Merrow Bonegnawer MTG Card


Merrow Bonegnawer offers card advantage by exiling multiple cards from an opponent’s graveyard at instant speed. Accelerates your resources by disrupting opponents and enhances graveyard-centric deck strategies. Requires careful hand management, specific mana, and is costlier than some equivalent cards.
Merrow Bonegnawer - Eventide
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Merfolk Rogue
Released2008-07-25
Set symbol
Set nameEventide
Set codeEVE
Power 1
Toughness 1
Number37
Frame2003
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byJim Nelson

Text of card

: Target player removes a card in his or her graveyard from the game. Whenever you play a black spell, you may untap Merrow Bonegnawer.

Banished to the Dark Meanders for hideous crimes, some merrows find a taste for the darkness . . . and the dead.


Cards like Merrow Bonegnawer

Merrow Bonegnawer taps into the strategic reserve of graveyard manipulation within Magic: The Gathering. This creature finds its parallels in cards like Wight of Precinct Six, which also capitalizes on the number of creature cards lying in an opponent’s graveyard. While Wight of Precinct Six grows in strength with each creature card in the graveyard, Merrow Bonegnawer has the utility of selectively exiling those cards to disrupt the opponent’s plans.

Graveyard-based strategies often make use of cards akin to Nihil Spellbomb, which serves a dual purpose – it can exile a player’s graveyard and, with a mana investment, allow the controller to draw a card. Although Merrow Bonegnawer doesn’t provide card draw, its persistent ability to thin out graveyards can be a thorn in the side for decks that count on graveyard synergies.

Assessing the value these cards provide to a deck relying on diminishing an opponent’s resources, Merrow Bonegnawer presents itself as a compelling choice. By offering ongoing graveyard disruption and a body on the board, it ensures your opponent’s grave is kept in check while you build your board presence in MTG.

Wight of Precinct Six - MTG Card versions
Nihil Spellbomb - MTG Card versions
Wight of Precinct Six - MTG Card versions
Nihil Spellbomb - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Merrow Bonegnawer by color, type and mana cost

Stone-Throwing Devils - MTG Card versions
Will-o'-the-Wisp - MTG Card versions
Vampire Bats - MTG Card versions
Bog Rats - MTG Card versions
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Muck Rats - MTG Card versions
Vebulid - MTG Card versions
Urborg Skeleton - MTG Card versions
Carrion Rats - MTG Card versions
Foulmire Knight // Profane Insight - MTG Card versions
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Rimebound Dead - MTG Card versions
Plague Beetle - MTG Card versions
Festering Goblin - MTG Card versions
Sleeper Agent - MTG Card versions
Knucklebone Witch - MTG Card versions
Nightshade Stinger - MTG Card versions
Smolder Initiate - MTG Card versions
Kjeldoran Dead - MTG Card versions
Stone-Throwing Devils - MTG Card versions
Will-o'-the-Wisp - MTG Card versions
Vampire Bats - MTG Card versions
Bog Rats - MTG Card versions
Sewer Rats - MTG Card versions
Muck Rats - MTG Card versions
Vebulid - MTG Card versions
Urborg Skeleton - MTG Card versions
Carrion Rats - MTG Card versions
Foulmire Knight // Profane Insight - MTG Card versions
Dark Supplicant - MTG Card versions
Bile Urchin - MTG Card versions
Rimebound Dead - MTG Card versions
Plague Beetle - MTG Card versions
Festering Goblin - MTG Card versions
Sleeper Agent - MTG Card versions
Knucklebone Witch - MTG Card versions
Nightshade Stinger - MTG Card versions
Smolder Initiate - MTG Card versions
Kjeldoran Dead - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Merrow Bonegnawer enables you to potentially exile multiple cards from an opponent’s graveyard. This not only disrupts their strategy but essentially filters your subsequent draws, edging you toward a stronger position as the game progresses.

Resource Acceleration: By removing key cards from an opponent’s graveyard, you are indirectly accelerating your own resources. The Merrow Bonegnawer disrupts opponent’s plans, which can make your plays more impactful by comparison, especially in graveyard-centric metas.

Instant Speed: The ability of the Merrow Bonegnawer can be activated at instant speed, offering flexibility and the element of surprise. It allows you to wait for the opportune moment during an opponent’s turn to best disrupt their planned plays or graveyard synergies.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Merrow Bonegnawer requires discard actions which can be a setback, particularly when your hand must remain full to maintain a tactical edge on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: The card’s need for specific mana alignment means it fits primarily into blue and black oriented decks, potentially limiting its versatility in multicolor deck constructs.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Considering its effect, the mana investment for Merrow Bonegnawer might be seen as quite steep, especially when weighed against other cards with similar or better effects at a lower cost threshold.


Reasons to Include Merrow Bonegnawer in Your Collection

Versatility: The Merrow Bonegnawer card has the flexibility to align with various deck types, particularly those that capitalize on graveyard mechanics and recur mildly aggressive strategies.

Combo Potential: This card can enhance synergies within a deck by pairing it with cards that utilize creatures in the graveyard, ramping up the overall effectiveness of such combos.

Meta-Relevance: As metagames shift, strategies that interfere with an opponent’s graveyard can be increasingly pivotal, making Merrow Bonegnawer a relevant addition to combat such changes.


How to beat

Merrow Bonegnawer is a notorious card among Magic: The Gathering players for its persistent ability to disrupt opponents by exiling cards from their graveyard. This feature of the Merrow Bonegnawer can be a game-changer, creating a significant advantage, especially against strategies that rely on graveyard interactions. To successfully navigate a match against this pesky creature, it’s essential to either minimize the importance of your graveyard or implement graveyard protection tactics. Cards that shuffle your graveyard back into your library, such as the Eldrazi Titans, or those that grant graveyard shroud, like Silent Gravestone, can be potent tools against the Bonegnawer’s abilities. Additionally, bearing in mind that Merrow Bonegnawer requires tap activation, strategies that incorporate tap-down effects or creature removal will be key in keeping this creature at bay.

An effective approach is to prioritize the removal of the Merrow Bonegnawer early on to prevent a significant buildup of exiled cards. Instant speed removal spells or those providing versatile answers are particularly useful here. The quicker this creature can be dealt with, the less impact it will have on your game plan. In summary, beating Merrow Bonegnawer requires foresight and quick reactions, ensuring that it doesn’t dictate the flow of the game by depleting your valuable graveyard resources.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Merrow Bonegnawer MTG card by a specific set like Eventide, 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 Merrow Bonegnawer and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Merrow Bonegnawer has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2008-08-01 The targeted player chooses which card to exile.