Daru Healer MTG Card


Daru Healer - Onslaught
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Human Cleric
Abilities Morph
Released2002-10-07
Set symbol
Set nameOnslaught
Set codeONS
Power 1
Toughness 2
Number19
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byDany Orizio

Key Takeaways

  1. Daru Healer’s instant speed healing disrupts enemy combat and saves crucial creatures.
  2. Its versatile nature makes it a solid addition to various MTG deck strategies.
  3. Despite its benefits, the Healer faces challenges like direct damage spells.

Text of card

oc T: Prevent the next 1 damage that would be dealt to target creature or player this turn. Morph o W (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for o3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Daru Healer itself doesn’t directly provide card draw, its ability to repeatedly prevent damage without the need to tap makes it a persistent presence on the battlefield, effectively preserving your life total and the longevity of your creatures.

Resource Acceleration: Daru Healer may not directly contribute to resource acceleration in the conventional sense of providing mana or ramp, however, its consistent damage prevention can indirectly save resources by reducing the need for spells or abilities to protect your life points or creatures.

Instant Speed: The healing ability of Daru Healer operates at instant speed, giving you the flexibility to respond to your opponent’s actions during their turn. This can disrupt their combat strategies by negating damage to key creatures in the midst of battle or saving them from certain removals that deal damage.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Daru Healer itself does not require a discard, it does become less effective in a hand with fewer cards, reducing the value of its healing over time.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring white mana can make it less versatile in multicolored decks that may not always have the necessary mana available.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing three mana might be steep for a card whose primary function is to heal creatures, especially when alternatives can offer immediate board impact or stronger utility abilities.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: The Daru Healer offers a flexible role in creature-based decks or life gain strategies, making it a handy choice for players who appreciate adaptable cards that can fit into multiple deck types.

Combo Potential: As a life gain enabler, Daru Healer synergizes well with mechanics that trigger off health increases or creature abilities, opening the door to a variety of interesting combos within the game.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where aggressive strategies are prevalent, Daru Healer can provide essential longevity, helping to stabilize your board presence and offset damage from fast-paced opponents.


How to beat

Daru Healer is a stalwart combatant on the battlefield, capable of tilting the scales in a prolonged match when it comes to creature survivability. Its ability to regenerate other creatures positions it as an invaluable asset for those looking to sustain their forces against relentless assault. However, overcoming the Daru Healer is not a herculean task. One effective method is by leveraging spells that prevent regeneration or remove creatures from the game entirely, sidestepping the Healer’s regenerative capabilities entirely.

Direct damage spells are another avenue to bypass this persistent healer. Since regeneration shields a creature from destruction for one lethal damage event, dealing damage multiple times in a turn can overwhelm the Healer’s protective power. Thus, instants and abilities that can inflict damage repeatedly or at instant speed during combat can nullify the Healer’s regeneration.

In essence, by utilizing the appropriate removal spells or overwhelming force, one can neutralize the Daru Healer’s influence on the match. Remaining vigilant and adaptable with your strategies ensures that you can handle this and other potent support cards that your opponent may deploy.


Cards like Daru Healer

Daru Healer, found within the MTG universe, introduces strategic life-gain elements to the battlefield. Resembling the functionality of cards like Leonin Relic-Warder, Daru Healer offers a consistent life increment each turn. Unlike Leonin Relic-Warder, which has an exile ability tied to artifacts and enchantments, Daru Healer focuses purely on life moderation which can be pivotal in protracted matches.

Another card in the same sphere as Daru Healer is the Veteran Swordsmith. Both provide utility, with Veteran Swordsmith conferring an attack boost to other Soldiers. For players steering a Soldier-themed deck, the cumulative effects of Daru Healer and Veteran Swordsmith can shape a formidable front. Then there’s Suture Priest, a creature that fulfills a dual role – penalizing opponents for creature plays and healing its controller, thus, expanding on Daru Healer’s life-centric design.

In drawing a parallel, Daru Healer stands out in MTG for those valuing sustained life-gains, especially in decks aimed at withstanding aggressive strategies. It’s a card that, while not flashy, serves as a steady building block in life-gain focused decks.

Leonin Relic-Warder - MTG Card versions
Veteran Swordsmith - MTG Card versions
Suture Priest - MTG Card versions
Leonin Relic-Warder - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Veteran Swordsmith - Magic 2010 (M10)
Suture Priest - New Phyrexia (NPH)

Cards similar to Daru Healer by color, type and mana cost

Argivian Blacksmith - MTG Card versions
Jamuraan Lion - MTG Card versions
Snow Hound - MTG Card versions
Elvish Healer - MTG Card versions
Femeref Knight - MTG Card versions
Border Guard - MTG Card versions
Stern Marshal - MTG Card versions
Benalish Knight - MTG Card versions
Regal Unicorn - MTG Card versions
Wild Griffin - MTG Card versions
Pianna, Nomad Captain - MTG Card versions
Dogged Hunter - MTG Card versions
Diving Griffin - MTG Card versions
Faithful Squire // Kaiso, Memory of Loyalty - MTG Card versions
Kitsune Palliator - MTG Card versions
Freewind Equenaut - MTG Card versions
Sanctum Guardian - MTG Card versions
Field Marshal - MTG Card versions
Kithkin Healer - MTG Card versions
Kor Hookmaster - MTG Card versions
Argivian Blacksmith - Antiquities (ATQ)
Jamuraan Lion - Media Inserts (PMEI)
Snow Hound - Ice Age (ICE)
Elvish Healer - Ice Age (ICE)
Femeref Knight - Mirage (MIR)
Border Guard - Portal (POR)
Stern Marshal - Portal (POR)
Benalish Knight - Anthologies (ATH)
Regal Unicorn - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Wild Griffin - Starter 2000 (S00)
Pianna, Nomad Captain - Odyssey (ODY)
Dogged Hunter - Odyssey (ODY)
Diving Griffin - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Faithful Squire // Kaiso, Memory of Loyalty - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Kitsune Palliator - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Freewind Equenaut - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Sanctum Guardian - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Field Marshal - Coldsnap (CSP)
Kithkin Healer - Lorwyn (LRW)
Kor Hookmaster - Zendikar (ZEN)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Daru Healer 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 Daru Healer and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Daru Healer has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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