Selhoff Occultist MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Human Rogue
Abilities Mill
Power 2
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. It enhances deck strategies by turning creature deaths into opportunities for drawing cards.
  2. Occultist fills the graveyard, enabling powerful synergies with other graveyard-centric cards.
  3. Despite its benefits, the card requires careful deck construction to maximize effectiveness.

Text of card

Whenever Selhoff Occultist or another creature dies, target player puts the top card of his or her library into his or her graveyard.

"The mist whispers to those who know it to be more than a mundane fog."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Selhoff Occultist enables you to potentially filter through your deck by putting cards into the graveyard, then letting you draw if a creature was milled this way. Each creature’s death turns into a chance to gain card advantage, keeping your hand replenished for strategic plays.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly creating mana or treasure, the Selhoff Occultist helps fill the graveyard, which can be leveraged with other cards to accelerate resources. This synergy makes her a valuable piece in decks that capitalize on graveyard mechanics and threshold.

Instant Speed: The Occultist doesn’t have instant speed itself, but its triggered ability can occur at instant speed when creatures die. This turns each creature’s demise into an opportunity for resource manipulation and strategic planning, even on your opponent’s turn, ensuring you’re always prepared to make your next move.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging in its game play, Selhoff Occultist necessitates the presence of creature cards on the battlefield or in the graveyard to trigger its ability. This condition can create a bottleneck for players who are unable to maintain a sufficient number of creatures in play, leading to missed opportunities for strategic plays.

Specific Mana Cost: As a card steeped in blue mana, Selhoff Occultist’s cost may be restrictive for decks that are not predominantly blue. This specificity can create challenges in mana flexibility and hinder players from maximizing the diversity of their deck composition.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While its abilities are certainly interesting, the mana investment to bring Selhoff Occultist onto the field could be considered steep. Players often weigh the cost-benefit ratio of each card, and in the case of Selhoff Occultist, some may conclude that the three mana required for a card with modest stats and a situational ability might not always justify its inclusion, particularly when more cost-efficient alternatives are available.


Reasons to Include Selhoff Occultist in Your Collection

Versatility: Selhoff Occultist offers you the ability to fit seamlessly into various deck archetypes. Its milling ability can serve as a strategy cornerstone in self-mill decks or as a disruption tool in any blue-based deck.

Combo Potential: This card interacts wonderfully in combos, particularly in synergies that involve the graveyard. Whether you’re triggering morbid abilities, fueling delve costs, or working with reanimation tactics, Selhoff Occultist can be a key piece in executing complex strategies.

Meta-Relevance: In game environments where graveyard manipulation is critical, Selhoff Occultist proves to be extremely relevant. Its ability to consistently mill cards can be invaluable in long, drawn-out matches, making it a strategic asset against decks that rely on specific combos or cards.


How to beat Selhoff Occultist

Selhoff Occultist is a versatile card in the world of Magic: The Gathering that thrives in decks aiming to leverage graveyard strategies. Notoriously, this card can be an annoyance by incrementally milling an opponent’s library or strategically sending your own cards to the graveyard for later use. To dismantle the advantage that Selhoff Occultist provides, efficient creature removal is key. Spells such as Murder or Doom Blade are effective at removing the Occultist before its abilities can be fully utilized.

Targeted exile effects like Path to Exile or Unmake are also potent since they prevent the card’s ability from triggering when it leaves the battlefield. Another tactic is to limit the Occultist’s utility with graveyard hate cards like Relic of Progenitus or Rest in Peace, which can neutralize its mill strategy by keeping both players’ graveyards empty. When facing a deck utilizing Selhoff Occultist, quick, tactical suppression of the creature and its graveyard synergies ensures the occultist’s presence won’t be a lingering threat.


Cards like Selhoff Occultist

Selhoff Occultist is a notable creature card for any MTG player aiming to utilize graveyard strategies. It shares a thematic kinship with Merfolk Looter, both enabling the user to manipulate their own deck’s flow. Selhoff Occultist goes further by capitalizing on the death of creatures, allowing you to mill cards from yours or an opponent’s deck. In contrast, Merfolk Looter offers direct control over hand contents without relying on external triggers.

Further comparison can be drawn with Drowned Secrets, another card that thrives on milling opponents as you cast blue spells. While Drowned Secrets is non-creature and guarantees a more consistent mill effect, Selhoff Occultist benefits from being a creature, potentially impacting the board presence. Additionally, we have Undead Alchemist, which also turns creature deaths into a mill prospect but specializes in zombie creatures to potentially yield an extensive undead army.

Evaluating these similar cards, Selhoff Occultist positions itself strategically among mill cards by offering flexible utility, functioning both offensively and defensively. Its versatility in responding to other creatures’ demises while adding to your creature count shows its unique role in deck strategies focused on milling opponents or utilizing one’s own graveyard.

Merfolk Looter - MTG Card versions
Drowned Secrets - MTG Card versions
Undead Alchemist - MTG Card versions
Merfolk Looter - Exodus (EXO)
Drowned Secrets - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)
Undead Alchemist - Innistrad (ISD)

Cards similar to Selhoff Occultist by color, type and mana cost

Wall of Water - MTG Card versions
Prodigal Sorcerer - MTG Card versions
Apprentice Wizard - MTG Card versions
Homarid - MTG Card versions
Daring Apprentice - MTG Card versions
Time Elemental - MTG Card versions
Rootwater Shaman - MTG Card versions
Wind Drake - MTG Card versions
Volrath's Shapeshifter - MTG Card versions
Stronghold Biologist - MTG Card versions
Quicksilver Wall - MTG Card versions
Wall of Air - MTG Card versions
Phantom Warrior - MTG Card versions
Wormfang Drake - MTG Card versions
Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - MTG Card versions
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro - MTG Card versions
Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar - MTG Card versions
Queen of Ice // Rage of Winter - MTG Card versions
Mistform Warchief - MTG Card versions
Horned Turtle - MTG Card versions
Wall of Water - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Prodigal Sorcerer - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Apprentice Wizard - The Dark (DRK)
Homarid - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Daring Apprentice - Mirage (MIR)
Time Elemental - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Rootwater Shaman - Tempest (TMP)
Wind Drake - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Volrath's Shapeshifter - Stronghold (STH)
Stronghold Biologist - Nemesis (NEM)
Quicksilver Wall - Prophecy (PCY)
Wall of Air - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Phantom Warrior - Duels of the Planeswalkers (DPA)
Wormfang Drake - Judgment (JUD)
Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro - Commander Legends (CMR)
Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Queen of Ice // Rage of Winter - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Mistform Warchief - Scourge (SCG)
Horned Turtle - Eighth Edition (8ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Selhoff Occultist MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad 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 Selhoff Occultist and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Selhoff Occultist Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2011-09-30 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by Igor Kieryluk.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12011-09-30InnistradISD 732003normalblackIgor Kieryluk
22020-07-17JumpstartJMP 1742015normalblackIgor Kieryluk
32023-03-21Shadows of the PastSIS 212015normalblackIgor Kieryluk

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Selhoff Occultist has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
GladiatorLegal
TimelessLegal

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