Arcbound Slasher MTG Card
2021-06-18 - Number 111
2021-08-26 - Number 408
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Artifact Creature — Cat |
| Abilities | Modular,Riot |
| Power | 0 |
| Toughness | 0 |
Key Takeaways
- The Slasher’s modular ability can be a powerful asset, allowing for a persistent board presence.
- Its synergy with counter-based strategies accelerates gameplay and can tip scales early on.
- Instant-speed interactions can be bolstered by the Slasher’s modular transfer of counters.
Text of card
Modular 4 (This creature enters the battlefield with four +1/+1 counters on it. When it dies, you may put its +1/+1 counters on target artifact creature.) Riot (This creature enters the battlefield with your choice of an additional +1/+1 counter or haste.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Arcbound Slasher offers a unique way to potentially amplify card value through modular. When it dies, you can transfer its +1/+1 counters to another artifact creature, ensuring that the resources invested are not lost but rather reallocated to strengthen your board presence.
Resource Acceleration: This creature’s modular ability synergizes with other artifact strategies to accelerate your gameplay. It neatly plays into strategies that benefit from +1/+1 counters or artifact creatures, helping you make the most out of every card you play, and often allowing for more powerful moves earlier in the game.
Instant Speed: While Arcbound Slasher itself isn’t an instant, its modular ability interacts favorably with instant-speed interactions on the battlefield. Should you have instant-speed abilities that can manipulate +1/+1 counters or benefit from the death of a creature, the Slasher’s demise can trigger advantageous plays even during your opponent’s turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Arcbound Slasher necessitates discarding another card to deploy its modular ability, which can lead to a loss of card advantage, particularly detrimental when your hand is already sparse.
Specific Mana Cost: The Arcbound Slasher demands a dedicated mana investment, comprised exclusively of colorless energy. This requirement makes it less flexible, challenging to integrate outside of artifact-centered decks.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its cost, Arcbound Slasher competes with other substantial creatures and effects available in the same mana range. Given the pace of the current meta, it might fall short in efficiency and impact.
Reasons to Include Arcbound Slasher in Your Collection
Versatility: Arcbound Slasher is a flexible addition to artifact and modular decks, with its modular 3 capability allowing you to strengthen your board presence over time. Its synergy with counter-heavy strategies makes it suitable for multiple deck archetypes within the MTG universe.
Combo Potential: This card excels in decks that exploit +1/+1 counters, as it can be both a receiver and a donor of counters, interacting well with proliferation mechanics and other modular creatures, thus enabling intricate strategic plays.
Meta-Relevance: Given the prevalence of creature-based strategies in several MTG formats, having a card like Arcbound Slasher, which can grow and transfer value upon death, remains relevant in the constantly evolving meta, adapting to the tides of competitive play.
How to beat
Arcbound Slasher is a versatile creature in the realm of artifact creatures, bringing with it the modular ability which allows it to enter the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter and pass those counters on when it dies. To effectively handle this threat, consider strategies that neutralize creatures without destroying them. Cards that exile creatures, like Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, remove the Slasher without triggering its modular ability, ensuring the counters don’t accumulate on another creature.
An alternative tactic is to disable the creature’s ability to transfer counters. A card such as Solemnity prevents players from placing counters of any kind on their creatures, rendering the modular ability of Arcbound Slasher useless. Directly countering the Slasher when it is cast can also be effective, using counterspells like Counterspell or Mana Leak to stop the threat before it even begins.
Lastly, players should monitor the number of artifacts in play. Arcbound Slasher gets stronger with more artifacts in the mix, so cards that deal with multiple artifacts, like By Force or Shatterstorm, can mitigate its power level and diminish the advantage it provides in artifact-centric decks.
Cards like Arcbound Slasher
Arcbound Slasher is an intriguing piece in the artifact creature pool of Magic: The Gathering. Its likeness can be seen in cards such as Arcbound Worker, which shares the modular ability, permitting the transfer of +1/+1 counters to another artifact creature upon death. What makes the Slasher distinct is its considerably larger initial size, and the ability to grow via its scalable modular ability.
In the realm of modular creatures, Arcbound Ravager stands out as the gold standard. While the Slasher may not come with an engine to sacrifice other artifacts, it offers a more budget-friendly and accessible option for those seeking to incorporate the modular mechanic into their decks. Then, there’s Walking Ballista, another configurable card. Although lacking the modular keyword, it lets players remove +1/+1 counters for direct damage, showcasing a different form of flexibility compared to the Slasher’s straightforward stat growth.
Overall, when we align the Slasher’s potential with other artifact creatures, it demonstrates its worth as a valuable component in strategies focused on countering distribution and beefing up creatures, enhancing its appeal to MTG players interested in modular themes.
Cards similar to Arcbound Slasher by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Arcbound Slasher MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons 2 and Jumpstart: Historic Horizons, 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 Arcbound Slasher 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
Printings
The Arcbound Slasher Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-06-18 and 2021-08-26. Illustrated by Campbell White.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021-06-18 | Modern Horizons 2 | MH2 | 111 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Campbell White | |
| 2 | 2021-08-26 | Jumpstart: Historic Horizons | J21 | 408 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Campbell White |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Arcbound Slasher has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Arcbound Slasher card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-06-18 | If a creature entering the battlefield has riot but can't have a +1/+1 counter put onto it, it gains haste. In the case of Arcbound Slasher, however, it's toughness will probably be 0, and it will be put into its owner's graveyard before it can attack. |
| 2021-06-18 | If this creature gets enough -1/-1 counters put on it to cause it to go to the graveyard, modular will put a number of +1/+1 counters on the target artifact creature equal to the number of +1/+1 counters on this creature before it left the battlefield. |
| 2021-06-18 | If you choose for the creature to gain haste, it gains haste indefinitely. It won't lose it as the turn ends or as another player gains control of it. |
| 2021-06-18 | Riot is a replacement effect. Players can't respond to your choice of a +1/+1 counter or haste, and they can't take actions while the creature is on the battlefield without one or the other. |
