Exorcist MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Human Cleric
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Exorcist excels in removing spirits and undead, crucial for maintaining card advantage on the battlefield.
  2. Its instant-speed ability disrupts opponents’ strategies without compromising your mana resources for other plays.
  3. Despite its utility, Exorcist’s casting cost and discard requirement may limit its inclusion in certain decks.

Text of card

o1o W, oc T: Target black creature is destroyed.

Though they often bore little greater charm than the demons they battled, exorcists were always welcome in Scarwood.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Exorcist provides a distinct edge by enabling the removal of troublesome spirits and undead creatures from the battlefield. Removing such threats often means getting rid of cards that could have cost you resources otherwise, indirectly contributing to your card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Its ability can be activated without tapping, allowing you to maintain a pace of play that other cards might inhibit. By managing your resources efficiently and keeping the Exorcist ready, you can accelerate your board presence while keeping mana available for other strategic plays.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, the Exorcist’s activated ability can be used at instant speed. This flexibility lets you respond to your opponent’s actions during their turn, disrupting their strategy and protecting your interests when it’s most crucial.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Exorcist demands discarding another card to activate its abilities. This can deplete your hand, leaving you at a disadvantage during the game.

Specific Mana Cost: The Exorcist has a strict color identity in its casting cost, requiring both white and colorless mana. This can pose a deck-building challenge, as it necessitates a solid white mana base to cast reliably.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its mana value, the card might seem costly when compared to other removal options in the game. Players may find other cards that perform similar functions at a lower cost, making it a less optimal choice in some situations.


Reasons to Include Exorcist in Your Collection

Versatility: Exorcist offers a unique functionality that makes it a suitable inclusion in numerous deck builds. Its ability to remove troublesome creatures from the game can be useful in a variety of situations, ensuring your strategy remains uninterrupted.

Combo Potential: With the right setup, Exorcist synergizes well with cards that manipulate graveyards or benefit from creatures being exiled. This creates opportunities for powerful interactions across multiple deck archetypes.

Meta-Relevance: Given the prevalence of creature-based strategies in many metagames, the tactical advantage of having an Exorcist ready can turn the tide of a game, making it a card to consider when tuning your deck against current trends.


How to beat

The Exorcist card can be a tricky obstacle when it hits the battlefield, especially for players capitalizing on graveyard strategies. To effectively combat this, it’s essential to deploy tactics that obstruct or bypass its abilities. One straightforward approach is leveraging instant-speed removal spells that can eliminate the Exorcist before it gets a chance to activate its power. Additionally, employing countermeasures such as counter spells to prevent the Exorcist from entering the play or hexproof to shield your creatures from being targeted can significantly diminish its impact.

Strengthening your own board presence with indestructible creatures ensures that your forces remain unaffected by the Exorcist’s potential disruption. Lastly, consider strategies that minimize graveyard reliance or recover cards from the graveyard to your hand or library, thus reducing the value Exorcist brings to your opponent. By anticipating and neutralizing the Exorcist’s influence, you retain control of the game’s pace and direction, allowing you to navigate towards a victorious outcome.


Cards like Exorcist

The Exorcist, a unique magic card in the vast MTG universe, is often referenced in discussions about specialized creature removal. Enshrined alongside Swords to Plowshares, Exorcist offers a specialized solution by targeting undead creatures specifically. While Swords to Plowshares can exile any creature at the low cost of one white mana, it also grants the creature’s controller life equal to its power, a downside that Exorcist neatly sidesteps without providing life gain to the opponent.

Looking at other alternatives, such as Crib Swap, we find similarities to our Exorcist for dealing with creatures. Crib Swap exiles any target creature but compensates the opponent with a 1/1 token. This is a key difference from the Exorcist that deftly avoids giving the opponent any form of compensation. Furthermore, Path to Exile is another comparison point. It exiles any creature, much like Swords to Plowshares, yet it provides a different benefit for the opponent – a land card straight onto the battlefield. Again, this illustrates how Exorcist’s ability is fine-tuned to be advantageous in the presence of undead menaces without any boons for the adversary.

Considering their utilities and downsides, Exorcist earns its place in the echelon of creature removal cards for those seeking pinpoint precision against undead threats without rewarding the opposing player.

Swords to Plowshares - MTG Card versions
Crib Swap - MTG Card versions
Path to Exile - MTG Card versions
Swords to Plowshares - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Crib Swap - Lorwyn (LRW)
Path to Exile - DCI Promos (PDCI)

Cards similar to Exorcist 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 Exorcist MTG card by a specific set like The Dark and Masters Edition III, 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 Exorcist and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Exorcist Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1994-08-01 and 2009-09-07. Illustrated by Drew Tucker.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11994-08-01The DarkDRK 61993normalblackDrew Tucker
22009-09-07Masters Edition IIIME3 101997normalblackDrew Tucker

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Exorcist has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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