Barrin MTG Card

Rarity	Rare
Type	Vanguard
Released	1997-05-01
Set symbol
Set name	Vanguard Series
Set code	PVAN
Number	201
Frame	1993
Layout	Vanguard
Border	Black
Illustred by	Christopher Rush

Key Takeaways

Barrin excels at card advantage, allowing strategic retrieval of permanents for tactical plays.
Instant speed activation provides flexible responses and disruption potential during play.
Despite its utility, Barrin requires careful hand and mana management to maximize effectiveness.

Text of card

You may sacrifice a permanent to return any creature to its owner's hand. Play this ability as an instant.

An old and powerful wizard living on the mysterious isle of Tolaria, Barrin is the teacher who trained the young Ertai. He is also Hanna's father, but for reasons known only to the two of them neither acknowledges the other—or their strained relationship.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Barrin is a key figure when it comes to gaining card advantage in a match. This powerful character allows you to return a permanent to your hand, opening up multiple strategic plays and interactions that can help you outmaneuver opponents.

Resource Acceleration: By leveraging Barrin’s ability, you can reset your mana artifacts or reuse enter-the-battlefield triggers. This not only accelerates your resources but also provides versatility in how you manage the battlefield and your resources.

Instant Speed: Barrin’s abilities can often be utilized at instant speed, which grants you the flexibility to react to your opponents’ moves. This can create pivotal moments where you can disrupt opponent strategies or protect your own assets, keeping you one step ahead during crucial points of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: For using Barrin’s abilities, players often have to part with other valuable cards in their hand, which can be detrimental especially when options are limited or the card synergy is disrupted.

Specific Mana Cost: Barrin comes with a mana cost that requires both generic and blue mana, potentially restricting the card’s integration into multi-colored decks that might struggle with blue mana consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When considering Barrin’s abilities relative to his mana cost, some players might find other cards that provide similar or enhanced effects with lower investment, which could render Barrin less efficient in a fast-paced game scenario.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Barrin, Master Wizard offers a flexible role in various decks, able to act as both a powerful bounce mechanic and a sacrifice outlet. This can be particularly effective in blue-based control or combo decks.

Combo Potential: With the ability to recur permanents or indefinitely bounce opponents’ threats, Barrin can be a linchpin in intricate combo chains, making him a valuable addition to strategies aiming to exploit enter-the-battlefield effects or sacrifice synergies.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state dominated by creature-heavy decks or where permanent removal is at a premium, Barrin’s utility becomes paramount, allowing players to maintain board control and leverage advantage against common strategies.

How to Beat

Barrin, Master Wizard is a unique card with versatile abilities that can significantly affect the board state in Magic: The Gathering. His ability to return creatures to the owner’s hand is a double-edged sword, providing both flexibility and a form of protection. To effectively counter Barrin’s influence in a game, players should focus on strategies that limit his ability to target creatures.

One method involves utilizing cards that have hexproof or shroud, preventing Barrin from targeting them directly. Additionally, cards that can be sacrificed for an advantage can negate Barrin’s bounce effect by ensuring the sacrifice occurs in response to his activation, thus retaining value. Another tactic is to employ instant-speed removal spells that can neutralize Barrin before his controller has the chance to utilize his ability, or use countermeasures that restrict the availability of resources necessary to activate his ability, such as land destruction or hand disruption.

It’s important to anticipate when Barrin might be played and to keep in mind the mana that the opponent reserves for his ability. Being proactive and maintaining board control are key elements in overpowering the strategic advantage that Barrin, Master Wizard offers in a match. By disrupting the opponent’s strategy and making it harder for them to utilize Barrin’s abilities to their full extent, players can mitigate the impact that this MTG card has on the game.

Cards like Barrin

Barrin, Master Wizard significantly enriches the arsenal of control strategies within Magic: The Gathering. Its closest cousins in game mechanics are cards like Galecaster Colossus and Venser, Shaper Savant. Galecaster Colossus also allows a player to return nonland permanents to their owner’s hand, but Barrin does so at a lower mana cost and with a broader selectivity in targets. Unlike Barrin, Galecaster Colossus targets only creatures and requires tapping, while Barrin requires sacrificing another permanent, offering a more versatile and strategic choice.

Then there’s Venser, Shaper Savant, which similarly bounces spells or permanents back to their owner’s hand. Venser’s bounce effect comes with its entry to the battlefield, whereas Barrin’s ability is activated, giving the player ongoing control throughout the game. While Venser has the surprise factor and can be a roadblock for opponents’ immediate plans, Barrin provides sustained influence over the board state, allowing for intricate plays and flexible responses to threats.

Overall, Barrin stands out in his utility and adaptability in returning threats, fitting seamlessly into decks emphasizing permanent control and making him a valuable piece in player strategies among blue commanders and control decks in Magic: The Gathering.

Venser, Shaper Savant - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Barrin by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Barrin MTG card by a specific set like Vanguard Series, 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 Barrin and other MTG cards: