Soul's AttendantHow it works & interactions with other cards

What Soul's Attendant Does

Soul's Attendant features a triggered ability that watches for other creatures entering the battlefield. Unlike many similar effects, this ability is optional, as denoted by the word 'may.' This means you must remember to announce the trigger to gain the life. It counts every other creature, including tokens and creatures played by your opponents, turning their board development into your defensive advantage.

How it Resolves Step by Step

First, another creature must successfully enter the battlefield; this trigger does not happen when a creature is cast, only when it resolves and lands on the table. Once the creature is on the battlefield, the Soul's Attendant ability is put onto the stack. When the trigger resolves, you choose whether or not to gain 1 life. If multiple creatures enter at once, such as through a spell that creates tokens, the ability triggers once for each of those creatures.

Common Mistakes

A frequent oversight is forgetting that Soul's Attendant triggers for opponents' creatures, not just your own. Additionally, players sometimes forget that if Soul's Attendant enters the battlefield at the exact same time as other creatures (for example, via a mass resurrection effect), it will still 'see' those creatures enter and trigger accordingly. However, it will never trigger for itself entering the battlefield.

When to Play It

This card shines in aggressive creature matchups where every point of life matters, or in 'Lifegain Matters' decks where gaining life triggers other powerful effects. Because it costs only one mana, it is best played as early as possible to maximize the number of triggers you receive throughout the game.

Interaction examples

Scaling the Early Game

Esper Sentinel

You have Soul's Attendant on the battlefield and cast Esper Sentinel. When Esper Sentinel enters the battlefield, Soul's Attendant's ability triggers. You choose to gain 1 life. You now have a taxing effect on your opponent's spells and a higher life total.

Mana Fixing and Lifegain

Ornithopter of Paradise

With Soul's Attendant in play, you cast Ornithopter of Paradise. As the artifact creature enters the battlefield, the Attendant's 'may' trigger goes on the stack. Upon resolution, you gain 1 life, and you now have a flying creature capable of producing mana of any color.