Dementia Bat MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Phyrexian Bat
Abilities	Flying
Released	2011-05-13
Set symbol
Set name	New Phyrexia
Set code	NPH
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	55
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Daarken

Key Takeaways

Dementia Bat provides card advantage by potentially disrupting opponent’s plans with its targeted discard ability.
It offers a longer presence on the board with flying ability, implying resource acceleration.
The Bat’s instant speed activation allows for strategic plays during the opponent’s turn.

Text of card

Flying , Sacrifice Dementia Bat: Target player discards two cards.

"When terror outweighs all other thoughts, they will understand that I am the true Father of Machines." —Azax-Azog, the Demon Thane

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dementia Bat offers a strategic option to discard a card to force an opponent to discard two, potentially disrupting their plan and tilting the card balance in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly providing mana, its flying ability allows Dementia Bat to potentially stay on the board longer, indirectly offering resource acceleration by maintaining a threat and reducing the need for additional creature plays.

Instant Speed: The activated ability of Dementia Bat can be used at instant speed, meaning you can wait until the most opportune moment during your opponent’s turn to exact maximum impact upon their strategy, keeping them guessing and on the defensive.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When utilizing Dementia Bat, players must be wary of the discard cost that comes with its ability. This can lead to a disadvantageous exchange, especially when hand size is critical to maintaining control over the game’s flow.

Specific Mana Cost: Dementia Bat requires a particular blend of mana to cast—both black and generic. This can be restrictive as it demands a dedicated mana base, potentially reducing the card’s versatility across various deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value that may be considered steep for its stats and effects, Dementia Bat faces stiff competition from other cards in the same mana range. Players might find better value elsewhere when optimizing their decks for efficiency and impact.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Dementia Bat offers a flexible role within decks that thrive on sacrificing creatures for greater benefits. It can serve as both a threat in the air and a means to disrupt opponents’ plans at a moment’s notice.

Combo Potential: The Bat’s ability to force a discard when paired with effects that benefit from or recur sacrificed creatures can become a cornerstone of an intricate combo, turning it into a recurring source of advantage.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where hand disruption is key to dismantling opponent strategies, Dementia Bat’s surprise discard effect can shift the tide of a game, making it a useful sideboard card against decks reliant on specific combos or hefty spells.

How to beat

Dementia Bat holds a peculiar place within the realm of flying creatures in Magic: The Gathering, standing out with its transformation from a standard flyer to a tool of disruption. This creature card, seeing play in environments that appreciate versatility, often hinges on the resource sacrifice it demands for its activated ability. The cost of discarding two cards adds a strategic layer, granting players momentary control over their opponent’s hand.

To effectively counter Dementia Bat, players should conserve removal spells or cheaper creatures with reach or flying to block and eliminate the Bat before it becomes a nuisance. Managing your hand to minimize the impact of potential discards or utilizing instant-speed spells in response to its activation can mitigate the card’s potential advantage. It’s also advisable to apply pressure early on, forcing the Dementia Bat user to decide between keeping mana open for its ability or playing other spells.

Ultimately, understanding the tempo and recognizing the right moment to deploy your threats or answers is key to outmaneuvering Dementia Bat and maintaining the upper hand during gameplay.

Cards like Dementia Bat

Dementia Bat holds a niche spot in Magic: The Gathering as a creature that offers both flying prowess and a built-in sacrificial mechanic to disrupt an opponent’s hand. Like Dementia Bat, other cards also blend creature play with hand attack strategy. For instance, consider the Abyssal Specter, a creature that forces the discard upon inflicting combat damage, emphasizing repeated use over a single sacrifice.

Analogous in effect but differing in dynamics is the Rotting Rats, which requires each player to discard when it enters the battlefield or unearths, providing a symmetric effect unlike the targeted approach of Dementia Bat. Yet another parallel finds itself in the Blightning Specter — also flying, it doesn’t offer the discard utility itself. Instead, it brings Blightning’s ability to the air, dealing damage and discarding in one fell swoop, against the more flexible, albeit costly, option to sacrifice the Dementia Bat.

Each creature occupies a unique role, with Dementia Bat’s versatility in timing and targeted discard potentially providing specialized benefits at crucial moments in the game. Its comparison with other creatures demonstrates its peculiar place in the spectrum of tactical hand disruption.

Cards similar to Dementia Bat by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dementia Bat MTG card by a specific set like New Phyrexia, 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 Dementia Bat and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dementia Bat has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2011-06-01	Unlike most abilities that force a player to discard cards, this ability may be activated whenever you could cast an instant, including during your opponent’s draw step after they have drawn a card.
2011-06-01	You can’t force an opponent to discard a card they cast by activating Dementia Bat’s ability in response. The spell is on the stack by then.