Avacynian Missionaries // Lunarch Inquisitors MTG Card

Avacynian Missionaries // Lunarch Inquisitors - Shadows over Innistrad

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Human Cleric
Abilities	Transform
Released	2016-04-08
Set symbol
Set name	Shadows over Innistrad
Set code	SOI
Power	3
Toughness	3
Number	6
Frame	2015
Layout	Transform
Border	Black
Illustred by	Wayne Reynolds

Key Takeaways

Transformation enhances removal capabilities, enabling players to capitalize on board presence and gain an edge.
Deck versatility is enriched with the Missionaries, allowing for adaptability in combat and control strategies.
Countering the card involves careful disruption of equipment synergy and timing removal actions effectively.

Text of card

At the beginning of your end step, if Avacynian Missionaries is equipped, transform it.

"We come bearing the word of Avacyn and the Lunarch Council."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Avacynian Missionaries transforming into Lunarch Inquisitors upon equipping, you can effectively remove opposing threats. Transforming gives you a stronger creature and maintains board presence, thereby swinging the card advantage in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: The card itself may not directly accelerate resources, but by removing key pieces of an opponent’s strategy, you disrupt their resource utilization, indirectly influencing the pace to your advantage.

Instant Speed: Although the transformation isn’t at instant speed, the ability to equip at the end of your opponent’s turn before transforming allows for surprise tactics and optimal timing to disrupt their game plan without compromising your main phase actions.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: For Avacynian Missionaries // Lunarch Inquisitors, the necessity to equip an item for transformation could be seen as a type of discard expectation, demanding players to invest additional resources which may strain their hand and board presence.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a devoted mana base with white, potentially complicating deck-building strategies for those looking to blend numerous colors or optimize for mana flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana solely for its initial form, Avacynian Missionaries // Lunarch Inquisitors may not be the most mana-efficient play, especially given that additional costs crop up to unleash its full potential upon transformation.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Avacynian Missionaries // Lunarch Inquisitors offer flexibility in deck-building strategies due to their transformative nature. This card can suit various strategies that appreciate a creature that can both deter early aggression and become a potent threat in the later stages of the game.

Combo Potential: With the right equipment, these Missionaries transform into the formidable Lunarch Inquisitors, capable of exiling opposing creatures. This transformation mechanic works well with equipment synergies and can be a linchpin in decks focused on controlling the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: Given the fluctuating nature of the MTG meta, having a card like Avacynian Missionaries // Lunarch Inquisitors is valuable for its ability to adapt to diverse combat scenarios. Its presence can bolster your strategy against creature-heavy decks that dominate certain metas.

How to beat

Avacynian Missionaries, which transforms into the feared Lunarch Inquisitors, is a unique card that can disrupt your game plan in Magic: The Gathering. When it transforms, it exiles one of your permanents, which can be a formidable setback. This card initially requires a bit of setup to be effective, so your first step in countering this strategy is to control the equipment in play. Disrupting the attachment of equipment to Avacynian Missionaries can prevent the transformation into Lunarch Inquisitors altogether.

Artifact removal spells are your ally here, with cards like Disenchant or Abrade offering straightforward solutions to remove the necessary equipment piece and keeping the Missionaries from their sinister transformation. Additionally, instant-speed removal targeting the Missionaries themselves before the transform trigger resolves can save you from their inquisition. Remember, speed is critical as once they turn into Lunarch Inquisitors, the removal options become more restricted. Therefore, it’s crucial to anticipate your opponent’s move and have a response ready, ensuring that the Missionaries’ quest is concluded before it truly begins.

Evaluating your options and timing your plays can efficiently overcome Avacynian Missionaries and preserve your permanents, allowing you to maintain the upper hand on the battlefield.

Cards like Avacynian Missionaries // Lunarch Inquisitors

Avacynian Missionaries // Lunarch Inquisitors carves its niche in the intriguing world of transform cards in Magic: The Gathering. Much like Avacyn’s Pilgrim, the Missionaries provide a presence that later evolves for stronger board impact. However, instead of ramping mana, they morph under certain conditions into the potent Lunarch Inquisitors, bringing a unique creature control aspect by exiling an opponent’s threat.

Comparable to the subtlety of Cloistered Youth // Unholy Fiend, with a transform trigger built on time, Avacynian Missionaries demand an equipment-centric strategy to unlock their power. They are akin to Kruin Outlaw // Terror of Kruin Pass, which transforms through evasive combat but highlights creature buffing. The Missionaries offer a defensive edge by potentially removing opposing creatures and maintaining board dominance.

When putting the dynamics of transformation cards into perspective, Avacynian Missionaries // Lunarch Inquisitors stand out. Their ability to affect the game state through creature elimination sets them apart, offering strategic depth to creature-based control decks in Magic: The Gathering. The adaptive playstyle they encourage reflects their unique place within the transformative card spectrum.

Cloistered Youth // Unholy Fiend - MTG Card versions

Kruin Outlaw // Terror of Kruin Pass - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Avacynian Missionaries // Lunarch Inquisitors MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad, 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 Avacynian Missionaries // Lunarch Inquisitors and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Avacynian Missionaries // Lunarch Inquisitors has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2016-04-08	Auras attached to the exiled creature will be put into their owners’ graveyards. Equipment attached to the exiled creature will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled creature will cease to exist.
2016-04-08	If Lunarch Inquisitors leaves the battlefield before its triggered ability resolves, the target creature won’t be exiled.
2016-04-08	If Lunarch Inquisitors somehow transforms into Avacynian Missionaries, the creature will remain exiled. If Avacynian Missionaries later leaves the battlefield, the creature will return to the battlefield.
2016-04-08	If a creature token is exiled, it ceases to exist. It won’t be returned to the battlefield.
2016-04-08	In a multiplayer game, if Lunarch Inquisitors’s owner leaves the game, the exiled card will return to the battlefield. Because the one-shot effect that returns the card isn’t an ability that goes on the stack, it won’t cease to exist along with the leaving player’s spells and abilities on the stack.
2016-04-08	The Equipment attached to Avacynian Missionaries remains attached after it transforms into Lunarch Inquisitors.
2016-07-13	For more information on double-faced cards, see the Shadows over Innistrad mechanics article (http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/shadows-over-innistrad-mechanics).