Baldin, Century Herdmaster MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Human Warrior |
| Released | 2019-12-02 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Secret Lair Drop |
| Set code | SLD |
| Power | 0 |
| Toughness | 7 |
| Number | 428 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Victor Adame Minguez |
Key Takeaways
- The card ensures a consistent flow of creatures, enhancing card advantage and board presence.
- Additional land play from damage boosts mana resources, accelerating your game strategically.
- Baldin encourages decks that thrive on instant-speed interactions, keeping players ever-prepared.
Text of card
As long as it's your turn, each creature assigns combat damage equal to its toughness rather than its power. Whenever Baldin, Century Herdmaster attacks, up to one hundred target creatures each get +0/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of cards in your hand.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Baldin, Century Herdmaster provides a robust platform for card advantage. Each time it attacks, you’re granted an opportunity to peek at the top card of your library, and if it’s a creature card, it lands directly into your hand. This not only boosts your hand size but also ensures a steady stream of creatures to maintain board presence.
Resource Acceleration: Resource acceleration is a breeze with Baldin’s innate abilities. Upon dealing damage to a player, you may play an additional land during your turn, propelling your mana resources ahead. This can be pivotal in ramping up your board state faster than your opponent, giving you a clear edge in resource dominance.
Instant Speed: While Baldin, Century Herdmaster itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, it encourages a deck build conducive to instant-speed interaction. By potentially drawing extra creature cards during your attack phase, you keep your hand primed for responsive plays, ensuring you’re always ready to react with instant speed spells at the most opportune moments.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: When playing with Baldin, Century Herdmaster, you need to be prepared to let go of cards from your hand. This can be particularly challenging during late-game scenarios where every card counts, or when you’re already struggling to maintain a healthy hand size.
Specific Mana Cost: This card’s mana requirements could pose difficulties as it necessitates a mix of generic and specific mana to cast. For decks that are not finely tuned to generate this specific mana combination consistently, integrating Baldin, Century Herdmaster might lead to moments where you can’t cast it when you need it most.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite the interesting abilities that come with this creature, its casting cost is on the higher end of the curve. There are numerous creatures within the game that cost less and may contribute to your board presence more quickly or offer similar effects at a lower cost, making them potentially more appealing choices for deck builders looking to optimize their mana efficiency.
Reasons to Include Baldin, Century Herdmaster in Your Collection
Versatility: Baldin, Century Herdmaster stands out as a flexible addition to various deck archetypes, as it caters to both aggressive and mid-range strategies. It is a strong individual creature with added utility, making it adaptable for numerous game scenarios.
Combo Potential: With Baldin’s ability to create token creatures, there’s significant combo potential leveraged through synergies with cards that capitalize on creature tokens for effects such as life gain, extra damage, or mana acceleration.
Meta-Relevance: In a MTG environment where creature-based decks are prevalent, Baldin can be an effective tool, providing consistent value on the board. It can stand against common threats and has the potential to shift the momentum in your favor.
How to beat
Baldin, Century Herdmaster presents a formidable challenge on the battlefield with its robust defense and potent activated abilities. This majestic creature not only strengthens itself but can also turn other creatures on the field into significant threats. To successfully counter this card, players should consider adopting a proactive strategy that focuses on removal. Key removal spells capable of bypassing Baldin’s formidable defenses are essential. Cards like Murderous Rider or Heartless Act offer clean solutions, dealing with Baldin efficiently before its abilities can take over the game.
Another effective tactic involves limiting the Herdmaster’s influence by employing counter magic. Spells such as Negate or Essence Scatter can prevent Baldin from ever hitting the field. Furthermore, since Baldin boosts itself and other creatures, board wipes like Shatter the Sky or Doomskar prove invaluable in managing multiple threats at once.
In essence, to triumph against Baldin, Century Herdmaster, players must be prepared to disrupt its game plan early. Employing targeted removal, counter spells, or sweeping the board are key strategies in ensuring that this powerhouse doesn’t lead to an early victory for your opponent.
Cards like Baldin, Century Herdmaster
Baldin, Century Herdmaster is a remarkable creature card that commands attention among MTG green ramp staples. When assessing its utility against similar cards, one might consider Silvos, Rogue Elemental. Both cards offer substantial power and trample ability, inviting comparisons. Baldin, however, comes with the added advantage of creating a 1/1 green Goat creature token each time you cast a spell of five mana value or more, fostering a strategy of continuous board presence.
Comparing further, we find Elder Gargaroth, a creature that provides versatility with multiple triggered abilities upon attacking or blocking. While Elder Gargaroth offers immediate value with its potential for drawing cards, gaining life, or creating beasts, Baldin shines in decks focused on big spells and can potentially churn out a steady herd of tokens. Lastly, Rampaging Baloths is another analog, producing tokens with landfall. Though Baloths can swarm the field rapidly with 4/4 beasts, it does rely on land drops, contrasting with Baldin’s spell-casting trigger which may align better with certain deck themes.
Ultimately, Baldin, Century Herdmaster can be a linchpin in the right deck, blurring the lines between substancial beatstick and token generator, presenting a unique duality that can eclipse its peer’s abilities when wielded strategically in MTG.
Cards similar to Baldin, Century Herdmaster by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Baldin, Century Herdmaster MTG card by a specific set like Secret Lair Drop, 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 Baldin, Century Herdmaster and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Baldin, Century Herdmaster has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |