Bone Shards MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Offers critical removal utility by exchanging less valuable cards for pivotal threat elimination.
  2. Enhances deck performance and combo setups through its dual sacrifice or discard mechanics.
  3. Demands careful play due to the discard cost and specific mana requirements it carries.

Text of card

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature or discard a card. Destroy target creature or planeswalker.

In the Kathari dumping grounds known as the Boneheaps, its not hard to improvise an offense.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: When utilizing Bone Shards, a player can dispose of an unwanted or redundant creature in their hand or on the battlefield to target and destroy an opposing creature or planeswalker. This exchange can provide a significant advantage by eliminating a key threat while maintaining hand equilibrium.

Resource Acceleration: By discarding an extra land or a creature that has outlived its usefulness, Bone Shards can help streamline a deck’s performance. This can effectively accelerate a player’s resources by trading the lesser value card for a higher priority target removal.

Instant Speed: Though not castable at instant speed, Bone Shards offers strategic flexibility. It enables players to set up their graveyard for potential synergies or surprise their opponent during their own turn. Its sorcery speed encourages thoughtful gameplay planning, fitting into the player’s strategy seamlessly.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Bone Shards necessitates that you toss a card from your hand into the graveyard to activate its effect. This can be a considerable setback in instances where your hand size is already depleted, potentially forcing you to discard a valuable asset that you would prefer to keep.

Specific Mana Cost: While its cost is relatively low, Bone Shards does require a specific black mana to cast. This specificity can hamper deck flexibility, making it less useful in multi-colored decks where black mana may not always be readily available.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although it’s just a single black mana, the additional cost of discarding a card effectively increases its resource expenditure. In situations where your hand is brimming with cards, there might be alternative removal spells that don’t require parting with an additional card from your hand, potentially making Bone Shards a less efficient choice.


Reasons to Include Bone Shards in Your Collection

Versatility: Bone Shards serves as a cost-effective removal option that can seamlessly fit into various archetypes. Its requirement of sacrificing a creature or discarding a card offers strategic flexibility and can be advantageous in graveyard-centric or reanimator strategies.

Combo Potential: As a card with both removal and discard mechanics, Bone Shards can be a key piece in setting up combos. It enables graveyard synergy by allowing you to discard a high-value target for reanimation, all while disrupting your opponent’s board presence.

Meta-Relevance: Given the card’s utility in dealing with a range of creature threats, Bone Shards remains relevant in numerous meta environments. Whether it’s removing key creatures or facilitating your own combo setups, this card’s impact on the game state can make it a worthwhile inclusion in many decks.


How to beat

Bone Shards is a versatile removal spell in the Magic: The Gathering arsenal, capable of dealing with troublesome creatures or planeswalkers. What sets it apart from other removals is its additional cost of sacrificing a creature or discarding a card, which can be a strategic advantage or a drawback, depending on the situation. Cards like Duress target an opponent’s hand and could force them to discard Bone Shards before it’s even played. Additionally, since it’s a sorcery, it can’t be used during the opponent’s turn, so creatures with flash that can be played after Bone Shards is cast might evade its effects.

Counterspells are another effective strategy against Bone Shards. Counters like Negate or Dovin’s Veto can prevent it from resolving altogether, neutralizing the threat before it affects the board. Creatures with hexproof or protection from black also stand strong against Bone Shards, as it cannot target them. Lastly, having an indestructible creature ensures stability on the battlefield since Bone Shards’ sacrifice or discard cost would be moot against such resilience.


BurnMana Recommendations

As you weave your way through the intricate world of MTG, key cards like Bone Shards can be the linchpin to a finely-tuned strategy. Understanding the subtle dance of card advantage, resource acceleration, and strategic flexibility can transform an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal. With our combined expertise as MTG players and content creators, we delve deeply into the nuances of game mechanics to guide you beyond the basics. For those ready to refine their gameplay and explore the depths of deck-building finesse, we extend an invitation to join our community. Learn more and turn your next match into a display of masterful tactics.


