Bane Alley Broker MTG Card


Provides long-term card advantage by storing cards for future strategic use. Enhances instant-speed play by diversifying available responses in your hand. Demands careful hand management to balance its discard requirement.
Bane Alley Broker - Gatecrash
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human Rogue
Released2013-02-01
Set symbol
Set nameGatecrash
Set codeGTC
Power 0
Toughness 3
Number145
Frame2003
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byClint Cearley

Text of card

: Draw a card, then exile a card from your hand face down. You may look at cards exiled with Bane Alley Broker. , : Return a card exiled with Bane Alley Broker to its owner's hand.


Cards like Bane Alley Broker

Bane Alley Broker offers a unique twist to hand management in Magic: The Gathering, bearing some resemblance to other cards that manipulate players’ hands. It’s akin to cards like Merfolk Looter that allow a player to draw and then discard a card. But, Bane Alley Broker has a distinct ability which lets you exile a card under her, potentially shielding it from discard or graveyard interaction and recount it at a later turn.

Unlike Merfolk Looter, Bane Alley Broker’s ability does not resolve immediately, requiring an upkeep of board presence for the advantage to manifest. Another similar card would be Jace’s Archivist, providing the effect of a repeatable Wheel of Fortune that can disrupt an entire table’s strategies. Though it resets hands entirely, Bane Alley Broker offers a selective approach, putting specific cards aside for future use rather than cycling through the entire hand.

Overall, when assessing the utility that Bane Alley Broker brings to the table, it carves its niche. It allows strategic hand sculpting, serves as a useful tool for long-term planning and ensures specific cards are available when they’re most needed—a valuable asset, particularly in formats like Commander where long game strategies are common.

Merfolk Looter - MTG Card versions
Jace's Archivist - MTG Card versions
Wheel of Fortune - MTG Card versions
Merfolk Looter - MTG Card versions
Jace's Archivist - MTG Card versions
Wheel of Fortune - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Bane Alley Broker by color, type and mana cost

Mundungu - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Infiltrator - MTG Card versions
Urborg Phantom - MTG Card versions
Urborg Drake - MTG Card versions
Dralnu's Pet - MTG Card versions
Shadowmage Infiltrator - MTG Card versions
Psychatog - MTG Card versions
Satoru Umezawa - MTG Card versions
Master of Death - MTG Card versions
Nightveil Specter - MTG Card versions
Urborg Emissary - MTG Card versions
Dimir Cutpurse - MTG Card versions
Dimir Doppelganger - MTG Card versions
Cemetery Puca - MTG Card versions
Gravelgill Duo - MTG Card versions
Wasp Lancer - MTG Card versions
Shore Snapper - MTG Card versions
Harbor Bandit - MTG Card versions
Siren of the Silent Song - MTG Card versions
Jorubai Murk Lurker - MTG Card versions
Mundungu - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Infiltrator - MTG Card versions
Urborg Phantom - MTG Card versions
Urborg Drake - MTG Card versions
Dralnu's Pet - MTG Card versions
Shadowmage Infiltrator - MTG Card versions
Psychatog - MTG Card versions
Satoru Umezawa - MTG Card versions
Master of Death - MTG Card versions
Nightveil Specter - MTG Card versions
Urborg Emissary - MTG Card versions
Dimir Cutpurse - MTG Card versions
Dimir Doppelganger - MTG Card versions
Cemetery Puca - MTG Card versions
Gravelgill Duo - MTG Card versions
Wasp Lancer - MTG Card versions
Shore Snapper - MTG Card versions
Harbor Bandit - MTG Card versions
Siren of the Silent Song - MTG Card versions
Jorubai Murk Lurker - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Bane Alley Broker offers a unique form of card advantage by allowing you to draw and store cards for future use. This can be an essential tactic for outlasting opponents in longer matches.

Resource Acceleration: Through its ability to trade cards from your hand for those set aside earlier, it effectively accelerates your access to resources by giving you more options to find the right answers or threats at crucial times.

Instant Speed: While the Broker itself does not operate at instant speed, it enhances your capacity to use cards at instant speed by ensuring you have a diverse selection of responses available, tucked away for just the right moment.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging in the intricate dance of card advantages with Bane Alley Broker entails a discard mechanism. This demand can often become a tricky obstacle, particularly when your hand is running on empty or the cards held are too valuable to relinquish.

Specific Mana Cost: Tapping into the clandestine services of Bane Alley Broker necessitates a precise blend of mana, including the elusive blue and black. This requirement may constrain the card’s integration, pressing it into service predominantly within dimir decks or those that can comfortably accommodate its mana needs.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Commanding a total of three mana, this agent’s services aren’t cheap, especially when considering that two of those are colored. In a game where every mana counts, there are other operatives in the multiverse who might perform similar tasks without such a demanding investment, providing more strategic flexibility in the early game.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Bane Alley Broker offers a unique ability to store cards for future use, making it a flexible addition to any deck that could benefit from hand manipulation and strategic depth.

Combo Potential: With the right deck, this card’s ability to essentially draw without drawing can pair with strategies that punish card draw or benefit from high hand counts.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where long games are common, Bane Alley Broker shines by providing a steady flow of resources and options, keeping your hand flexible while potentially disrupting your opponent’s plans.


How to beat Bane Alley Broker

Bane Alley Broker offers players in Magic: The Gathering a unique way to enhance their hand by setting aside cards for later use. This ability can be game-changing, but like any strategy, it can be confronted. To outmaneuver Bane Alley Broker, you should consider speeding up your plays. Employing cards with the power to exile can neutralize the stored cards Bane Alley Broker relies upon. Without access to those extra cards, your opponent’s advantage diminishes. Also, using instant-speed removal spells can disrupt your opponent’s plans by dealing with the Broker before it can become a recurring source of card advantage.

Disruption tactics such as hand attack spells can also be very effective. By forcing your opponent to discard, you chip away at the resources Bane Alley Broker might depend on. Additionally, playing aggressive creatures can apply pressure, demanding answers before the Broker’s benefits can be fully realized. In essence, by staying proactive and disrupting the Broker’s rhythm, you can maintain control of the game and prevent your opponent from leveraging their accumulated resources to their fullest potential.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Bane Alley Broker MTG card by a specific set like Gatecrash, 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 Bane Alley Broker and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Bane Alley Broker has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2013-01-24 Bane Alley Broker’s second and third abilities apply to cards exiled with that specific Bane Alley Broker, not any other creature named Bane Alley Broker. You should keep cards exiled by different Bane Alley Brokers separate.
2013-01-24 Even if not all players can look at the exiled cards, each card’s owner is still known. It is advisable to keep cards owned by different players in distinct piles in case another player gains control of Bane Alley Broker and exiles one or more cards with it.
2013-01-24 If Bane Alley Broker leaves the battlefield, the cards exiled with it will be exiled indefinitely. If it later returns to the battlefield, it will be a new object with no connection to the cards exiled with it in its previous existence. You won’t be able to use the “new” Bane Alley Broker to return cards exiled with the “old” one.
2013-01-24 If Bane Alley Broker’s first ability resolves when you have no cards in your hand, you’ll draw a card and then exile it. You won’t have the opportunity to cast that card (or do anything else with it) before exiling it.
2013-01-24 Once you are allowed to look at a face-down card in exile, you are allowed to look at that card as long as it’s exiled. If you no longer control Bane Alley Broker when its last ability resolves, you can continue to look at the relevant cards in exile to choose one to return.