Baneful Omen MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	7
Rarity	Rare
Type	Enchantment
Released	2010-04-23
Set symbol
Set name	Rise of the Eldrazi
Set code	ROE
Number	96
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Karl Kopinski

Key Takeaways

Generates card advantage and can apply pressure without using main phase actions.
Challenges deck building with specific mana cost and can be mana intensive.
Presents combo potential and fits in various strategies, enhancing its value.

Text of card

At the beginning of your end step, you may reveal the top card of your library. If you do, each opponent loses life equal to that card's converted mana cost.

"Ah, again it does not bode well for you."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Baneful Omen offers consistent card advantage by revealing the top card of your library at the end of your turn. Better yet, it potentially deals damage to your opponents equal to that card’s mana cost, which can translate to a significant edge in longer games.

Resource Acceleration: While this enchantment does not directly produce mana or accelerate resources in the traditional sense, the damage it deals can indirectly serve as a form of acceleration by shortening the length of the game. This puts pressure on your opponents to act quickly, potentially leading to mistakes or forcing them to deplete resources prematurely.

Instant Speed: Baneful Omen operates at the speed of the end step, which, akin to instant-speed interactions, maximizes the value gained within your turn cycle without occupying your main phase. This allows you to play other cards and hold up mana for responses during your opponents’ turns.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike certain strategies that benefit from discarding, Baneful Omen doesn’t give you anything in return for the set-up it requires, potentially losing some tempo.

Specific Mana Cost: With a mana cost heavy in black symbols, integrating Baneful Omen into a multicolored deck could create some mana base difficulties, compared to more flexible options.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing seven mana to put into play, Baneful Omen may arrive too late during matches, where quicker threats or responses are dominant in the meta.

Reasons to Include Baneful Omen in Your Collection

Versatility: Baneful Omen offers a unique effect that can adapt to various deck builds. Its ability to deal damage based on the top card of your library can fit into strategies that manipulate or know the top card, enhancing its effectiveness.

Combo Potential: This card excels in decks focused on top-deck manipulation or those with a high average mana value, allowing you to maximize the damage dealt each turn. Coupling Baneful Omen with cards that rearrange the top of the library can create a consistent damage engine.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where longer matches prevail, Baneful Omen proves its worth by providing a sustained damage output that doesn’t rely on attacking and can be difficult for opponents to counter. Its relevance grows in metas that allow setup time for its ability to shine.

How to beat

Baneful Omen is a compelling Magic: The Gathering card that brings a sense of dread to the battlefield as it reveals the top card of a player’s library at the end of each turn and potentially deals damage to opponents. To counter this card, players should consider strategies to minimize the damage dealt by Baneful Omen or to eliminate it from the battlefield altogether.

Using enchantment removal spells like Disenchant or Naturalize can directly handle Baneful Omen, stopping the incremental life loss that it can inflict. Furthermore, deck manipulation, with cards such as Brainstorm, can be employed to prevent high-cost cards from sitting on top of the library, thus reducing the damage Baneful Omen can cause. Playing aggressively to apply pressure and shorten the game length could also be key, as Baneful Omen needs time to showcase its true potential.

Strategic shielding via life gain spells and abilities, or making use of redirection abilities to change the target of the damage to something other than your life total, can mitigate the impact of Baneful Omen. Crafting a game plan that includes these elements will go a long way to overcoming the challenges posed by this ominous enchantment.

Cards like Baneful Omen

Baneful Omen stands out within the realm of long-term value enchantments in Magic: The Gathering. Its functionality evokes comparisons to cards like Twilight Prophet, which shares the trait of providing a benefit during the upkeep phase. Twilight Prophet, however, also grants card advantage and can affect life totals, without necessitating a reveal from the top of the library.

Another comparable card is Wound Reflection, which, like Baneful Omen, deals with life total manipulation. Wound Reflection doubles the life lost by opponents during the turn, creating potentially game-ending scenarios. While Baneful Omen incrementally chips away at the opponent’s life total based on revealed card’s converted mana cost, Wound Reflection amplifies already established loss, acting as a force multiplier.

In evaluating against these counterparts, Baneful Omen claims its unique position. The enchantment’s strength lies in its ability to whittle down an opponent’s health in a manner that’s somewhat predictable yet still governed by the whims of deck construction. It beautifully illustrates the blend of strategy and variance that players cherish in Magic: The Gathering.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Baneful Omen MTG card by a specific set like Rise of the Eldrazi, 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 Baneful Omen and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Baneful Omen has restrictions

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