Boar Umbra MTG Card

Boar Umbra provides dual benefits: significant stat boosts and protection with totem armor for creatures. This enchantment is versatile, fitting into various deck types and enhancing combo potential. Awareness of removal options and synergies can effectively counter Boar Umbra in play.

Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
2010-04-23 - Number 179

Planechase 2012 (PC2)
2012-06-01 - Number 58

Planechase Anthology (PCA)
2016-11-25 - Number 58

Ultimate Masters (UMA)
2018-12-07 - Number 158

Card sets	Released in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant,Totem armor

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets +3/+3. Totem armor (If enchanted creature would be destroyed, instead remove all damage from it and destroy this Aura.)

"From in here, everything looks like dinner."

Cards like Boar Umbra

Boar Umbra holds a distinct place in the vast repertoire of aura spells in MTG. This card bears a solid resemblance to Bear Umbra in terms of totem armor, where both cards are designed to protect creatures from being destroyed. However, Boar Umbra focuses more on increasing a creature’s toughness and power, providing a +3/+3 boost. Bear Umbra, while also granting a power hike, emphasizes untapping lands with its triggered ability whenever the enchanted creature attacks.

Another card worth mentioning in the same circle is Spider Umbra. This aura also offers the totem armor protection but with a more defensive advantage, endowing the creature with reach and a smaller power increment. Conversely, Boar Umbra emphasizes offense with a more significant power surge.

Examining further, we encounter Snake Umbra, accentuating card draw on top of totem armor, which creates an advantage by replenishing the player’s hand. Although Boar Umbra doesn’t draw cards, it compensates with the brute force it equips a creature with, potentially turning the tide of a duel in a player’s favor. Overall, Boar Umbra’s blend of resilience and strength cements it as an esteemed choice for players aiming to firmly fortify their creatures.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Boar Umbra is particularly useful for keeping your creatures on the battlefield, effectively protecting your assets. This green enchantment grants an important totem armor ability, ensuring that if the creature would be destroyed, the Umbra is destroyed instead. This provides a dual benefit—not only improving board stability but also preventing the loss of key creatures, conserving your card resources in the process.

Resource Acceleration: In addition to protective measures, Boar Umbra offers a solid boost with its +3/+3 enhancement. This increase in power and toughness can significantly accelerate your offensive capabilities, turning even a modest creature into a formidable threat. The resource acceleration here isn’t in the form of mana or tokens, but in the potent escalation of a creature’s stats.

Instant Speed: While Boar Umbra itself doesn’t have instant speed, its resilience-promoting nature means it can effectively discourage opponents from using their instant-speed removal. By making your creatures tougher to kill, you indirectly gain a strategic advantage during the timing of spell casts, as opponents may need to think twice before engaging in combat or using their instant-speed tricks.

Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Boar Umbra comes with a specific mana requirement that may not fit seamlessly into every deck strategy. The need for both generic and green mana makes it less flexible and potentially harder to cast on curve, particularly in multicolored decks competing for various mana needs.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that is on the higher side, Boar Umbra might compete with other impactful cards at the three-mana slot. Its cost efficiency is debated among players, as there are alternatives that may offer enchantment benefits at a reduced mana investment.

Discard Requirement: Although Boar Umbra itself does not have a discard requirement, its presence in your hand can influence discard decisions unfavorably. Holding onto it for the right moment may mean discarding other valuable cards when faced with hand size limits or discard triggers from an opponent’s strategy.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Boar Umbra can be a solid addition to various deck builds, particularly those that require robust creature enchantments for protection and power boosting. Its totem armor ability not only increases survivability but also pairs well with strategies emphasizing creature strength.

Combo Potential: This card excels when used in tandem with other aura spells or abilities that benefit from enhanced creatures. It can be part of intricate combos, creating an imposing presence on the battlefield that can quickly turn the tides of the game.

Meta-Relevance: Within a meta where control decks and board wipes are prevalent, Boar Umbra’s totem armor grants extra resilience against removal spells, maintaining a strong board presence and potentially outlasting opponents’ resources.

How to beat

Boar Umbra is a standout aura in MTG that bolsters the toughness and power of the creature it enchants, making it a formidable obstacle for many. This card not only provides a significant +3/+3 boost but also comes with the totem armor ability, which can protect the enchanted creature from what would otherwise be a lethal blow.

To successfully navigate against this green enchantment, removal spells that bypass the totem armor mechanic are key. Consider using cards like Oblivion Ring or Detention Sphere that can exile Boar Umbra, effectively neutralizing the buff without directly destroying the creature. Board wipes such as Wrath of God or Damnation are also effective since they ignore totem armor by not destroying creatures but rather forcing all creatures to be put into graveyards. Counterspells are equally as useful; countering Boar Umbra upon casting will prevent the enchantment from taking effect altogether.

Ultimately, recognizing and disrupting the Boar Umbra card’s synergies is essential. Keeping a keen eye on your opponent’s mana and potential auras they may cast can give you the upper hand. Flexible removal or counter magic tends to be the most effective route to counteract Boar Umbra’s powerful enhancement capabilities in MTG.

BurnMana Recommendations

With Boar Umbra carving its niche in MTG, players have witnessed the true power of totem armor. Its ability to shield and elevate your creatures creates strategic depth, making it a contender for any green-based deck looking for durability and strength. Whether it’s safeguarding your invaluable creatures or buffing them for an aggressive push, Boar Umbra serves as a testament to the inherent versatility of auras. As you ponder the expansion of your collection or seek new combos to outplay the competition, consider the potential Boar Umbra brings to the battlefield. Keen to enhance your deck with this enchanting armor? Dive in with us to explore the synergies and tactics that can turn the tide of your battles, forging your path to victory in the realm of MTG.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Boar Umbra MTG card by a specific set like Rise of the Eldrazi and Planechase 2012, 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 Boar Umbra and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Boar Umbra Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2010-04-23 and 2018-12-07. Illustrated by Christopher Moeller.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2010-04-23	Rise of the Eldrazi	ROE	179	2003	Normal	Black	Christopher Moeller
2	2012-06-01	Planechase 2012	PC2	58	2003	Normal	Black	Christopher Moeller
3	2016-11-25	Planechase Anthology	PCA	58	2015	Normal	Black	Christopher Moeller
4	2018-12-07	Ultimate Masters	UMA	158	2015	Normal	Black	Christopher Moeller

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Boar Umbra has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Boar Umbra card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2018-07-13	If a permanent enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor has indestructible, lethal damage and effects that try to destroy it simply have no effect. Totem armor won’t do anything because it won’t have to.
2018-07-13	If a permanent enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor would be destroyed by multiple state-based actions at the same time (most likely because a creature with deathtouch has dealt damage to that creature greater than or equal to its toughness) totem armor’s effect will replace all of them and save the creature.
2018-07-13	If a permanent you control is enchanted with multiple Auras that have totem armor, and the enchanted permanent would be destroyed, one of those Auras is destroyed instead — but only one of them. You choose which one because you control the enchanted permanent.
2018-07-13	If a spell or ability (such as Akroma’s Vengeance) would destroy both an Aura with totem armor and the permanent it’s enchanting at the same time, totem armor’s effect will save the enchanted permanent from being destroyed. Instead, the spell or ability will destroy the Aura in two different ways at the same time, but the result is the same as destroying it once.
2018-07-13	If a spell or ability says that it would “destroy” a permanent enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor, that spell or ability is what causes the Aura to be destroyed instead. Totem armor doesn’t destroy the Aura; rather, it changes the effects of the spell or ability. On the other hand, if a spell or ability deals lethal damage to a creature enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor, the game rules regarding lethal damage cause the Aura to be destroyed, not that spell or ability.
2018-07-13	Totem armor has no effect if the enchanted permanent is put into a graveyard for any other reason, such as if it’s sacrificed, if the “legend rule” applies to it, or if its toughness is 0 or less.
2018-07-13	Totem armor’s effect is applied no matter why the enchanted permanent would be destroyed: because it’s been dealt lethal damage, or because it’s being affected by an effect that says to “destroy” it (such as Putrefy). In either case, all damage is removed from the permanent and the Aura is destroyed instead.
2018-07-13	Totem armor’s effect is mandatory. If the enchanted permanent would be destroyed, you must remove all damage from it (if it has any) and destroy the Aura that has totem armor instead.
2018-07-13	Totem armor’s effect is not regeneration. Specifically, if totem armor’s effect is applied, the enchanted permanent does not become tapped and is not removed from combat as a result. Effects that say the enchanted permanent can’t be regenerated (as Putrefy does) won’t prevent totem armor’s effect from being applied.