Medicine Bag MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact
Released	1998-06-15
Set symbol
Set name	Exodus
Set code	EXO
Number	133
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	DiTerlizzi

Key Takeaways

Boosts deck consistency by exchanging cards, enhancing hand quality for strategic play.
At instant speed, it offers adaptability, crucial for flexibility in game tactics.
Demands skillful balance in resource trade-off—valuable yet not always optimal.

Text of card

o1, oc T, Choose and discard a card: Regenerate target creature.

"My medicine bag and I have treated countless wounds and illnesses. But never have I seen so many made so sick for so long. We will *never* eat Squee's cooking again." —Orim, journal

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Medicine Bag offers a repeated ability to sift through your deck by exchanging unneeded cards, thereby refining your hand and strategizing more effectively for upcoming turns.

Resource Acceleration: This artifact can help you streamline your deck’s performance by discarding excess land cards or other unnecessary cards, indirectly speeding up your access to more useful resources.

Instant Speed: Its activation at instant speed provides flexibility during your play, allowing you to adapt to the evolving game state and disrupt opponents’ strategies by making last-minute decisions without wasting turns.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Using Medicine Bag effectively means letting go of other potential plays since you need to discard a card to activate its abilities. For players aiming to maintain a full grip of options, this trade-off can lead to difficult decisions and may not always result in a favorable exchange.

Specific Mana Cost: Medicine Bag comes with a cost that demands a particular mana setup. This artifact requires both generic and green mana, which could restrict its integration into multi-colored decks that may not always have the necessary green sources available when needed most.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost that involves not only two mana to play but also two to activate, Medicine Bag’s investment might not align with the card advantage or board impact provided by other cards at the same threshold. In a game where efficiency is key, the mana spent on Medicine Bag could potentially be used for more impactful cards or actions.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Medicine Bag offers an adaptability that can be crucial for many decks. Its ability to shift between resource management and immediate utility makes it an asset in a variety of situations, adding an extra layer of resilience to your strategy.

Combo Potential: The card shines when synergized with decks that utilize +1/+1 counters or artifact interactions. Its ability to manipulate counters can be the linchpin in executing powerful combos or as a way to strengthen your creatures on the fly.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where interactions with permanents on the board are key, Medicine Bag can play a pivotal role. It can be used to protect key creatures or enhance them at crucial moments, making it relevant in a variety of competitive formats.

How to beat

Medicine Bag is a niche card that can often fly under the radar in MTG games. With an ability to regenerate creatures, it can give your opponent’s creatures unexpected longevity. To effectively counter Medicine Bag, consider utilizing spells that remove a creature from the game, also known as exile effects, or strategies that don’t target creatures directly. Cards like Path to Exile or Leyline of the Void can circumvent Medicine Bag’s capabilities by ensuring creatures are not just destroyed but are removed entirely from the current game.

Another tactic is to focus on countering the activations of the Medicine Bag directly. This can be done with cards like Stifle or Trickbind, which can counter activated abilities. By stopping the Medicine Bag’s ability to be utilized, your opponent loses the advantage they may gain from the regeneration shield it provides. Lastly, overpowering your opponent with board wipes like Damnation or Supreme Verdict can be effective as well since Medicine Bag’s regeneration won’t save creatures from being destroyed en masse.

When considering these strategies, it’s essential to anticipate the Medicine Bag’s activation and prepare your moves accordingly. By employing these methods, the Medicine Bag’s impact on the field can be minimized or entirely neutralized.

Cards like Medicine Bag

Medicine Bag is a unique artifact in the enchanting world of Magic: The Gathering, echoing resonances with other resourceful equipment cards. Its capacity to turn cards into life points feeds into the broader theme of conversion found within the game. Parallels are seen with the Pristine Talisman, which not only provides life gain but also offers the bonus of mana production with each activation. While both cards can be pivotal in a life-focused deck, the Talisman’s mana provision might give it an edge for some players.

Examining the Umezawa’s Jitte reveals another facet of utility-focused equipment. Although it doesn’t directly offer life gain, the Jitte accumulates charge counters that can be versatile, offering options for increasing creature power or engaging in life point manipulation. The Medicine Bag, being solely life-centric, provides a more narrow but dedicated functionality in comparison.

In essence, while Medicine Bag might not be as multifaceted as other equipment in Magic: The Gathering, its specialized role in life preservation can be irreplaceable in certain strategies that aim to outlast opponents through incremental life gains.

Cards similar to Medicine Bag by color, type and mana cost

Scale of Chiss-Goria - MTG Card versions

Sword of Feast and Famine - MTG Card versions

Guardians of Meletis - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Medicine Bag MTG card by a specific set like Exodus, 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 Medicine Bag and other MTG cards: