Doomskar Oracle MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Human Cleric
Abilities	Foretell
Released	2021-02-05
Set symbol
Set name	Kaldheim
Set code	KHM
Power	3
Toughness	2
Number	10
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Taylor Ingvarsson

Key Takeaways

Lifegain ability of Doomskar Oracle offers vital sustainability against fast-paced decks.
Foretell mechanic adds strategic depth and timing advantages to gameplay.
Competes for three-drop slot, balancing potential impact against other card choices.

Text of card

Whenever you cast your second spell each turn, you gain 2 life. Foretell (During your turn, you may pay and exile this card from your hand face down. Cast it on a later turn for its foretell cost.)

"Giants and monsters loom on the horizon, and the elves plan to murder our gods!"

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Doomskar Oracle adds value by providing you with an additional card in hand whenever another creature you control dies, assuming you’ve paid the foretell cost. This reinforces your hand and keeps your options open as the game progresses.

Resource Acceleration: The lifegain ability of Doomskar Oracle effectively grants you more staying power, which can be seen as a sort of resource acceleration. It gives you more room to maneuver and enables you to potentially stabilize against aggressive strategies.

Instant Speed: While Doomskar Oracle itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, its foretell mechanic provides a level of flexibility similar to casting spells at instant speed. You can set up your future turns by paying the foretell cost during your turn and later capitalizing on the moment when it’s most opportune to cast Oracle for its reduced cost.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Though Doomskar Oracle’s ability to gain life after casting a second spell is an advantage, it doesn’t offset the fact that it necessitates holding enough cards to play multiple spells in a turn. This situation can lead to a position where the player may have to discard valuable cards just to trigger its ability, which is not always beneficial, especially if the player’s hand is nearly empty.

Specific Mana Cost: While being a white creature does fit well within mono-white or white-centric decks, Doomskar Oracle’s specific mana requirement can be restrictive. Its white mana cost makes it less flexible for decks that run multiple colors that might not always have the right mana available when needed.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost of three, including one white, Doomskar Oracle competes with other cards in the three-drop slot. For three mana, players might expect more impactful creatures or spells that have an immediate effect on the game, rather than a 3/3 creature whose lifegain ability is conditional and may not always be easy to trigger.

Reasons to Include Doomskar Oracle in Your Collection

Versatility: Doomskar Oracle offers a flexible option for decks that require life gain and board presence. It’s a solid inclusion in any white-based deck, providing a creature that can support your life total while also being present for combat or sacrifice strategies.

Combo Potential: This card combines well with mechanics that utilize the life you gain from its abilities. Doomskar Oracle’s potential to create a life advantage can be a catalyst for various synergies within your deck, especially those that include cards like Speaker of the Heavens or Archangel of Thune, which capitalize on life gain.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where aggressive strategies are prevalent, having a reliable source of life gain can be crucial. Doomskar Oracle lets you stabilize against early aggression, making it a card worth considering if you’re building a deck to counter fast-paced opponents.

How to beat

Doomskar Oracle is a versatile creature that can be a thorn in the side of any MTG player. With its life-gain ability on foretell and cast, it can be an integral part of staving off aggressive strategies. However, like every card, it has its Achilles’ heel. Targeted removal spells can efficiently deal with the Oracle before it can gain much life. Consider using efficient removal like Fatal Push or Bloodchief’s Thirst to eliminate it early in the game.

Alternatively, negating the Oracle’s life-gain by utilizing cards that prevent life gain, like Tibalt, Rakish Instigator, can shut down its main advantage. Moreover, sweeping the board with powerful spells before Doomskar Oracle’s effects can stack up also proves to be a sound strategy. Cards such as Wrath of God or the namesake Doomskar can clear the creature away regardless of any accumulated life gain. Lastly, outpacing the life gain with an overwhelming board presence can negate the impact of Doomskar Oracle, making it less of a threat as the game progresses.

In essence, knowing how to manage or circumvent Doomskar Oracle’s life-gain ability can be key in maintaining an edge during a match. Whether it’s through timely removal, life-gain prevention, or overpowering it with a superior board state, there are multiple strategies to handle this pesky creature.

Cards like Doomskar Oracle

Doomskar Oracle offers Magic: The Gathering players a distinctive blend of resilience and adaptability on the battlefield. Its healing ability sets it apart as it allows you to gain life whenever you cast a spell from anywhere other than your hand. While this effect can be compared to life-gain creatures like Ajani’s Welcome, which also grants life whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, the Oracle’s versatility with foretell spells gives it an edge in specific decks.

Impactful in limited formats, Doomskar Oracle is akin to Elvish Visionary, which doesn’t provide life gains but does offer a card draw upon entering the battlefield. Doomskar Oracle’s strength lies in its foretell mechanic, which synergizes well with the card and offers strategic depth and timing advantages. Though less powerful when it comes to immediate impact, its ability to trigger life gain numerous times throughout the game can be pivotal against direct damage or aggro strategies.

When evaluating the usefulness of Doomskar Oracle against similar creatures in MTG, its multiple benefits must be considered. Not only does it provide you with a steady life gain, but it also meshes well with cards featuring foretell, making it an intriguing choice for many deck-building strategies.

Cards similar to Doomskar Oracle by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Doomskar Oracle MTG card by a specific set like Kaldheim, 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 Doomskar Oracle and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Doomskar Oracle has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2021-02-05	Because exiling a card with foretell from your hand is a special action, you can do so any time you have priority during your turn, including in response to spells and abilities. Once you announce you’re taking the action, no other player can respond by trying to remove the card from your hand.
2021-02-05	Casting a foretold card from exile follows the timing rules for that card. If you foretell an instant card, you can cast it as soon as the next player’s turn. In most cases, if you foretell a card that isn’t an instant (or doesn’t have flash), you’ll have to wait until your next turn to cast it.
2021-02-05	If you’re casting a foretold card from exile for its foretell cost, you can’t choose to cast it for any other alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs, such as kicker costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, those must be paid to cast the spell.
2021-02-05	The triggered ability can trigger only once each turn. The ability will resolve before the second spell does. It doesn’t matter if the first spell you cast that turn has resolved, was countered, or is still on the stack.
2021-02-05	The triggered ability triggers only if the creature that has it is on the battlefield as you cast your second spell. Spells you cast in a turn before that creature entered the battlefield will count. In other words, the ability won’t trigger if the creature with the ability is the second spell you cast during a turn or if you have already cast two or more spells by the time that creature enters the battlefield that turn.