Hopeful Initiate MTG Card


Hopeful Initiate offers card advantage and potential threats through its training and counter removal abilities. Its flexibility shines in instant speed enchantment removal, maintaining tempo and adapting to threats. Consider its mana requirements and resource intensiveness to maximize its inclusion in your deck strategy.
Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Human Warlock
Abilities Training
Power 1
Toughness 2

Text of card

Training (Whenever this creature attacks with another creature with greater power, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.) , Remove two +1/+1 counters from among creatures you control: Destroy target artifact or enchantment.


Cards like Hopeful Initiate

Hopeful Initiate shines as a versatile one-drop creature in Magic: The Gathering with its ability to grow and remove counters from opponents’ permanents. When we look at similar cards, Selfless Savior emerges as a considerable comparison, offering protection for your creatures instead. Yet, it lacks the snowballing threat that Hopeful Initiate can become over time.

Comparatively, Figure of Destiny also presents scalable power, similar to Hopeful Initiate. It offers players an advancing threat that can evolve as the game progresses. However, unlike Hopeful Initiate, which can enhance its power while countering opponent strategies, Figure of Destiny is purely progressive without interaction with the opponent’s board state.

Finally, Judge’s Familiar should be acknowledged in this context—it’s another one-mana creature with a valuable ability to disrupt spell casting. While it stands out with its flying utility and spell-countering capability, Hopeful Initiate’s adaptability and strength in the late game offer a unique set of advantages, particularly in a deck that is adept at strategically placing +1/+1 counters.

Selfless Savior - MTG Card versions
Figure of Destiny - MTG Card versions
Judge's Familiar - MTG Card versions
Selfless Savior - MTG Card versions
Figure of Destiny - MTG Card versions
Judge's Familiar - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Hopeful Initiate by color, type and mana cost

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Bushi Tenderfoot // Kenzo the Hardhearted - MTG Card versions
Hada Freeblade - MTG Card versions
Savannah Lions - MTG Card versions
Benalish Hero - MTG Card versions
Icatian Infantry - MTG Card versions
Icatian Scout - MTG Card versions
Icatian Javelineers - MTG Card versions
Trade Caravan - MTG Card versions
Honor Guard - MTG Card versions
Volunteer Militia - MTG Card versions
Nomads en-Kor - MTG Card versions
Soul Warden - MTG Card versions
Resistance Fighter - MTG Card versions
Honorable Scout - MTG Card versions
Faerie Guidemother // Gift of the Fae - MTG Card versions
Kor Duelist - MTG Card versions
Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful - MTG Card versions
Mother of Runes - MTG Card versions
Daru Mender - MTG Card versions
Eager Cadet - MTG Card versions
Bushi Tenderfoot // Kenzo the Hardhearted - MTG Card versions
Hada Freeblade - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

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

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Selesnya HumansSelesnya Humans PioneerSelesnya HumansPioneer League 2024-05-20
Mono-White HumansMono-White Humans PioneerMono-White HumansPioneer League 2024-05-14
Orzhov HumansOrzhov Humans PioneerOrzhov HumansPioneer Challenge 32 2024-05-16

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Hopeful Initiate can be a subtle tool for maintaining card advantage. Through its training mechanic, this card grows whenever it’s paired with a stronger creature, making it a potential threat that must be answered by opponents, thereby skewing the resource balance in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: While not a direct source of mana acceleration, the versatility of Hopeful Initiate lies in its ability to remove counters from not only itself but other permanents you control. This interaction can accelerate your strategy by enabling synergies with +1/+1 counter mechanics, ensuring you’re maximizing your resources each turn.

Instant Speed: Hopeful Initiate’s activated ability to destroy an enchantment can be performed at instant speed, allowing strategic flexibility. You can adapt to on-board threats during an opponent’s turn without sacrificing the advancement of your board state, thus preserving your options and maintaining tempo.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Hopeful Initiate doesn’t directly require you to discard, training it and maximizing its potential often calls for strategic card choices, potentially at the cost of discarding other valuable spells or creatures.

Specific Mana Cost: Hopeful Initiate demands white mana for its cast, making it a less flexible option for multi-color decks that might run lower on white sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Hopeful Initiate is low-cost, accruing and using counters to remove enchantments or artifacts can be mana-intensive, diverting resources from other game-progressing plays.


Reasons to Include Hopeful Initiate in Your Collection

Versatility: Hopeful Initiate can be a strong addition to various decks, thriving in both aggressive and control strategies. Its ability to grow through training and to remove counters from itself makes it an adaptable threat on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: This card’s ability to remove counters from target artifacts, creatures, or enchantments using its second ability synergizes with numerous strategies. This opens up possibilities for intricate combos with proliferate mechanics or with cards that benefit from removing counters.

Meta-Relevance: Given how enchantments and sagas have become prevalent in many MTG formats, Hopeful Initiate is quite relevant as it offers a mana-efficient way to manage such permanents. Its inclusion could be pivotal in swinging the tide in matchups where these card types are key.


How to beat Hopeful Initiate

The Hopeful Initiate is a resourceful creature card in Magic: The Gathering that can grow stronger over time and whittle away at an opponent’s artifacts and enchantments. It’s a versatile one-drop that has the potential to become problematic if left unchecked. A pivotal strategy against it is to stymie its growth by controlling the board early on. Removal spells are essential, and playing them before the Initiate accumulates too many +1/+1 counters is optimal.

Another tactic involves outpacing the growth of the Hopeful Initiate with larger creatures. Cards that summon creatures with a greater base power can serve as a strong deterrent. Moreover, utilizing instant-speed spells can disrupt the timing of its training ability, ensuring that it remains a manageable threat. If the battlefield is clear of significant counters, this can prevent the Initiate from achieving its true potential.

Maintaining pressure and keeping the opponent on the defensive tends to limit how often they can activate the Initiate’s ability. This confines the card to a more modest contribution, allowing you to dictate the pace and maintain control of the game. Strategic foresight and prompt handling of the Hopeful Initiate can be the dividing line between triumph and defeat in MTG matchups.


BurnMana Recommendations

The landscape of MTG is ever-changing, with new strategies and cards emerging frequently. Hopeful Initiate has proven to be a versatile and dynamic card, capable of adjusting to various game conditions. If you’re eager to expand your understanding and utilize this card to its full potential, or if you’re looking to integrate it into a counter-based strategy, our insights will guide you. We delve deep into the synergies and strategic plays that make Hopeful Initiate a valuable asset to your deck. Connect with us and unlock the secrets to harnessing the full power of Hopeful Initiate, transforming every duel into an opportunity for victory.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hopeful Initiate MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Innistrad: Crimson Vow, 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 Hopeful Initiate and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Hopeful Initiate Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2021-11-19 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Dan Scott.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 952412015NormalBlackDan Scott
22021-11-19Innistrad: Crimson VowVOW 202015NormalBlackDan Scott
32021-11-19Innistrad: Crimson VowVOW 3502015NormalBlackDan Scott
42022-01-28Innistrad: Double FeatureDBL 2872015NormalBlackDan Scott

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Hopeful Initiate has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2021-11-19 A creature's training ability triggers only when both that creature and a creature with greater power are declared as attackers. Increasing a creature's power after attackers are declared won't cause a training ability to trigger.
2021-11-19 Once a creature's training ability has triggered, destroying the other attacking creature or reducing its power won't stop the creature with training from getting a +1/+1 counter.