Benalish Marshal MTG Card


The Marshal’s ability offers a persistent boost, making your creatures more formidable across the board. Triple white mana cost narrows deck flexibility but excels in mono-white or white-heavy decks. Benalish Marshal’s presence enhances creature-based strategies and boosts your competitive edge.
Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Human Knight
Power 3
Toughness 3

Text of card

Other creatures you control get +1/+1.

"Some aspire to climb the mountain of Honor. The Benalish are born upon its peak, and from there ascend among the stars." —*History of Benalia*


Cards like Benalish Marshal

In the realm of Magic the Gathering, Benalish Marshal stands as a noteworthy creature card with powerful abilities to buff your other creatures. Its semblance can be drawn to cards like Glorious Anthem, which also offers a boost to your creature’s power and toughness. However, the Marshal has the distinct advantage of being a creature itself, thus presenting an additional threat on the board.

Equally comparable is Always Watching, a noncreature spell that provides an identical power and toughness lift and allows non token creatures to remain untapped as they attack. Yet, Benalish Marshal’s differentiation lies in requiring three white mana, which can be a fitting choice for mono-white decks aiming for a synergy-focused build.

Another related card is Honor of the Pure. While it only increases the strength of white creatures, its lower casting cost can be advantageous in a deck heavily skewed towards white. Still, Benalish Marshal offers a physical presence that passive enchantments like Honor of the Pure lack. Therefore, when dissecting the value between these alternatives, the Benalish Marshal is a potent mix of an anthem effect on a solid creature body, a combination that is well-valued for players looking to fortify their ranks in MTG.

Glorious Anthem - MTG Card versions
Always Watching - MTG Card versions
Honor of the Pure - MTG Card versions
Glorious Anthem - MTG Card versions
Always Watching - MTG Card versions
Honor of the Pure - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Benalish Marshal. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Mono-White Death & TaxesMono-White Death & Taxes GladiatorGladiator Team Unified League
DecklistDecklist Free formSet Roulette Feburary 2024
Mono-White AggroMono-White Aggro GladiatorGladiator Team Unified League
Jeskai KnightsJeskai Knights PioneerJeskai KnightsPioneer Challenge 96 2023-12-10 (1)
Mono-White HumansMono-White Humans GladiatorGladiator Team Unified League
Mardu KnightsMardu Knights PioneerMardu KnightsPioneer Challenge 64 2023-12-01 (1)
All Other DecklistsAll Other Decklists Pioneer4c KnightsReCQ - Pioneer - SCG CON Pittsburgh - Saturday - 1:00 pm (Bronze)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Benalish Marshal doesn’t directly allow you to draw more cards, it presents a different sort of card advantage by empowering all your other creatures on the battlefield. Each creature becomes more threatening, effectively giving you more value from your existing board state. This can quickly translate into an overwhelming advantage against an unprepared opponent.

Resource Acceleration: Benalish Marshal isn’t traditionally associated with resource acceleration; however, the boost it provides to your creature’s stats can lead to faster victories, effectively shortening the game and reducing the resources your opponent has to stabilize or counter your strategy. And in a roundabout way, this “time acceleration” can be just as valuable as additional mana.

Instant Speed: Benalish Marshal operates at sorcery speed as it’s a creature, but its impact on the board is immediate. Unlike instants or abilities that might provide a temporary advantage, the Marshal’s static ability applies a lasting buff that remains as long as it’s on the field, creating sustained pressure that can dictate the pace and flow of the match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike some other cards, Benalish Marshal doesn’t impose a discard requirement on the player. This absence of a downside can, however, sometimes mask the card’s true strategic drawbacks in deckbuilding.

Specific Mana Cost: Benalish Marshal requires a commitment of three white mana, which can be restrictive when designing a multi-colored deck. This specificity in mana cost means that it finds the best home in mono-white decks or those with a heavy white mana base, potentially limiting its flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While costing only three mana makes Benalish Marshal a reasonable drop for its stats and effect, the triple white mana requirement can be seen as comparatively high. This is because it requires a deck to be heavily invested in white mana sources, which could hinder the player’s ability to cast multi-colored spells effectively on curve.


Reasons to Include Benalish Marshal in Your Collection

Versatility: This dynamic card can elevate a wide array of white decks, serving as a powerful anthem to boost each creature you control. Its ability to enhance both offensive and defensive capabilities makes it a valuable asset in various game scenarios.

Combo Potential: Benalish Marshal’s static ability to give other creatures you control +1/+1 is an excellent way to magnify combo effects, particularly in synergizing with token generators or strategies that capitalize on numerous creatures.

Meta-Relevance: Given its capacity to strengthen your board presence quickly, Benalish Marshal remains relevant in metas characterized by aggressive and creature-heavy strategies. Deploying this card can shift the tide of battle in your favor, making it a formidable contender in both casual and competitive formats.


How to beat

Benalish Marshal serves as a mighty force multiplier on the battlefield of Magic: The Gathering. This White creature stands out by boosting not just itself but all other creatures you control, ensuring your army becomes a considerable threat. Understanding the Marshal’s strengths can help devise effective strategies to counter it.

To gain the upper hand, consider employing removal spells that can target the creature directly, such as Doom Blade or Cast Down, bypassing the bolstered defenses of its comrades. Board wipes, like Wrath of God, can also clear the path by eliminating all creatures, including the Marshal, regardless of the size of the enemy forces. Engaging the Marshal’s controller in a battle of resources, and ensuring you can respond to their plays with timely removal or disruption, is often key to overcoming the boost in power this card can bring to your opponent’s board.

In essence, the challenge posed by Benalish Marshal is not insurmountable. With careful planning and the right cards in your deck, you can neutralize its influence and swing the momentum of the match in your favor, securing victory against the tide of augmented adversaries.


BurnMana Recommendations

Embracing the tactical depth of MTG is crucial for every enthusiast aiming to dominate the battlefield. With a card like Benalish Marshal, the immense value it adds by empowering an entire creature line-up is undeniable. It’s the linchpin for a formidable white strategy, turning an assembled army into a daunting force. Understanding its ability to tip the scales prompts wise deck choices and robust counter-tactics. Whether you’re bolstering your collection or honing your competitive edge, recognizing the Marshal’s potential is a move toward strategic brilliance. Quest for further mastery? Continue your journey with us, where insights and strategy fuse to advance your MTG expertise.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Benalish Marshal MTG card by a specific set like Dominaria Promos and Dominaria Promos, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Benalish Marshal and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Benalish Marshal Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2018-04-27 and 2018-11-16. Illustrated by Mark Zug.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12018-04-27Dominaria PromosPDOM 6s2015NormalBlackMark Zug
22018-04-27Dominaria PromosPDOM 6p2015NormalBlackMark Zug
32018-04-27DominariaDOM 62015NormalBlackMark Zug
42018-11-16Game NightGNT 82015NormalBlackMark Zug

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Benalish Marshal has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Benalish Marshal card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2018-04-27 Because damage remains marked on a creature until it’s removed as the turn ends, nonlethal damage dealt to a creature you control may become lethal if Benalish Marshal leaves the battlefield during that turn.