Senate Guildmage MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Human Wizard |
| Released | 2019-01-25 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Ravnica Allegiance |
| Set code | RNA |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
| Number | 204 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | normal |
| Border | black |
| Illustred by | G-host Lee |
Key Takeaways
- Senate Guildmage offers card advantage and instant-speed flexibility, vital for dynamic gameplay and resource management.
- Mana abilities help multicolor decks, but required discarding and specific mana costs can limit its play.
- Versatile and meta-relevant, Senate Guildmage’s card and life gain abilities sync well with control strategies.
Text of card
, : You gain 2 life. , : Draw a card, then discard a card.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Senate Guildmage provides players with the ability to draw extra cards, ensuring you have a variety of options in your hand to respond to the game’s evolving dynamics. This utility can be the difference between victory and defeat as it keeps your resources plentiful.
Resource Acceleration: The Guildmage’s mana ability allows you to effectively filter mana, which can be incredibly helpful in multicolor decks that require precise mana management to execute their strategy.
Instant Speed: Its activated abilities can be used at instant speed, offering flexibility and strategic depth. You can end your opponent’s turn with a fresh card in hand or keep your life total healthy, adjusting to threats on the fly without compromising your game plan.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Engaging in Senate Guildmage’s abilities often requires the player to discard a card. This effect can deplete your hand quickly, making it less than ideal during moments when maintaining card advantage is crucial.
Specific Mana Cost: Senate Guildmage has an activation cost that demands both blue and white mana, restricting its seamless inclusion to only Azorius or multicolored decks. This can limit the card’s versatility in a broader range of decks that don’t support these colors.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Senate Guildmage possesses utility, the mana investment for its abilities can be steep in comparison to other cards at the same cost curve. Allocating resources for its activation can sometimes lead to a lower tempo, affecting the overall efficiency of your plays.
Reasons to Include Senate Guildmage in Your Collection
Versatility: Senate Guildmage offers a broad utility to control and midrange decks. Easily slotting into Azorius color schemes, it can manipulate the game pace by its card draw or life gain abilities.
Combo Potential: With its tapping ability, it can easily integrate into tap-untap synergies. This guildmage can be a key piece in combos, providing card advantage or life buffer as the situation requires.
Meta-Relevance: Given a control-oriented or slow meta, the Guildmage’s ability to draw extra cards helps players find answers or threats, while its life gain can be crucial for stabilizing against aggressive decks.
How to beat
The Senate Guildmage card is a tactical asset for any MTG player who values versatility on the battlefield. As a multifaceted blue and white creature, it echoes the adaptability of cards like Azorius Charm, offering both a mana-efficient card draw and life gain mechanics. However, to effectively counter it, one should focus on timing and disruption.
First, it’s crucial to observe the Guildmage’s loyalty to the control archetype, often waiting for the perfect moment to utilize its abilities. To destabilize this, instant-speed removal spells such as Fatal Push or Path to Exile can be deployed to eliminate the Guildmage before it accrues any value. In addition, since it requires tapping to activate its abilities, making your move during the opponent’s upkeep can maximize your window of opportunity.
Moreover, countering it requires a strategy that disrupts the mana base. Land destruction or mana denial strategies can strain your opponent’s resources, limiting their ability to deploy and utilize the Senate Guildmage. By meticulously choosing when to apply pressure and targeting the mana sources, you can undermine the card’s potential and maintain control over the game’s momentum.
Cards like Senate Guildmage
The Senate Guildmage is another compelling card for Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts who appreciate flexibility and control in their deck. Mirroring the versatility of cards like Azorius Guildmage, Senate Guildmage offers both a tap ability to draw a card and a separate tap option to gain life, which can be pivotal in protracted matches. However, unlike Azorius Guildmage, which can stifle an opponent’s play through its ability to counter spells, Senate Guildmage focuses on providing consistent card advantage and life maintenance.
Comparable in adaptability to the Sage of Epityr, the Senate Guildmage allows players to shape their strategic approach to the game. Sage of Epityr, while it doesn’t feature the tap-for-life gain, presents a strong scry ability, setting the stage for future draws. The key differentiation between Senate Guildmage and Sage of Epityr resides in the direct card draw capability the former holds, ensuring immediate hand enhancement.
Although not a direct comparison, Deputy of Detention serves a similar role in blue and white decks, offering control by removing opponent’s threats. However, Senate Guildmage affords a more passive form of control by buffing your own game state over removing your opponent’s pieces.
Senate Guildmage stands out by virtue of its dual functionality. It caters to players who seek a blend of life gain and card draw to withstand against opponents in MTG, marking its unique spot among multitalented cards.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Senate Guildmage MTG card by a specific set like 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 Senate Guildmage 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 Magic products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Senate Guildmage 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 |
