Bilbo, Retired Burglar MTG Card
2023-06-23 - Number 403
2023-06-23 - Number 647
2023-06-23 - Number 196
2023-06-23 - Number 403
2023-06-23 - Number 14
| Card sets | Released in 5 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Halfling Rogue |
| Abilities | Treasure |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Text of card
When Bilbo, Retired Burglar enters or leaves the battlefield, the Ring tempts you. Whenever Bilbo deals combat damage to a player, create a Treasure token.
Cards like Bilbo, Retired Burglar
Bilbo, Retired Burglar brings unique mechanics to Magic: The Gathering’s realm of creature cards. It shares a kinship with other creatures that allow players to covertly interact with their opponent’s deck, much like “Robber of the Rich.” While Robber of the Rich temporarily exiles and lets you cast cards using mana of any color, Bilbo, Retired Burglar has a different approach, focusing on the top card of the opponent’s library and benefiting directly from playing lands from this position.
Another comparable card is “Gonti, Lord of Luxury,” which also permits the player to look at an opponent’s deck and exile a card from it. However, Bilbo’s versatility in potentially playing an additional land each turn carves itself a unique niche. Then “Thief of Sanity” deserves a mention for its similar disruption ability, though Bilbo, Retired Burglar allows for consistent land plays, which could be crucial for deck acceleration. What sets Bilbo apart is the synergy it can create with landfall abilities or multicolored deck strategies.
Considering the interactive playstyle and the potential for deck acceleration, Bilbo, Retired Burglar holds its own amongst MTG creatures that meddle with an opponent’s library, presenting players with its own brand of strategic depth and adaptability.
Cards similar to Bilbo, Retired Burglar by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Bilbo, Retired Burglar ensures a steady flow of options in your hand by facilitating additional draws. This advantage is crucial for outpacing your opponents by amassing more resources and responses.
Resource Acceleration: Not only does this card offer a glimpse into your library’s future adventures, but it also accelerates your resources. This enables faster and more impactful plays, keeping you one step ahead of your rivals.
Instant Speed: Bilbo, Retired Burglar’s ability to act at instant speed grants you the flexibility to adapt to the unfolding game. This reactive capability ensures that you are always ready to take advantage of the situation at just the right moment.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Bilbo, Retired Burglar introduces a deckbuilding puzzle, mandating that you discard a card to trigger its ability. This can strain your hand, particularly in tight games where every card counts.
Specific Mana Cost: The inclusion of green in its casting cost means this card naturally slides into green-centric decks, potentially excluding it from more diverse mana-based strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that’s a bit on the higher side, Bilbo may compete with other impactful four-mana spells in your deck, making it less appealing for those seeking maximum efficiency.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Bilbo, Retired Burglar offers flexibility in deck-building thanks to its ability to influence both the early and late game. It’s a card that can be slotted into various archetypes which appreciate strategic hand manipulation and deck thinning.
Combo Potential: This card’s unique skill set also enables intriguing combinations by opening up avenues for deck searching and selective card draw. This makes it an ideal piece in puzzle-like decks that thrive on assembling specific card interactions.
Meta-Relevance: Given that player interaction and card advantage are often keys to winning matches, Bilbo, Retired Burglar’s capacity to impact both areas makes it a relevant choice in many competitive environments. Its incorporation can strengthen your position against a wide array of opposing strategies.
How to beat
Bilbo, Retired Burglar, introduces an interesting puzzle to MTG players’ decks, offering both resourceful looting and a potential for creature control twist. Different from cards such as Fiend Hunter that exile creatures till they leave the battlefield, Bilbo’s method of returning a creature to its owner’s hand allows for recurring tactics if managed correctly. Strategic use of instant-speed removal when Bilbo’s ability is on the stack can permanently deal with a problematic creature, effectively circumventing the return clause.
Moreover, delve into counterplay such as Niblis of Frost to capitalize on abilities that trigger when you cast an instant or sorcery. This creates a web of control that complicates the opposition’s attempts to utilize Bilbo’s looting and control to full effect. Another approach involves utilizing flicker effects with cards like Essence Flux to reset Bilbo’s loyalty and use his abilities more than once per turn cycle, granting you further board control and card advantage.
Ultimately, overcoming the challenges posed by Bilbo, Retired Burglar, enhances player ingenuity—embracing synergy and timing to ensure that this wily character’s impact on the game is minimized while harnessing his strengths within your strategy.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Bilbo, Retired Burglar MTG card by a specific set like Tales of Middle-earth Promos and The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, 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 Bilbo, Retired Burglar and other MTG cards:
BUY NOW BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
- 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 Bilbo, Retired Burglar Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2023-06-23 and 2023-06-23. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023-06-23 | Tales of Middle-earth Promos | PLTR | 403 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Livia Prima | |
| 2 | 2023-06-23 | The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth | LTR | 647 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Anna Pavleeva | |
| 3 | 2023-06-23 | The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth | LTR | 196 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Anna Pavleeva | |
| 4 | 2023-06-23 | The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth | LTR | 403 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Livia Prima | |
| 5 | Tales of Middle-earth Art Series | ALTR | 14 | 2015 | Art series | Borderless |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Bilbo, Retired Burglar has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Alchemy | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Bilbo, Retired Burglar card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2023-06-16 | As the Ring tempts you, you get an emblem named The Ring if you don't have one. Then your emblem gains its next ability and you choose a creature you control to become (or remain) your Ring-bearer. |
| 2023-06-16 | Each player can have only one emblem named The Ring and only one Ring-bearer at a time. |
| 2023-06-16 | Each time the Ring tempts you, you must choose a creature if you control one. |
| 2023-06-16 | If the creature you choose as your Ring-bearer was already your Ring-bearer, that still counts as choosing that creature as your Ring-bearer for the purpose of abilities that trigger "whenever you choose a creature as your Ring-bearer" or abilities that care about which creature was chosen as your Ring-bearer. |
| 2023-06-16 | Some spells and abilities that cause the Ring to tempt you may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. The Ring won't tempt you. |
| 2023-06-16 | The Ring can tempt you even if you don't control a creature. In this case, abilities that trigger "whenever the Ring tempts you" will still trigger. |
| 2023-06-16 | The Ring gains its abilities in order from top to bottom. Once it gains an ability, it has that ability for the rest of the game. |