Bontu the Glorified MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — God
Abilities Indestructible,Menace,Scry
Power 4
Toughness 6

Key Takeaways

  1. Bontu’s ability for card advantage and resource acceleration proves vital in death trigger-focused decks.
  2. Its instant speed offers flexible in-game responses, enhancing strategic play for users.
  3. However, managing its demand for sacrifices and specific mana can challenge deck construction.

Text of card

Menace, indestructible Bontu the Glorified can't attack or block unless a creature died under your control this turn. , Sacrifice another creature: Scry 1. Each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Bontu the Glorified provides consistent card advantage by allowing you to sacrifice another creature, not only preventing it from potential exile effects but also turning each creature you have into potential future draws, thereby sustaining your hand’s options.

Resource Acceleration: Through its ability to sacrifice creatures, you can fuel other cards or abilities that thrive on such actions, escalating your resource pool indirectly. This can be particularly important in decks that capitalize on death triggers or graveyard interactions.

Instant Speed: Bontu the Glorified’s activated ability can be used at instant speed, meaning you can respond to your opponents’ actions during their turns, utilizing your creatures in a more flexible manner. This ensures that your resources are not wasted, even if an opponent tries to remove a creature with a spell or ability.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging with Bontu the Glorified’s abilities often means having to sacrifice another creature, which could deplete your board presence and resource pool, particularly if you’re struggling to maintain a strong field.

Specific Mana Cost: Bontu’s casting cost demands both generic and specific Black mana, which requires a mana base dedicated to at least partially support Black mana, potentially restricting its inclusion to Black-centric or two-color decks for an optimized mana curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring three mana to activate Bontu’s ability may be on the higher side when considering the cost versus benefit ratio, especially when there are alternatives in the format that offer more immediate impact or less restrictive activation costs.


Reasons to Include Bontu the Glorified in Your Collection

Versatility: Bontu the Glorified offers a multifaceted approach to gameplay. This card can serve as both an aggressive threat and a defensive asset due to its indestructibility when not attacking or blocking. Its ability to sacrifice another creature to gain life and draw a card makes it an excellent fit for various deck archetypes, especially those focused on graveyard synergy and resource control.

Combo Potential: The built-in sacrificial mechanism of Bontu the Glorified opens up numerous combo possibilities. It works seamlessly with decks that capitalize on death triggers or require a steady stream of creatures to sacrifice for greater effects. Moreover, it can turn expendable tokens or creatures into direct advantage, offering you life points and deeper access to your deck.

Meta-Relevance: With the ever-shifting tides of the MTG meta, Bontu remains a poignant choice for its adaptability in various environments. Its resilience against many forms of removal and its capability to act as a recurring threat make it a suitable candidate for inclusion, particularly in metas that favor long games and incremental advantages.


How to beat

Bontu the Glorified presents itself as an intriguing challenge for avid players of Magic: The Gathering. This powerful legendary creature can be difficult to handle, especially when it’s effectively sac’ing other creatures for consistent life gain and dealing damage to opponents. One of the best strategies to counter Bontu is to limit its ability to trigger its indestructible mechanic. Utilizing exile effects or spells that don’t target, like board wipes, will keep Bontu at bay.

Controlling the number of creatures your opponent has is also key. Since Bontu relies on other creatures being sacrificed, utilizing removal spells to keep the board clear can stifle Bontu’s ability to gain advantage. Furthermore, cards that restrict the ability to activate abilities can be extremely effective. Pithing Needle or Sorcerous Spyglass can shut down Bontu, leaving it as a mere blocker or attacker without further benefits. It is crucial to disable Bontu’s engine to prevent your opponent from leveraging it for gain.

In summary, to dominate against a card like Bontu the Glorified, maintaining board control, utilizing exile removals, and disabling its abilities are key components. These actions can hinder Bontu’s effectiveness and swing the game in your favor.


BurnMana Recommendations

Wrapping up our analysis, Bontu the Glorified emerges as a dynamic MTG card to add depth and strategy to your gameplay. With its ability to serve various roles in different deck themes and its combo potential, Bontu offers a distinctive edge—particularly in graveyard-centric tactics. If you’re looking to refine your deck’s synergy or explore new strategic angles, Bontu is a worthy addition. We encourage you to further dive into this compelling card’s possibilities and discover how it can best serve your journey in MTG. Explore with us and gain the insights to transform your game play into a series of well-crafted victories. Learn more today and solidify your standing as a skilled MTG player.


Cards like Bontu the Glorified

Bontu the Glorified stands as a unique deity in the pantheon of MTG’s creature cards, bearing a resemblance to other powerful gods and legendary creatures throughout the game’s expansive history. A close peer to Bontu is Yahenni, Undying Partisan – both creatures hold formidable abilities to dodge death. Bontu’s indestructibility comes to the forefront when certain conditions are met, much like Yahenni gains indestructibility by sacrificing another creature.

Similarly, Erebos, God of the Dead offers a sense of kinship with Bontu. Also one of Theros’s formidable gods, Erebos shares the devotion mechanic, requiring a threshold of devotion to black mana before becoming a creature. However, Erebos serves as a more consistent source of card advantage whereby players can pay life and mana to draw cards, while Bontu requires the sacrifice of another creature for card draw, also at a life and mana cost.

Assessing them side by side, although they diverge in their paths to power, Bontu the Glorified certainly carves out its niche in MTG, resonating with both the strategic depth and the thematic flavor that its counterparts bring to the multiverse of the game.

Yahenni, Undying Partisan - MTG Card versions
Erebos, God of the Dead - MTG Card versions
Yahenni, Undying Partisan - Aether Revolt Promos (PAER)
Erebos, God of the Dead - Theros (THS)

Cards similar to Bontu the Glorified by color, type and mana cost

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Vesper Ghoul - MTG Card versions
Nettling Imp - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Royal Assassin - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
El-Hajjâj - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Plague Rats - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Frozen Shade - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Scathe Zombies - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Sorceress Queen - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Wall of Bone - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Lost Soul - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Mindstab Thrull - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Mischievous Poltergeist - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Strongarm Thug - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Razortooth Rats - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Ghastly Remains - Legions (LGN)
Lord of the Undead - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Deepwood Ghoul - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Dross Prowler - Mirrodin (MRD)
Nim Lasher - Mirrodin (MRD)
Nim Abomination - Darksteel (DST)
Vesper Ghoul - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Bontu the Glorified MTG card by a specific set like Amonkhet and Amonkhet Invocations, 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 Bontu the Glorified and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Bontu the Glorified Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2017-04-28 and 2020-08-13. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12017-04-28AmonkhetAKH 822015normalblackChase Stone
22017-04-28Amonkhet InvocationsMP2 202015normalborderlessDaniel Ljunggren
32017-04-29Amonkhet PromosPAKH 82s2015normalblackChase Stone
42020-08-13Amonkhet RemasteredAKR 952015normalblackChase Stone

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Bontu the Glorified has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2017-04-18 All attackers are chosen at once. You can’t attack with one, sacrifice it to satisfy Bontu’s combat restriction, and then attack with Bontu.
2017-04-18 Creature tokens that die are put into your graveyard as normal (and cease to exist soon after). If one died this turn, it satisfies Bontu’s combat restriction.
2017-04-18 In a Two-Headed Giant game, Bontu’s activated ability causes the opposing team to lose 2 life and you gain 1 life.
2017-04-18 The creature that died doesn’t have to still be in its owner’s graveyard to satisfy Bontu’s combat restriction.

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