Old-Growth Educator is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Reach, vigilance Infusion — When this creature enters, put two +1/+1 counters on it if you gained life this turn.
Complete guide
Old-Growth Educator is a formidable Treefolk Druid that brings stability and growth to your board. Standing tall with both reach and vigilance, it serves as a dual-purpose threat that can protect the skies while remaining ready for combat. Its signature Infusion ability rewards you for health gain, turning this four-mana creature into a massive presence.
Natural Fortification
Old-Growth Educator possesses two powerful keyword abilities: Reach and Vigilance. Reach allows it to block creatures with flying, making it an excellent defense against airborne threats. Vigilance ensures that attacking doesn't cause it to tap, allowing it to apply pressure during your turn and still be available to block during your opponent's turn.
Understanding Infusion
The Infusion ability is an 'enters-the-battlefield' trigger. When Old-Growth Educator arrives, the ability goes on the stack regardless of your life total changes. The game checks if you gained life at the moment the ability resolves. If you gained any amount of life earlier in the turn, even if you later lost life, the condition is met and you place two +1/+1 counters on the Educator.
Timing and Strategy
To maximize this card, you must sequence your plays carefully. Since the ability checks for life gain throughout the entire turn, you can cast a healing spell or trigger a life-gain ability before casting the Educator. If you haven't gained life yet, you can still play the Educator as a 3/3, but you miss out on the permanent power boost.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumIf you have both cards in hand, you might play Solemn Simulacrum first to ramp into a basic land. While the Simulacrum provides mana fixing, it does not trigger life gain. When you follow up with Old-Growth Educator, it enters as a 3/3. However, if the Simulacrum later dies and you have an effect that grants life upon a creature's death, the Educator played afterward would receive its counters.
Eternal WitnessIf Old-Growth Educator is in your graveyard and you have already gained life this turn, you can cast Eternal Witness to return the Educator to your hand. When you then recast the Educator, its Infusion ability will see that you gained life earlier that turn, allowing it to enter the battlefield and immediately grow into a 5/5 creature.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Old-Growth Educator
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The infusion ability will trigger when Old-Growth Educator enters regardless of whether you've gained life this turn. As that ability resolves, it will check to see if you've gained life this turn. If you have, you'll put two +1/+1 counters on Old-Growth Educator.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of Twilight + Bartolomé del Presidio + Old-Growth Educator
- 1Activate Bartolomé del Presidio by sacrificing Old-Growth Educator.
- 2When Old-Growth Educator dies, its persist ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.
- 3When Old-Growth Educator enters, it triggers, putting two +1/+1 counters on it.
- 4Resolve the Bartolomé del Presidio ability.
- 5Repeat.
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of Twilight + Phantom Train + Old-Growth Educator
- 1Activate Phantom Train by sacrificing Old-Growth Educator.
- 2When Old-Growth Educator dies, its persist ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.
- 3When Old-Growth Educator enters, it triggers, putting two +1/+1 counters on it.
- 4Resolve the Phantom Train ability.
- 5Repeat.
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of Twilight + Umbral Collar Zealot + Old-Growth Educator
- 1Activate Umbral Collar Zealot by sacrificing Old-Growth Educator.
- 2When Old-Growth Educator dies, its persist ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.
- 3When Old-Growth Educator enters, it triggers, putting two +1/+1 counters on it.
- 4Resolve the Umbral Collar Zealot ability.
- 5Repeat.
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of Twilight + Woe Strider + Old-Growth Educator
- 1Activate Woe Strider by sacrificing Old-Growth Educator.
- 2When Old-Growth Educator dies, its persist ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.
- 3When Old-Growth Educator enters, it triggers, putting two +1/+1 counters on it.
- 4Resolve the Woe Strider ability.
- 5Repeat.
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of Twilight + Altar of Dementia + Old-Growth Educator
- 1Activate Altar of Dementia by sacrificing Old-Growth Educator.
- 2When Old-Growth Educator dies, its persist ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.
- 3When Old-Growth Educator enters, it triggers, putting two +1/+1 counters on it.
- 4Resolve the Altar of Dementia ability.
- 5Repeat.
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of Twilight + Goblin Bombardment + Old-Growth Educator
- 1Activate Goblin Bombardment by sacrificing Old-Growth Educator.
- 2When Old-Growth Educator dies, its persist ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.
- 3When Old-Growth Educator enters, it triggers, putting two +1/+1 counters on it.
- 4Resolve the Goblin Bombardment ability.
- 5Repeat.
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of Twilight + Bloodflow Connoisseur + Old-Growth Educator
- 1Activate Bloodflow Connoisseur by sacrificing Old-Growth Educator.
- 2When Old-Growth Educator dies, its persist ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.
- 3When Old-Growth Educator enters, it triggers, putting two +1/+1 counters on it.
- 4Resolve the Bloodflow Connoisseur ability.
- 5Repeat.
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of Twilight + Phyrexian Altar + Old-Growth Educator
- 1Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Old-Growth Educator.
- 2When Old-Growth Educator dies, its persist ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.
- 3When Old-Growth Educator enters, it triggers, putting two +1/+1 counters on it.
- 4Repeat.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Old-Growth Educator
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.