Benthic Infiltrator MTG Card
2015-10-02 - Number 55
2019-11-07 - Number 297
2020-09-26 - Number BFZ-55
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Eldrazi Drone |
| Abilities | Devoid,Ingest |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Text of card
Devoid (This card has no color.) Ingest (Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player exiles the top card of his or her library.)Benthic Infiltrator can't be blocked.
Cards like Benthic Infiltrator
Benthic Infiltrator serves as a stealthy operative in the MTG universe, a subtle blend of unblockability and card interaction. Its kinship to other cards can be seen in creatures like Mist-Cloaked Herald which also can’t be blocked. However, Benthic Infiltrator offers something extra with its ingest ability, nibbling away at the opponent’s library. Compared to the straightforward damage of Mist-Cloaked Herald, the infiltrator unveils an alternative approach to disrupting an opponent’s strategies.
Glimpse the Unthinkable aligns with Benthic Infiltrator’s milling strategy, feeding off the deck rather than the life total. While Glimpse aggressively mills ten cards at once, the Infiltrator’s method is incremental but compensated with a body on the field. Then there’s Invisible Stalker, another unblockable threat, offering hexproof in addition to being unblockable, though without the added benefit of the ingest mechanic that supports decks with processor cards or graveyard disruption tactics.
The fine balance between the infiltrator’s elusive nature and its ability to subtly erode an adversary’s library demonstrates why it captures attention from those who appreciate nuanced control options in their MTG gameplay strategies.
Cards similar to Benthic Infiltrator by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The ingression ability of Benthic Infiltrator lets you peruse the top card of an opponent’s library whenever it deals combat damage, thus potentially depriving them of crucial resources while padding your own strategy.
Resource Acceleration: Benthic Infiltrator’s affordable mana cost and devoid characteristic make it a prime enabler in decks that capitalize on colorless spells and effects, paving the path for accelerated plays with artifacts or Eldrazi strategies.
Instant Speed: While the Infiltrator itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, its unblockable nature ensures that your instants and other abilities can be deployed with the certainty that you’ll connect, providing tactical flexibility during the combat phase.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Although Benthic Infiltrator doesn’t require an immediate discard, it is part of a mechanic that necessitates having other ingest cards or exile-centric strategies in play to exploit its full potential. Without such synergy, its value for a game plan based on discard or entomb mechanics may fall short.
Specific Mana Cost: Benthic Infiltrator requires a specific blend of mana, with one amounting to colorless. This can fit awkwardly in some mana bases, especially those that are more colored mana-oriented and do not support colorless costs efficiently.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The Infiltrator comes with a three-mana cost including one colorless which, while not excessive, is higher than some other creatures with comparable or more impactful infiltrate abilities. In a fast-paced game, the mana investment into Benthic Infiltrator may not yield as immediate or powerful a board presence as other alternatives.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Benthic Infiltrator serves as a reliable addition to any deck that capitalizes on ingest mechanics or evasive creatures. As a creature that’s difficult to block, it helps maintain pressure on your opponent while enabling processors and exiling key cards.
Combo Potential: This card shines when paired with processors, allowing you to reap additional benefits from the cards it exiles. It can also complement strategies that exploit exile and graveyard manipulation, setting the stage for powerful late-game swings.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature combat is prevalent, Benthic Infiltrator’s unblockable trait makes it a persistent threat. Its synergy with Eldrazi-centric decks and various control strategies ensures it retains relevance in several MTG formats.
How to beat
Benthic Infiltrator presents a unique challenge in the realm of creature cards. What makes it tricky is its unblockable nature, combined with its ability to process cards from an opponent’s library. This evasion and incremental advantage are major components in its strategy. To counteract the Infiltrator, the key is altering your deck with creature removal or counterspells. Cards like Fatal Push or Murder provide an efficient way to deal with it directly, bypassing the need to block.
Considering the Infiltrator’s strength in a processor-focused deck, another strategy is graveyard disruption. Using cards like Tormod’s Crypt or Relic of Progenitus, you can limit the effectiveness of the processing mechanic by purging your graveyard before the Infiltrator’s ability can target anything of value. This proactive defense can mitigate the long-term impact it may have on your game.
In essence, while the Benthic Infiltrator is a stealthy adversary, it can be overcome with the right balance of targeted removal, counterspells, and graveyard management. Keeping these tactics in mind will make your matches against this elusive creature far more manageable.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Benthic Infiltrator MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar and Mystery Booster, 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 Benthic Infiltrator 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
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Printings
The Benthic Infiltrator Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2015-10-02 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Mathias Kollros.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015-10-02 | Battle for Zendikar | BFZ | 55 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Mathias Kollros | |
| 2 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 297 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Mathias Kollros | |
| 3 | The List | PLST | BFZ-55 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Mathias Kollros |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Benthic Infiltrator has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Benthic Infiltrator card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2015-08-25 | A card with devoid is just colorless. It’s not colorless and the colors of mana in its mana cost. |
| 2015-08-25 | Cards with devoid use frames that are variations of the transparent frame traditionally used for Eldrazi. The top part of the card features some color over a background based on the texture of the hedrons that once imprisoned the Eldrazi. This coloration is intended to aid deckbuilding and game play. |
| 2015-08-25 | Devoid works in all zones, not just on the battlefield. |
| 2015-08-25 | If a card loses devoid, it will still be colorless. This is because effects that change an object’s color (like the one created by devoid) are considered before the object loses devoid. |
| 2015-08-25 | If the player has no cards in their library when the ingest ability resolves, nothing happens. That player won’t lose the game (until they have to draw a card from an empty library). |
| 2015-08-25 | Other cards and abilities can give a card with devoid color. If that happens, it’s just the new color, not that color and colorless. |
| 2015-08-25 | The card exiled by the ingest ability is exiled face up. |