Noble Benefactor
Creature — Human Cleric
When this creature dies, each player may search their library for a card and put that card into their hand. Then each player who searched their library this way shuffles.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Weatherlight
- Price
- $0.44
- EDHREC rank
- #11638
Noble Benefactor gives everyone a free tutor when it dies — which means the moment you crack it yourself, every opponent gets a wish granted at your expense. River Song is the exception that proves the rule: in a deck that converts opponents' library manipulation into free spells, handing out tutors is a feature, not a bug.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
River Song
River Song triggers off spells cast from opponents' libraries, so Noble Benefactor doesn't just cycle — it loads the gun for River Song to fire, turning every opponent's tutor into a free cast.
Phelddagrif
Phelddagrif builds political capital by gifting resources, and Noble Benefactor fits that template exactly — it hands out tutors on death as a gesture of goodwill, reinforcing the group-hug deal-making that keeps Phelddagrif alive at crowded tables.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Noble Benefactor is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, and that's where its entire competitive existence lives. In Commander it occupies a narrow but real niche: group-hug and political shells want the symmetrical tutor, and River Song decks want opponents finding cards to cast. Legacy and Vintage have no interest in a three-mana creature that hands opponents free answers — the card simply doesn't survive long enough in those formats to matter. Oathbreaker mirrors the Commander case at a smaller scale, again only relevant in permissive or politically oriented builds.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.44 bulk tier
At $0.44, Noble Benefactor is deep bulk — easy to acquire, easy to cut without regret. The price reflects its narrow demand: outside River Song and group-hug lists, almost nobody wants it, so don't expect movement in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- River Song
- Phelddagrif
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.