Keening Banshee MTG Card

Keening Banshee provides card advantage and control by impacting opponents’ board states upon entering. Its presence enhances the power of instant-speed removal spells in your strategy. Demands careful mana management but rewards with impactful play and board presence.

Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
2005-08-22 - Number E15

Keening Banshee - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)

Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
2005-10-07 - Number 92

Keening Banshee - Duel Decks Anthology: Garruk vs. Liliana (GVL)

Duel Decks Anthology: Garruk vs. Liliana (GVL)
2014-12-05 - Number 44

RNA Guild Kit (GK2)
2019-02-15 - Number 31

Card sets	Released in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Spirit
Abilities	Flying
Power	2
Toughness	2

Text of card

Flying When Keening Banshee enters the battlefield, target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn.

Cards like Keening Banshee

Keening Banshee presents itself as an intriguing option among creature-cast effects within Magic: The Gathering. It bears resemblance to cards like Nekrataal, which focuses on neutralizing threats by targeting nonartifact, nonblack creatures as it enters the battlefield. Keening Banshee takes a more general approach, allowing you to target any creature or player with its loss of life ability, though it does so with a weaker body and at a higher mana cost.

Fleshbag Marauder offers another point of comparison. Notably, Fleshbag Marauder doesn’t discriminate by targeting; it forces all players to sacrifice a creature upon arrival. This can certainly turn the tide in games where opponents have amassed formidable creatures. While not directly dealing damage or causing life loss like Keening Banshee, the Marauder’s impact resonates across the board. Lastly, Nihil Spellbomb’s versatility deserves mention. Though not a creature, it allows players to deal with graveyard strategies effectively and can replace itself by drawing a card.

Each card has its merits and suitable scenarios, but Keening Banshee stands out for its direct ability to impact life totals and exert pressure in the early to mid-game phases, fitting nicely into decks that thrive on quick tempo plays and life total manipulation.

Cards similar to Keening Banshee by color, type and mana cost

Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions

Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Keening Banshee enters the battlefield, its ability to force an opponent to lose a creature can essentially eliminate a key resource of theirs, tipping the scales in your favor. This can result in a subtle, yet significant, card advantage as it potentially removes a card from the opponent’s board state without sacrificing one of your own. It’s an excellent way to maintain pressure and presence on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: While Keening Banshee doesn’t directly accelerate your own resources, its role in disrupting opponent resources cannot be understated. By potentially removing an enemy creature, it can slow down your opponent’s momentum, giving you the opportunity to take the lead. Keening Banshee can be seen as a method of indirect resource acceleration by setting your opponent back. This grants you the advantage to develop your board and strategy more effectively.

Instant Speed: Although this card operates at sorcery speed, the instant speed removal spells in your deck become more potent with Keening Banshee on the field. Your opponent might hesitate to commit more resources to the board out of fear of losing them to your other removal spells. This makes Keening Banshee a strategic piece in a control-oriented deck where timing is everything, and control over the board is paramount.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While the Keening Banshee does not directly require a discard, it may indirectly provoke card disadvantage by forcing removal of an opponent’s creature, potentially leading to loss of your own creatures or resources in response.

Specific Mana Cost: Demanding both generic and black mana, the Keening Banshee’s mana cost can be restrictive. Decks not deeply invested in black mana may find it challenging to cast the Banshee on curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a cost of four mana, Keening Banshee’s effect to make an opponent lose a moderate amount of life might not be as impactful. When considering mana efficiency, players might look towards alternatives that offer immediate board influence or a larger shift in life totals.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Keening Banshee offers a flexible option for black-based decks, as its flying ability allows it to act both as an evasion creature and a removal tool. It seamlessly fits into various strategies from control to midrange.

Combo Potential: Its ability to cause a loss of life upon entering the battlefield presents synergies with cards that benefit from opponents losing life or creatures dying, enhancing the potency of various combo strategies.

Meta-Relevance: Given that Keening Banshee can impact the board immediately with its enter-the-battlefield effect, it has relevance in metas with an abundance of smaller creatures or where maintaining creature parity is crucial.

How to beat

Keening Banshee is a card that requires strategic moves to overcome in Magic: The Gathering. It’s important to recognize its enter-the-battlefield ability, which causes a player to lose 2 life. While this can be disruptive, the key is to minimize the impact or redirect its effect. Creatures with hexproof or shroud can protect your life total, as Keening Banshee cannot target them upon entry. Cards that grant spells or abilities ‘counter’ options like ‘Negate’ or ‘Counterspell’ are also effective ways to keep the Banshee at bay without losing any life.

Moreover, considering its power and toughness of 2/2, it’s potentially vulnerable to most removal spells. This means options such as ‘Fatal Push’ or ‘Lightning Bolt’ can easily dispatch it from the battlefield. Additionally, leveraging creatures with higher toughness can blunt the Banshee’s attack power, forcing your opponent to rethink their offensive strategy. Lastly, remember that her ability is not selective, so an adept player can also use Keening Banshee in a self-sacrificial strategy to set off death triggers or graveyard synergies for their own benefit.

Ultimately, when you’re faced with Keening Banshee, a calm assessment of your cards and choosing the right time to play your spells can turn this shrieking specter from a threat into an opportunity.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Keening Banshee MTG card by a specific set like Salvat 2005 and Ravnica: City of Guilds, 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 Keening Banshee and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Keening Banshee Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2005-08-22 and 2019-02-15. Illustrated by Robert Bliss.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2005-08-22	Salvat 2005	PSAL	E15	2003	Normal	White	Robert Bliss
2	2005-10-07	Ravnica: City of Guilds	RAV	92	2003	Normal	Black	Robert Bliss
3	2014-12-05	Duel Decks Anthology: Garruk vs. Liliana	GVL	44	2015	Normal	Black	Robert Bliss
4	2019-02-15	RNA Guild Kit	GK2	31	2015	Normal	Black	Robert Bliss

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Keening Banshee has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal