Sylvan 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
When this creature dies, exile it, then return another target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
Complete guide
Sylvan Hierophant is a versatile Human Cleric that ensures your resources never truly go to waste. When this creature perishes, it offers its own existence to bring back a fallen ally from your graveyard, maintaining the flow of your battlefield presence.
What It Does
Sylvan Hierophant features a triggered ability that triggers specifically when it dies. When this creature moves from the battlefield to the graveyard, it exiles itself. As part of this process, it allows you to retrieve another creature card from your graveyard and return it directly to your hand.
Step-by-Step Resolution
First, the Hierophant must die, meaning it moves from the battlefield to the graveyard. This triggers its ability, and you must choose a legal target creature card in your graveyard (it cannot be the Hierophant itself). When the ability resolves, you exile the Hierophant card from the graveyard. Even if the Hierophant is removed from the graveyard before the ability resolves (for example, by another effect), you still proceed to return the targeted creature card to your hand.
Common Mistakes
A common point of confusion involves the target selection. You must choose the 'another target creature card' at the moment the ability is put on the stack. You cannot wait until the ability resolves to pick the card. Additionally, note that exiling the Hierophant is mandatory if it is in the graveyard, but the recovery of the target card does not depend on the successful exile of the Hierophant.
When to Play It
This card is best used in decks that rely on small, utility creatures or aggressive strategies where combat trades are frequent. It serves as a deterrent for your opponent to use removal, as killing the Hierophant simply swaps it for a more dangerous threat previously dealt with.
Interaction examples
Llanowar ElvesIf your Llanowar Elves was destroyed earlier in the game, you can block an incoming attacker with Sylvan Hierophant. When Sylvan Hierophant dies, its ability triggers. You target Llanowar Elves in your graveyard. Sylvan Hierophant is exiled, and the Llanowar Elves card returns to your hand, ready to be cast again.
Birds of ParadiseIf an opponent casts a spell that destroys all creatures while you have Sylvan Hierophant and Birds of Paradise on the field, both go to the graveyard simultaneously. Because Birds of Paradise is in the graveyard at the time Sylvan Hierophant's trigger is put on the stack, you can target the Birds of Paradise to ensure you have a mana producer for your next turn.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Sylvan Hierophant
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If you control Sylvan Hierophant when it goes to the graveyard, you exile the Hierophant and return a creature card from your graveyard to your hand. It doesn't matter whose graveyard the Hierophant goes to.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If Sylvan Hierophant is removed from the graveyard before the ability resolves, you still return the targeted creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
It targets a creature card in the graveyard. This target is selected when putting the triggered ability on the stack. The wording specifies it has to be a card other than the Hierophant.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Dual Nature + Sylvan Hierophant + Phyrexian Altar
- 1Cast Sylvan Hierophant by paying
. - 2Dual Nature's first ability triggers, creating a token copy of Sylvan Hierophant.
- 3Sacrifice the nontoken Sylvan Hierophant to Phyrexian Altar, adding .
- 4Dual Nature's second ability triggers, and Sylvan Hierophant triggers targeting any other creature card in your graveyard.
- 5In response, sacrifice the token Sylvan Hierophant to Phyrexian Altar for .
- 6Dual Nature's second ability triggers, and the Sylvan Hierophant token triggers.
- 7Resolve the Sylvan Hierophant token's trigger, returning the nontoken Sylvan Hierophant to your hand.
- 8Resolve both Dual Nature abilities, exiling zero creauters.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Sylvan Hierophant
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