Teysa Karlov MTG Card
2019-01-25 - Number 212p
2019-01-25 - Number 212
2019-01-25 - Number 212s
2023-04-21 - Number 126
2023-04-21 - Number 191z
2023-04-21 - Number 61
2023-04-21 - Number 191
2023-08-04 - Number 359
2023-08-04 - Number 593
2023-08-04 - Number 688
2019-12-02 - Number 1235
2023-08-04 - Number 60
| Card sets | Released in 12 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Human Advisor |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Key Takeaways
- Increases card draw and resource generation by enhancing death-triggered effects from creatures.
- Requires careful mana balancing and may dictate the pacing of your deck’s strategy.
- Offers powerful synergies for graveyard-centric decks, amplifying their competitive edge.
Guide to Vigilance card ability
In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.
Text of card
If a creature dying causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time. Creature tokens you control have vigilance and lifelink.
While Kaya is guildmaster, Teysa waits patiently at the center of the Orzhov web of power.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Teysa Karlov doubles death-triggered abilities from other permanents you control, which can lead to drawing more cards with effects like those from ‘Midnight Reaper’ or ‘Grim Haruspex.’
Resource Acceleration: By amplifying the impact of tokens and counter producers like ‘Pitiless Plunderer’ or ‘Cruel Celebrant,’ Teysa can significantly bolster your resource generation, thereby accelerating your gameplay and enhancing your board state.
Instant Speed: While Teysa herself does not operate at instant speed, her ability to enhance sacrifice outlets such as ‘Village Rites’ allows for instant-speed interactions, giving players the flexibility to respond to opponents’ actions with impactful sacrifices for value.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Teysa Karlov mandates players to often balance their hand resources carefully. While the card itself doesn’t require discarding, building a strategy around her abilities may lead to situations where crucial cards must be discarded to optimize her Deathharmonicon effect.
Specific Mana Cost: Her casting cost requires a precise combination of white and black mana, which confines her primarily to Orzhov decks or those with a reliable mana base, potentially restricting deck-building flexibility.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a converted mana cost of four, Teysa Karlov demands a significant investment, which might not always align with an efficient mana curve, especially considering other cards in the same slot may provide immediate impact on the game state.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Teysa Karlov is a dynamic option for players crafting decks with a focus on creature abilities. Her unique ability to double death triggers amplifies strategies in both Commander and Standard formats.
Combo Potential: Teysa enhances combos that revolve around creature death, synergizing with cards like “Pitiless Plunderer” or “Revel in Riches” for explosive results. She can be a linchpin in decks designed around sacrificing creatures for value.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where graveyard-based strategies are prevalent, Teysa Karlov provides a powerful engine that can match the pace of the most competitive decks. Her presence on the battlefield can quickly tilt games in your favor through consistent value generation.
How to beat
Overcoming Teysa Karlov in a game of Magic: The Gathering requires a keen understanding of her unique abilities that double death-triggered effects and bolster your tokens. One efficient strategy to counteract Teysa’s influence is by minimizing death-triggered benefits through targeted removal spells and exiling effects. Cards like Path to Exile disrupt your opponent’s board without triggering death effects. Graveyard hate cards, such as Rest in Peace, can negate all death-triggered advantages by removing cards from graveyards entirely.
Another approach is containment. Enchantment-based answers such as Imprison in the Moon or Darksteel Mutation can neutralize Teysa without killing her, thus steering clear of triggering any unwanted effects. It’s essential to manage your threats efficiently and keep a close eye on your opponent’s graveyard and board state. A proactive and well-timed sideboard strategy can be crucial.
To ensure you retain the upper hand against a Teysa Karlov deck, emphasize persistent control, and stifle death-triggered payoffs while advancing your own game plan. By doing so, Teysa’s formidable presence can be effectively kept in check, preserving your path to victory.
Cards like Teysa Karlov
Teysa Karlov stands out as a dynamic figure among legendary creatures in MTG. Her ability to double the triggers from creature death effects echoes the power of cards such as Panharmonicon, which amplifies the abilities of other permanents. Teysa, however, is more specific in her function, targeting only abilities triggered by dying creatures or tokens. This narrow focus is balanced by her additional capacity to grant vigilance and lifelink to tokens, a unique blend of abilities not commonly found on a single card.
Comparing her to other influential orzhov cards, we can look at the Ghost Councils of Orzhova and Obzedat. Both are celebrated for their resilience and life-draining features, yet neither can match Teysa’s innate ability to enhance the performance of other creatures in a token or sacrifice-based deck. While similar in color identity and thematic elements, they are deployed for distinctly different strategies within the game.
In reviewing the landscape of MTG cards that generate and benefit from creature deaths, Teysa Karlov indeed secures a special place. Her synergy with token strategies and the exponential potential of her ability provide a powerful tool for players seeking to maximize the impact of every creature’s demise.
Cards similar to Teysa Karlov by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Teysa Karlov MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica Allegiance Promos and Ravnica Allegiance, 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 Teysa Karlov and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Teysa Karlov Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2019-01-25 and 2023-08-04. Illustrated by 4 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019-01-25 | Ravnica Allegiance Promos | PRNA | 212p | 2015 | Normal | Black | Magali Villeneuve | |
| 2 | 2019-01-25 | Ravnica Allegiance | RNA | 212 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Magali Villeneuve | |
| 3 | 2019-01-25 | Ravnica Allegiance Promos | PRNA | 212s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Magali Villeneuve | |
| 4 | Secret Lair Drop | SLD | 1235 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Tsubonari | ||
| 5 | 2023-04-21 | Multiverse Legends | MUL | 126 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Magali Villeneuve | |
| 6 | 2023-04-21 | Multiverse Legends | MUL | 191z | 2015 | Normal | Black | Barbara Rosiak | |
| 7 | 2023-04-21 | Multiverse Legends | MUL | 61 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Barbara Rosiak | |
| 8 | 2023-04-21 | Multiverse Legends | MUL | 191 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Barbara Rosiak | |
| 9 | 2023-08-04 | Commander Masters | CMM | 359 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Magali Villeneuve | |
| 10 | 2023-08-04 | Commander Masters | CMM | 593 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Magali Villeneuve | |
| 11 | Commander Masters Art Series | ACMM | 60 | 2015 | Art series | Borderless | |||
| 12 | 2023-08-04 | Commander Masters | CMM | 688 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Jack Hughes |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Teysa Karlov has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| 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 Teysa Karlov card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2019-01-25 | An ability of a permanent that triggers when a card is put into a graveyard “from anywhere” triggers twice only if Teysa and that permanent are both still on the battlefield immediately after the creature has died. |
| 2019-01-25 | An ability that triggers on an event that causes a creature to die doesn't trigger twice. For example, an ability that triggers “whenever you sacrifice a creature” triggers only once. |
| 2019-01-25 | An ability that triggers when a creature “leaves the battlefield” will trigger twice if that creature leaves the battlefield by dying. |
| 2019-01-25 | If a creature dying at the same time as Teysa (including Teysa itself dying) causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time. |
| 2019-01-25 | If a creature dying at the same time that another permanent you control leaves the battlefield causes a triggered ability of that permanent to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time. |
| 2019-01-25 | If you somehow control two Teysas, a creature dying causes abilities to trigger three times, not four. A third Teysa causes abilities to trigger four times, a fourth causes abilities to trigger five times, and so on. This also means that if you control Teysa and cast a second one, an ability that triggers when it dies due to the “legend rule” triggers three times. |
| 2019-01-25 | Look at each creature as it exists on the battlefield, taking into account continuous effects, to determine whether any triggered abilities will trigger multiple times. For example, if a land that has become a creature dies, an ability that triggers when it dies triggers twice. |
| 2019-01-25 | Teysa affects a creature's own “when this creature dies” triggered abilities as well as other triggered abilities that trigger when that creature dies. Such triggered abilities start with “when” or “whenever.” |
| 2019-01-25 | Teysa's effect doesn't copy the triggered ability; it just causes the ability to trigger twice. Any choices made as you put the ability onto the stack, such as modes and targets, are made separately for each instance of the ability. Any choices made on resolution, such as whether to pay a cost for that triggered ability, are also made separately. |
| 2019-01-25 | The trigger event doesn't have to specifically refer to “creatures.” In these cases, the trigger event may also refer to something being “put into a graveyard from the battlefield.” For example, an ability that triggers “whenever an artifact is put into a graveyard from the battlefield” would trigger twice if an artifact creature dies while Teysa Karlov is on the battlefield. |
