Compare to Ajani's Mantra, and then if you put it in a deck where your creatures grow over time (time which more life will buy you) it can be ok. Not great, just okay.
Pendulous
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Soul Warden and all its incarnations will always be better.
DaLucaray
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
Never underestimate a 1-drop that does something late game.
Totema
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I wouldn't really call 1 life per turn "something". That said, it does interact with Archangel of Thune, but then again, so does any other kind of life gain.
Purplerooster
★☆☆☆☆ (1.3/5.0)(3 votes)
Relevant one drop that can shut off an opponent's evasive clock. 2.7/5.
I think it's probably a little better than that if you have the right deck for it, but indeed, it is quite bad.
BilliamQ
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
I think he's a LITTLE better than everyone's giving him credit for. Security Blockade was pretty solid in RTR limited, and this basically provides the same effect. Granted, it's on a 1/1 goon and doesn't give you a populatable 2/2 Vigilant Knight, but this also costs 2 less mana and can be used even when the opponent isn't damaging you, for what it's worth. I know, I know, "LIFEGAIN IZ BADD!" and yes, there are cards that do it way better, but I've seen my fair share of games (especially in limited) where that 1 life was the difference in the match.
Vakyoom
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(4 votes)
Majinara is back again, underestimating those 1 drops that do things. This is the perfect fit for a 1 CMC card in an Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond deck.... That 1 life i gained just cost you the game and i can do it the turn i play the enchantments even if i'm tapped out, unlike Extort does require mana.
As other people have said, Archangel of Thune synergizes quite well. Mix that in with Mikaeus the Lunarch and maybe a Voracious Wurm and that pewny 1 life starts to become a big, fat problem.
Mode
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
As it has been pointed out, he acts like a self-buffing Mikaeus with Archangel of Thune. That gives you 1 life.
In the earlier days, a card named "Soulmender" would probably have been about damage prevention, but it seems like that mechanic has died out for the most part. The only card in M14 that acts like this is Pay No Heed, which is a reprint from Torment. (Well, and Seraph of the Sword, but that's not the supportive kind of damage prevention.)
Admittedly, "Prevent the next X damage"-effects often tend to suck, but they can be just as useful as lifegain when powerful enough - and even prevent damage-based triggers, which lifegain can't. As opposed to lifegain, it's exclusively white, and in fact always felt like the purest white ability to me.
majinara
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Vakyoom: once it shows up in successful tournament decks, I'll agree that I was wrong. Time will tell. :) Even if this guy is acceptable with Archangel of Thune, mixing cards that are by themselves horrible with good cards won't result in a good deck.
This guy is horrible. It's one of those skill testers by wotc. Think about it like this: If there'd be following card, would you play it?
Cripple Newbie Sorcery Draw a card. Target opponent discards a card. The next added to that opponents mana pool vanishes. At the beginning of his/her next three upkeeps, that opponent gains 1 life. "I gain life! You can't beat me now!" NewbieMcNoob, last words.
This is what happens for your opponent if you play this guy. You waste a card. You waste mana. What for? To gain a tiny bit of lifegain stretched over a couple of turns. Even for dedicated lifegain decks this guy is atrocious, because for those there are much better cards.
dberry02
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Well designed card! Not only is it a newbie friendly card, but it's also useful to creative Johnny players. If you wanted a card purely for gaining life, then Soul Warden is most likely going to be a better option.
What this card offers you greater life gain control. As in - you can gain life when you choose and you're not dependant upon creatures hitting the battlefield. This card has potential if you can take advantage of gaining life when you choose.
sonorhC
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
majinara, you're ignoring the fact that when you cast this, you still get a creature. If you just need another attacker, or a speed bump, or whatever, you're perfectly free to just disregard the ability, and use it as a generic 1/1. But if you occasionally don't need to use it as a creature, you can get some other use out of it.
Personally, I'm a bit surprised that it took so long for this card to be created. It seems like it's something so obvious that it should have been in the game a decade ago. Well, aside from the fact that a decade ago it would have cost .
Ferlord
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I thank the, Soulmender, for making beginners pick you in drafts over Griffin Sentinels and Pacifisms.
CaptainNV
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The card' is best used in decks where lifegain has secondary effects. Archangel of Thune lets you put +1/+1 counters on all your creatures. Sanguine Bond turns them into tap / you gain one life; opponent loses one life. Voracious Wurms get bigger with these guys. It's a cheap utility card in these cases.
soto_zachary
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I actually used this card and it works surprisingly well at drawing out everyone's removal spells. Also goes really well with archangel of thune.
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Card is not that bad. Can be a combo tool, gaining life on demand is handy. Also can add up in control, and gives you a chump block later.
Burningsickle
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
why the hell not? Solid one drop with a useful ability (never underestimate life gain in small amounts -- it adds up quickly, but with subtlety! ) Yoked ox is still my favorite though.
Comments (21)
roflmao
I think it's probably a little better than that if you have the right deck for it, but indeed, it is quite bad.
As other people have said, Archangel of Thune synergizes quite well. Mix that in with Mikaeus the Lunarch and maybe a Voracious Wurm and that pewny 1 life starts to become a big, fat problem.
In the earlier days, a card named "Soulmender" would probably have been about damage prevention,
but it seems like that mechanic has died out for the most part.
The only card in M14 that acts like this is Pay No Heed, which is a reprint from Torment.
(Well, and Seraph of the Sword, but that's not the supportive kind of damage prevention.)
Admittedly, "Prevent the next X damage"-effects often tend to suck, but they can be just as useful as lifegain when powerful enough - and even prevent damage-based triggers, which lifegain can't.
As opposed to lifegain, it's exclusively white, and in fact always felt like the purest white ability to me.
This guy is horrible. It's one of those skill testers by wotc. Think about it like this: If there'd be following card, would you play it?
Cripple Newbie
Sorcery
Draw a card.
Target opponent discards a card.
The next
At the beginning of his/her next three upkeeps, that opponent gains 1 life.
"I gain life! You can't beat me now!" NewbieMcNoob, last words.
This is what happens for your opponent if you play this guy.
You waste a card. You waste mana. What for? To gain a tiny bit of lifegain stretched over a couple of turns. Even for dedicated lifegain decks this guy is atrocious, because for those there are much better cards.
What this card offers you greater life gain control. As in - you can gain life when you choose and you're not dependant upon creatures hitting the battlefield. This card has potential if you can take advantage of gaining life when you choose.
Personally, I'm a bit surprised that it took so long for this card to be created. It seems like it's something so obvious that it should have been in the game a decade ago. Well, aside from the fact that a decade ago it would have cost
Yoked ox is still my favorite though.