Containment Priest MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Human Cleric
Abilities Flash
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides control over the board, hindering creatures from entering without being cast.
  2. Strategic asset for reactive play with flash, impacting the flow of the game.
  3. Essential for counteracting graveyard-centric and cheating tactics in MTG.
Flash card art

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.

Text of card

Flash If a nontoken creature would enter the battlefield and it wasn't cast, exile it instead.

Some protection requires a bit of finesse.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Containment Priest is a powerful play against opponents utilizing creature cheats, effectively disrupting strategies that bypass casting from the hand. This can lead to significant card advantage if it prevents multiple creatures from entering the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: Although Containment Priest does not directly accelerate resources, its ability to control the board state indirectly accelerates your game plan by keeping opposing threats at bay, ensuring your resources are allocated efficiently.

Instant Speed: With the ability to flash in Containment Priest, the card becomes an invaluable tool allowing you to respond on your opponent’s turn. This instant-speed interaction can catch an opponent off-guard, turning the tide of the match in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike some utility creatures, Containment Priest does not provide a card advantage upon entry. In a game where card resources are pivotal, this can lower the tempo especially if played without strategically planning its timing.

Specific Mana Cost: Containment Priest necessitates white mana for casting, which can be restrictive. Players running multicolored decks may find this mana specificity challenging, especially when trying to maintain a smooth mana curve and efficient resource allocation throughout the game.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While two mana isn’t exorbitant, there are times when even this can feel steep. If you’re looking to exert early pressure or maintain a swift pace, allocating two mana to cast a creature with its specific effect might not always align with your broader strategy, particularly when there are alternative lower-cost cards that could fit more seamlessly into your game plan.


Reasons to Include Containment Priest in Your Collection

Versatility: The Containment Priest is a card that offers a broad range of utility across various deck types. Its flash ability allows it to be played at virtually any time, making it a great response to adversaries’ plays, especially in formats where creatures are often cheated onto the battlefield.

Combo Potential: Not only does Containment Priest disrupt opponent strategies, it can also be a key piece in compromising opposing combos that rely on creature tokens or reanimation tactics. This synergy makes it a valuable addition to decks looking to maintain control of the game state.

Meta-Relevance: Given its ability to prevent creatures from entering the battlefield unless they are cast, Containment Priest is highly relevant in metagames that favor graveyard strategies or decks that utilize cheating creatures into play. It provides a necessary check on these prevalent strategies, cementing its place in a well-rounded collection.


How to beat

Containment Priest is a formidable tool for players keen on disrupting opponents that heavily rely on cheating creatures onto the battlefield. Its ability to exile any creature that hasn’t been cast can be a major roadblock for strategies hinging on reanimation, “blink” effects, or cards like “Aether Vial.” One effective countermeasure against the priest is utilizing instant-speed removal spells before executing your creature-based strategy. Cards like “Fatal Push” or “Lightning Bolt” can remove the priest before it establishes its control.

Alternatively, countering Containment Priest as it’s cast can prevent the disruptive effect altogether, protecting your graveyard-centric plays. Ensure to have counter spells like “Negate” or “Dovin’s Veto” at the ready when facing a deck that may run this kind of interference. Another strategy involves baiting out the priest with a less crucial creature before playing more significant threats, thereby navigating around its ability. While Containment Priest can initially seem overwhelming, remember that understanding its presence and preparing your deck with precise answers can tip the scales back in your favor.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the art of MTG involves strategic card choices, and a card like Containment Priest can make a world of difference when dealing with decks that dodge traditional gameplay. As you curate your collection and optimize your deck, it’s essential to consider utility cards that enhance your odds in the evolving meta. Containment Priest serves as a formidable adversary against certain strategies, making for a strategic addition to your arsenal. Interested in gaining an edge with this extraordinary card? Discover how Containment Priest can redefine your matches and bolster your deck’s resilience. Let’s elevate your understanding and guide you to victory.


Cards like Containment Priest

Containment Priest has carved its niche within Magic: The Gathering as a potent answer to decks that focus on cheating creatures onto the battlefield. This piece compares to cards like Hallowed Moonlight and Grafdigger’s Cage. Both these cards also disrupt strategies revolving around utilising graveyards or special summoning mechanics. However, Containment Priest brings its unique twist to the game, by being a creature itself, which provides a body for defense or offense on top of its control ability.