Cards like Bone Shards

Bone Shards stands out among creature removal spells in Magic: The Gathering. Its nearest comparison would be to Bone Splinters, another card that necessitates sacrificing a creature as part of its casting cost. Bone Shards, however, offers the additional option of discarding a card instead, thereby granting players additional flexibility depending on the situation at hand.

Diving into cards with similar vibes, we encounter Spark Harvest, which also combines the aspect of sacrificing a creature with its removal ability. It provides an extra layer, though, by allowing players to bypass the sacrifice cost by paying additional mana, potentially giving a player options when resources are sparse. Meanwhile, Altar’s Reap and its successor, Village Rites, allow for the sacrifice of a creature in exchange for card draw – a pivot from removal to resource advantage.

In analyzing the strategic dynamics among these alternatives, Bone Shards reveals itself as a versatile tool within MTG, balancing creature removal with discard options to match whatever playing conditions may arise. Its adaptability makes it a solid choice in various deck builds that value flexibility and decision-making in-game.

Bone Splinters - MTG Card versions
Spark Harvest - MTG Card versions
Altar's Reap - MTG Card versions
Village Rites - MTG Card versions
Bone Splinters - Shards of Alara (ALA)
Spark Harvest - War of the Spark (WAR)
Altar's Reap - Innistrad (ISD)
Village Rites - Core Set 2021 (M21)

Cards similar to Bone Shards by color, type and mana cost

Raise Dead - MTG Card versions
Mind Twist - MTG Card versions
Contract from Below - MTG Card versions
Spoils of War - MTG Card versions
Tendrils of Despair - MTG Card versions
Mind Peel - MTG Card versions
Bloodcurdling Scream - MTG Card versions
Organ Harvest - MTG Card versions
Duress - MTG Card versions
Bubbling Muck - MTG Card versions
Chorus of Woe - MTG Card versions
Reanimate - MTG Card versions
Soul Strings - MTG Card versions
Restless Dreams - MTG Card versions
Cabal Therapy - MTG Card versions
Confront the Past - MTG Card versions
Stir the Grave - MTG Card versions
Cry of Contrition - MTG Card versions
Deathmark - MTG Card versions
Call to the Netherworld - MTG Card versions
Raise Dead - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Mind Twist - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Contract from Below - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Spoils of War - Ice Age (ICE)
Tendrils of Despair - Weatherlight (WTH)
Mind Peel - Stronghold (STH)
Bloodcurdling Scream - Portal Second Age (P02)
Organ Harvest - Unglued (UGL)
Duress - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)
Bubbling Muck - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Chorus of Woe - Starter 1999 (S99)
Reanimate - Jumpstart (JMP)
Soul Strings - Prophecy (PCY)
Restless Dreams - Torment (TOR)
Cabal Therapy - Premium Deck Series: Graveborn (PD3)
Confront the Past - Strixhaven: School of Mages Promos (PSTX)
Stir the Grave - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Cry of Contrition - Guildpact (GPT)
Deathmark - Coldsnap (CSP)
Call to the Netherworld - Time Spiral (TSP)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Bone Shards // Bone Shards MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons 2 Art Series and Modern Horizons 2, 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 Bone Shards // Bone Shards and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Bone Shards // Bone Shards Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2021-06-18 and 2021-08-26. Illustrated by Tommy Arnold.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-06-18Modern Horizons 2 Art SeriesAMH2 272015art_seriesborderlessTommy Arnold
22021-06-18Modern Horizons 2MH2 3951997normalblackTommy Arnold
32021-06-18Modern Horizons 2MH2 762015normalblackTommy Arnold
42021-06-18Modern Horizons 2 Art SeriesAMH2 27s2015art_seriesborderlessTommy Arnold
52021-08-26Jumpstart: Historic HorizonsJ21 2982015normalblackTommy Arnold

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Bone Shards has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
GladiatorLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-06-18 Once you begin to cast Bone Shards, no player may take actions until you're done. Notably, opponents can't try to remove the creature you wish to sacrifice or make you discard your last card.
2021-06-18 You must sacrifice exactly one creature or discard exactly one card to cast this spell; you can't cast it without sacrificing a creature or discarding a card, and you can't sacrifice additional creatures or discard additional cards.

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