Bound in Silence MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeTribal Enchantment — Rebel Aura
Abilities Enchant

Key Takeaways

  1. Attaching directly to creatures, Bound in Silence offers an efficient, non-spell-slot board control.
  2. It provides strategic edge mid-game with its flash-like ability when paired with rebel mechanics.
  3. The card’s specific mana and higher cost may affect deck tempo and composition choices.

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature can't attack or block.

A fight put off forever is already won.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Bound in Silence presents a unique form of card advantage as it attaches directly to a creature, effectively removing it as a threat without using a spell slot in your deck dedicated to removal. This pseudo-removal paves the way for you to maintain control over the board while continuing to advance your own strategy.

Resource Acceleration: While Bound in Silence itself doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, it contributes to resource acceleration indirectly by helping you maintain your existing board state. By locking down an opponent’s key creature, you can effectively diminish their resources and investments, allowing you to press your advantage without expending additional resources on creature control.

Instant Speed: Although Bound in Silence isn’t an instant, it has flash capability when combined with the rebels’ recruiting ability, allowing you to use it as though it were an instant. This can lead to significant strategic advantages because you can wait to see how your opponent plays before deciding the best target to neutralize, thereby conserving your mana and options during your turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Bound in Silence doesn’t directly require you to discard a card, it’s part of the Rebels’ mechanic, which often relies on using other cards to tutor this one out. This can lead to indirect card disadvantage as you’re using one card to fetch another, effectively reducing your hand without adding board presence.

Specific Mana Cost: This aura requires white mana to play, which restricts it to white or multi-colored decks. If your deck can’t consistently produce white mana, it will be difficult to use this card when you need it.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Three mana for a pacifism effect is on the higher end when other similar effects can cost less. In a game where tempo plays a pivotal role, the cost of Bound in Silence might not stack up favorably against other removal or control options that allow for a more efficient use of mana.


Reasons to Include Bound in Silence in Your Collection

Versatility: Bound in Silence has the flexibility to be used in various decks, given its ability to target any creature. This makes it a useful card for controlling opponents’ powerful creatures in Commander, Pauper, and other MTG formats.

Combo Potential: As a Tribal Enchantment – Rebel Aura, Bound in Silence plays well with any deck emphasizing Rebel synergies, potentially allowing you to fetch it with cards like “Ramosian Lieutenant,” making it a strategic inclusion for combo-oriented decks.

Meta-Relevance: With creature-heavy decks often dominating the play landscape, having Bound in Silence can significantly disrupt opponent strategies. It’s particularly relevant in metas where dealing with creatures is crucial, maintaining its value across various game situations.


How to Beat Bound in Silence

Bound in Silence may seem like an immovable hurdle due to its ability to pacify a creature without granting it the chance to react. This aura card from Magic: The Gathering effectively neutralizes targets, yet it is not without its vulnerabilities. When facing an opponent’s creature enchanted with Bound in Silence, consider strategies that revolve around enchantment removal. Cards like Disenchant or Naturalize offer a low-cost solution to freeing your critical assets from this silent bind.

Bouncing the card back to the owner’s hand with effects from cards like Boomerang also provides a temporary but immediate remedy. Additionally, employing creatures with abilities such as shroud or hexproof can prevent Bound in Silence from latching on in the first place, ensuring your key creatures remain unimpaired and combat-ready. As a last resort, sacrificing your own enchanted creature with a spell or ability can reset the playing field, albeit at a cost.

Ultimately, knowing the most effective counterplays ensures Bound in Silence doesn’t keep a permanent grip on your game. Whether through careful deck construction or tactical in-game decisions, there are multiple paths to overcoming this restrictive enchantment in your MTG matches.


Cards like Bound in Silence

Bound in Silence is a unique piece in the arsenal of enchantments available to Magic: The Gathering players. It shares similarities with other pacifism effects like the classic Pacifism or the more recent Claustrophobia. These cards all prevent a creature from attacking or blocking effectively, neutralizing threats on the board. Yet, Bound in Silence distinctively does not target when it’s cast, a nuance perfect for decks utilizing the “rebels” mechanic, as it bypasses shroud and hexproof abilities.

Another card worth comparing is Darksteel Mutation, which not only silences a creature but also turns it into an indestructible 0/1 insect, removing all abilities and shutting down potential combos. Although Bound in Silence doesn’t alter power and toughness, the ability to search and attach it directly from the deck with rebel creatures like Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero, adds a layer of tactical advantage in a match.

Evaluating these options, Bound in Silence stands out particularly in rebel-based decks, ensuring flexibility and resilience against creatures that are otherwise difficult to target, making it a strategic selection for players who value control and surprise elements within their gameplay strategies.

Pacifism - MTG Card versions
Claustrophobia - MTG Card versions
Darksteel Mutation - MTG Card versions
Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero - MTG Card versions
Pacifism - Mirage (MIR)
Claustrophobia - Innistrad (ISD)
Darksteel Mutation - Commander 2013 (C13)
Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero - Nemesis (NEM)

Cards similar to Bound in Silence by color, type and mana cost

Crib Swap - MTG Card versions
Crib Swap - Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate (CLB)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Bound in Silence MTG card by a specific set like Future Sight and Modern Masters, 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 Bound in Silence and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Bound in Silence Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2007-05-04 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by William Simpson.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12007-05-04Future SightFUT 20futurenormalblackWilliam Simpson
22013-06-07Modern MastersMMA 82003normalblackWilliam Simpson
32021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 102015normalblackWilliam Simpson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Bound in Silence has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-03-19 If Bound in Silence becomes attached to a creature that’s already attacking or blocking, the creature continues to attack or block as normal.
2021-03-19 If you put Bound in Silence onto the battlefield without casting it, perhaps using the “recruiting” ability of a card like Amrou Scout, it will enter attached to a creature. You choose that creature as you’re putting the Aura onto the battlefield. This doesn’t target that creature, so you could have it enter the battlefield attached to a creature an opponent controls with hexproof, for example. If there’s no creature on the battlefield it can be attached to, it stays in whatever zone it was in.
2021-03-19 Tribal is a card type (like creature or instant), not a supertype (like legendary). The type carries no rules that affect how it’s cast or how it behaves on the battlefield; it just allows the card to have creature types without being a creature.

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