Bladed Bracers MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Artifact — Equipment
Abilities	Equip
Released	2012-05-04
Set symbol
Set name	Avacyn Restored
Set code	AVR
Number	213
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Ryan Yee

Key Takeaways

Equipping Bladed Bracers can grant creatures extra power, making them more formidable opponents on the board.
While it doesn’t ramp mana, it can speed up your game plan by bolstering your creature’s strength.
Bladed Bracers allows for flexibility, letting you adjust to in-game dynamics without losing momentum.

Guide to Vigilance card ability

In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.

Text of card

Equipped creature gets +1/+1. As long as equipped creature is a Human or an Angel, it has vigilance. Equip (: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.)

Forged from the rubble of the Helvault.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While not directly drawing cards, Bladed Bracers offers a form of card advantage through its equip ability. Once equipped, the creature gains an additional power, which can lead to more efficient trades or even eliminating opposing creatures, effectively giving you more board control without expending additional cards.

Resource Acceleration: In the realm of resource acceleration, this particular artifact doesn’t directly ramp your mana like some other cards. However, it can accelerate your game plan by enhancing your creatures, making them stronger, thus requiring fewer resources (other spells or creatures) to deal with threats or presenting a quicker route to victory.

Instant Speed: Though Bladed Bracers doesn’t operate at instant speed itself, its equip cost can be paid at instant speed if the creature it’s attached to gets removed. This allows you to be more flexible during combat or in response to your opponent’s actions, shifting the equipment to a new target without losing tempo.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While equipping the Bladed Bracers does not ask for a card discard, its effectiveness may be reduced if you must let go of valuable cards from your hand due to an opponent’s disruption strategy while trying to set up the optimal creature to attach it to.

Specific Mana Cost: The Bladed Bracers require a colorless mana to cast and a white mana to equip, which can be restricting in multicolored decks that may not always have the required mana type readily available.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its relatively low casting cost, the equip cost for Bladed Bracers can be considered high for the benefits it offers. In an aggressive or tempo-driven deck, the mana could be directed towards more impactful spells or creatures that offer immediate board presence or larger benefits.

Reasons to Include Bladed Bracers in Your Collection

Versatility: Bladed Bracers is a flexible equipment card that provides a valuable boost to any creature. With its ability to grant +1/+1 and vigilance, it is a good fit for both aggressive and defensive strategies, making it a convenient choice for various deck archetypes.

Combo Potential: When attached to a human or angel, Bladed Bracers not only buffs the creature but also fits into tribal synergies and combos. It aligns with strategies that revolve around creature types, enhancing both their power level and the interplay with other cards that support those tribes.

Meta-Relevance: As the metagame shifts, the need for cost-effective equipment that can tip the balance of combat in your favor often arises. Bladed Bracers offers an inexpensive way to improve creature setups, potentially turning the table on opponents in creature-focused matchups.

How to beat Bladed Bracers

In the realm of equipable Magic: The Gathering artifacts, Bladed Bracers find their niche. Much like its peers such as Bonesplitter, Bladed Bracers provide a cost-effective means to boost creature stats while also granting vigilance, provided it’s attached to a human or an Angel. However, overcoming the card’s advantages can be straightforward if you’re prepared.

Key to dismantling its strategy is focusing on versatile removals or shatter effects that can deal with artifacts directly, like Disenchant or Naturalize. Sideboard cards such as Abrade provide flexibility by allowing you to destroy either an artifact or deal damage to a creature. Control strategies often incorporate counter spells like Negate to prevent artifacts from hitting the battlefield in the first place. Moreover, instant-speed interaction during the equip phase is crucial, as it can disrupt combat calculations and resource allocation.

Ultimately, while Bladed Bracers can fortify your opponent’s position, maintaining a suite of removals and interactive spells in your arsenal is essential. Managing threats and carefully timing your responses can neutralize the impact of the Bracers, leveraging the game in your favor and showcasing the depth of MTG’s strategic gameplay.

Cards like Bladed Bracers

Bladed Bracers is an intriguing equipment card that offers versatility and power boost to creatures within MTG. When looking at cards like Leonin Scimitar and Bonesplitter, we see similar properties in terms of augmenting a creature’s attack capabilities for a low cost. Bladed Bracers, however, steps forward with a unique advantage – it grants Vigilance to a creature, which allows it to remain untapped after attacking. While Leonin Scimitar and Bonesplitter exclusively focus on attack increase without additional effects, Bladed Bracers provide a strategic edge, especially when attached to creatures that benefit from staying on defense as well.

Another notable comparison is Trusty Machete, which offers a similar boost to a creature’s attack and defense. However, Bladed Bracers shine in matchups that require constant vigilance—quite literally—against opponents. The mana cost for equipping Bladed Bracers is also competitive, making it a card worthy of consideration for decks that aim to maintain a steady board presence with vigilant attackers. The added ability to give an Undead creature +1/+1 further distinguishes it in tribal decks.

Whether it’s for aggressive strategies or defensive setups, Bladed Bracers hold their ground among equipment cards in MTG, making them a resilient and cost-effective accessory for a wide array of creatures.

Cards similar to Bladed Bracers by color, type and mana cost

Candelabra of Tawnos - MTG Card versions

Phyrexian Dreadnought - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Bladed Bracers MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored, 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 Bladed Bracers and other MTG cards: