• Noble Hierarch (Original Art)
  • Noble Hierarch (Original Art)

    Noble Hierarch (Original Art)

    Artist
    Mark Zug
    Year
    2008
    Medium
    Oils
    Set/Console Name
    Conflux
    Console/Game
    Magic the Gathering
    C.O.A.
    yes
    Painted A.P.
    no
    Substrate Material
    Framed
    Substrate Dimensions
    18 1/4"H x 21"W
    Image Area Dimensions
    9 1/8"H x 11"W
    Frame Dimensions
    Framed
    Handmade Protective Case
    YES
    Reserved List
    No

    Fodder for all Zug-fans, Noble Hierarch goes down in history as one of the most sought-after examples of his mastery of form. Noble Hierarch is a one mana green 0/1 exalted Human Druid creature from Conflux (2009). As a 1-mana creature that taps for three colors of mana it’s an extremely flexible and efficient card. In green decks with access to white/blue, Hierarch is often the best first play possible. Exalted isn’t just flavor text, it wins games in grindy matchups, turning otherwise small creatures (e.g. Inkmoth Nexus, Stoneforge Mystic) into real threats. In decks like Infect, Noble Hierarch serves a role as both ramp and a source of extra power for single attackers. Playing this card comes with a low opportunity cost, and it fits in a wide range of strategies (combo, tempo, midrange and control) because it fixes and accelerates simultaneously. Noble Hierarch has had the biggest impact in Modern, it’s a staple in both fair and combo decks that want acceleration and access to Bant (green-blue-white) colors. Common Noble Hierarch archetypes include Bant Control/Spirits/Company style decks, Infect, Eldrazi Bant/Death & Taxes variants and various Devoted Druid Combo/Company style lists. In the Legacy format Noble Hierarch appears in Bant Maverick, Bant Stoneblade, Infect and NO Bant (Natural Order) builds. It also sees play in other formats like Commander where it’s a widely played mana dork and occasionally shows up in Vintage BUG Fish or Bant tempo decks. Noble Hierarch has won multiple Grand Prix events and appeared in numerous Pro Tour Top 8 decks (e.g. Modern GP Austin 2015- Tom Ross won with Infect; Pro Tour Oath of the Gatewatch 2016- Andrew Brown top 8 Bant Eldrazi). Noble Hierarch is not on the Reserved List and has been reprinted several times (Modern Masters 2015, Ultimate Masters, Double Masters...)
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