies tied to discard mechanisms.

Specific Mana Cost: Serra Advocate comes with a mana cost that requires white mana symbols, which could potentially restrict its integration into multi-colored decks, particularly those that do not prioritize white mana or have limited mana-fixing capabilities.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Serra Advocate’s mana cost may appear modest, its ability-to-cost ratio is a point for discussion. In competitive play, other creatures could provide more impactful abilities or offensive presence at a similar or even lower mana investment, prompting players to weigh its inclusion against other cost-efficient alternatives in the deck-building process.


Reasons to Include Serra Advocate in Your Collection

Versatility: Serra Advocate shines due to its flexibility in deck inclusion. Its role as a supporting creature in angel tribal decks or white-based control strategies makes it a valuable asset for diverse playstyles.

Combo Potential: This card interacts well in decks that utilize various flying creatures. Its ability to boost other flyers can be a pivotal move that turns the tides in your favor during gameplay.

Meta-Relevance: In a gaming environment where aerial combat is prominent, Serra Advocate becomes highly relevant. Its presence on the battlefield can elevate the strength of your flying creatures, giving you an edge against opponents who may not anticipate the power boost.


How to beat

Serra Advocate stands out in the angel-themed decks, offering a solid flying defender with the added boon of boosting other flyers’ power during combat. To counter this celestial asset effectively, shutting it down before the combat phase is crucial. Removal spells such as Murder or Doom Blade act as precise answers, instantly clearing the battlefield of the Advocate’s presence. Alternatively, deploying cards like Pacifism can neutralize Serra Advocate without expending the card, effectively grounding the angel and nullifying its empowering abilities.

Board control is equally paramount against decks featuring Serra Advocate. Sweepers like Wrath of God can swiftly clear the board of multiple creatures, undermining the Advocate’s strategic advantage. In competitive play, matching the tempo of an angel strategy with efficient creatures and spells that stifle your opponent’s momentum ensures the Advocate hardly gets the chance to influence the game. Managing the goings-on of the skies is of essence, and strategic timing of your answers will guide you towards victory over the divine prowess of Serra Advocate.


Cards like Serra Advocate

Serra Advocate shines within the realm of aerial combat enhancers in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to give a +2/+2 boost to attacking flying creatures makes it a card that can turn the tide in the skies. When we delve into cards that share a similar space, we find cards like Lyra Dawnbringer. Lyra not only gives other Angels you control +1/+1 but also boasts lifelink, providing a dual advantage of augmenting your creatures’ power and restoring your health.

Moving forward, we also have Empyrean Eagle, a card that acts as a constant buff to flying creatures. Unlike Serra Advocate, which requires activation and only affects a single creature per turn, Empyrean Eagle offers a passive bonus to all flying creatures you control, though with a smaller increment. This difference in mechanics emphasizes Serra Advocate’s role in more tactical and targeted strikes against an opponent’s life total.

Ultimately, considering the context and synergies in your deck, Serra Advocate brings a level of tactical empowerment that can be critically decisive during a well-timed offensive, positioning it as a valuable card amongst its avian-enhancing peers in Magic: The Gathering games.

Lyra Dawnbringer - MTG Card versions
Empyrean Eagle - MTG Card versions
Lyra Dawnbringer - Dominaria Promos (PDOM)
Empyrean Eagle - Core Set 2020 (M20)

Cards similar to Serra Advocate by color, type and mana cost

Northern Paladin - MTG Card versions
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Witch Hunter - MTG Card versions
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Mangara, the Diplomat - MTG Card versions
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Galepowder Mage - MTG Card versions
Kor Cartographer - MTG Card versions
Sunspire Gatekeepers - MTG Card versions
Akroan Mastiff - MTG Card versions
Northern Paladin - Revised Edition (3ED)
Moorish Cavalry - Arabian Nights (ARN)
Witch Hunter - Chronicles (CHR)
Carrier Pigeons - Alliances (ALL)
Tormented Angel - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Seasoned Marshal - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Coalition Honor Guard - Apocalypse (APC)
Mangara, the Diplomat - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Akroma's Devoted - Legions (LGN)
Aven Cloudchaser - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Seht's Tiger - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Valor - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)
Guardian Seraph - Magic 2010 (M10)
Cho-Manno, Revolutionary - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Hero of Bladehold - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Mausoleum Guard - Innistrad (ISD)
Galepowder Mage - Duel Decks: Venser vs. Koth (DDI)
Kor Cartographer - Duel Decks: Venser vs. Koth (DDI)
Sunspire Gatekeepers - Dragon's Maze (DGM)
Akroan Mastiff - Journey into Nyx (JOU)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Serra Advocate MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Destiny and Seventh Edition, 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 Serra Advocate and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Serra Advocate Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 1999-06-07 and 2014-12-05. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11999-06-07Urza's DestinyUDS 191997normalblackScott Hampton
22001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 41★1997normalblackMatthew D. Wilson
32001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 411997normalwhiteMatthew D. Wilson
42009-04-10Duel Decks: Divine vs. DemonicDDC 72003normalblackMatthew D. Wilson
52014-12-05Duel Decks Anthology: Divine vs. DemonicDVD 72015normalblackMatthew D. Wilson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Serra Advocate has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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