Cabal Archon MTG Card


Cabal Archon - Onslaught
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human Cleric
Released2002-10-07
Set symbol
Set nameOnslaught
Set codeONS
Power 2
Toughness 2
Number129
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byPete Venters

Key Takeaways

  1. Cabal Archon ensures staying resourceful by converting creatures into life and drawing power.
  2. It turns excess creatures into strategic advantages, accelerating your gameplay substantially.
  3. Instant-speed synergy with the Archon can decisively optimize your in-game reactions.

Text of card

o B, Sacrifice a Cleric: Target player loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.

"You are weak. I am strong. The protocol is obvious."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Cabal Archon offers a significant boost by letting you convert creatures into essential life points and drawing capabilities, an excellent method for staying ahead in resources.

Resource Acceleration: This card provides a pathway to utilize your late-game surplus of creatures, transforming them into valuable life and furthering your board presence, effectively speeding up your resource management.

Instant Speed: While the Cabal Archon operates at sorcery speed inherently, it pairs exceptionally well with instant-speed cards that provide creatures to sacrifice, allowing you to react swiftly to the state of the game and optimizing your turns for maximum impact.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Players must sacrifice a creature card rather than a straightforward discard, placing a premium on maintaining a creature on the battlefield to utilize the Cabal Archon’s ability.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring black mana exclusively, the deckbuilding flexibility is restricted, compelling players into more monochromatic strategies or demanding a stable mana base to consistently leverage its full potential.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an activation cost that’s hefty, the resources invested in the Cabal Archon could potentially be diverted to more impactful cards that provide immediate value to the battlefield or game state.


Reasons to Include Cabal Archon in Your Collection

Versatility: Cabal Archon serves as a strong addition to any black-based or Orzhov (black and white) Commander deck. This card offers an advantageous way to utilize creatures not just on the battlefield but also in your graveyard, allowing you to extend your reach even after your creatures have been dealt with.

Combo Potential: With its ability to sacrifice another creature for life gain and damage, Cabal Archon works exceptionally well in decks that focus on creature recursion or ones that generate a large number of tokens. This opens up numerous opportunities for synergies and combos in a dedicated deck environment.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where life totals can be a decisive factor, having access to a repeatable life gain and loss mechanism makes Cabal Archon a worthwhile consideration. It can repeatedly affect the board state and life totals, which can hinder opponents’ strategies focused on attrition or aggressive plays.


How to beat

Overcoming Cabal Archon in Magic: The Gathering can be challenging, but with the right strategy, it is possible. The key to defeating this card is disrupting the graveyard synergy it thrives on. Graveyard hate cards that exile cards from the graveyard, such as Rest in Peace or Scavenging Ooze, can effectively neutralize the advantages Cabal Archon offers. Targeted removal spells are also valuable, ensuring the Archon or other key creatures are dealt with before their abilities can be used. Counterspells are equally effective, preventing the Archon from ever hitting the battlefield.

It’s also wise to keep the pressure on your opponent with aggressive plays to prevent them from stabilizing and utilizing the life gain and sacrifice mechanics to their advantage. Additionally, having creatures or permanents that can protect themselves from being sacrificed, such as those with hexproof or indestructible, can leave the Cabal Archon with fewer options. By keeping these strategies in mind, you can tilt the matchup in your favor and mitigate the impact of this powerful card.


Cards like Cabal Archon

The Cabal Archon is a unique piece within the monoblack control archetype of Magic: The Gathering. It shares some similarities with other cards that focus on life gain and creature sacrifices, such as Disciple of Griselbrand. Both cards allow a player to sacrifice creatures to gain life, which can be an important mechanic for stabilizing against aggressive strategies. However, Cabal Archon stands out because it requires creatures of a specific type, in this case, Clerics, which can both limit and focus a strategy.

There’s a kinship to be found with Viscera Seer, a creature that also offers a sacrifice outlet to scry rather than gain life—but it isn’t restricted to a creature type. Though not directly gaining life, the scry mechanic can significantly improve a deck’s performance by shaping future draws. Blood Artist is another card that orbits the same theme, benefiting from creature sacrifices by draining life from opponents, yet it doesn’t offer the control Cabal Archon can exert.

Each card has its niche within Magic: The Gathering, but Cabal Archon provides a specialized role for those who prefer synergetic advantages and recurring life gain, given the right tribal support.

Disciple of Griselbrand - MTG Card versions
Viscera Seer - MTG Card versions
Blood Artist - MTG Card versions
Disciple of Griselbrand - Innistrad (ISD)
Viscera Seer - Magic 2011 (M11)
Blood Artist - Avacyn Restored (AVR)

Cards similar to Cabal Archon by color, type and mana cost

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Nim Abomination - MTG Card versions
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Hypnotic Specter - MTG Card versions
Nettling Imp - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Royal Assassin - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Plague Rats - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
El-Hajjâj - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Frozen Shade - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Scathe Zombies - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Sorceress Queen - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Lost Soul - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Mindstab Thrull - Fifth Edition (5ED)
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)
Hypnotic Specter - Magic Player Rewards 2006 (P06)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Cabal Archon MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught, 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 Cabal Archon and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Cabal Archon has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 It can sacrifice itself.

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