Heron of Hope

Creature — Bird

Flying

If you would gain life, you gain that much life plus 1 instead.

{1}{W}: This gains lifelink until end of turn.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Alchemy	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Pauper Duel Commander	Legal
Pauper EDH	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Pre-release	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Standard	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (4)

multimedia on Liesa, Liesa, they so flying...

1 year ago

Hey, good latest update, really nice additions of Archivist of Oghma and Bolas's Citadel. Don't forget Caves of Koilos, it's in the precon and an Orzhov dual land that enters the battlefield untapped.

You're right you want more draw and you could cut several lesser creatures for more draw. Use life to get draw by either drawing when you gain life or when you pay life. Well of Lost Dreams is another four drop that like Greed once you get onto the battlefield it can draw a ton of cards because of Liesa's lifelink. Sigarda's Splendor can draw an extra card at your upkeep if your life total changed and it's another source of repeatable life gain from casing white spells.

Dawn of Hope each time you gain life you can pay 2 mana to draw a card. Eye of Vecna draws a card when it enters the battlefield and then it can be repeatable at your upkeep for 2 mana + 2 life.

Fell Stinger can sac itself for it's exploit to have interaction with Liesa, Forgotten Archangel and other reanimation or recursion that you could add such as Sun Titan, Witch of the Moors, Apprentice Necromancer, Priest of Fell Rites. When your Commander has flying then Mask of Memory can be consistent repeatable draw as well as discard to fuel reanimation or recursion.

Court of Grace makes you the monarch for repeatable draw a card at your end step. If you're the monarch at your upkeep then you create a 4/4 Angel or if you're not the monarch a 1/1 Spirit. Palace Jailer makes you the monarch, it also exiles an opponent's creature and that creature never returns to the battlefield unless you lose the monarch which can only happen if an opponent does combat damage to you or plays a card that makes them the monarch.

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Some cards to consider cutting for more draw, reanimation, recursion.

• Killian, Ink Duelist: you have very few cards that have a single target to reduce the mana cost.
• Vampire Outcasts: the lifelink is nice, but that's all it does for a four drop creature, no other abilities, can do better for four mana.
• Dawnhart Geist: there's very few enchantments here and it only triggers for your enchantments, can gain more life from other cards.
• Vampire Scrivener: I know you like this card, but it's too slow and doesn't do anything for five mana. You have Necropolis Regent at one more mana than Scrivener who can put the counters on Liesa the same turn it enters the battlefield. Putting counters on Liesa will do more because she has lifelink.
• Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts: not a fan of this seven drop, could replace it with Sun Titan.

Well of Lost Dreams or Sigarda's Splendor could replace Vampire Outcasts. Dawn of Hope or Eye of Vecna could replace Killian, Ink Duelist. Mask of Memory is a good swap for Malefic Scythe. Mask can give you repeatable draw where as Scythe isn't doing much because it only triggers when equipped creature dies.

Fell Stinger is an easy swap for Dawnhart Geist. Vampire Scrivener could be cut for more reanimation Witch of the Moors, Apprentice Necromancer, Priest of Fell Rites. Sun Titan could replace Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts. Court of Grace or Palace Jailer could replace Heron of Hope. Heron's ability is fine to gain a little more life, but more draw would help more.

Polaris on Tymaret, Chosen from Death exiling …

2 years ago

You will not gain any life. Since there were no creature cards exiled, there is no life-gain event for Heron of Hope to add to.

Fritzn on Tymaret, Chosen from Death exiling …

2 years ago

I just want to see what other people think of this (possible?) interation: Tymaret, Chosen from Death + Heron of Hope or similar type effect that says "If you gain life, you gain that much +1". After rereading Timmy I think I won't get what I want, since the lifegain is only triggered when a creature card gets exiled.

My original thought was to not exile any cards or exile noncreature cards, I would gain 0 life +1. I think the 0 would just not exist at all.

KBK7101 on Extreme Healing

2 years ago

I agree with all the points the above poster made and have a few more of my own.

Firstly, like the above poster said, you probably want to pick a format. It doesn't matter when you play casually but building decks for certain formats is good for when/if you ever want to play with anyone other than your friends. Pioneer is a good starting point. It doesn't rotate like Standard (and has a larger card pool) and is much cheaper than Modern (though it has a smaller card pool).

The Pioneer format rules page : https://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/gameplay/formats/pioneer

As for individual cards, Ajani's Pridemate is an all-time favorite card of mine and would be perfect for this deck. If you want another card that's very similar, and "strictly better", the newly released Voice of the Blessed from Innistrad Crimson Vow does the same thing with other additional benefits. Those ones are $2 each, though, while the Pridemate's would be in the "less than a quarter" area.

Ajani's Welcome (between $1-2 each) is another favorite card of mind that is a staple for lifegain decks. I'd also recommend Angel of Vitality (about $1 each). It's essentially the same as Heron of Hope but for one mana cheaper. Mentor of the Meek (usually less than $1) is a fantastic card draw engine when you have a deck full of low power creatures. His effect will still trigger even if your Pridemate/Cleric/Voice gets a +1/+1 counter from a lifegain source when it enters.

Lastly, Gods Willing (like the Pridemate, it's in the "less than a quarter" category) is a card that can serve two purposes. First, it can be protection from removal as it essentially gives a creature "that color can't touch me" until end of turn. At the same time, it can be used to get a huge Pridemate/Voice/Cleric through a wall of enemy creatures because protection also makes it so the creature you cast it on can't be blocked by whatever color you pick.

As for cuts, I'd probably say to cut two lands, the Walls, the Tines, Rest for the Wary and the Herons to make room for some configuration of the above cards.

Hopefully some of this is useful. I'd be happy to help if you would like any more recommedations! Welcome to the site!!