Birthing Boughs MTG Card

Modern Horizons (MH1)
2019-06-14 - Number 221

Birthing Boughs - Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)

Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)
2021-08-26 - Number 736

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number MH1-221

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact

Key Takeaways

Birthing Boughs excels in creating creatures, boosting your board presence strategically in the game.
Its instant speed activation provides tactical flexibility, allowing for last-minute plays and bluffs.
Although powerful, the card demands careful mana management and initial resource investment.

Text of card

, : Create a 2/2 colorless Shapeshifter creature token with changeling. (It has every creature type.)

Changelings can't remember where they came from. They just know it wasn't a cradle.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Birthing Boughs offers consistent creature generation, effectively expanding your board presence and maintaining a strategic advantage over your opponent. With each activation, players increase their creature count, compensating for potential losses during battle or bolstering their defenses.

Resource Acceleration: This card excels in decks focused on ramping up resources. By creating additional creatures, it scales your mana capacity on subsequent turns, letting you cast higher-cost spells earlier than usual.

Instant Speed: The ability to create a Shapeshifter creature token at instant speed gives flexibility during gameplay. This allows players to wait until the end of an opponent’s turn to commit to a play, keeping mana available for reactions or bluffing potential countermeasures while gradually expanding their army.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Birthing Boughs does not force players to discard, but it’s important to note the initial investment of four mana before utilizing its creature-creating ability may leave players with fewer options in hand.

Specific Mana Cost: This artifact requires three generic mana and one colorless mana to cast. While the colorless requirement can be an obstacle in decks not designed to produce it efficiently, it’s more about the setup for its activation that’s demanding.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The activation cost of Birthing Boughs is also quite hefty, requiring three mana for each token it creates. In faster-paced games or against decks that can generate significant threats swiftly, the comparative value of what Birthing Boughs provides can be underwhelming.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Birthing Boughs is a unique card that brings a level of flexibility to any deck that exploits creature tokens. Whether as a stand-in for key creatures or as a way to quickly populate the field, its ability to generate Shapeshifter tokens can adapt to various board states and strategic needs.

Combo Potential: This card shines when used in tandem with decks that capitalize on creature synergies. Each Shapeshifter token can enhance your board presence, working well with mechanics such as populate or evolve, and can be pivotal in both offensive and defensive moves.

Meta-Relevance: Given its capacity to produce a steady stream of tokens, Birthing Boughs can hold its own in multiple metas. It is particularly valuable in games that stretch into longer turns, making it a solid addition for any player looking to fortify their late-game strategy with reliable token generation.

How to beat Birthing Boughs

Birthing Boughs introduces an interesting dynamic to the field of creature generators in Magic: The Gathering. Its strength lies in its ability to consistently create 2/2 colorless Shapeshifter creature tokens with changeling, providing flexibility to adapt to various tribal synergies. Unlike many other token generators, Birthing Boughs doesn’t require a particular setup or condition to be met, making it a versatile option in decks that benefit from numerous creatures on the battlefield.

Confronting Birthing Boughs effectively requires a strategic approach centered around artifact removal or strategies that minimize the value of token creatures. Options like Naturalize or Disenchant can efficiently deal with Birthing Boughs directly by removing it from the game. Additionally, cards that punish token strategies, such as Ratchet Bomb or Engineered Explosives, can sweep away multiple tokens at once, thereby neutralizing the advantage generated by Birthing Boughs. Furthermore, sweepers like Wrath of God can reset the board, making it difficult for an opponent to capitalize on Birthing Boughs’ token creation. By keeping these tactics in mind, one can ensure that the potential impact of Birthing Boughs is kept in check during gameplay.

By analyzing the functionality and exploring effective countermeasures, players can recognize the innate value of Birthing Boughs in Magic: The Gathering while also being prepared to dismantle its contributions to the board state.

Cards like Birthing Boughs

Birthing Boughs brings a unique dynamic to the world of Magic: The Gathering artifact cards with its creature-creating ability. In comparison, cards like Llanowar Reborn also focus on generating creature presence but through land-based mechanics, empowering creatures that come into play rather than creating them from scratch. Additionally, cards such as Thopter Foundry provide a somewhat parallel effect to Birthing Boughs. Thopter Foundry sacrifices a non-token artifact to create a 1/1 flying Thopter artifact creature token, offering both a creature and an artifact-based strategy, unlike the simple yet repeatable creature tokens created by Birthing Boughs.

Another comparable MTG card is Myr Turbine, which also excels in creature token creation, specifically Myr tokens. While Myr Turbine requires no mana to produce tokens once set up, Birthing Boughs offers a broader type of token – the 2/2 colorless Shapeshifter creature token with changeling. This makes the token more versatile as it counts as every creature type at all times.

While each card has its advantages within different strategies and deck types, Birthing Boughs stands out due to its ability to create tokens that can adapt fluidly to various tribal synergies, making it a valuable tool for decks that capitalize on creature type bonuses.

Cards similar to Birthing Boughs by color, type and mana cost

Scale of Chiss-Goria - MTG Card versions

Sword of Feast and Famine - MTG Card versions

Guardians of Meletis - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Birthing Boughs MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons and The List, 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 Birthing Boughs and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Birthing Boughs Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2019-06-14 and 2021-08-26. Illustrated by Mike Bierek.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2019-06-14	Modern Horizons	MH1	221	2015	Normal	Black	Mike Bierek
2	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST	MH1-221	2015	Normal	Black	Mike Bierek
3	2021-08-26	Jumpstart: Historic Horizons	J21	736	2015	Normal	Black	Mike Bierek