Bone Splinters MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 14 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. It translates sacrificing creatures into board advantage, benefiting from graveyard interactions.
  2. While limited to sorcery speed, it pairs well with flash creatures for tactical plays.
  3. Sacrifice requirement can be costly; black mana specificity may limit deck inclusion.

Text of card

As an additional cost to play Bone Splinters, sacrifice a creature. Destroy target creature.

Witches of the Split-Eye Coven speak of a future when Grixis will overflow with life energy. For now, they must harvest vis from the living to fuel their dark magics.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: While it may seem like a one-for-one trade, sacrificing a creature you control can be an upside in many decks that benefit from creatures entering the graveyard. This turns Bone Splinters into a tool that helps you remove an opponent’s threat while fueling your own graveyard synergies, giving you an effective two-for-one scenario in terms of resourceful play.

Resource Acceleration: Bone Splinters is an ideal spell for decks that revolve around small, expendable creatures. Sacrificing a token or a creature with a death trigger can often lead to additional resources, such as creating new tokens, drawing cards, or triggering powerful effects that help to advance your board state while dealing with your opponent’s threats.

Instant Speed: Although Bone Splinters is cast at sorcery speed, it pairs well with creatures that have flash. This allows you to introduce unexpected blockers during your opponent’s turn and then turn those creatures into removal spells on your turn, providing a form of speed flexibility in creature-heavy strategies.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of Bone Splinters is the necessity of sacrificing a creature. While this can synergize with certain deck strategies, it can also be a significant cost if your board is scarce or the creature’s value is high.

Specific Mana Cost: Bone Splinters requires black mana to cast. This specificity can restrict the card to decks heavily invested in black or those that can reliably produce the necessary mana, potentially excluding it from more varied or color-flexible strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When compared to similar cards that may have additional benefits or lower costs, Bone Splinters’ requirement of both a mana and a creature sacrifice can be viewed as a steep investment, particularly in decks where every resource counts.


Reasons to Include Bone Splinters in Your Collection

Versatility: Bone Splinters is an affordable removal option that can be slotted into a variety of black decks. Whether you’re playing a sacrifice-themed deck or just need inexpensive creature control, it provides an effective solution.

Combo Potential: This card shines in decks that leverage sacrificing creatures as part of their core strategy. Coupling Bone Splinters with cards that generate benefits on death or being sacrificed, turns a simple removal spell into a multifaceted tool.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where creature-based decks are ever-present, having a cost-effective way to remove key threats can be game-changing. As long as summoning creatures remains a fundamental part of MTG, Bone Splinters will retain its relevance and utility.


How to beat Bone Splinters

Bone Splinters is a versatile removal option in the Magic: The Gathering environment, known for its ability to target and destroy creature cards at a low cost. However, its intrinsic drawback demands the sacrifice of one of your own creatures. To counteract this card effectively, it is essential to maintain creature advantage on the board. Players should focus on strategies that generate token creatures, which offer minimal loss when sacrificed, or utilize creatures that have enter-the-battlefield effects or death triggers.

Ephemeral cards like Doomed Traveler, which leaves behind a token upon death, or Thragtusk, which provides life and a creature token, are resilient against Bone Splinters. Additionally, when you anticipate your opponent might cast Bone Splinters, it’s crucial to withhold casting valuable creatures until after the removal has been used. Cards with indestructible or regeneration capabilities also serve as sturdy safeguards, as they won’t succumb to the sacrifice easily. By employing these strategies, you can dilute the impact of Bone Splinters and maintain a robust presence on the battlefield, thus overcoming this potential threat to your creatures.


BurnMana Recommendations

In the ever-evolving landscape of MTG, understanding the delicate balance between risk and reward is key. With Bone Splinters, strategic play is heightened, offering a powerful synergy with graveyard mechanics and an affordable removal solution. Delve deeper into MTG strategy and discover optimal ways to integrate Bone Splinters into your arsenal. Enhance your gameplay by embracing its potential to turn the tide of battle in your favor. Ready to master the art of sacrifice and control? Expand your knowledge and elevate your game with insightful tips and tactics at BurnMana.


Cards like Bone Splinters

Bone Splinters stands as a useful tool for players seeking strategic creature removal in Magic: The Gathering. It aligns with other single-target destruction spells, like Doom Blade, which also serves to remove a threat. Nevertheless, Bone Splinters comes with a unique requirement: sacrificing a creature. In contrast, Doom Blade imposes a restriction on the target’s color—unable to destroy black creatures.

Delving further into comparison, we encounter Altar’s Reap, which also demands a creature sacrifice, but rather than destroying another creature, it provides card advantage. The distinction in the benefit from the sacrifice is pivotal; Bone Splinters eliminates opposing threats, while Altar’s Reap refills your hand. Additionally, Altar’s Reap is an instant, offering flexibility in timing over Bone Splinters’ sorcery speed.

Appraising similar cards reveals that Bone Splinters is a cost-effective removal spell, perfect for decks leveraging sacrificial synergies. With the right strategy, this card can turn a liability into a powerful way to control the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering.

Doom Blade - MTG Card versions
Altar's Reap - MTG Card versions
Doom Blade - Magic 2010 (M10)
Altar's Reap - Innistrad (ISD)

Cards similar to Bone Splinters by color, type and mana cost

Raise Dead - MTG Card versions
Mind Twist - MTG Card versions
Contract from Below - MTG Card versions
Spoils of War - MTG Card versions
Tendrils of Despair - MTG Card versions
Bloodcurdling Scream - MTG Card versions
Organ Harvest - MTG Card versions
Duress - MTG Card versions
Bubbling Muck - MTG Card versions
Chorus of Woe - MTG Card versions
Reanimate - MTG Card versions
Soul Strings - MTG Card versions
Restless Dreams - MTG Card versions
Cabal Therapy - MTG Card versions
Confront the Past - MTG Card versions
Stir the Grave - MTG Card versions
Cry of Contrition - MTG Card versions
Deathmark - MTG Card versions
Call to the Netherworld - MTG Card versions
Raven's Crime - MTG Card versions
Raise Dead - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Mind Twist - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Contract from Below - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Spoils of War - Ice Age (ICE)
Tendrils of Despair - Weatherlight (WTH)
Bloodcurdling Scream - Portal Second Age (P02)
Organ Harvest - Unglued (UGL)
Duress - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)
Bubbling Muck - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Chorus of Woe - Starter 1999 (S99)
Reanimate - Jumpstart (JMP)
Soul Strings - Prophecy (PCY)
Restless Dreams - Torment (TOR)
Cabal Therapy - Premium Deck Series: Graveborn (PD3)
Confront the Past - Strixhaven: School of Mages Promos (PSTX)
Stir the Grave - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Cry of Contrition - Guildpact (GPT)
Deathmark - Coldsnap (CSP)
Call to the Netherworld - Time Spiral (TSP)
Raven's Crime - Eventide (EVE)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Bone Splinters MTG card by a specific set like Shards of Alara and Avacyn Restored, 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 Bone Splinters and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Bone Splinters Magic the Gathering card was released in 14 different sets between 2008-10-03 and 2022-09-09. Illustrated by 5 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12008-10-03Shards of AlaraALA 672003normalblackCole Eastburn
22012-05-04Avacyn RestoredAVR 882003normalblackNils Hamm
32014-09-05Duel Decks: Speed vs. CunningDDN 222015normalblackCole Eastburn
42015-05-22Modern Masters 2015MM2 732015normalblackCole Eastburn
52015-10-02Battle for ZendikarBFZ 1052015normalblackDeruchenko Alexander
62017-03-17Modern Masters 2017MM3 602015normalblackCole Eastburn
72018-11-16Game NightGNT 272015normalblackDeruchenko Alexander
82019-07-12Core Set 2020M20 922015normalblackCole Eastburn
92019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 5832015normalblackCole Eastburn
102019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 10372015normalborderlessFajareka Setiawan
112020-07-17JumpstartJMP 2132015normalblackNils Hamm
122020-09-26The ListPLST M20-922015normalblackCole Eastburn
132022-09-09Dominaria UnitedDMU 832015normalblackJeremy Wilson
142022-09-09Dominaria United Art SeriesADMU 222015art_seriesborderlessJeremy Wilson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Bone Splinters has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PredhLegal
BrawlLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2022-09-09 Once you begin to cast Bone Splinters, no player may take actions until you’re done. Notably, opponents can’t try to remove the creature you wish to sacrifice.
2022-09-09 You must sacrifice exactly one creature to cast this spell; you can’t cast it without sacrificing a creature, and you can’t sacrifice additional creatures.

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