Another close relative in terms of effects is Tocatli Honor Guard, which shares the ability to dampen creatures entering the battlefield with abilities but applies more broadly to all creatures entering from anywhere, not just special summons that evade casting. While the Honor Guard impacts all kinds of creature spells, Containment Priest is specifically tuned to spoil the opponent’s non-traditional plays. Furthermore, Containment Priest can also be flashed in unexpectedly, giving players an ace up their sleeve to surprise opponents.

Gauging the subtle yet important differences among these similar cards, Containment Priest stands out as a strategic option for players aiming to hinder opponent’s reanimation or artifact cheating tactics. Its duality as a utility creature and an on-guard effect holder makes it a valuable asset in Magic: The Gathering gameplay.

Hallowed Moonlight - MTG Card versions
Grafdigger's Cage - MTG Card versions
Tocatli Honor Guard - MTG Card versions
Hallowed Moonlight - Magic Origins (ORI)
Grafdigger's Cage - Dark Ascension (DKA)
Tocatli Honor Guard - Ixalan (XLN)

Cards similar to Containment Priest by color, type and mana cost

White Knight - MTG Card versions
Soul Shepherd - MTG Card versions
Soltari Monk - MTG Card versions
Talon Sliver - MTG Card versions
Keeper of the Light - MTG Card versions
Faith Healer - MTG Card versions
Angelic Page - MTG Card versions
Avenger en-Dal - MTG Card versions
Spirit Weaver - MTG Card versions
Voice of the Blessed - MTG Card versions
Stoneforge Mystic - MTG Card versions
Drannith Magistrate - MTG Card versions
Leonin Lightscribe - MTG Card versions
Silver Knight - MTG Card versions
Longbow Archer - MTG Card versions
Silverflame Squire // On Alert - MTG Card versions
Flumph - MTG Card versions
Cloudreach Cavalry - MTG Card versions
Samite Healer - MTG Card versions
Kor Firewalker - MTG Card versions
White Knight - Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons (DDG)
Soul Shepherd - Weatherlight (WTH)
Soltari Monk - Tempest (TMP)
Talon Sliver - Tempest (TMP)
Keeper of the Light - Exodus (EXO)
Faith Healer - Urza's Saga (USG)
Angelic Page - Urza's Saga (USG)
Avenger en-Dal - Nemesis (NEM)
Spirit Weaver - Invasion (INV)
Voice of the Blessed - Innistrad: Crimson Vow (VOW)
Stoneforge Mystic - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Drannith Magistrate - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
Leonin Lightscribe - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Silver Knight - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Longbow Archer - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Silverflame Squire // On Alert - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Flumph - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Cloudreach Cavalry - Legions (LGN)
Samite Healer - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Kor Firewalker - Mystery Booster (MB1)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Containment Priest MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Commander 2014, 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 Containment Priest and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Containment Priest Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2014-11-07 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 819182015normalblackJesper Ejsing
22014-11-07Commander 2014C14 52015normalblackJohn Stanko
32015-11-18Legendary Cube Prize PackPZ1 22015normalblackJohn Stanko
42017-04-28Amonkhet InvocationsMP2 32015normalborderlessIgor Kieryluk
52018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 112015normalblackJohn Stanko
62020-07-03Core Set 2021M21 3142015normalborderlessJesper Ejsing
72020-07-03Core Set 2021M21 132015normalblackJohn Stanko
82021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 2921997normalblackJohn Stanko

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Containment Priest has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-03-19 Containment Priest's last ability won't affect any creatures that were cast, including ones cast from unusual zones such as your graveyard.
2021-03-19 If Containment Priest enters the battlefield at the same time as other creatures, its ability won't affect those creatures.
2021-03-19 If Containment Priest enters the battlefield without being cast, its ability won't exile itself.
2021-03-19 If a noncreature card wasn't cast and is entering the battlefield as a creature (due to an effect such as that of March of the Machines), it will be exiled. Conversely, if a creature card wasn't cast and is entering the battlefield as a noncreature permanent (for example, Heliod, Sun-Crowned with insufficient devotion), it won't be exiled.

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