Bishop of Binding MTG Card

Offers control by exiling foes and boosting your board, disruptive against opponent’s strategies. Demands specialized mana but accelerates resources, a boon for white-centric tactics. Diverse utility makes it valuable across various deck types, adapting to the meta.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Vampire Cleric
Released	2018-01-19
Set symbol
Set name	Rivals of Ixalan
Set code	RIX
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	2
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Bastien L. Deharme

Text of card

When Bishop of Binding enters the battlefield, exile target creature an opponent controls until Bishop of Binding leaves the battlefield. Whenever Bishop of Binding attacks, target Vampire gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the power of the exiled card.

Cards like Bishop of Binding

The Bishop of Binding card emerges as an enthralling addition to the lineup of exile effects within MTG. This card mirrors the functionality of cards like Banisher Priest, allowing you to exile an opponent’s creature for as long as you control the Bishop. What differentiates Bishop of Binding is its ability to enhance one of your own creatures’ power by the exiled creature’s power while Banisher Priest focuses solely on the utility of temporary removal.

Fiend Hunter is another card that shares the exile dynamic but with a twist. While it also exiles a creature upon entry, the release of that creature comes with the departure of Fiend Hunter, not its control loss. This subtle difference can significantly influence play strategies. Then there’s Fairgrounds Warden, which offers a similar exile on entry but with the limitation of targeting only opponent’s creatures with lesser power.

Evaluating the similarities and unique traits, Bishop of Binding stands out in its category, offering both a strategic removal tool and a temporary buff mechanism. It effectively combines control elements and aggressive strategies, enhancing its niche in MTG gameplay.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Bishop of Binding, you gain not just board presence but also the potential to disrupt your opponent’s strategy. When it enters the battlefield, you exile an enemy’s creature until it leaves the battlefield, effectively giving you a two-for-one advantage as you remove their threat and add to your own.

Resource Acceleration: Although not a direct source of mana, Bishop of Binding’s second ability can be seen as a form of resource acceleration. Once you attack with it, you can add an amount of mana to your pool equal to the exiled creature’s power, allowing for significant plays much earlier than usual, which is particularly useful in white-dominated decks that can struggle with acceleration.

Instant Speed: Bishop of Binding’s abilities are not activated at instant speed; however, its ability to impact the game upon entry can disrupt plays as though you had an instant. It allows you to wait for the optimal moment to play the card, ideally when your opponent commits a valuable creature to the board, thus providing you with tactical flexibility.

Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: The Bishop of Binding demands a precise blend of mana to cast—three generic and one white. This can be restrictive in a multicolor deck, especially in the early game, where you strive for a smooth mana curve to deploy threats or answers.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of four mana for its abilities, Bishop of Binding can be a taller order for players, particularly when considering other creatures or removal spells that come at a lower cost and offer immediate impact on the board state.

Discard Requirement: While not directly requiring a discard, the Bishop’s necessity to leave the battlefield to reclaim the exiled card can be akin to a discard if you’re unable to safely recur it from the combat zone, thereby potentially losing grip on your board presence or long-term game plan.

Reasons to Include Bishop of Binding in Your Collection

Versatility: Bishop of Binding from MTG isn’t confined to a single deck archetype. Its unique exile ability allows it to fit into different strategies, functioning as both removal and a potential power boost for one of your creatures.

Combo Potential: Bishop of Binding’s return ability when it leaves the battlefield can work in tandem with flicker or bounce mechanics, offering repeated exile capabilities and further amplifying the power of another creature on your board.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that’s creature-dense or relies on key individual threats, the Bishop serves as an excellent tech choice, potentially disrupting your opponents’ plays and turning the tides in your favor.

How to beat

The Bishop of Binding is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering, known for its ability to exile an opposing creature until it leaves the battlefield. This ability not only disrupts your opponent’s board presence but also bonuses the Bishop’s power. To effectively counter this card, prioritize removal spells that can target the Bishop directly, or leverage instant-speed interaction to remove it before its attack ability triggers.

Another strategy includes utilizing counter spells to prevent the Bishop from hitting the field at all. Once the Bishop is in play, focus on cards that can bypass its ability, such as those granting hexproof or indestructible to your creatures. Additionally, board wipes can effectively clear the Bishop along with other threats your opponent controls. Keep in mind that the exiled creature comes back into play if the Bishop is dealt with, so plan your removal or board wipes accordingly to ensure you’re not giving your opponent an opportunity to turn the tide.

Adapting to the Bishop’s strengths can shift the momentum to your favor. With the right strategy and timing, the Bishop of Binding becomes less of a threat and more of a stepping stone to victory in your Magic: The Gathering matches.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Bishop of Binding MTG card by a specific set like Rivals of Ixalan, 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 Bishop of Binding and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Bishop of Binding 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 Bishop of Binding card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2018-01-19	Auras attached to the exiled creature will be put into their owners’ graveyards. Any Equipment will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled creature will cease to exist.
2018-01-19	If Bishop of Binding leaves the battlefield before its first triggered ability tries to resolve, the target creature won’t be exiled.
2018-01-19	If a Vehicle is exiled with Bishop of Binding, use its printed power to determine the value of X.
2018-01-19	If a token is exiled this way, it will cease to exist and won’t return to the battlefield.
2018-01-19	If there is no exiled card as Bishop of Binding’s last ability resolves, most likely because Bishop of Binding left the battlefield while that ability was on the stack, X is 0. The same is true if the exiled card doesn’t have a power, most likely because it’s a noncreature card that had become a creature.
2018-01-19	The value of X is determined only as Bishop of Binding’s second ability resolves. It won’t change if the card leaves exile later in the turn.