Lifegift MTG Card


Lifegift provides steady life gain, expanding strategic options for decks that utilize life as a resource. While fostering longevity in games, it imposes specific deck-building considerations due to mana requirements. Lifegift’s continuous effect offers resilience against aggressive strategies, proving its sideboard value.
Lifegift - Betrayers of Kamigawa
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment
Released2005-02-04
Set symbol
Set nameBetrayers of Kamigawa
Set codeBOK
Number132
Frame2003
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byJohn Matson

Text of card

Whenever a land comes into play, you may gain 1 life.

"Walk the world and you'll find your soul; search your soul and you'll discover the world." —Diary of Azusa


Cards like Lifegift

Lifegift is an intriguing enchantment for players who focus on life gain strategies in Magic: The Gathering. Its closest counterpart is the enchantment Verdant Haven, which offers life gain when lands come into play but also provides an additional mana. Despite the shared concept of linking land interactions to life points, Lifegift shines by triggering off any land, which is not limited to your own, unlike Verdant Haven.

Exploration is another relevant card, enabling players to play additional lands each turn which can synergize well with Lifegift’s ability to exploit land drops. However, Exploration, while empowering land play, doesn’t inherently increase life totals. For those valuing the pure life gain aspect, Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice offers an alternative as it provides a substantial life boost whenever creatures enter the battlefield under your control, catering to the creature-heavy decks rather than land-driven lifegain.

Ultimately, Lifegift holds a unique position amongst its peers by offering consistent life gain in multi-player settings, where land plays are frequent and inevitable, making it a robust choice for lifegain aficionados looking to capitalize on every turn’s land drop.

Verdant Haven - MTG Card versions
Exploration - MTG Card versions
Trostani, Selesnya's Voice - MTG Card versions
Verdant Haven - MTG Card versions
Exploration - MTG Card versions
Trostani, Selesnya's Voice - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Lifegift by color, type and mana cost

Kudzu - MTG Card versions
Wanderlust - MTG Card versions
Maddening Wind - MTG Card versions
Cycle of Life - MTG Card versions
Dense Foliage - MTG Card versions
Hall of Gemstone - MTG Card versions
Momentum - MTG Card versions
Ancestral Mask - MTG Card versions
Broken Fall - MTG Card versions
Lure - MTG Card versions
Food Chain - MTG Card versions
Howling Moon - MTG Card versions
The Dragon-Kami Reborn // Dragon-Kami's Egg - MTG Card versions
Squirrel Nest - MTG Card versions
Alpha Status - MTG Card versions
Blanchwood Armor - MTG Card versions
Rites of Flourishing - MTG Card versions
Raking Canopy - MTG Card versions
Fyndhorn Pollen - MTG Card versions
Spidersilk Armor - MTG Card versions
Kudzu - MTG Card versions
Wanderlust - MTG Card versions
Maddening Wind - MTG Card versions
Cycle of Life - MTG Card versions
Dense Foliage - MTG Card versions
Hall of Gemstone - MTG Card versions
Momentum - MTG Card versions
Ancestral Mask - MTG Card versions
Broken Fall - MTG Card versions
Lure - MTG Card versions
Food Chain - MTG Card versions
Howling Moon - MTG Card versions
The Dragon-Kami Reborn // Dragon-Kami's Egg - MTG Card versions
Squirrel Nest - MTG Card versions
Alpha Status - MTG Card versions
Blanchwood Armor - MTG Card versions
Rites of Flourishing - MTG Card versions
Raking Canopy - MTG Card versions
Fyndhorn Pollen - MTG Card versions
Spidersilk Armor - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Lifegift confers continuous card value as you gain life each time a land enters the battlefield. This effect is not limited to your own lands, but also includes lands played by your opponents, potentially translating into sizeable life gains over the course of a game.

Resource Acceleration: Though not a direct provider of mana or tokens, the life gain from Lifegift can effectively be a resource acceleration tool, giving you a cushion that allows for more aggressive use of life-payment cards or abilities, thereby propelling your board state while maintaining a healthy life total.

Instant Speed: While Lifegift itself does not operate at instant speed, the consistent life gain it provides can support an instant-speed strategy by offsetting the life you might spend on such spells or the damage taken from holding back blockers in favor of reactive play.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Lifegift does not explicitly require discarding cards, but it can inadvertently lead to a bloated hand that may force discards if maximum hand size is exceeded.

Specific Mana Cost: The card necessitates a combination of green mana and two other mana units to cast, which could be restricting for non-green focused decks, affecting its versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Boasting a mana cost of three, including one green, Lifegift’s ability to benefit you each time a land enters the battlefield might not justify the initial investment when there are other low-cost cards that can provide immediate life gain or more impactful benefits.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Lifegift showcases its adaptability by blending seamlessly into various deck types, especially those that capitalize on life gain. Its continuous life gain effect can substantially bolster your survival chances in prolonged matches.

Combo Potential: The recurring life-gain trigger of Lifegift can be a linchpin for combo strategies. It pairs well with cards that benefit from life gain or strive to reach a high life total quickly for a decisive victory.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where aggressive strategies prevail, Lifegift becomes a crucial sideboard card, offering a steady stream of life to counteract frequent damage sources and to outpace opponents reliant on swift damage accumulation.


How to beat

Lifegift, as a unique card in Magic: The Gathering, offers a consistent life-gain ability whenever a land enters the battlefield under any player’s control. This can present a challenge to overcome, as your opponent may continuously gain life, making it harder to reduce their life total to zero. To circumvent this, it’s essential to focus on strategies that either prevent landfall triggers or utilize alternate win conditions that don’t rely on depleting life totals.

Employing cards that restrict land plays, such as Zo-Zu the Punisher or land destruction tactics, can be one approach to inhibit the benefits of Lifegift. Another effective strategy is to leverage win conditions like Thassa’s Oracle or Jace, Wielder of Mysteries, which allow you to win through drawing your entire library rather than combat damage. Lastly, incorporating graveyard-based strategies that use cards like Leyline of the Void can ensure that Lifegift’s life-gain is mitigated by removing lands from the game entirely.

Ultimately, pinpointing the key to victory involves analyzing your own deck’s capabilities and finding the best counterplay. By addressing the advantages that Lifegift provides to your opponent and crafting a tailored response, you can enhance your win rate against decks that include this life-gaining artifact.


BurnMana Recommendations

As you delve into the strategic depths of MTG, optimizing your deck’s performance is paramount. With Lifegift, you wield an enchantment that can fortify your life total, turning the tide in matches that stretch into epic duels. We recognize the importance of synergy and resilience in your MTG arsenal. Therefore, we encourage you to consider Lifegift as a vital component in your life-gain strategy, especially if your deck thrives on the play of numerous lands or if you’re facing opponents with aggressive land-deployment tactics. Explore more insights and augment your deck’s life-gain potential to secure your victories in the long game.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lifegift MTG card by a specific set like Betrayers of Kamigawa, 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 Lifegift and other MTG cards:

TCGPlayerBUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Lifegift has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal