Nurturer Initiate
Creature — Elf Shaman
Whenever a player casts a green spell, you may pay 
. If you do, target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Shadowmoor
- Price
- $0.12
- EDHREC rank
- #27666
Nurturer Initiate is a one-mana 1/1 that can grow other creatures by one power and toughness once per turn — a ceiling so low it rarely matters. The cost is an opportunity cost: almost any other one-drop green creature does something more durable for the same mana.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Nurturer Initiate is a fringe card across every format it's legal in. In Commander, the +1/+1 counter output is far too slow and too small to justify the slot — green has better one-drops that either ramp, draw, or scale. In Pauper, where commons get more mileage, it still doesn't clear the bar; there are stronger one-mana green bodies with more relevant abilities. Legacy and Vintage are non-starters — the power level gap is too wide. Oathbreaker shares Commander's problem: one counter per turn is noise, not a threat.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.12 bulk tier
At $0.12, Nurturer Initiate sits firmly in bulk territory. It holds that price not because demand supports it, but because virtually nothing pushes it lower — it's already at the floor.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.