Palace Familiar MTG Card


Upon death, Palace Familiar ensures card draw, subtly fueling your strategy and maintaining hand advantage. Supports resource acceleration by interacting with creature-based deck mechanisms, improving deck fluidity. Instant speed sacrifice outlets paired with its triggered draw offer strategic depth during any turn.
Palace Familiar - Dragons of Tarkir
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Bird
Abilities Flying
Released2015-03-27
Set symbol
Set nameDragons of Tarkir
Set codeDTK
Power 1
Toughness 1
Number69
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byKev Walker

Text of card

Flying When Palace Familiar dies, draw a card.

"The most profound secrets lie in the darkest places of the world. It can be prudent to make use of another set of eyes." —Sidisi, Silumgar vizier


Cards like Palace Familiar

Palace Familiar is an unassuming yet valuable player in the arena of creature cards with sacrifice benefits. This flying creature allows players to draw a card upon its death, a trait it shares with the likes of Elvish Visionary. While Elvish Visionary lets you draw a card immediately when it enters the battlefield, Palace Familiar requires a trigger from leaving the battlefield to reap the card draw benefit.

Another comparable card is Pilgrim’s Eye, which also has flying and focuses on resource optimization by fetching a basic land card upon entering the battlefield. It doesn’t provide card draw in a traditional sense but increases consistency within a deck. Then there’s Sea Gate Oracle, it is more costly in terms of mana but allows players to look at the top two cards of the library and select one when it comes into play, subtly enhancing card quality in hand, rather than quantity.

Though Palace Familiar doesn’t grant the immediacy or selection of these similar cards, its synergy with sacrifice and death-triggered mechanics can make it a strategic component within certain decks in Magic: The Gathering, offering nuanced advantages for savvy deckbuilders.

Elvish Visionary - MTG Card versions
Pilgrim's Eye - MTG Card versions
Sea Gate Oracle - MTG Card versions
Elvish Visionary - MTG Card versions
Pilgrim's Eye - MTG Card versions
Sea Gate Oracle - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Palace Familiar by color, type and mana cost

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Vodalian Soldiers - MTG Card versions
Zephyr Falcon - MTG Card versions
Giant Albatross - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Sphere - MTG Card versions
Skyshroud Condor - MTG Card versions
School of Piranha - MTG Card versions
Coral Merfolk - MTG Card versions
Wu Light Cavalry - MTG Card versions
Sea Eagle - MTG Card versions
Overtaker - MTG Card versions
Hazy Homunculus - MTG Card versions
Darting Merfolk - MTG Card versions
Thought Eater - MTG Card versions
Spellstutter Sprite - MTG Card versions
Sneaky Homunculus - MTG Card versions
Coral Eel - MTG Card versions
Storm Crow - MTG Card versions
Aquamoeba - MTG Card versions
Soratami Cloudskater - MTG Card versions
Minamo Sightbender - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With each instance your Palace Familiar falls in battle, rest assured knowing this loyal companion grants the gift of knowledge by allowing you to draw a card. This subtle yet impactful advantage keeps your hand refreshed and strategy ahead.

Resource Acceleration: This winged ally may not generate resources directly, but it seamlessly blends into deck mechanisms that capitalize on creatures entering or leaving the battlefield, effectively contributing to resource acceleration indirectly.

Instant Speed: Palace Familiar might not act at instant speed itself; however, its death-triggered card draw can be effectively paired with instant-speed sacrifice outlets. This cohesion provides strategic depth and flexibility, maintaining momentum even on your opponent’s turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Palace Familiar’s abilities might lead to a net card disadvantage. When you’re forced to sacrfice it to gain an extra card, it often results in losing board presence while only marginally improving your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Palace Familiar comes with a Blue mana requirement in its casting cost. This ties it strictly to Blue-centric or multicolored mana bases, potentially making it a poor fit for decks that can’t consistently produce Blue mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a creature that offers card advantage upon death, the combined casting and potential sacrifice costs can be steep considering alternative creatures or spells in MTG that can provide card advantage more efficiently.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Palace Familiar offers a reliable source of card advantage in decks that maximize draw power or require sacrifice fodder. Its ability to fit into numerous blue-based control or combo decks makes it a utility player every collector should have on hand.

Combo Potential: As a creature that benefits you upon death, Palace Familiar works exceptionally well in synergistic strategies involving sacrifice mechanics. Whether you’re looking to fuel delve, exploit, or simply need to draw into your game-changers, this bird is a low-cost contributor to various combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a gameplay environment where every card draw matters, Palace Familiar’s aptness in keeping your hand replenished can be crucial. It shines in metas with a focus on incremental advantage or where long games are prevalent, ensuring you have the resources needed to outpace opponents.


How to beat Palace Familiar

Palace Familiar may not seem daunting at first glance, but in the right deck, this blue creature can be a source of recurring card advantage in Magic: The Gathering. The key to neutralizing this flying bird is to deny its death-triggered ability, which allows its controller to draw a card upon death. Utilizing exile effects or employing creature cards that can remove creatures from play without sending them to the graveyard, such as with spells like Path to Exile or with cards that exile upon dealing combat damage, can effectively negate Palace Familiar’s benefits.

Continuous board control is also paramount. Maintaining a presence of flying or reach creatures deters attacks and complements exile strategies by forcing the opponent to hold back or risk a trade without the draw. Additionally, applying pressure with aggressive strategies can often force the Palace Familiar’s controller to block unfavorably, sacrificing the creature with less advantage. Timing removal spells efficiently, so the death-triggered draw is less impactful, is also crucial. Therefore, while Palace Familiar can enhance a deck’s consistency, strategic removal and board dominance can successfully tame this avian adversary.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Palace Familiar MTG card by a specific set like Dragons of Tarkir, 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 Palace Familiar and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Palace Familiar has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal