Marrow Shards MTG Card


Marrow Shards - New Phyrexia
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeInstant
Released2011-05-13
Set symbol
Set nameNew Phyrexia
Set codeNPH
Number15
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byRaymond Swanland

Key Takeaways

  1. Offers card advantage by eliminating several opponents’ creatures with just one spell.
  2. Enables efficient resource management, using life for cost to save mana for other spells.
  3. Instant speed allows for unexpected and disruptive defensive plays against attackers.

Text of card

({PW} can be paid with either or 2 life.) Marrow Shards deals 1 damage to each attacking creature.

"We are a single entity. Dissenters must be sutured into the Orthodoxy." —Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Marrow Shards can deal damage to multiple attacking creatures, often clearing the board of smaller threats. This can lead to substantial card advantage as one card is used to deal with several of an opponent’s assets.

Resource Acceleration: While Marrow Shards itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, its low Phyrexian mana cost means you can manage your life resources efficiently. Being able to pay life instead of mana can effectively accelerate your other game plays by leaving mana available for other spells.

Instant Speed: The versatility of Marrow Shards is significantly heightened due to its instant speed. This allows players to respond to attacks unexpectedly, surprising opponents and disrupting their strategies at critical moments without preemptively tapping out on their own turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Marrow Shards calls for players to pay life if they don’t want to use white mana, which can be a risky trade-off when trying to maintain board stability and life advantage against opponents.

Specific Mana Cost: Although it can be paid with either white mana or 2 life, decks not running white might find the life payment steep, making Marrow Shards a challenging fit outside of mono-white or dual-color builds where white is a primary color.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: In a game where early interactions are key, the cost of Marrow Shards can feel high for its effect, considering other one-drop removal or damage prevention options available to players that might better suit fast-paced games.


Reasons to Include Marrow Shards in Your Collection

Versatility: Marrow Shards offers the unique ability to deal damage across multiple attacking creatures without needing to tap. This feature allows it to be a strategic defensive play in decks looking to protect against swarm strategies or simply to preserve life totals while setting up for the late game.

Combo Potential: As a Phyrexian mana spell, Marrow Shards can be included in virtually any deck, not limiting it to white mana strategies. It can be a surprise factor in non-white decks or even fuel graveyard synergies when paid with life.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where aggressive starts can determine the outcome of a game, having Marrow Shards can be key. It disrupts early game momentum from decks that rely on quickly amassing creatures, thus maintaining a balance and allowing slower decks to stabilize.


How to beat

Marrow Shards presents a unique challenge on the battlefield. This instant spell with its potential to deal 1 damage to each attacking creature for a mere one Phyrexian white mana makes it a tactical card, especially in formats where wide creature strategies are prevalent. In order to successfully navigate around Marrow Shards, it’s crucial to build a strategy that mitigates its impact. Optimizing for creatures with higher toughness or investing in abilities like Hexproof can help protect your forces from being whittled down. Additionally, timing attacks for when your opponent is tapped out or when you have spells that can boost your creatures’ toughness mid-combat can make Marrow Shards much less effective.

Moreover, employing cards with indestructible provides a solid countermeasure against damage-based removal, including Marrow Shards. Also, cards that allow your creatures to regenerate can negate the damage done. Careful planning and predictive playstyle are essential when facing an opponent who may have Marrow Shards in their deck—anticipation and preparation, therefore, are your greatest tools in ensuring your creatures survive to land the decisive blow.


Cards like Marrow Shards

Marrow Shards presents an intriguing angle in defensive tactics for players engaging in the rich tapestry of cards Magic: The Gathering has to offer. It shares a protective aspect with cards like Holy Day, a spell that prevents all combat damage for a turn, at the cost of just one mana. Marrow Shards, however, takes a proactive approach, dealing 1 damage to each attacking creature for a mere Phyrexian mana — meaning it can be cast using either one colorless mana or 2 life, increasing its versatility in tight situations.

For fans of instant-speed interaction, Zealous Persecution offers a comparison with its ability to give creatures you control +1/+1 while opponents’ creatures get -1/-1 until end of turn. Though at two mana and requiring both white and black mana, it’s less flexible than Marrow Shards. There is also Deflecting Palm, which can protect while also turning opponent’s aggression into a sudden counterattack, but this too comes at a higher resource cost of two mana and specific color requirements.

Assessing the elements of efficient defense in creature-heavy matchups, Marrow Shards stands out for its cost-effective nature and its fit in strategies prioritizing life as a resource over conventional mana expenditure. Its immediate impact at a potentially negligible cost is a strategic tool that MTG players can appreciate and utilize effectively.

Holy Day - MTG Card versions
Zealous Persecution - MTG Card versions
Deflecting Palm - MTG Card versions
Holy Day - Legends (LEG)
Zealous Persecution - Alara Reborn (ARB)
Deflecting Palm - Khans of Tarkir (KTK)

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

Death Ward - MTG Card versions
Blaze of Glory - MTG Card versions
Healing Salve - MTG Card versions
Purelace - MTG Card versions
Guardian Angel - MTG Card versions
Swords to Plowshares - MTG Card versions
Righteousness - MTG Card versions
Indestructible Aura - MTG Card versions
Glyph of Life - MTG Card versions
Warning - MTG Card versions
Heal - MTG Card versions
Anoint - MTG Card versions
Reaping the Rewards - MTG Card versions
Rally the Troops - MTG Card versions
Enlightened Tutor - MTG Card versions
Orim's Touch - MTG Card versions
Pollen Remedy - MTG Card versions
Sacred Rites - MTG Card versions
Pay No Heed - MTG Card versions
Path to Exile - MTG Card versions
Death Ward - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Blaze of Glory - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Healing Salve - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Purelace - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Guardian Angel - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
Swords to Plowshares - Fallout (PIP)
Righteousness - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Indestructible Aura - Chronicles (CHR)
Glyph of Life - Legends (LEG)
Warning - Ice Age (ICE)
Heal - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Anoint - Tempest (TMP)
Reaping the Rewards - Exodus (EXO)
Rally the Troops - Portal Second Age (P02)
Enlightened Tutor - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Orim's Touch - Invasion (INV)
Pollen Remedy - Planeshift (PLS)
Sacred Rites - The List (PLST)
Pay No Heed - Torment (TOR)
Path to Exile - March of the Machine Commander (MOC)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Marrow Shards 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 Marrow Shards and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Marrow Shards has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2011-06-01 A card with Phyrexian mana symbols in its mana cost is each color that appears in that mana cost, regardless of how that cost may have been paid.
2011-06-01 As you cast a spell or activate an activated ability with one or more Phyrexian mana symbols in its cost, you choose how to pay for each Phyrexian mana symbol at the same time you would choose modes or choose a value for X.
2011-06-01 If you’re at 1 life or less, you can’t pay 2 life.
2011-06-01 Phyrexian mana is not a new color. Players can’t add Phyrexian mana to their mana pools.
2011-06-01 To calculate the converted mana cost of a card with Phyrexian mana symbols in its cost, count each Phyrexian mana symbol as 1.

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