Scrounging Bandar MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Cat Monkey
Power 0
Toughness 0

Key Takeaways

  1. Scrounging Bandar provides immediate value and strategic counter movement to strengthen your board without card loss.
  2. It accelerates your creatures’ power and toughness efficiently, turning smaller threats into formidable forces.
  3. Though locked into green mana and competing against stronger creatures, its versatility and combo potential shine through.

Text of card

Scrounging Bandar enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, you may move any number of +1/+1 counters from Scrounging Bandar onto another target creature.

"It was right here a second ago . . ."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Scrounging Bandar enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it, providing immediate value. Over time, you can strategically move these counters to other creatures you control during your upkeep, maintaining or even increasing your board presence without losing card equity.

Resource Acceleration: By manipulating +1/+1 counters, you effectively accelerate the resource of power and toughness across the board. This can turn smaller, less impactful creatures into significant threats, effectively using your current board state to its maximum potential without additional mana investment.

Instant Speed: While Scrounging Bandar itself does not operate at instant speed, its ability to transfer +1/+1 counters can be synced with other instant-speed interactions. This provides flexible combat tricks or surprise blockers, making it a versatile component in decks that thrive on instantaneous responses and tactics.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Scrounging Bandar doesn’t have a direct discard requirement, its place in your deck can edge out cards that synergize more efficiently with a discard theme. This could lead to suboptimal hands where you prefer a discard-friendly card over what Bandar offers.

Specific Mana Cost: Scrounging Bandar requires green mana specifically. While this cost is low, it does pigeonhole it into green-based decks or multicolor decks that can afford the specific mana requirements, potentially limiting its versatility in a wider range of deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its interesting counter-transfer ability, the initial two-mana cost for a 2/2 creature may not be as cost-effective compared to other options. Green decks, in particular, have access to numerous creatures with more impactful board presence for a similar investment, making Scrounging Bandar a less attractive option in competitive play.


Reasons to Include Scrounging Bandar in Your Collection

Versatility: Scrounging Bandar brings flexibility to your deck, being a cost-effective creature that scales well into the late game. Its ability to distribute +1/+1 counters makes it useful in a variety of strategies centered around counter manipulation.

Combo Potential: With Scrounging Bandar, the synergy with proliferate mechanics or any strategy that makes use of +1/+1 counters is noteworthy. The Bandar can be paired with cards that have abilities triggered by counters being placed, enhancing their effects and creating potent combinations.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where small creatures can have a big impact, Scrounging Bandar stands out. Its ongoing counter-transfer ability helps maintain board presence and can turn any creature into a threat. This means it has a place in metas where incremental advantage and creature-based synergies are key.


How to beat Scrounging Bandar

Scrounging Bandar is an intriguing creature card that offers versatile counter manipulation in the game of Magic: The Gathering. With its ability to move +1/+1 counters from itself to another target creature at the beginning of your upkeep, it poses an interesting challenge when you’re up against it. To effectively neutralize this advantage, it is pivotal to limit the Bandar’s ability through removal spells or effects that prevent counter distribution.

One tactic is to deploy instant-speed removal, like Fatal Push or Path to Exile, before the Bandar’s ability resolves during the upkeep phase. Alternatively, using cards that negate abilities or impose status conditions like Pacifism or Frost Lynx can suppress the Bandar’s utility, rendering it less of a threat. Board wipes, such as Wrath of God, also clear the Bandar along with any creatures that might have been boosted by its counters.

Ultimately, understanding the Bandar’s strength in enhancing other creatures and deploying timely countering strategies will help you maintain control of the battlefield and curtail the potential growth of your opponent’s forces.


BurnMana Recommendations

Scrounging Bandar is a gem in the green decks of MTG, highlighting the potential for strategic counterplay and board development. For players seeking to add resilience and versatility to their game, this creature offers a unique approach to utilizing +1/+1 counters. Its ability to redistribute power across your army can pave the way for triumphant victories. Curious about weaving Scrounging Bandar into your deck and exploring the synergies it unlocks with other cards? Dive deeper with us into MTG strategies and card analyses to optimize your decks and bring your gameplay to new heights. The journey to mastery continues!


Cards like Scrounging Bandar

Scrounging Bandar presents a unique twist as a creature in the vast repertoire of MTG cards. Its closest relatives in utility are cards like Experiment One, which also allow for growth through accumulation of +1/+1 counters. Experiment One has the regenerate ability, providing resilience against removal, whereas Scrounging Bandar offers flexibility in transferring its counters during your upkeep.

Another card that dances in the same circle is Managorger Hydra which, much like Scrounging Bandar, can grow to be a severe threat if left unchecked. Each spell cast by any player makes Managorger Hydra larger, whereas Scrounging Bandar depends on its unique distribution method for growth. Ivy Lane Denizen is part of this family too, allowing you to put a +1/+1 counter on target creature whenever another green creature enters the battlefield under your control. This can complement the Bandar, making it a worthy ally in green-centric decks.

Evaluating these options, Scrounging Bandar carves out a niche for itself with its exceptional counter manipulation abilities, making it a versatile choice for decks that focus on +1/+1 counter strategies or require a creature capable of supporting others by sharing its power.

Experiment One - MTG Card versions
Managorger Hydra - MTG Card versions
Ivy Lane Denizen - MTG Card versions
Experiment One - MTG Card versions
Managorger Hydra - MTG Card versions
Ivy Lane Denizen - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Scrounging Bandar MTG card by a specific set like Aether Revolt and Jumpstart, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Scrounging Bandar and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Scrounging Bandar Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2017-01-20 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Shreya Shetty.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12017-01-20Aether RevoltAER 1242015NormalBlackShreya Shetty
22020-07-17JumpstartJMP 4282015NormalBlackShreya Shetty
32020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 2522015NormalBlackShreya Shetty
42022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 7262015NormalBlackShreya Shetty

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Scrounging Bandar has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Scrounging Bandar card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2020-11-10 To move a counter from one creature to another, the counter is removed from the first creature and put onto the second. Any abilities that care about a counter being removed from or placed on a creature will apply.
2020-11-10 You choose a target creature as Scrounging Bandar's triggered ability is put onto the stack. You choose how many counters to move (if any) as that ability resolves. If that creature becomes an illegal target or if Scrounging Bandar has left the battlefield, you can't move any counters.

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