Baral, Chief of Compliance MTG Card
2017-01-20 - Number 28s
2017-01-20 - Number 28
2020-11-12 - Number 42
2021-03-19 - Number 306
2023-04-21 - Number 138z
2023-04-21 - Number 73
2023-04-21 - Number 8
2023-04-21 - Number 138
2019-12-02 - Number 1447
2019-12-02 - Number 1164
2020-09-26 - Number TSR-306
2023-04-21 - Number 68
| Card sets | Released in 12 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Human Wizard |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Key Takeaways
- Baral excels in card advantage, allowing players to cycle through their deck for needed spells.
- Cost reduction for instants and sorceries with Baral accelerates strategic plays in-game.
- Baral’s abilities encourage a dynamic, instant-speed playstyle for reactive and powerful plays.
Text of card
Instant and sorcery spells you cast cost less to cast. Whenever a spell or ability you control counters a spell, you may draw a card. If you do, discard a card.
"The echo of silence is music to my ears."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: With Baral, Chief of Compliance, spell slingers will find themselves with an abundance of options. Each time you counter a spell, its ability kicks in, allowing you to discard and then draw a card, effectively cycling through your deck for the answers or threats you need, when you need them.
Resource Acceleration: Baral isn’t just about keeping your hand full; he’s also about speeding up your game plan. This formidable card reduces the cost of your instant and sorcery spells, helping you cast more spells faster and more efficiently. This kind of cost reduction can be the difference between eking out a win and dominating the board entirely.
Instant Speed: This legendary human wizard not only encourages a playstyle focused around instant-speed interaction but also rewards it. His ability to make your counter spells cheaper enables a reactive gameplay, allowing players to wait with baited breath and respond to threats with both precision and power, all while maintaining the upper hand.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Baral, Chief of Compliance offers a strategic advantage for spell-slinging decks, it does come with a requirement to discard a card whenever the counterability is activated. This necessity can sometimes backfire, leading to a depletion of valuable hand resources, especially in crucial moments when every card in hand could pivot the game’s direction.
Specific Mana Cost: Decks looking to make the most of Baral’s abilities need to pay specific attention to mana allocation. Requiring both blue and generic mana, Baral fits primarily in blue-centered or blue-compatible decks. This specification can restrict deck-building options and may not synergize well with a broader spectrum of strategies, particularly where blue mana is not readily available or prioritized.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite the cost reduction Baral offers for instants and sorceries, his initial casting cost of three mana, including two of which are color-specific, can be comparatively high considering other commanders or creatures that may offer similar or more immediate board impact at a lower mana justification. This often places Baral in a delicate position of balance between cost and benefit, where players must weigh their options among alternative card choices.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Baral, Chief of Compliance offers a flexible role in any deck that’s leveraging instants and sorceries, serving both as a cost-reducer for these spells and a looter to refine your hand.
Combo Potential: This card can be integral in crafting powerful spell-based combo decks, helping churn through the deck to find key pieces while reducing the mana investment required to execute game-winning combos.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where control or spell-heavy decks are prevalent, Baral can provide an edge, often forcing opponents to tailor their strategies around him, highlighting his influence on game dynamics.
How to beat
Baral, Chief of Compliance is a card that can give control players a significant edge in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to reduce the mana cost of instants and sorceries, coupled with a looting effect whenever a counter spell is cast, provides substantial value. To dismantle the advantage Baral offers, it’s vital to employ effective removal spells that can bypass potential counters, such as Cavern of Souls to render your creatures uncounterable or utilizing instant-speed removal like Abrupt Decay, which can’t be countered.
Applying pressure early on is also key in dealing with Baral. Aggressive strategies can overwhelm the control player before they establish a stronghold. Strategies involving a diverse array of threats that differ in types, such as creatures, artifacts, and enchantments, can also spread the opponent’s answers thin, making it hard for them to have the right counter at the right time. Lastly, hand disruption techniques, such as Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek, remove counter spells from your opponent’s hand, paving the way for your spells to land safely.
While Baral might streamline a control deck’s game plan, incorporating these tactics will help level the playing field and reduce the influence Baral has over a match’s outcome, leading to a more favorable position for you.
Cards like Baral, Chief of Compliance
In MTG, Baral, Chief of Compliance shines as a distinct figure among cards that focus on spellslinging and cost reduction. Notably, Goblin Electromancer also reduces the cost of instant and sorcery spells. However, where Baral stands out is in his additional ability to loot—drawing and discarding a card—whenever a counter spell is cast. This not only streamlines your deck but also potentially disrupts your opponent’s strategy.
Another card that echoes Baral’s cost-reducing ability is Jace’s Sanctum. This enchantment lowers instant and sorcery spell costs like Baral, with the added benefit of scrying when casting such spells. It offers a more persistent presence on the battlefield but lacks the creature utility that Baral provides. We can’t overlook the immense power of The Immortal Sun, either. While significantly more expensive and broader in its cost reduction scope, its multiple abilities provide a suite of advantages beyond just spell cost reduction.
Assessing the impact within the deck and during gameplay, Baral, Chief of Compliance holds a coveted spot, especially in control decks where every mana point saved is crucial, and every card drawn counts. His unique pairing of cost-efficiency and card filtering firmly establishes his place in MTG spell-centric strategies.
Cards similar to Baral, Chief of Compliance by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Baral, Chief of Compliance MTG card by a specific set like Aether Revolt Promos and Aether Revolt, 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 Baral, Chief of Compliance 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 Baral, Chief of Compliance Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 2017-01-20 and 2023-04-21. Illustrated by 4 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017-01-20 | Aether Revolt Promos | PAER | 28s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Wesley Burt | |
| 2 | 2017-01-20 | Aether Revolt | AER | 28 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Wesley Burt | |
| 3 | Secret Lair Drop | SLD | 1447 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Dmitry Burmak | ||
| 4 | Secret Lair Drop | SLD | 1164 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Martin Ontiveros | ||
| 5 | The List | PLST | TSR-306 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Wesley Burt | ||
| 6 | 2020-11-12 | Kaladesh Remastered | KLR | 42 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Wesley Burt | |
| 7 | 2021-03-19 | Time Spiral Remastered | TSR | 306 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Wesley Burt | |
| 8 | 2023-04-21 | Multiverse Legends | MUL | 138z | 2015 | Normal | Black | Yeong-Hao Han | |
| 9 | 2023-04-21 | Multiverse Legends | MUL | 73 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Wesley Burt | |
| 10 | March of the Machine Art Series | AMOM | 68 | 2015 | Art series | Borderless | |||
| 11 | 2023-04-21 | Multiverse Legends | MUL | 8 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Yeong-Hao Han | |
| 12 | 2023-04-21 | Multiverse Legends | MUL | 138 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Yeong-Hao Han |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Baral, Chief of Compliance has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Restricted |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Baral, Chief of Compliance card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-03-19 | A spell or ability counters a spell only if it specifically contains the word “counter” in its text. If a spell or ability you control causes all the targets of a spell to become illegal, that spell doesn't resolve but it's not countered. |
| 2021-03-19 | The cost reduction applies only to generic mana in the cost of instant and sorcery spells you cast. |
| 2021-03-19 | To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you're paying (such as a flashback cost), add any cost increases (such as kicker costs), then apply any cost reductions (such as that of Baral's first ability). The mana value of the spell is determined by only its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast that spell was. |
