Bubble Snare MTG Card

Bubble Snare shines in tempo decks, providing control without sacrificing card advantage. Its blue mana cost limits flexibility but ensures specificity in deck construction. Despite mana intensity, its capacity for creature neutralization makes it a staple.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant,Kicker
Released	2020-09-25
Set symbol
Set name	Zendikar Rising
Set code	ZNR
Number	47
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jakub Kasper

Text of card

Kicker (You may pay an additional as you cast this spell.) Enchant creature When Bubble Snare enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, tap enchanted creature. Enchanted creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step.

Cards like Bubble Snare

Bubble Snare is an intriguing control spell in the vast repertoire of Magic: The Gathering. This enchantment card is akin to other capture-based spells like Claustrophobia, which clamps down on creatures by tapping them and preventing them from untapping during their controller’s untap phase. Bubble Snare offers more flexibility with its kicker cost, allowing the creature to be tapped if the additional cost is paid, whereas Claustrophobia has no such option.

Another similar spell to consider is Unsummon, which, although it doesn’t keep the creature on the battlefield, it returns it to the owner’s hand, providing a temporary reprieve. Unsummon’s low mana cost makes it a quick fix against opponents’ threats. However, it does differ from Bubble Snare since it doesn’t offer a long-term solution by keeping the creature restrained on the battlefield.

Frostray is also comparable, providing a definitive lockdown with its ability to freeze creatures upon entry. However, unlike Bubble Snare, it lacks the flexibility of being a mere enchantment that can be cast at a lower cost for a similar effect. Therefore, Bubble Snare stands out for its versatility and cost-effectiveness for controlling opponents’ creatures.

Cards similar to Bubble Snare by color, type and mana cost

Cloak of Invisibility - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Bubble Snare offers a strategic edge in controlling opponents’ creatures without losing card parity, especially when kicked, since it neutralizes a threat while leaving your card count unchanged.

Resource Acceleration: By immobilizing key creatures, this card indirectly accelerates your resources, as it helps to ensure your mana can be spent on advancing your board instead of dealing with threats.

Instant Speed: While Bubble Snare itself is a sorcery, the flexibility it provides allows players to optimize their mana usage during their own turn, setting up for potential instant-speed interactions later without the worry of an untapped, aggressive creature.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Bubble Snare does not have a discard requirement per se, the need to manage your hand to use it effectively, given that it’s typically a one-time-use spell, can be a tactical disadvantage. This means if you’re holding onto it for the perfect target, you might be foregoing other plays or opportunities.

Specific Mana Cost: Bubble Snare’s casting cost requires blue mana, which narrows its usage to decks that run islands or have a means of mana fixing. This can be restrictive for players who might want to include it in a deck but can’t accommodate the blue mana requirements without impacting their mana base consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: To activate the kicker and fully utilize the card’s capability of tapping the enchanted creature, you need to sink a total of four mana into the spell, which can be quite steep. Considering you can use other removal spells at or below this cost, Bubble Snare might end up being a less efficient choice in situations where mana conservation is crucial for maintaining tempo.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Bubble Snare is a flexible control spell that can neutralize threats across a plethora of matchups, fitting seamlessly into blue control or tempo decks.

Combo Potential: It synergizes with bounce strategies or cards that capitalize on the number of enchantments you control. Furthermore, it can be a setup for detainment combos, locking down opponents’ resources.

Meta-Relevance: In environments swarming with aggressive creatures, Bubble Snare shines by incapacitating pivotal attackers or blockers, often at a low cost, keeping pace with the tempo of the game.

How to Beat

Bubble Snare is a versatile control spell in Magic: The Gathering, allowing players to neutralize a threat without removing it entirely. One compelling way to outmaneuver this blue enchantment is by using cards that can target and destroy enchantments, such as Naturalize or Disenchant. These allow you to quickly dispose of Bubble Snare and free your creature to continue the assault.

Another strategy is to preemptively protect your creatures with hexproof abilities or counterspells, which can intercept Bubble Snare before it latches onto your valued permanents. Cards like Lazotep Plating not only offer your creatures hexproof but also provide an additional body on the battlefield that can keep the pressure on your opponent.

In games where Bubble Snare is prevalent, having a well-thought-out sideboard can be crucial. Besides enchantment removal, consider including versatile permanents like Reclamation Sage, which serves the dual purpose of being a creature and an enchantment remover upon entry. Balancing a deck to anticipate control components such as Bubble Snare can significantly enhance your gameplay and set you on a path to victory.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Bubble Snare MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar Rising, 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 Bubble Snare and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Bubble Snare has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2020-09-25	An ability that triggers when a player casts a kicked spell resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger, but after targets have been chosen for that spell. It resolves even if that spell is countered.
2020-09-25	If you copy a kicked spell, the copy is also kicked. If a card or token enters the battlefield as a copy of a permanent that’s already on the battlefield, the new permanent isn’t kicked, even if the original was.
2020-09-25	If you put a permanent with a kicker ability onto the battlefield without casting it, you can’t kick it.
2020-09-25	Kicker represents an optional additional cost that you may choose to pay as you cast the spell. A spell cast with that additional cost paid is “kicked.”
2020-09-25	Some instant or sorcery spells require alternative or additional targets if they’re kicked. You ignore these targeting requirements if those spells aren’t kicked, and you can’t kick those spells unless you can choose the appropriate targets. On the other hand, you can kick a permanent spell even if you won’t be able to choose targets for an enters-the-battlefield ability of that permanent once the spell resolves.
2020-09-25	To determine a spell’s total cost, start with the mana cost (or an alternative cost if another card’s effect allows you to pay one instead), add any cost increases (such as kicker), then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
2020-09-25	You can’t pay a kicker cost more than once.