Alms Beast MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Beast |
| Released | 2013-02-01 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Gatecrash |
| Set code | GTC |
| Power | 6 |
| Toughness | 6 |
| Number | 141 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Dan Scott |
Key Takeaways
- Alms Beast excels at indirectly creating card advantage by pressuring opponents to expend resources.
- With a 6/6 body for only four mana, it offers a significant advance in board state tempo.
- Strategically, Alms Beast impacts interaction timing, akin to instant-speed threat dynamics.
Text of card
Creatures blocking or blocked by Alms Beast have lifelink.
Alms-coins are only redeemable at Orzhov businesses.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While Alms Beast itself doesn’t directly allow you to draw additional cards, its potent board presence can force opponents to spend multiple resources to handle it. This indirect card advantage pressurizes your opponent to find answers quickly, often at the cost of depleting their hand.
Resource Acceleration: Though Alms Beast does not provide mana acceleration in the traditional sense, its relatively low cost for a creature of its size at only four mana means you are accelerating your board state ahead of the curve. Deploying a 6/6 creature by turn four can be a significant tempo boost.
Instant Speed: While Alms Beast doesn’t function at instant speed, its static ability creates a dynamic where your opponent must carefully consider the timing of life-gaining spells and abilities. The presence of Alms Beast on the battlefield influences the pace and timing of interactions, much like the threat of an instant would.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Alms Beast lacks this particular downside, providing a full package of power and toughness without additional hand disruption.
Specific Mana Cost: This creature card demands a precise combination of black and white mana, potentially restricting its integration into multicolored decks that lack consistent mana fixing.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a four-mana requirement, two of which are color-specific, Alms Beast may compete for the crucial four-spot on the curve in decks that may prefer spells with immediate impact or lower-cost creatures with flexible usability.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Alms Beast is a powerful addition to a range of decks, offering a robust creature for a favorable mana cost. Its intriguing ability impacts both sides of the board, encouraging creative deck building and strategy.
Combo Potential: The life gain drawback of Alms Beast can be turned into an advantage with the right combination of cards, such as effects that punish life gain or benefit from opponent’s life total increases.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature-based strategies are prevalent, Alms Beast stands as a formidable blocker and attacker that can shape the battlefield to your favor.
How to beat
Alms Beast is a unique creature card that can pose quite a challenge on the battlefield with its potent combination of a 6/6 body for just four mana. However, the Beast’s Achilles’ heel lies in its benevolent ability, providing opponents with a life-gain advantage whenever they’re involved in combat with it. To leverage this, consider using cards that can turn this advantage into a disadvantage. For instance, cards like Tainted Remedy can transform life gain into life loss, flipping the Alms Beast’s strength into a weakness.
Moreover, don’t overlook the power of removal spells. Affordable and efficient options such as Path to Exile or Murderous Rider can swiftly take the Beast out of the equation. In the realm of combat, Alms Beast’s lack of trample means that even the smallest chump blockers can serve as an effective barrier, providing you with additional turns to strategize your win. Utilize these tactics, and you’ll find that the daunting presence of Alms Beast on the battlefield can be effectively mitigated or even turned into a strategic benefit for your own gameplay.
In summary, beating Alms Beast requires a mix of smart card choices and tactical plays. By using its life-giving downside to your advantage and having the right removal in hand, you can tame this Beast to your benefit.
Cards like Alms Beast
Within the rich tapestry of Magic: The Gathering, Alms Beast stands as a unique creature card hailing from the plane of Ravnica. With its attentive balance of cost and power, this card finds its peers among other high-powered creatures. The Loxodon Smiter, for instance, offers a comparable body for the mana cost but lacks the Alms Beast’s imposing ability to force opponents into unfavorable life trades, albeit with the consequence of granting creatures lifelink during combat with it.
Shadowborn Demon emerges as another relative, brandishing not only substantial power and flying but also a removal effect when it enters the battlefield. The trade-off lies in its upkeep cost, which can be a strategic pitfall unlike Alms Beast’s straightforward brutality. Desecration Demon also shares conceptual space with Alms Beast, presenting an ongoing choice to opponents to sacrifice creatures or allow it to grow stronger, underscoring Alms Beast’s unique space as a constant force on the battlefield without giving opponents a choice.
When evaluating such cards side by side, Alms Beast earns its esteem for providing a potent creature that can swing games in your favor by skillfully navigating its inherent ability, placing it in a distinct position among MTG cards of its kin for players who value aggressive tactics and pressure.
Cards similar to Alms Beast by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Alms Beast MTG card by a specific set like Gatecrash, 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 Alms Beast and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Alms Beast has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Alms Beast card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2013-01-24 | multiple instances of lifelink on the same creature are redundant. If a creature that had lifelink already is blocking or blocked by Alms Beast, the controller of that creature won’t gain extra life. |
