Mother Bear MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Bear
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Mother Bear grants card advantage by recycling itself into creature tokens from the graveyard.
  2. The card’s ability at instant speed allows for unexpected plays and blockers in tight spots.
  3. Resource acceleration is achieved as Mother Bear offers repeated value from a single card.

Text of card

, Exile Mother Bear from your graveyard: Create two 2/2 green Bear creature tokens. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.

Even without her, the cubs will always know their mother's love.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mother Bear provides card advantage through its ability to generate additional creature tokens from the graveyard, maximizing the utility of a single card for persistent board presence.

Resource Acceleration: While it doesn’t directly produce additional mana or tokens, this card accelerates resources by effectively doubling its utility—first as a creature, then as a token-generating ability from the graveyard, ensuring you get more value per card.

Instant Speed: Its activated ability from the graveyard can be used at instant speed, allowing for strategic timings and surprise blockers, increasing your capacity for reactionary play during critical moments of the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Mother Bear’s utility is built around leveraging the graveyard, which means you’d want a way to get this creature into your discard pile effectively. Without a robust graveyard strategy or discard outlets, it may not function optimally in every deck scenario.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a specific mana cost of one green to cast. For players not running a green-centric deck or lacking in mana-fixing resources, this requirement can restrict its playability and make it difficult to utilize at the right moment.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Mother Bear’s mana cost is fairly low to cast from your hand, the cost to activate its ability from the graveyard is three mana, including two green. Considering the investment for the returned bears, some players might look for more cost-efficient creatures or graveyard interaction options that provide immediate impact on the board state.


Reasons to Include Mother Bear in Your Collection

Versatility: Mother Bear is a flexible card that can be effectively played in a variety of green decks. Its synergy with graveyard mechanics means that not only does it serve as an early threat, but it can provide value later in the game as well.

Combo Potential: With the ability to summon creature tokens from the graveyard, Mother Bear complements strategies centered on self-mill or sacrifice. It provides a recurring source of creatures, which can be paramount to certain combo executions.

Meta-Relevance: Given its adaptability and utility in graveyard-themed decks, Mother Bear holds its ground in varied meta environments. As the game develops, it transitions from a solid early attacker to a vessel for mid-to-late game token generation, making it a resourceful addition to your collection.


How to beat

Mother Bear has clawed her way into the hearts of graveyard-synergy aficionados in Magic: The Gathering. The card becomes a force to reckon with once in the graveyard, giving its controller the ability to marshal two 2/2 Bear creature tokens for a mere three mana investment. This not only creates value from an otherwise inert card in the graveyard but also poses a resilient threat that advances board presence.

Addressing this creature effectively involves interrupting the graveyard to stifle its abilities. Graveyard hate cards such as Relic of Progenitus or Leyline of the Void can exile Mother Bear before its ability becomes relevant. Swift and efficient removal spells also serve well, as a preemptive exile effect, like the one from Path to Exile, ensures that Mother Bear never reaches her cub-calling potential. Furthermore, proactive counter-strategies like Tormod’s Crypt can be instrumental in neutering Mother Bear’s late-game capabilities, maintaining a strong defense against this seemingly benign threat.

In essence, to beat Mother Bear, one must be vigilant about graveyard interaction, ready with removal tools, and strategic in deploying them. Denying your opponent the opportunity to leverage their graveyard as a resource is essential when facing off against cards like Mother Bear that thrive in this unique zone.


BurnMana Recommendations

In understanding the Mother Bear MTG card, it’s clear that this card can enhance various deck types, especially those leveraging graveyard mechanics. While Mother Bear showcases the beauty of flexibility and strategic depth, remembering the nuances of its activation conditions is key. As an MTG player, evaluating your deck’s synergy with Mother Bear’s capabilities is fundamental. Dive deeper into the potential of graveyard strategies, explore synergies with token generators, and continuously adapt to the evolving meta. We invite you to uncover more about maximizing your deck’s potential with cards like Mother Bear, ensuring each match is a display of skillful resourcefulness. Begin your journey to optimize and innovate with BurnMana.


Cards like Mother Bear

Mother Bear from Magic: The Gathering brings a unique dynamic to creature play. As a nod to the Return to Nature card, it allows for graveyard interaction by exiling itself to create two bear tokens. This function bears similarity to the mechanics found in Lingering Souls, which can also be cast from the graveyard to create token creatures. Mother Bear, however, has an additional advantage of being a solid creature on the battlefield that can later transform death into opportunity.

Comparing it further, we see that cards like Young Wolf offer undying, a one-time ability to return a creature to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter. While it gives the card a second life, it lacks the sustained board presence and flexibility that Mother Bear’s tokens provide. Call of the Herd, another comparable card, can also summon creatures from the graveyard, yet it demands more mana investment compared to Mother Bear’s economical alternate ability.

Ultimately, within Magic: The Gathering’s broad spectrum of creature and token generation, Mother Bear carves out its niche due to its dual utility as both a valuable creature and as a resourceful tool to apply pressure postmortem.

Return to Nature - MTG Card versions
Lingering Souls - MTG Card versions
Young Wolf - MTG Card versions
Call of the Herd - MTG Card versions
Return to Nature - War of the Spark (WAR)
Lingering Souls - Dark Ascension (DKA)
Young Wolf - Dark Ascension (DKA)
Call of the Herd - Odyssey (ODY)

Cards similar to Mother Bear by color, type and mana cost

Wyluli Wolf - MTG Card versions
Whirling Dervish - MTG Card versions
Grizzly Bears - MTG Card versions
River Boa - MTG Card versions
Eladamri, Lord of Leaves - MTG Card versions
Albino Troll - MTG Card versions
Silverglade Pathfinder - MTG Card versions
Priest of Titania - MTG Card versions
Quirion Elves - MTG Card versions
Blurred Mongoose - MTG Card versions
Llanowar Loamspeaker - MTG Card versions
Genesis Hydra - MTG Card versions
Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse - MTG Card versions
Scavenging Ooze - MTG Card versions
Heir of the Wilds - MTG Card versions
Mayor of Avabruck // Howlpack Alpha - MTG Card versions
Wren's Run Vanquisher - MTG Card versions
Muscle Sliver - MTG Card versions
Ayula, Queen Among Bears - MTG Card versions
Tel-Jilad Chosen - MTG Card versions
Wyluli Wolf - Arabian Nights (ARN)
Whirling Dervish - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Grizzly Bears - Seventh Edition (7ED)
River Boa - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Eladamri, Lord of Leaves - Tempest (TMP)
Albino Troll - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)
Silverglade Pathfinder - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Priest of Titania - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Quirion Elves - Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs. the Coalition (DDE)
Blurred Mongoose - Invasion (INV)
Llanowar Loamspeaker - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Genesis Hydra - Iconic Masters (IMA)
Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Scavenging Ooze - Modern Masters 2017 (MM3)
Heir of the Wilds - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Mayor of Avabruck // Howlpack Alpha - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Wren's Run Vanquisher - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Muscle Sliver - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Ayula, Queen Among Bears - Fallout (PIP)
Tel-Jilad Chosen - Mirrodin (MRD)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mother Bear MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons and Jumpstart: Historic Horizons, 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 Mother Bear and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Mother Bear Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-06-14 and 2021-08-26. Illustrated by Winona Nelson.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-06-14Modern HorizonsMH1 1712015normalblackWinona Nelson
22021-08-26Jumpstart: Historic HorizonsJ21 6042015normalblackWinona Nelson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mother Bear has restrictions

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

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