Drannith Healer
Creature — Human Cleric
Whenever you cycle another card, you gain 1 life.
Cycling 
(, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths
- Price
- $0.21
- EDHREC rank
- #12793
Drannith Healer gains you life every time you cycle a card — straightforward, low-cost, and exactly what Gavi, Nest Warden decks want stapled to their cycling engine. At two mana with no ongoing cost, it's a reliable cushion against aggro that never asks you to change your gameplan.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Gavi, Nest Warden
Gavi, Nest Warden builds around cycling as the primary engine, so Drannith Healer triggers constantly — every free cycle off Gavi is also a life gain event, turning the deck's core loop into a passive lifebuffer against aggressive tables.
Sharuum the Hegemon
Sharuum the Hegemon lists run enough artifact recursion and graveyard looping that incidental lifegain from Drannith Healer becomes meaningful insurance during the setup turns before the combo resolves.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Drannith Healer earns its slot exclusively in cycling-heavy builds — outside of that niche, the effect is too low-impact for a 100-card format where life totals start at 40. In Pauper, where aggro is fast and life gain matters more, it's a fringe option in dedicated cycling shells but faces stiff competition from better rate cards. Modern and Pioneer have cycling payoffs with higher ceilings, so Drannith Healer rarely makes the cut outside budget brews. Legacy and Vintage don't care about it at all.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.21 bulk tier
At $0.21, Drannith Healer is deep bulk — you're paying for the cardboard, not the effect. It's unlikely to spike unless a cycling commander breaks wide in a future set, so pick it up whenever you need it without a second thought.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Gavi, Nest Warden
- Sharuum the Hegemon
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.