Baneblade Scoundrel // Baneclaw Marauder MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human Rogue Werewolf
Abilities Daybound
Power 4
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Baneblade Scoundrel enhances hand advantage, forcing opponent discards before transforming into Baneclaw Marauder.
  2. Transformation allows for surprise tactics, offering combat strength without requiring sorcery speed.
  3. Managing its challenging activation cost is essential, as it requires careful hand resource planning.

Text of card

Whenever Baneblade Scoundrel becomes blocked, each creature blocking it gets -1/-1 until end of turn. Daybound (If a player casts no spells during their own turn, it becomes night next turn.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Baneblade Scoundrel ensures you grow your hand by forcing opponents to discard while you transform it into Baneclaw Marauder, maintaining a strong upper hand.

Resource Acceleration: As a creature that converts into a more powerful form, it provides indirect resource acceleration by offering increased power without the need for additional card or mana investment.

Instant Speed: Baneblade Scoundrel’s ability to flip into Baneclaw Marauder does not require sorcery speed, allowing for strategic flexibility and surprising combat boosts during an opponent’s turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To transform Baneblade Scoundrel into Baneclaw Marauder, a player must discard a card. This activation cost could be a setback when you’re already facing a hand with few options, stripping you of potentially vital plays.

Specific Mana Cost: Casting requires a mix of three generic and one black mana, making it notably less flexible. This could pose a deck-building constraint, especially in multicolored decks where mana sources are more varied and players might not always have the necessary black mana at the right time.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of four mana to play, this card could be considered pricey for its initial 4/3 stats and abilities. In fast-paced games, there might be a preference for lower cost creatures that could be played earlier or other options that provide greater impact immediately upon hitting the field.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Baneblade Scoundrel // Baneclaw Marauder brings flexibility to black-aligned decks. Its transformability caters to different stages of the game—acting as an early game blocker or a late-game finisher with potent abilities.

Combo Potential: In a deck with a focus on night and day mechanics, this card’s flip to Baneclaw Marauder can serve as a pivotal moment. It synergizes with strategies that capitalize on discard mechanics and creature destruction for game-changing plays.

Meta-Relevance: Considering the current game environment often includes creature-centric strategies, having a card that can become a significant threat while disrupting opponents’ hands is an asset, making Baneblade Scoundrel // Baneclaw Marauder a relevant card for competitive play.


How to beat

Baneblade Scoundrel // Baneclaw Marauder presents a unique challenge on the battlefield. This versatile card can flip from a human rogue into a werewolf, making it crucial to adjust your strategy accordingly. When facing its human form, Baneblade Scoundrel, keep removal spells or abilities that can take it down before it transforms. Instant-speed removal such as Fatal Push or Path to Exile work well, giving you the edge in timing and control.

Once Baneblade Scoundrel becomes Baneclaw Marauder, the stakes are higher due to its increased power and the menace it imposes. In this case, using board wipes such as Day of Judgment or board-controlling enchantments like Propaganda can prevent damage and maintain control. Additionally, having creatures with enough strength to withstand Baneclaw Marauder’s attacks or deploying chump blockers can buy crucial time. Preventing a flip back to its original form also means being wary of playing too many spells on your own turn, as that could trigger the transformation under the daybound/nightbound mechanic.

To sum up, a keen understanding of removal timing, effective control strategies, and calculated spell casting can help keep Baneblade Scoundrel // Baneclaw Marauder from taking over the game, securing your path towards victory in this intricate dance of power and prowess.


Cards like Baneblade Scoundrel // Baneclaw Marauder

The Baneblade Scoundrel // Baneclaw Marauder offers players a unique duality in gameplay. Resembling cards such as Kessig Prowler // Sinuous Predator, it’s a creature that morphs into a more potent version, granting it a distinctly advantageous edge in a match. While the Prowler // Predator sequence provides an aggressive early game shift without a triggering condition other than mana, the Baneblade // Baneclaw transition depends on an opponent losing life.

Focusing on versatile creatures, we also see similarities with Ludevic’s Test Subject // Ludevic’s Abomination. Both require specific conditions to transform but offer sizable stat gains upon doing so. However, unlike Ludevic’s duo, which asks for a substantial investment of mana and time to evolve, the Baneblade // Baneclaw creature flips into its intimidating alter ego in a more interactive manner with the flow of the game.

While examining the pool of transformative creatures within the game, including the Baneblade // Baneclaw, we can witness the strategic depth they add to the battlefield. This card stands out as its transformed side, the Baneclaw Marauder, not only ups the ante with its power but also directly impacts the opponents’ gameplay by forcing discards, further demonstrating its value in the right deck.

Kessig Prowler // Sinuous Predator - MTG Card versions
Ludevic's Test Subject // Ludevic's Abomination - MTG Card versions
Kessig Prowler // Sinuous Predator - Eldritch Moon (EMN)
Ludevic's Test Subject // Ludevic's Abomination - Innistrad Promos (PISD)

Cards similar to Baneblade Scoundrel // Baneclaw Marauder by color, type and mana cost

Hell's Caretaker - MTG Card versions
Rag Man - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Debaser - MTG Card versions
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions
Slinking Skirge - MTG Card versions
Gravedigger - MTG Card versions
Scandalmonger - MTG Card versions
Urborg Shambler - MTG Card versions
Whispering Shade - MTG Card versions
Filth - MTG Card versions
Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions
Bold Plagiarist - MTG Card versions
Dirge Bat - MTG Card versions
Toxin Sliver - MTG Card versions
Vampiric Spirit - MTG Card versions
Nim Shambler - MTG Card versions
Bad Ass - MTG Card versions
Scourge of Numai - MTG Card versions
Deathgazer - MTG Card versions
Dirty Wererat - MTG Card versions
Hell's Caretaker - Chronicles (CHR)
Rag Man - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Phyrexian Debaser - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Slinking Skirge - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Gravedigger - The List (PLST)
Scandalmonger - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Urborg Shambler - Invasion (INV)
Whispering Shade - Odyssey (ODY)
Filth - Judgment (JUD)
Demon of Catastrophes - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Bold Plagiarist - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Dirge Bat - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Toxin Sliver - Legions (LGN)
Vampiric Spirit - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Nim Shambler - Mirrodin (MRD)
Bad Ass - Unhinged (UNH)
Scourge of Numai - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Deathgazer - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Dirty Wererat - Hachette UK (PHUK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Baneblade Scoundrel // Baneclaw Marauder MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad: Midnight Hunt and Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, 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 Baneblade Scoundrel // Baneclaw Marauder and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Baneblade Scoundrel // Baneclaw Marauder Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-09-24 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight HuntMID 2892015transformblackAndrea De Dominicis
22021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight HuntMID 852015transformblackMarta Nael
32022-01-28Innistrad: Double FeatureDBL 852015transformblackMarta Nael

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Baneblade Scoundrel // Baneclaw Marauder has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-09-24 Abilities that trigger when a creature "becomes blocked" resolve before combat damage is dealt.
2021-09-24 Before a player untaps their permanents during the untap step, the game checks to see if the day/night designation should change.
2021-09-24 Day and night are designations that the game itself can have. The game starts as neither. Once the game becomes day (or less commonly, night), the game will be exactly one of them—day or night—going back and forth for the rest of the game.
2021-09-24 Double-faced permanents with daybound transform to their nightbound faces as it becomes night. Similarly, double-faced permanents with nightbound transform to their daybound faces as it becomes day. This happens immediately and is not a state-based action. It happens any time it becomes day or night, not just during the untap step.
2021-09-24 For more information about Day and Night and the Daybound and Nightbound abilities, please see the Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Mechanics atricle (https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/innistrad-midnight-hunt-mechanics-2021-09-02).
2021-09-24 If it is day, and the active player of the previous turn cast no spells during their turn, it becomes night.
2021-09-24 If it is night, and the active player of the previous turn cast two or more spells during their turn, it becomes day.
2021-09-24 If it is night, permanents with daybound that enter the battlefield without being cast will enter with their nightbound faces up.
2021-09-24 If it's neither day nor night, and a creature with daybound and a creature with nightbound somehow appear on the battlefield at the same time, it becomes day. The creature with nightbound will transform.
2021-09-24 If you cast a spell with daybound during night, that spell will be front face up (that is, daybound face up) on the stack. However, it will enter the battlefield with its back face up (that is, with its nightbound face up). It won't enter with its daybound face up and then transform.
2021-09-24 Permanents with daybound and nightbound can't transform via any means other than their daybound and nightbound abilities. Notably, older cards such as Moonmist that instruct a player to transform permanents don't affect permanents with daybound or nightbound.

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