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Advanced Stack Interactions, Timing, and Priority with Advocate of the Beast
Green has always thrived on natural momentum and the patient art of growing a board, but Advocate of the Beast brings a very particular discipline to the table: timing your end steps and stacking growth with surgical precision. This 3-mana Elf Shaman from Magic 2014 isn’t a bomb on board by itself—yet it quietly becomes the engine room for Beast tribal decks that love to sprinkle +1/+1 counters across a growing menagerie 🧙♂️🔥💎. With Advocate in play, the end step isn’t just a closing curtain; it’s a potential power spike you can shape with the stack and with the right Beasts at your side.
“I am neither their drover nor their leader. To these majestic beasts, I am simply their herdmate and nothing more.”
On its face, Advocate of the Beast is a modest 2/3 for {2}{G}, a common creature in Magic 2014 that feels approachable at first glance. Its true value, though, arrives as the end step approaches and the stack begins to hum with potential. The ability reads: At the beginning of your end step, put a +1/+1 counter on target Beast creature you control. The trigger is green through and through—it rewards you for building a cadre of Beasts and then polishing that cadre with incremental growth each turn. If you’re building toward a late-game threat, that single counter per end step can translate into a towering commander-level presence over the course of a few turns. And yes, that little line of growth becomes a big deal when you’ve got multiple Beasts on board ready to rumble ⚔️.
How to wring value from the stack
- Plan around the trigger timing: The trigger happens at the beginning of your end step, then it sits on the stack until you pass priority to pass resolution. You’ll typically want to sequence your plays so you can maximize the number of targets you can legitimately buff. If you have a stable board and you’re staring down a cleanup step, Advocate’s trigger can be the hinge that pushes one or two key Beasts from respectable to menacing as combat opens the next turn 🧙♂️.
- Choose targets with intention: Since you’re allowed to target a Beast you control, your selection matters. You might opt for a tough, beefy Beast you want to survive a turn longer, or you might pick a Beasts you plan to use as a frontline commitment in the next attack step. The target choice becomes part of your post-end-step plan, not just a random counter drop. The targeting rule is simple, but its implications ripple outward through your combat math 🎲.
- Beast density and synergies: Advocate shines when your deck leans into Beast creatures. Cards like Marauding Maulhorn (also a Beast) show how a growing board can become a momentum engine. Beasts often come with natural buffs, big bodies, or utility abilities that scale with your counters. The Advocate’s incremental growth makes it easy to storyboard a sequence where every end step adds a little more punch to your horde 🎨.
- Mind your opponent’s removal and timing tricks: End-step triggers are powerful to you and potentially fragile in the face of fast removal or counterspells on the stack. You can protect your plan by sequencing instants and activated abilities before your end step trigger resolves, or by holding up mana to respond when the trigger goes on the stack. A well-timed instant can stave off removal or buy you the extra moment you need to finish buffing your board 🔥.
Concrete play patterns to consider
In practice, Advocate of the Beast rewards a two-pronged approach: a solid early curve to establish a few Beasts, and then a patient, end-step buffing cadence to turn those Beasts into genuine threats. Here are a few patterns to keep in mind as you pilot a green-centric, Beast-focused plan:
- Grind and grow: Lead with a couple of early Beasts, then let Advocate start stacking counters at each end step. The incremental growth adds up, and the Beasts you buff in this way survive into the next combat phase as your opponent starts to worry about the inevitability of a larger board swing 🔎.
- Target selection as a lever: If you have a standout Beast that’s been carrying the load, use Advocate to make that Beast even harder to remove. A single counter per end step on a stubborn behemoth can turn into a multi-turn clock that your opponents must answer, especially in a creature-heavy meta. The simple act of buffing a single target repeatedly can be more pressure than a one-shot effect, because it compounds over time 🎯.
- Beast tribal tempo: Build around the tempo of the end step. If you’re ahead on board and your opponent is tempted to deploy removal, you can preserve your advantage by buffing a Beast you plan to swing with immediately next turn, turning the end-step growth into a prelude to a heavy combat sequence. The timing becomes a question of who controls the pace of the game, and Advocate helps you set that tempo with each passing turn ⚡.
Flavor, design, and the green heartbeat
Advocate of the Beast embodies a classic Green design philosophy: grow the whole party, not just one star. The flavor text reinforces the idea of a humble handler who respects the beasts rather than brands themselves as a master. The art by Jesper Ejsing captures that wild yet loyal bond between elf and beast, a visual reminder that the behemoths you buff aren’t disposable—each counter is a promise of continued companionship on the battlefield 🎨.
Rarity blushes at common, but the card’s impact in the right shell is anything but. In a modern or casual EDH/Commander table, Advocate can anchor a Beast synergy deck that doubles down on value-generation, board presence, and the sweet joy of watching counters accumulate with unassuming consistency. The set, Magic 2014 (M14), sits comfortably as a core-set veteran—easy to draft, forgiving for new players, and a reliable platform for more expert stack gymnastics. The synergy is not flashy on turn one, but by turn four or five, your board evolves into something formidable, a reminder that green is as much about patient growth as it is about raw power 🔥.
Practical takeaways for your next deck
- Prioritize Beasts that you actually want on board for the long run; Advocate turns a modest 2/3 body into a persistent growth engine.
- Keep a few flexible instants in hand to respond to end-step decisions or protect your buff window from a last-mound removal spell.
- Combine with Beasts that scale well from +1/+1 counters or that benefit from broad counter generation to maximize the payoff from each end step.
- Consider budget-friendly options in M14 and allied sets; Advocate is common, making it an accessible cornerstone for Beasts-driven archetypes without breaking the bank 💎.
If you’re curating a table where the “one more counter” moment becomes the nightly highlight, Advocate of the Beast is the small creature that quietly asks big questions about timing, priority, and how you want to build your battlefield narrative. It’s the kind of card that invites you to slow down, count the steps, and savor the moment when your Beasts finish their march with one more stubborn, organic boost.
And while you’re planning your playstyle and polish, a little real-world gadgetry never hurts to keep the vibe—like a handy phone grip to keep your notes, sleeves, and decklists within easy reach during the long, strategic nights. If you’re curious, you can check out a convenient option here: