Orah, Skyclave Hierophant 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
Lifelink Whenever Orah or another Cleric you control dies, return target Cleric card with lesser mana value from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Complete guide
Orah, Skyclave Hierophant is a cornerstone for Cleric tribal decks, ensuring that death is never the end for your devoted followers. With its lifelink and powerful recursion ability, it keeps your board presence high even in the face of removal.
Chain of Resurrection
Orah's ability triggers whenever it or another Cleric you control dies. When this happens, you target a Cleric card in your graveyard with a strictly lower mana value (CMC) than the one that just died. This creates a cascading effect where your high-cost Clerics can bring back mid-cost ones, which can eventually bring back your one-drops.
Simultaneous Deaths
If a board wipe occurs and Orah dies at the same time as other Clerics, Orah sees them all die. You will get a separate trigger for Orah itself and for each other Cleric. Furthermore, Orah can target a Cleric that entered the graveyard at the exact same time as the trigger source, allowing for flexible recovery after a devastating spell.
Calculating Mana Value
When determining if a target is valid, always look at the printed mana cost of the cards. If a Cleric has {X} in its cost, such as a creature that enters with X counters, X is treated as 0 while the card is in the graveyard. A common mistake is thinking the power or toughness matters; Orah only cares about the mana value.
Strategic Timing
Since Orah's ability is a 'whenever' trigger, it is mandatory. You must choose a target if a legal one exists in your graveyard. You should play Orah when you have already established a graveyard of small utility Clerics, ensuring you get immediate value if your opponent tries to remove your larger threats.
Interaction examples
Roaming ThroneIf Roaming Throne enters the battlefield and you choose 'Cleric', it becomes a Cleric. If another Cleric you control dies while both are on the field, Orah's ability triggers twice due to Roaming Throne's static ability. You can then return two Cleric cards with lesser mana value from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Solemn SimulacrumWhen Solemn Simulacrum dies, you will draw a card from its own triggered ability. However, because Solemn Simulacrum is a Golem and not a Cleric, Orah, Skyclave Hierophant will not trigger. Orah only cares about the deaths of creatures that share the Cleric subtype.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Orah, Skyclave Hierophant
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If another Cleric you control dies at the same time as Orah, Orah's ability triggers for that Cleric in addition to triggering for itself.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If a creature on the battlefield or a creature card in a graveyard has
in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Orah's ability can target a Cleric card that was put into your graveyard at the same time as the Cleric whose death caused the ability to trigger.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Orah, Skyclave Hierophant + Doomed Necromancer + Lightning Greaves + Phyrexian Altar
- 1Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Orah, adding
. - 2Orah dies, returning Doomed Necromancer to the battlefield.
- 3Activate Lightning Greaves' equip ability by paying
, attaching it to Dopomed Necromancer. - 4Activate Doomed Necromancer by paying tapping, and sacrificing it, returning Orah to the battlefield.
- 5Repeat.
Orah, Skyclave Hierophant + Ashnod's Altar + Nim Deathmantle
- 1Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing Orah, adding
. - 2When Orah dies, it and Nim Deathmantle trigger.
- 3Resolve Orah's trigger, returning any Cleric card with mana value 3 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 4With Nim Deathmantle's trigger still on the stack, activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing the returned Cleric, adding .
- 5Resolve the Nim Deathmantle trigger, paying
to return Orah from your graveyard to the battlefield and attach Nim Deathmantle to them. - 6Repeat.
Orah, Skyclave Hierophant + Sister Hospitaller + Ancestor's Chosen + Ashnod's Altar
- 1Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing Ancestor's Chosen.
- 2When Ancestor's Chosen dies, Orah triggers, returning Sister Hospitaller from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 3When Sister Hospitaller enters, it triggers, returning Ancestor's Chosen from your graveyard to the battlefield and causing you to gain 7 life.
- 4When Ancestor's Chosen enters, it triggers, causing you to gain 1 life for each card in your graveyard.
- 5Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing Sister Hospitaller.
