Magebane Armor MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Artifact — Equipment |
| Abilities | Equip |
| Released | 2009-07-17 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Magic 2010 |
| Set code | M10 |
| Number | 214 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Izzy |
Key Takeaways
- Magebane Armor safeguards creatures, reducing the need to replenish your battlefield forces frequently.
- Availability to equip at instant speed greatly enhances tactical flexibility during gameplay.
- Its protective nature remains a key defensive asset against prevalent damage-based removal tactics.
Text of card
Equipped creature gets +2/+4 and loses flying. Prevent all noncombat damage that would be dealt to equipped creature. Equip (: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Magebane Armor may not directly let you draw cards, but it offers protection for your creatures, effectively preserving your card resources on the battlefield. This means keeping key creatures safe from damage and maintaining your board presence without having to replace lost creatures too frequently.
Resource Acceleration: Although Magebane Armor doesn’t generate additional mana or treasure, it can accelerate your resources by safeguarding your mana investments (creatures). This allows you to confidently commit more resources to developing your board without the immediate concern for removal.
Instant Speed: While Magebane Armor itself is an artifact and doesn’t have instant speed, it can be equipped at instant speed, allowing you to respond to threats or spells mid-combat or at the end of your opponent’s turn, making it a versatile tool in any duel.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Magebane Armor demands sacrificing other artifacts as a part of its activation cost. This potentially leads to a reduction in board presence and can hinder your overall strategy, particularly if you’re relying on artifact synergy.
Specific Mana Cost: Furnished with a not insignificant colorless mana cost, Magebane Armor can be challenging to cast in a multi-colored deck, especially in the early game when mana resources are critical.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The investment of three mana for an equipment card that doesn’t immediately impact the board might be considered steep. Players may find themselves veering towards other equipment cards or spells that provide immediate value or a stronger defensive upgrade for a similar or lower mana investment.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Magebane Armor offers protection for your creatures against a range of threats, from burn spells to combat damage, making it a useful tool in versatile defensive strategies.
Combo Potential: This artifact can be a key piece in synergistic builds, especially those revolving around creatures with abilities that trigger when they’re unharmed, ensuring they survive to activate those abilities.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where direct damage spells or abilities are prevalent, Magebane Armor steps up as a crucial inclusion to preserve your creatures and maintain board presence. Its ability to ward off common removal tactics can significantly disrupt your opponent’s plans.
How to beat
Magebane Armor is a unique artifact that grants robustness to the equipped creature in Magic: The Gathering. Players often find this card formidable due to its ability to prevent all noncombat damage that would be dealt to the creature it’s equipped to. This makes it a key piece in decks that are built around creatures with damaging abilities or those that are prone to spells like Lightning Bolt or Shivan Meteor.
Counteracting Magebane Armor requires tactical thinking and a well-constructed strategy. One effective measure would be utilizing spells that force a player to sacrifice a creature, like Diabolic Edict or Liliana’s Triumph, which bypass Magebane Armor’s protective qualities. Alternatively, board wipes that don’t deal damage but rather destroy creatures or change the battlefield’s state, for example, Wrath of God or Terminus, can prove to be efficient solutions. Enchantment removal spells such as Naturalize or creature abilities that don’t deal damage but exile or bounce can also be a way to neutralize the advantage provided by Magebane Armor.
Hence, while Magebane Armor provides a significant defensive enhancement, it’s not an insurmountable obstacle. By incorporating the right mix of sacrifice effects, non-damaging board wipes, and targeted removal into your deck, sidestepping the seemingly impenetrable armor, and maintaining the upper hand in your MTG matchups, remains within reach.
Cards like Magebane Armor
Magebane Armor may not be the only equipment card in MTG that offers protection and a power boost, but it has unique qualities that set it apart. Just like the well-known Lightning Greaves, Magebane Armor provides a defensive advantage by preventing all noncombat damage to the equipped creature. However, unlike Lightning Greaves, which grants haste, Magebane Armor increases the creature’s power, facilitating an aggressive playstyle as well.
Another comparable equipment is the Basilisk Collar, famous for granting deathtouch and lifelink, which can be devastating in combat. Magebane Armor doesn’t offer these combat-related abilities, but the noncombat damage immunity can be strategic against decks reliant on damage-based removal spells. Then there’s the Gorgon’s Head, which turns a creature into a deadly blocker with deathtouch. Magebane Armor offers no such ability, but it supports a different avenue for creature survivability through its unique protective feature.
Every equipment card in MTG brings a different dynamic to the game, and Magebane Armor offers players a distinctive blend of offensive and defensive capabilities. Appreciating such nuances helps MTG players make informed decisions for their deck-building strategies.
Cards similar to Magebane Armor by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Magebane Armor MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2010, 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 Magebane Armor 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 Magebane Armor has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Magebane Armor card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2009-10-01 | Combat damage is the damage that’s dealt automatically by attacking and blocking creatures, even if it’s redirected (by Harm’s Way, perhaps). Noncombat damage is any other damage (generally, it’s damage dealt as the result of a spell or ability). |
| 2009-10-01 | Magebane Armor can equip a creature that doesn’t have flying. The “lose flying” effect just won’t do anything in that case. |
| 2009-10-01 | Magebane Armor causes the equipped creature to lose flying at the time it became equipped. Any ability that grants that creature flying that starts to work later (such as a Jump that resolves later, or a Levitation that comes under your control later) will work normally. |
