Timely Hordemate MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Human Warrior
Abilities	Raid
Released	2014-09-26
Set symbol
Set name	Khans of Tarkir
Set code	KTK
Power	3
Toughness	2
Number	27
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Steve Prescott

Key Takeaways

Timely Hordemate excels in reviving low-power creatures, providing card advantage without spending extra mana.
In multicolor decks, the creature’s specific mana needs may limit its inclusion and utility.
Strategically countering graveyard synergies is pivotal in negating Timely Hordemate’s recurrence strength.

Text of card

Raid — When Timely Hordemate enters the battlefield, if you attacked with a creature this turn, return target creature card with converted mana cost 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The ability of Timely Hordemate to return a creature with power 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield can be a significant source of card advantage. Reanimating key creatures extends your resources and keeps the pressure on your opponent without expending additional cards from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: Timely Hordemate enables a form of resource acceleration by recouping value from creatures in your graveyard. Although the card itself doesn’t provide mana acceleration, it effectively saves mana by retrieving creatures that you would otherwise have to spend more mana to cast from your hand or library.

Instant Speed: While Timely Hordemate itself does not have instant speed, the creatures it reanimates could have abilities that are beneficial at instant speed. Having access to creatures with instant-speed capabilities retrieved by Timely Hordemate can disrupt an opponent’s strategy and provide tactical advantages during their turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging your Timely Hordemate means sacrificing another card in your hand, which can be detrimental when you’re already struggling with card advantage on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: The creature requires a precise blend of mana to cast—one white and three others—which can be limiting in multicolor decks not heavily featuring white.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of four mana, Timely Hordemate can be a bit steep, especially when there are other creatures and spells at lower mana costs that offer similar or better board presence and overall value.

Reasons to Include Timely Hordemate in Your Collection

Versatility: Timely Hordemate is a flexible addition to any deck that is heavy on creatures. Its ability to return a creature from the graveyard to the battlefield is beneficial in a wide array of strategies, particularly in decks that focus on creature-based synergies.

Combo Potential: The card brings exceptional combo potential, enabling players to recur valuable creatures with enter the battlefield effects, or to loop creatures that have died earlier in the game. This can set off a chain reaction of advantageous events, allowing for game-changing plays.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creatures are constantly rotated between the battlefield and the graveyard, having a card like Timely Hordemate can give you a distinct advantage. Its ability to recover key creatures can be a pivotal move in maintaining board presence and outmaneuvering opponents who rely on removal to control the game.

How to beat

The Timely Hordemate card in Magic: The Gathering introduces strategic depth to the battlefield, emphasizing synergy with creatures entering from the graveyard. It is most potent when paired with creatures that have enter-the-battlefield effects or those that offer value upon death. To counteract the advantages Timely Hordemate provides to your opponent, it’s essential to have a strategy that limits graveyard interactions.

A robust approach includes using graveyard hate cards such as Rest in Peace or Scavenging Ooze to remove creatures before the Hordemate can retrieve them. Another tactic is to control the board with removal spells or counterspells, ensuring that the Hordemate either never hits the board or lacks valuable targets to return. Timing is crucial — interrupting the opponent’s plays during their most vulnerable moments can render the Hordemate less effective.

Ultimately, overcoming the recursive power of Timely Hordemate isn’t about focusing on the card itself but disrupting the broader strategy it supports. By anticipating and dealing with graveyard-based plays, you maintain an upper hand against opponents utilizing this cunning ally.

Cards like Timely Hordemate

Timely Hordemate stands out in the Magic: The Gathering realm as a card focused on alliance and restoration. Its closest relatives in terms of utility are creatures like Sun Titan, which also have the ability to return a card from the graveyard to the battlefield. Sun Titan, although higher in mana cost, has a more powerful recurring effect and a greater impact on the board with every attack or entrance.

Comparatively, we have Bishop of Rebirth which shares the same principle as Timely Hordemate, but offers a repeated effect with its Vigilance ability, creating opportunities every combat phase. Although Bishop of Rebirth has a larger mana cost, its ongoing utility can exceed Timely Hordemate’s one-time rally. Marshal’s Anthem is another card that mirrors the resurrection theme, enabling multiple creatures to return from the graveyard with a kicker cost. This enchantment offers scalability unlike Timely Hordemate’s single-use ability.

Overall, Timely Hordemate presents an interesting choice for players aiming for a timely recovery during a match. While it might not have the recurrent strength of its counterparts, its lower cost and immediate effect can prove advantageous in the delicate dance of battlefield presence.

Cards similar to Timely Hordemate by color, type and mana cost

Coalition Honor Guard - MTG Card versions

Mangara, the Diplomat - MTG Card versions

Cho-Manno, Revolutionary - MTG Card versions

Sunspire Gatekeepers - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Timely Hordemate MTG card by a specific set like Khans of Tarkir, 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 Timely Hordemate and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Timely Hordemate has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2018-01-19	Raid abilities care only that you attacked with a creature. It doesn’t matter how many creatures you attacked with, or which opponent or planeswalker controlled by an opponent those creatures attacked.
2018-01-19	Raid abilities evaluate the entire turn to see if you attacked with a creature. That creature doesn’t have to still be on the battlefield. Similarly, the player or planeswalker it attacked doesn’t have to still be in the game or on the battlefield, respectively.