- 6When Sister Hospitaller dies, Orah triggers, allowing you to return a Cleric with mana value 5 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 7Repeat.
Orah, Skyclave Hierophant + Sister Hospitaller + Ancestor's Chosen + Umbral Collar Zealot
- 1Activate Umbral Collar Zealot by sacrificing Ancestor's Chosen.
- 2When Ancestor's Chosen dies, Orah triggers, returning Sister Hospitaller from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 3When Sister Hospitaller enters, it triggers, returning Ancestor's Chosen from your graveyard to the battlefield and causing you to gain 7 life.
- 4When Ancestor's Chosen enters, it triggers, causing you to gain 1 life for each card in your graveyard.
- 5Resolve the Umbral Collar Zealot ability.
- 6Activate Umbral Collar Zealot by sacrificing Sister Hospitaller.
- 7When Sister Hospitaller dies, Orah triggers, allowing you to return a Cleric with mana value 5 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 8Resolve the Umbral Collar Zealot ability.
Orah, Skyclave Hierophant + Sister Hospitaller + Ancestor's Chosen + Phyrexian Altar
- 1Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Ancestor's Chosen.
- 2When Ancestor's Chosen dies, Orah triggers, returning Sister Hospitaller from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 3When Sister Hospitaller enters, it triggers, returning Ancestor's Chosen from your graveyard to the battlefield and causing you to gain 7 life.
- 4When Ancestor's Chosen enters, it triggers, causing you to gain 1 life for each card in your graveyard.
- 5Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Sister Hospitaller.
- 6When Sister Hospitaller dies, Orah triggers, allowing you to return a Cleric with mana value 5 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 7Repeat.
Orah, Skyclave Hierophant + Sister Hospitaller + Ancestor's Chosen + Altar of Dementia
- 1Activate Altar of Dementia by sacrificing Ancestor's Chosen.
- 2When Ancestor's Chosen dies, Orah triggers, returning Sister Hospitaller from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 3When Sister Hospitaller enters, it triggers, returning Ancestor's Chosen from your graveyard to the battlefield and causing you to gain 7 life.
- 4When Ancestor's Chosen enters, it triggers, causing you to gain 1 life for each card in your graveyard.
- 5Resolve the Altar of Dementia ability.
- 6Activate Altar of Dementia by sacrificing Sister Hospitaller.
- 7When Sister Hospitaller dies, Orah triggers, allowing you to return a Cleric with mana value 5 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 8Resolve the Altar of Dementia ability.
Orah, Skyclave Hierophant + Sister Hospitaller + Ancestor's Chosen + Viscera Seer
- 1Activate Viscera Seer by sacrificing Ancestor's Chosen.
- 2When Ancestor's Chosen dies, Orah triggers, returning Sister Hospitaller from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 3When Sister Hospitaller enters, it triggers, returning Ancestor's Chosen from your graveyard to the battlefield and causing you to gain 7 life.
- 4When Ancestor's Chosen enters, it triggers, causing you to gain 1 life for each card in your graveyard.
- 5Resolve the Viscera Seer ability.
- 6Activate Viscera Seer by sacrificing Sister Hospitaller.
- 7When Sister Hospitaller dies, Orah triggers, allowing you to return a Cleric with mana value 5 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 8Resolve the Viscera Seer ability.
Orah, Skyclave Hierophant + Sister Hospitaller + Valiant Changeling + Viscera Seer
- 1Activate Viscera Seer by sacrificing Valiant Changeling.
- 2When Valiant Changeling dies, Orah triggers, returning Sister Hospitaller from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 3When Sister Hospitaller enters, it triggers, returning Valiant Changeling from your graveyard to the battlefield and causing you to gain 7 life.
- 4Resolve the Viscera Seer ability.
- 5Activate Viscera Seer by sacrificing Sister Hospitaller.
- 6When Sister Hospitaller dies, Orah triggers, allowing you to return a Cleric with mana value 5 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 7Resolve the Viscera Seer ability.
- 8Repeat.
Legal formats
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