Karona's Zealot MTG Card
2003-05-26 - Number 18
2018-03-16 - Number 18
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Human Cleric |
| Abilities | Morph |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 5 |
Key Takeaways
- Karona’s Zealot can offer card advantage and strategically enhance gameplay through deck-specific abilities.
- While versatile in some strategies, it demands color-specific mana and can contest deck slots with lower-cost cards.
- Karona’s Zealot’s death-trigger effect can be pivotal in creature-based strategies, amplifying its tactical utility.
Text of card
Morph (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for . Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.) When Karona's Zealot is turned face up, all damage that would be dealt to it this turn is dealt to target creature instead.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Karona’s Zealot can be a notable contributor to card advantage depending on the construction of your deck. When played strategically, it can create scenarios where you’re gaining extra value through its ability, potentially overwhelming your opponents with effects that are advantageous to your game state.
Resource Acceleration: If Karona’s Zealot is included in decks that capitalize on the proliferation of certain permanents or effects, it can effectively accelerate your resource management. This can be indispensable for decks that look to outpace the opponent by developing a significant board presence or by amplifying certain stats or counters more rapidly than normal.
Instant Speed: While Karona’s Zealot itself may not have instant speed, it can synergize well with instant-speed spells and abilities in your deck. Understanding when to deploy Karona’s Zealot can set up defenses or offensive maneuvers that catch an opponent unprepared, making it a tactical choice for reactive gameplay.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: For Karona’s Zealot to provide its benefit, a player must discard another card, which can be a significant setback, especially in games where hand size and available options are critical to maintaining an advantage.
Specific Mana Cost: To summon Karona’s Zealot, one must provide mana of specific colors. This can be quite restrictive, limiting the card’s incorporation into a diverse range of decks, and hampering its playability across multiple formats where mana flexibility is key.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value that could be considered steep for its provided effects, Karona’s Zealot competes with myriad other creatures and spells that might yield greater value or impact on the game state for an equivalent, if not lower, investment.
Reasons to Include Karona’s Zealot in Your Collection
Versatility: Karona’s Zealot can serve multiple purposes within your deck. As a creature, it can act as both an offensive and defensive asset. Its morph ability adds an element of surprise that can adapt to various in-game situations, making it a flexible choice for many deck builds.
Combo Potential: This card shines when combined with effects that benefit from flipping cards or when using cards that respond to creature spells. You can integrate it into strategies aiming to manipulate the stack or create unexpected plays that can disrupt your opponents.
Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where players lean towards strategies that revolve around flipping, morphing, or manifesting creatures, Karona’s Zealot holds its ground. Its ability to morph can also be critical in dodging targeted removals, maintaining relevance against control-heavy decks.
How to Beat Karona’s Zealot
Karona’s Zealot is a card that demands attention on the battlefield. This formidable card can bolster your opponent’s creatures, potentially shifting the tide of the game. To tackle this challenge, it’s important to focus on removal spells that can address Karona’s Zealot before its ability becomes a nuisance. Consider instant-speed removals such as Path to Exile or Fatal Push, which can dispatch the Zealot swiftly and prevent your opponent from gaining the upper hand.
Control strategies that limit creature abilities or deny them from entering the battlefield can also be highly effective. Counterspells like Mana Leak or Essence Scatter are key tools in your arsenal, ensuring Karona’s Zealot never even sees play. If the Zealot does manage to hit the field, having a board wipe like Wrath of God or Damnation can reset the board, nullifying its impact.
By anticipating your opponent’s moves and having the right answers at hand, you can mitigate the threats posed by cards like Karona’s Zealot. Always remember the value of timing and choosing the right moment to play your removal, making sure Karona’s Zealot’s allegiance is short-lived.
Cards like Karona's Zealot
Karona’s Zealot presents an interesting piece on the chessboard of creature cards in Magic: The Gathering. It occupies a unique role comparable to cards like Custodi Soulbinders, given their ability to spawn creature tokens. Karona’s Zealot differentiates himself with his innate ability to put a +1/+1 counter on each other creature you control when he dies. This contrasts with Custodi Soulbinders, which requires a more proactive sacrifice to create tokens and lacks the community boosting demise of Karona’s Zealot.
Looking at Evangel of Heliod, it offers a one-time swell of soldier tokens upon entering the battlefield, a stark difference from Karona’s Zealot’s emphasis on death triggers. Another peer is Twilight Drover, which also revolves around creature tokens, giving you spirit tokens whenever a creature token leaves the battlefield. While Twilight Drover’s token generation is more consistent, it doesn’t provide the same immediate board presence enhancement at the time of its departure.
The impact of Karona’s Zealot should be weighed when considering creature-based strategies in Magic: The Gathering. This card can certainly steer the tides of a match by reinforcing your army at a critical moment, marking its potency in both offensive and defensive maneuvers.
Cards similar to Karona's Zealot by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Karona's Zealot MTG card by a specific set like Scourge and Masters 25, 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 Karona's Zealot 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 Karona's Zealot Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2003-05-26 and 2018-03-16. Illustrated by Alan Pollack.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2003-05-26 | Scourge | SCG | 18 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Alan Pollack | |
| 2 | 2018-03-16 | Masters 25 | A25 | 18 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Alan Pollack |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Karona's Zealot has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Karona's Zealot card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2018-03-16 | If multiple replacement effects would modify how damage would be dealt, the player being dealt damage (or the controller of the permanent being dealt damage) chooses the order in which to apply those effects. |
| 2018-03-16 | If the target creature leaves the battlefield or stops being a creature before damage would be dealt, that damage is not redirected. For example, if you choose a 1/1 creature, then Karona’s Zealot would be dealt 3 damage, all 3 is dealt instead to the 1/1 creature, which then dies. If Karona’s Zealot would be dealt 3 damage again later in the turn, the 1/1 creature is no longer on the battlefield, so the damage is not redirected. |
