Gutterbones MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Skeleton Warrior
Power 2
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Gutterbones excels in card advantage, repeatedly returning from the graveyard to hand.
  2. It accelerates resources in decks that utilize creature sacrifice synergies.
  3. Instant-speed return preparation can surprise opponents with a strengthened board.

Text of card

Gutterbones enters the battlefield tapped. : Return Gutterbones from your graveyard to your hand. Activate this ability only during your turn and only if an opponent lost life this turn.

"Down here, things don't stay dead." —Lavinia


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Gutterbones offers a recurring presence on the battlefield, effectively providing a card advantage. Each time it returns from the graveyard, it’s like drawing an additional creature card to threaten your opponent and apply pressure.

Resource Acceleration: This resilient creature can be an asset in strategies aiming to sacrifice creatures for greater benefits, thus accelerating your resource gain. With each sacrifice and return, it contributes to synergy that fuels more powerful plays earlier on.

Instant Speed: While Gutterbones itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, its ability to return to your hand at the end of your opponent’s turn can ambush them by setting up for an unexpected board presence, ready to use on your next turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Gutterbones demands that you must have discarded a card during your turn to activate its return-to-hand ability. This can be quite limiting, especially in situations where you’re trying to maintain card advantage or when you lack discard synergies within your deck.

Specific Mana Cost: It can only be cast with black mana, which means its utility is exclusively reserved for mono-black or multicolored decks that include black. This factor restricts the versatility of Gutterbones in deck construction, potentially causing issues in mana fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The recurring ability requires you to spend two mana every time you want to bring Gutterbones back from the graveyard to your hand. While this might be a manageable cost, some players may view it as steep, considering that other creatures with similar abilities could be reanimated with less or offer more value upon their return.


Reasons to Include Gutterbones in Your Collection

Versatility: Gutterbones brings flexibility to any black-focused deck due its ability to return to hand from the graveyard. This trait makes it a solid pick for any strategy that benefits from repeatable creatures.

Combo Potential: This card works wonderfully with sacrifice mechanics. Pairing Gutterbones with sacrifice outlets can lead to potent combinations, enabling recurring value each turn.

Meta-Relevance: With an ever-changing meta, Gutterbones remains relevant due to its resilience against removal. It supports aggressive playstyles and fits snugly into decks that prey on slower, control-oriented decks.


How to Beat

Gutterbones is a unique card that brings resilience and recurring threats to the battlefield in MTG. It’s like the relentless undead creatures players have faced before but with a twist – it can return from the graveyard to your hand under certain conditions. Overcoming this adversary requires strategic plays and keen timing. The key to defeating an opponent’s Gutterbones lies in controlling the board and suppressing their ability to damage you. Cards with life gain, such as “Absorb,” could ensure your life total remains high enough to prevent Gutterbones from returning. Additionally, making your creatures indestructible with spells like “Unbreakable Formation” circumvents the damage trigger necessary for Gutterbones’ revival. Graveyard hate cards such as “Remorseful Cleric” can completely remove Gutterbones from the game, negating its recursive nature. On another note, “Rest in Peace” handles not only Gutterbones but all graveyard-related strategies, giving you a more universal solution. Ultimately, while Gutterbones presents a challenge due to its persistence and return conditions, remembering these strategies and keeping precise control of the game’s flow will ensure that this skeletal menace stays buried.


BurnMana Recommendations

If you’re looking to refine your MTG deck’s performance, it’s essential to assess each card’s impact carefully. Gutterbones stands out for its potential to offer card advantage and resource acceleration, valuable assets in any strategic play. But considering its specific mana cost and return conditions, it becomes a nuanced choice requiring tailored deck synergy. Whether you’re aiming for an aggressive approach or a combative edge against control decks, understanding the pros and cons of cards like Gutterbones is paramount. Expand your strategic horizons and optimize your deck composition with us. Delve deeper into MTG strategies and card assessments—visit us for insights that could change the game!


Cards like Gutterbones

Gutterbones stands out in the robust lineup of recursive creatures available in Magic: The Gathering. Its closest counterpart is perhaps Bloodsoaked Champion, which mirrors Gutterbones in its ability to return from the graveyard to the battlefield. However, Gutterbones has the advantageous edge of being reanimated to your hand directly for later deployment, potentially dodging on-field removal.

Another competitor in this category is Dread Wanderer. It shares the same mana cost and also reanimates itself from the graveyard to play. Unlike Gutterbones which requires an opponent’s loss of life, Dread Wanderer depends on having fewer cards in your hand. Scrutinizing the utility and prerequisites for these undead creatures is essential for deck synergy. Skeleton Knight also deserves a mention, regenerating from the graveyard like Gutterbones, but with the necessity of a synergizing death trigger to be truly effective.

Examining these similarities and differences, Gutterbones can be considered highly efficient in the spectrum of recursive creatures. With a modest revival cost and a straightforward triggering condition, it’s a powerful contender for deck slots in aggressive strategies.

Bloodsoaked Champion - MTG Card versions
Dread Wanderer - MTG Card versions
Bloodsoaked Champion - Khans of Tarkir Promos (PKTK)
Dread Wanderer - Amonkhet Promos (PAKH)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gutterbones MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica Allegiance and Ravnica Allegiance Promos, 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 Gutterbones and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Gutterbones Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-01-25 and 2019-01-25. Illustrated by Grzegorz Rutkowski.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-01-25Ravnica AllegianceRNA 762015normalblackGrzegorz Rutkowski
22019-01-25Ravnica Allegiance PromosPRNA 76s2015normalblackGrzegorz Rutkowski
32019-01-25Ravnica Allegiance PromosPRNA 76p2015normalblackGrzegorz Rutkowski

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Gutterbones has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-01-25 Damage dealt to a player causes that player to lose that much life.
2019-01-25 In a multiplayer game, if an opponent loses life during your turn and then leaves the game, you can activate Gutterbones’s ability.

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