Worship MTG Card


Worship offers board stability and a pseudo-higher life state, crucial for surviving against removal-heavy decks. The card requires careful deck construction due to its specific mana and potentially high cost. Incorporating Worship into your collection can turn the tables in aggro-dominated metas, offering extended game longevity.
Card setsReleased in 12 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment

Text of card

Damage that would reduce your life total to less than 1 instead reduces it to 1 if you control a creature.

"Believe in the ideal, not the idol." —Serra


Cards like Worship

The card Worship from Magic: The Gathering stands out in the realm of damage prevention. Resembling cards like Story Circle and Mark of Asylum, Worship offers a unique approach to protecting your life total. Where Story Circle allows you to choose a color and prevent damage from it, and Mark of Asylum prevents noncombat damage to your creatures, Worship has a distinct condition – as long as you control a creature, your life total can’t fall below 1. This comprehensive protection from losing the game to damage makes it a formidable enchantment.

Another similar card that deserves mention is Pariah. Pariah redirects damage from you to a creature of your choosing—again showcasing an interesting layer of strategy in protecting your life total. While Worship requires you to maintain a creature presence on the battlefield, Pariah asks for just one creature to absorb all the punishment, potentially offering total immunity to life loss from damage.

In evaluating these protection mechanisms, Worship often emerges as a top choice in decks designed to keep creatures on the board. Its ability to almost single-handedly thwart an opponent’s offensive can be game-changing, making it a standout among protective cards in Magic: The Gathering.

Story Circle - MTG Card versions
Mark of Asylum - MTG Card versions
Pariah - MTG Card versions
Story Circle - MTG Card versions
Mark of Asylum - MTG Card versions
Pariah - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Worship by color, type and mana cost

Castle - MTG Card versions
Karma - MTG Card versions
Conversion - MTG Card versions
Angelic Voices - MTG Card versions
Seeker - MTG Card versions
Drought - MTG Card versions
Justice - MTG Card versions
Divine Transformation - MTG Card versions
Null Chamber - MTG Card versions
Field of Souls - MTG Card versions
Light of Day - MTG Card versions
Opal Titan - MTG Card versions
Ivory Mask - MTG Card versions
Parallax Wave - MTG Card versions
Diversionary Tactics - MTG Card versions
Moat - MTG Card versions
Teleportation Circle - MTG Card versions
Hallowed Haunting - MTG Card versions
Drawn Together - MTG Card versions
Conclave's Blessing - MTG Card versions
Castle - MTG Card versions
Karma - MTG Card versions
Conversion - MTG Card versions
Angelic Voices - MTG Card versions
Seeker - MTG Card versions
Drought - MTG Card versions
Justice - MTG Card versions
Divine Transformation - MTG Card versions
Null Chamber - MTG Card versions
Field of Souls - MTG Card versions
Light of Day - MTG Card versions
Opal Titan - MTG Card versions
Ivory Mask - MTG Card versions
Parallax Wave - MTG Card versions
Diversionary Tactics - MTG Card versions
Moat - MTG Card versions
Teleportation Circle - MTG Card versions
Hallowed Haunting - MTG Card versions
Drawn Together - MTG Card versions
Conclave's Blessing - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

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

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
EnchantressEnchantress PremodernEternal Weekend Europe 2023 Premodern Mainevent
Selesnya Collected CompanySelesnya Collected Company ModernSelesnya Collected CompanyModern Challenge 96 2023-12-02 (1)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Provides a resilient form of creature protection that can maintain your board presence, avoiding costly one-for-one removal and preserving valuable creatures.

Resource Acceleration: While not accelerating mana directly, Worship can be thought of as a form of life-total acceleration, setting you in a pseudo-higher life state where only complete board removal can effectively change your life status.

Instant Speed: Though Worship itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, its continuous effect allows other instant speed interactions to be more effective, ensuring your creatures’ survival and your life total indirectly during the full turn cycle.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Worship offers a potentially game-saving ability, it’s important to note that certain decks may require you to discard cards for optimal play. This means having Worship on the field might cause you to hesitate before utilizing discard mechanics, potentially slowing down your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Worship has a specific mana cost that includes white mana, meaning it integrates best within decks that are capable of producing white mana consistently. For players running multicolor decks without a strong white mana base, fitting Worship into the strategy can be challenging.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Worship’s mana cost sits at four mana, with a requirement of one being white. This can be steep for players looking to establish early defenses. While its effect is undeniably powerful, ensuring you survive until you can cast it can sometimes prove difficult, especially against aggressive decks that streamline their threats quickly.


Reasons to Include Worship in Your Collection

Versatility: Worship is a unique enchantment that provides a consistent way to prevent losing the game as long as you control a creature. This card can effortlessly slide into decks that focus on creature-based strategies or ones designed for longevity and control.

Combo Potential: With its ability to keep your life total from dropping below one, Worship can be combined with cards that allow you to pay life for powerful effects without the risk of defeat, enabling game-winning combos in the right setup.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment rife with aggro decks aiming to reduce life totals quickly, Worship asserts itself as a formidable tool, disrupting the pace of these strategies and giving you the upper hand in extended matches.


How to beat

The card Worship is a unique enchantment in the world of Magic: The Gathering, known for its ability to turn the tides of a match by preventing a player’s life total from dropping below 1 as long as they control a creature. It’s a challenging obstacle to overcome, but not impossible. The key is to employ removal spells that can clear the board of creatures. Board wipes such as Wrath of God or Damnation can effectively neutralize Worship’s protective impact.

Additionally, utilizing cards that can target enchantments directly is another sound strategy. Spells like Disenchant or Naturalize afford players the ability to remove Worship from the game altogether. In some cases, it might even be possible to bypass Worship’s defense with indirect damage through loss of life effects from cards like Blood Artist or through combat damage if you have a card like Questing Beast that can deal damage regardless of life-preserving effects.

Effectively, overcoming Worship requires a well-thought-out plan to manage the creatures that enable it and a readiness to dismantle the enchantment itself or deploy alternative winning strategies. Recognizing the right moment to strike and having the solution in hand is the crux of beating this powerful card.


BurnMana Recommendations

Enhancing your MTG deck starts with understanding pivotal cards like Worship and their place within the strategic tapestry of the game. This card offers a compelling defense mechanism, turning the tide of battle in your favor by safeguarding your life total. To truly leverage Worship’s potential and build a competitive edge, it’s critical to hone your deck’s creature management and assess enchantment synergy. Dive deeper into the art of deck construction with us, where we unpack strategies, spotlight combo opportunities, and offer insights to refine your gameplay. Whether you’re aiming to thwart aggressive adversaries or craft an indomitable deck, our guidance can be your ally in the quest for victory.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Worship MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga and World Championship Decks 2000, 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 Worship and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Worship Magic the Gathering card was released in 9 different sets between 1998-10-12 and 2023-06-23. Illustrated by 6 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11998-10-12Urza's SagaUSG 571997NormalBlackMark Zug
22000-08-02World Championship Decks 2000WC00 nl57sb1997NormalGoldMark Zug
32001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 561997NormalWhiterk post
42001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 56★1997NormalBlackrk post
52002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 779552015NormalBlackMatt Stewart
62003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 572003NormalWhiteMark Zug
72003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 57★2003NormalBlackMark Zug
82005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 552003NormalWhiteMark Zug
92005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 55★2003NormalBlackMark Zug
102017-04-28Amonkhet InvocationsMP2 62015NormalBorderlessCliff Childs
112019-06-28Signature Spellbook: GideonSS2 72015NormalBlackMatt Stewart
122023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 5222015NormalBorderlessTim Hildebrandt & Greg Hildebrandt

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Worship has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2004-10-04 It reduces your life total to 1, not the damage to 1.
2004-10-04 Worship does not prevent damage. It causes some damage to be unable to lower your life total. So any damage rendered useless by Worship was still dealt and is counted by effects that track the amount of damage done to a player. In addition, Worship does not prevent loss of life, so loss of life bypasses Worship.