Bant Sojourners MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Soldier |
| Abilities | Cycling |
| Released | 2009-04-30 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Alara Reborn |
| Set code | ARB |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 4 |
| Number | 125 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | John Avon |
Key Takeaways
- Generates tokens during cycling for strategic advantage and maintaining board presence.
- Aligns with Bant’s resourceful creature-focused playstyle and accelerates threats.
- Instant speed cycling adds versatility and depth to gameplay decisions.
Text of card
When you cycle Bant Sojourners or it's put into a graveyard from play, you may put a 1/1 white Soldier creature token into play. Cycling (, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
"We must spread Bant's light before we are shadowed over."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Bant Sojourners, when cycled or whenever you cycle another card, allows you to create a 1/1 white Soldier creature token. This incremental token generation ensures a stream of potential blockers and attackers, aiding in sustaining a robust board presence.
Resource Acceleration: As part of the Alara Reborn set, Bant Sojourners aligns with the Bant shard’s tendency toward resource maximization through creature deployment. Its presence in your deck means you can leverage those tokens for various strategies, potentially ramping up to bigger threats much sooner than your opponent.
Instant Speed: Cycling Bant Sojourners can be done at instant speed, offering you the flexibility to respond to your opponent’s actions. Whether it’s generating an unexpected blocker or simply not losing tempo, this instant speed interaction provides strategic depth to your gameplay.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: To unlock the cycling ability of Bant Sojourners, a player must part with another card from their hand. This may pose a strategic setback, especially when facing a situation where card options are already minimal.
Specific Mana Cost: Bant Sojourners demands a precise combination of white, green, and blue mana to cast, aligning it strictly with bant-colored decks. This prerequisite restricts deck-building flexibility and its utility in multicolor decks that lack one of these colors.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes three different mana symbols, the cost efficiency of Bant Sojourners comes into question, especially when other creatures in the same mana range may offer immediate board impact or have lower overall mana requirements.
Reasons to Include Bant Sojourners in Your Collection
Versatility: Bant Sojourners serves multiple roles with its ability to create card advantage and bolster your creature line-up. This card is not just a creature but also a source of cycling, making it a useful tool in decks that aim to draw and play with numerous cards.
Combo Potential: When you cycle Bant Sojourners or it leaves the battlefield, you get to put a 1/1 white Soldier creature token into play, setting the stage for various combo synergies. It’s a perfect fit for strategies that capitalize on creature tokens or desire to build a formidable army while drawing cards.
Meta-Relevance: In a game that often revolves around who controls the battlefield, Bant Sojourners can be an asset. It’s especially relevant in a meta with decks that focus on incremental advantage and establishing board presence. Its combination of abilities makes it a contender in environments that favor versatile and resilient plays.
How to beat
Bant Sojourners is a versatile card known for its cycling ability and the creation of a 1/1 white Soldier creature token in MTG. When facing this card, players must focus on strategies that counteract token generation and take advantage of the fact that Bant Sojourners requires the presence of other colors to be fully effective. Control decks that can remove creatures quickly or negate abilities become your go-to here.
One notable tactic includes using board wipes to clear out multiple tokens to ensure they don’t overwhelm you. Single target removal can be handy but is not as effective against several tokens the Sojourners can create. Cards like Wrath of God or Supreme Verdict can be exceptionally potent as they reset the board, negating the token advantage Bant Sojourners can establish. Additionally, denying the player from ever casting the Sojourners with counter spells or discard effects disrupts their game plan before it can unfold. Leveraging graveyard hate to prevent the cycling ability from being used repeatedly can also stifle the momentum of Bant Sojourners decks.
Overall, by having the right counters and maintaining control over the board state, players can effectively navigate and beat the challenges Bant Sojourners may pose.
Cards like Bant Sojourners
Bant Sojourners is a versatile card in the Magic: The Gathering repertoire, often likened to other cards that support a multicolor strategy. It shares traits with the likes of Coiling Oracle, another creature that offers land curation and draws a card upon entry. Where Bant Sojourners stands out is through its cycling ability, enabling you to draw a card at a different pace and put a 1/1 white Soldier creature token onto the battlefield. This option adds a layer of flexibility during gameplay.
Comparatively, Maelstrom Nexus exhibits a synergy with multicolor decks but emphasizes casting the first spell for free rather than bolstering the creature count. On a parallel track, Knight of New Alara grants a buff to multicolor creatures you control, potentially magnifying the impact of Bant Sojourners on the battlefield. The Sojourners, however, can operate efficiently on their own without needing such additional boosts.
In essence, what sets Bant Sojourners apart is the adaptability that the cycling mechanic affords, bending to the needs of the current match. While its counterparts concentrate on enhancing multicolor dynamics or benefiting from those strategies, Bant Sojourners remains remarkably self-sufficient within the MTG sphere.
Cards similar to Bant Sojourners by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Bant Sojourners MTG card by a specific set like Alara Reborn, 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 Bant Sojourners 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 Bant Sojourners has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Bant Sojourners card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2008-10-01 | Cycling is an activated ability. Effects that interact with activated abilities (such as Stifle or Rings of Brighthearth) will interact with cycling. Effects that interact with spells (such as Remove Soul or Faerie Tauntings) will not. |
| 2009-05-01 | If you cycle this card, the cycling ability goes on the stack, then the triggered ability goes on the stack on top of it. The triggered ability will resolve before you draw a card from the cycling ability. |
| 2009-05-01 | The cycling ability and the triggered ability are separate. If the triggered ability doesn’t resolve (due to being countered with Stifle, for example, or if all its targets have become illegal), the cycling ability will still resolve and you’ll draw a card. |
| 2009-05-01 | The triggered ability acts as a cycle-triggered ability or as a leaves-the-battlefield ability, as appropriate. The player who controls the triggered ability is the player who cycled the Sojourner, or the player who last controlled the Sojourner on the battlefield. |