Beast Within MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 29 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Beast Within offers significant card advantage, handling almost any challenge by turning threats into a manageable Beast.
  2. It boasts instant speed versatility, allowing disruptive plays on the opponent’s turn for strategic game control.
  3. The card’s drawback of providing opponents with a 3/3 creature requires careful play and resource management.

Text of card

Destroy target permanent. Its controller puts a 3/3 green Beast creature token onto the battlefield.

"Kill the weak so they can't drag the strong down to their level. This is true compassion." —Benzir, archdruid of Temple Might


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Beast Within gift wraps a massive payoff of card advantage to the controller. It deals with pretty much any card your opponent has. This versatility is what makes it an asset in hand, it can convert a lost cause into a winnable game.

Resource Acceleration: Beast Within can be deployed to accelerate the degradation of your opponent’s resources. By transforming their key card into a relatively less threatening Beast, you are effectively eroding your opponent’s advantage and pushing the game in your favour.

Instant Speed: Beast Within is an instant, meaning you can cast it at any point on your or even your opponent’s turn. Therefore, it can be a critical tool to disrupt your opponent’s plan and keep them guessing about your hand’s capacity.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Beast Within does not require you to discard a card outright, but its effect gives your opponent a 3/3 beast creature token which can potentially shift the game’s momentum, especially if you’re low on resources or lack necessary defenses.

Specific Mana Cost: With its specific mana cost including one green, Beast Within may be confined to decks running Green or multi-color decks that can accommodate its green mana need. Therefore, despite its solid ability, this constraint might limit its use to certain decks only.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the ability to destroy any permanent is powerful, Beast Within’s three mana cost can be steep compared to other removal options available for certain decks. There are other cards with lower or equivalent mana costs that may serve as more efficient removal or disruptive tools.


Reasons to Include Beast Within in Your Collection

Versatility: The Beast Within is a prime choice for inclusion in a wide array of decks owing to its functional ability to react promptly to threats. The card’s beauty lies in its ability to destroy both threats on board and lands, making it a quintessential flexible choice for players.

Combo Potential: When it comes to synergizing with other cards, Beast Within brings plenty opportunities to the table. Its effect can be used advantageously to destroy your own permanents for beneficial effects, generating a higher game advantage.

Meta-Relevance: In the shifting sands of the game meta, Beast Within retains its value. Its role as a counter for stronger permanents, regardless of the type, certifies its relevance in varying meta environments, making it an enduring part of any collection.


How to beat

Dealing with Beast Within is no small feat for MTG players, since this effective removal spell can replace any permanent your opponent controls with a Green 3/3 Beast token. Yet, knowing your opponent’s deck can help you anticipate when they might use Beast Within and prepare accordingly. Cards with abilities like hexproof and shroud prevent Beast Within from taking effect, and utilising these can add an important defensive layer to your strategy.

Fleshing out your deck with cards such as Fiendslayer Paladin can also provide an advantage, as protection from green prevents Beast Within from targeting your permanents. Alternatively, forcing your opponent to discard or countering spells could prevent Beast Within from hitting the battlefield. Consider strategically implementing cards like Thoughtseize and Cancel into your deck. Another invaluable approach is to leverage the 3/3 Beast token to your advantage with effects that either grant your new token additional power and abilities or transform it into a potent threat.

In closing, it’s clear that knowledge of your opponent’s strategy and thoughtful deck construction are key ways of dealing with Beast Within. With the right foresight and tactical planning, overcoming Beast Within is indeed possible for seasoned and novice MTG players alike.


BurnMana Recommendations

The versatility and instant speed of Beast Within offer a dynamic approach to handling threats across all game stages. These attributes make it a staple for Green or multi-colored decks that need effective solutions at critical moments. Whether employed to deteriorate an opponent’s resources or to execute a game-winning combo, Beast Within secures a spot among the most adaptable cards in MTG. For those eager to further refine their deck strategies or expand their understanding of meta dynamics, we encourage you to join our community. Immerse yourself in the intricacies of deck building and enhance your MTG experience with us.


Cards like Beast Within

Beast Within is a unique card in the realm of Green removal spells in MTG. It holds similarities to other powerhouse cards such as Chaos Warp and Generous Gift. These cards allow players to remove any permanent by giving the owner a creature token, offering a new game strategy.

Chaos Warp shares the identical functionality, offering the capability to remove any permanent, but it grants the player the opportunity to reveal the top card of their library, which could be possibly more threatening. In contrast, Generous Gift, although it provides a slightly stronger creature token, is able to remove any permanent at instant speed, just like Beast Within.

Beast Within’s ability to create a 3/3 green Beast creature token is shared by the card Pongify, but Pongify only targets creatures and is in a different color: blue. Other green removal spells such as Bramblecrush, while similar, only target noncreature permanents.

In conclusion, each of these alternatives carries both advantages and disadvantages when compared to Beast Within, but this card is remarkably valued in MTG due to its versatility as a green removal spell.

Chaos Warp - MTG Card versions
Generous Gift - MTG Card versions
Pongify - MTG Card versions
Bramblecrush - MTG Card versions
Chaos Warp - Commander 2011 (CMD)
Generous Gift - Modern Horizons (MH1)
Pongify - Planar Chaos (PLC)
Bramblecrush - Innistrad (ISD)

Cards similar to Beast Within by color, type and mana cost

Foxfire - MTG Card versions
Verdigris - MTG Card versions
Team Spirit - MTG Card versions
Refresh - MTG Card versions
Vivify - MTG Card versions
Primal Boost - MTG Card versions
Sprouting Vines - MTG Card versions
Natural Affinity - MTG Card versions
Ferocious Charge - MTG Card versions
Graphic Violence - MTG Card versions
Remodel - MTG Card versions
Roar of Jukai - MTG Card versions
Rending Vines - MTG Card versions
Early Harvest - MTG Card versions
Wildsize - MTG Card versions
Hail Storm - MTG Card versions
Invigorate - MTG Card versions
Harrow - MTG Card versions
Pistus Strike - MTG Card versions
Hunter's Insight - MTG Card versions
Foxfire - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Verdigris - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Team Spirit - Unglued (UGL)
Refresh - Odyssey (ODY)
Vivify - Odyssey (ODY)
Primal Boost - Onslaught (ONS)
Sprouting Vines - Scourge (SCG)
Natural Affinity - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Ferocious Charge - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Graphic Violence - Unhinged (UNH)
Remodel - Unhinged (UNH)
Roar of Jukai - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Rending Vines - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Early Harvest - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Wildsize - Commander Legends (CMR)
Hail Storm - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)
Invigorate - Game Night: Free-for-All (GN3)
Harrow - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)
Pistus Strike - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Hunter's Insight - Commander Masters (CMM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Beast Within MTG card by a specific set like New Phyrexia 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 Beast Within and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Beast Within Magic the Gathering card was released in 27 different sets between 2011-05-13 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by 5 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12011-05-13New PhyrexiaNPH 1032003normalblackDave Allsop
22012-06-01Planechase 2012PC2 572003normalblackDave Allsop
32013-09-06Duel Decks: Heroes vs. MonstersDDL 692003normalblackJesper Ejsing
42016-08-26Conspiracy: Take the CrownCN2 1742015normalblackJesper Ejsing
52016-11-11Commander 2016C16 1412015normalblackJesper Ejsing
62016-11-25Planechase AnthologyPCA 572015normalblackDave Allsop
72018-06-08BattlebondBBD 1902015normalblackJesper Ejsing
82019-08-23Commander 2019C19 1572015normalblackJesper Ejsing
92019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 11342015normalblackJesper Ejsing
102019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 3232015normalborderlessMartin Ansin
112020-04-17Commander 2020C20 1682015normalblackJesper Ejsing
122020-09-26The ListPLST BBD-1902015normalblackJesper Ejsing
132020-09-26The ListPLST NPH-1032003normalblackDave Allsop
142020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 4232015normalblackJesper Ejsing
152021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 3571997normalblackDave Allsop
162021-04-23Commander 2021C21 1862015normalblackJesper Ejsing
172021-07-23Forgotten Realms CommanderAFC 1522015normalblackJesper Ejsing
182021-09-24Midnight Hunt CommanderMIC 1332015normalblackJesper Ejsing
192022-02-18Neon Dynasty CommanderNEC 1142015normalblackJesper Ejsing
202022-04-29New Capenna CommanderNCC 2822015normalblackJesper Ejsing
212022-06-10Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's GateCLB 8202015normalblackJesper Ejsing
222022-09-09Dominaria United CommanderDMC 1292015normalblackJesper Ejsing
232023-01-01Wizards Play Network 2023PW23 32015normalblackDave Allsop
242023-02-03Phyrexia: All Will Be One CommanderONC 1042015normalblackDave Allsop
252023-05-08From Cute to BrutePCTB 262003normalblackDave Allsop
262023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 2342015normalblackAlexander Ostrowski
272023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 2282015normalblackHelge C. Balzer
282023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 8192015normalblackHelge C. Balzer
292023-11-17The Lost Caverns of Ixalan CommanderLCC 2332015normalblackJesper Ejsing

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Beast Within has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2013-07-01 If the permanent is still a legal target but is not destroyed (perhaps because it regenerated or has indestructible), its controller still gets the Beast token.
2021-03-19 If the target permanent is an illegal target by the time Beast Within tries to resolve, the spell won't resolve. No player creates a Beast token. If the target is legal but not destroyed (most likely because it has indestructible), its controller does create a Beast token.

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