Baral's Expertise MTG Card
2017-01-20 - Number 29
2017-01-20 - Number 29s
2020-11-12 - Number 43
2024-04-19 - Number 91
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Sorcery |
Text of card
Return up to three target artifacts and/or creatures to their owners' hands. You may cast a card with converted mana cost 4 or less from your hand without paying its mana cost.
"Get out of my way."
Cards like Baral's Expertise
Baral’s Expertise stands out in the family of bounce spells within Magic: The Gathering. Like River’s Rebuke, it targets multiple non-land permanents, making it a potent board control tool. While River’s Rebuke can clear an entire side, Baral’s Expertise focuses on up to three targets and sweetens the deal by allowing a free cast of a card with converted mana cost 4 or less.
Comparatively, we look at Cyclonic Rift, another blue staple in player arsenals. Rift’s strength lies in its flexibility, offering a single-target early game option or a game-swinging overload mid-game. Baral’s Expertise doesn’t have that scale, but it does provide a precise and cost-effective bounce with an additional spell cast upside. Engulf the Shore is another piece to consider. It banks on the number of Islands you control for a mass bounce effect. Ensuring more consistent results requires a specific deck build centered around Islands that sometimes Baral’s Expertise does not demand.
While each card has its situational advantages, Baral’s Expertise brings a unique blend of targeted control and casting economy, positioning itself as a highly strategic option in decks that look to synergize with casting multiple spells in a turn.
Cards similar to Baral's Expertise by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Baral’s Expertise offers a unique opportunity in terms of card advantage, allowing you to return up to three target artifacts and/or creatures to their owner’s hand. This sets your opponent back while you maintain board presence, creating a significant swing in your favor.
Resource Acceleration: After clearing the board with its bounce effect, Baral’s Expertise lets you cast a card with converted mana cost four or less from your hand without paying its mana cost. This effectively speeds up your game plan by letting you develop your board for less resource investment.
Instant Speed: While Baral’s Expertise is not an instant itself, it synergizes well with instant-speed spells. This is because after resetting the board state by bouncing your opponent’s creatures, you are able to leave mana open and respond with instant-speed interaction on their turn. This maintains pressure and offers tactical flexibility.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Baral’s Expertise allows for bouncing multiple nonland permanents, it does not change the card count in hand. This might leave players needing to discard if hand size limit is exceeded at the end of their turn.
Specific Mana Cost: Baral’s Expertise requires two blue mana plus three generic mana, potentially limiting its playability outside of mono-blue or two-color decks that can consistently produce enough blue sources.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of five mana, Baral’s Expertise might come into play too late against fast or aggressive decks, reducing its effectiveness in certain match-ups.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Baral’s Expertise is a multi-functional card, easily slotting into various blue-centric decks. Not only does it allow you to clear the board of smaller creatures, but it also permits the casting of a key card with a mana value of 4 or less for free, setting up for powerful plays in the same turn.
Combo Potential: This card shines in combo decks, offering an opportunity to bounce potential combo pieces back to your hand for reuse, or clearing the way for an uninterrupted combo execution. Moreover, casting a card without paying its mana cost can be the difference between a winning turn and a missed opportunity.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where aggro and midrange decks proliferate, Baral’s Expertise can act as a reset button, stalling opponents and swinging the momentum in your favor. Its capacity to disrupt opponent strategies while advancing your game plan makes it a tactical inclusion in any blue player’s arsenal.
How to Beat Baral’s Expertise
Baral’s Expertise is a powerful Magic: The Gathering card that allows a player to bounce up to three target artifacts and/or creatures to their owner’s hand before permitting a free cast of a spell with a converted mana cost of 4 or less. This combination of board control and casting efficiency can swing the game in the caster’s favor.
To effectively counter Baral’s Expertise, players need to be strategic. Utilizing cards that can’t be targeted or using spells that grant your board indestructibility for a turn can nullify the bounce effect. Additionally, playing with low-cost creatures can reduce the impact of the bounce, as these can be quickly redeployed. Counterspells are very effective against Baral’s Expertise, given its relatively high mana cost. It’s pivotal to always keep mana open for when your opponent attempts to play this game-changing expertise spell.
Moreover, haste and flash creatures can recover lost ground after an opponent uses Baral’s Expertise, allowing you to rebuild your board presence swiftly. In conclusion, while Baral’s Expertise can be a formidable spell, it can be surmounted with careful planning and appropriately timed countermeasures.
BurnMana Recommendations
Dive deeper into the strategy that sets MTG players apart with Baral’s Expertise. This card can be a pivotal addition to your deck, offering both disruption and acceleration. Learn how to maximize its potential, build around its strengths, and integrate it seamlessly into your gameplay. From casual plays to competitive matches, Baral’s Expertise could be the ace up your sleeve. Whether you’re bouncing back from a tight spot or pushing your advantage, this card is about timing and tactical prowess. Ready to unlock new levels of play? Explore more strategies and tips with us, and seize every advantage the game has to offer.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Baral's Expertise MTG card by a specific set like Aether Revolt and Aether Revolt Promos, 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 Baral's Expertise and other MTG cards:
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Printings
The Baral's Expertise Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2017-01-20 and 2024-04-19. Illustrated by Todd Lockwood.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017-01-20 | Aether Revolt | AER | 29 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Todd Lockwood | |
| 2 | 2017-01-20 | Aether Revolt Promos | PAER | 29s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Todd Lockwood | |
| 3 | 2020-11-12 | Kaladesh Remastered | KLR | 43 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Todd Lockwood | |
| 4 | 2024-04-19 | Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander | OTC | 91 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Todd Lockwood |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Baral's Expertise has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Baral's Expertise card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2017-02-09 | A card’s mana value is determined solely by the mana symbols printed in its upper right corner. The mana value is the total amount of mana in that cost, regardless of color. For example, a card with mana cost has mana value 3. Ignore any alternative costs, additional costs, cost increases, or cost reductions that could apply to it. A card with no mana cost has a mana value of 0. |
| 2017-02-09 | Any triggered abilities that trigger while performing the Expertise spell’s first effect won’t be put onto the stack until after you’re done casting your free spell. They’re put onto the stack at the same time as any abilities that triggered while casting that spell regardless of the order in which those abilities triggered. |
| 2017-02-09 | Effects that allow you to “cast” a card don’t allow you to play a land card. |
| 2017-02-09 | If the Expertise spell you cast has any targets, and those targets become illegal before the spell resolves, the spell doesn’t resolve and none of its effects happen. You won’t get to cast a free spell. |
| 2017-02-09 | If the card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost. |
| 2017-02-09 | If you cast a card “without paying its mana cost,” you can’t choose to cast it for any alternative costs, such as emerge costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, such as that of Cathartic Reunion, you must pay those to cast the card. |
| 2017-02-09 | The card that you cast may be an artifact or creature that was returned to your hand by this spell. |
| 2017-02-09 | While you’re casting your free spell, the Expertise spell is still on the stack. It will be put into its owner’s graveyard after the free spell is cast. The free spell can’t target the Expertise card in your graveyard. It can target the Expertise spell on the stack, but the Expertise spell will become an illegal target before the free spell resolves. |
| 2017-04-18 | The mana value of a split card is determined by the combined mana cost of its two halves. If an expertise spell allows you to cast a split card, you may cast either half or, if that split card has fuse, both halves. |