Baleful Force MTG Card
2013-11-01 - Number 70
2014-06-16 - Number 105
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 8 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Elemental |
| Power | 7 |
| Toughness | 7 |
Text of card
At the beginning of each upkeep, you draw a card and you lose 1 life.
"As with any malevolent being, the trick is knowing how long you can afford to keep it in your service." —Liliana Vess
Cards like Baleful Force
In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, Baleful Force offers a noteworthy dynamic to the play style of Black color decks with its ability to draw additional cards. This card draws a parallel with other powerful entities like Greed, which also provides card drawing capabilities. However, Baleful Force brings an automatic draw at the upkeep of each turn, ensuring a consistent new flow of options without spending more mana. Greed, whilst cheaper, requires a payment of both mana and life for each card.
Looking into the darker corridors of MTG, we encounter Bloodgift Demon. It’s somewhat akin to Baleful Force by bestowing an extra card in the upkeep, yet it does so specifically for the controller and can target opponents with life loss. The Demon’s versatility showcases a tactical advantage, though it forfeits the universal effect of Baleful Force that impacts all upkeeps. Lastly, Harvester of Souls earns a spot in this comparison. It triggers upon non-token creatures’ deaths, potentially drawing multiple cards; yet, it relies on variable conditions, unlike the guaranteed draw Baleful Force provides.
Drawing from these comparisons, Baleful Force stands out within Black’s card drawing mechanisms in Magic: The Gathering, attributed to its unwavering and potentially multiplayer-affecting ability to supply card advantages.
Cards similar to Baleful Force by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Baleful Force ensures a persistent influx of card draw, providing a new card during each upkeep. This relentless engine feeds your hand, giving you a wealth of options and strategies to outmaneuver opponents over time. By garnering this consistent advantage, you maintain the upper hand throughout the match, poised to react and outpace the opposition’s plays.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or tokens, the additional cards drawn from Baleful Force can undoubtedly lead to resource acceleration. Each new card offers a potential avenue to further your board presence, be it through land drops, mana dorks, or other forms of ramp that you’re able to pull more consistently into your hand, thereby speeding up your game plan.
Instant Speed: Though Baleful Force itself does not operate at instant speed, the cards drawn from it can certainly include instant-speed interactions. With a fuller hand, you’re more likely to hold the necessary responses to disrupt opponents’ plays on their turn. This feeds into a strategic defensive posture where you’re better equipped to answer threats as they emerge in real-time.
Card Cons
Specific Mana Cost: Baleful Force demands a stringent mana setup, needing one Swamp and seven mana overall. This locks it into decks that can produce sufficient black mana, potentially making it a tough card to play in multicolored or mana-limited scenarios.
Discard Requirement: While Baleful Force itself doesn’t necessitate discarding, its inclusion in decks often requires careful hand management to ensure that its upkeep trigger, which provides card advantage, isn’t offset by having to discard due to hand size limits at the end of the turn.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The cost to bring Baleful Force into play is steep. Eight mana to summon a creature is a significant investment, and though its ability to draw you a card during each upkeep is powerful, it’s worth weighing its benefits against other high-impact cards with lower mana requirements.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Baleful Force offers a continuing source of card advantage, making it a solid inclusion in decks that thrive on maintaining a full hand. Its ability to draw an additional card each upkeep, including your opponents’, keeps your strategies flowing and provides constant pressure.
Combo Potential: With Baleful Force, combo decks can exploit its consistent card draw to assemble combo pieces more quickly. It synergizes well with effects that leverage card quantity, such as reanimation tactics or anything that benefits from discarding for value.
Meta-Relevance: In formats where the battlefield is often locked in a war of attrition, Baleful Force emerges as a key player. Its persistent card draw can give you the edge you need against control decks and outvalue slower-paced opponents.
How to beat
Baleful Force is a potent force in Magic: The Gathering, demanding immediate attention on the battlefield. This formidable card boasts a recurring draw mechanism that triggers during each upkeep, bolstering the controlling player’s hand with an influx of options and fortifying their position. The pivotal strategy when facing Baleful Force lies in disrupting this advantage. Controlling opponents often rely heavily on its draw ability to maintain a steady stream of resources, and thwarting this can tilt the balance in your favor.
One effective tactic is leveraging removal spells that can directly exile or destroy Baleful Force. This circumvents any resurrection mechanics that might be at play. Popular spells such as Path to Exile or Hero’s Downfall provide clean and efficient solutions. Alternatively, countering the spell upon its cast using counterspells like Cancel or Dovin’s Veto halts the threat before it takes hold. If the Force is already active, applying pressure through aggressive strategies can force the opponent to divert resources from their all-important draw strategy to defense, which can give you the upper hand in the ongoing duel.
Strategically, prioritizing the immediate neutralization of Baleful Force should be at the forefront of any game plan when it hits the field. Deprive your opponent of their card-drawing engine, and the match will more likely swing in your direction.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Baleful Force MTG card by a specific set like Commander 2013 and Vintage Masters, 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 Baleful Force and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
Printings
The Baleful Force Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2013-11-01 and 2014-06-16. Illustrated by Eytan Zana.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2013-11-01 | Commander 2013 | C13 | 70 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Eytan Zana | |
| 2 | 2014-06-16 | Vintage Masters | VMA | 105 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Eytan Zana |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Baleful Force has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |