Boneclad Necromancer MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Human Wizard
Released	2019-07-12
Set symbol
Set name	Core Set 2020
Set code	M20
Power	3
Toughness	3
Number	93
Frame	2015
Layout	normal
Border	black
Illustred by	Robbie Trevino

Key Takeaways

Generates a 2/2 Zombie, offering strategic card advantage and on-board presence from graveyard interactions.
Setups for instant-speed plays and interrupts opponents’ graveyard strategies, enhancing control.
Demands creature targets in graveyards, limiting early game utility and affecting deck compatibility.

Text of card

When Boneclad Necromancer enters the battlefield, you may exile target creature card from a graveyard. If you do, create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token.

"Living or dead, everyone responds to the proper motivation."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Boneclad Necromancer provides a unique form of card advantage. When it enters the battlefield, you get to exile a creature card from a graveyard, which can disrupt your opponent’s graveyard strategies while providing you a 2/2 black Zombie creature token. This not only thins out potential threats from your opponent’s graveyard but effectively grants you two bodies on the board with a single card.

Resource Acceleration: While the Boneclad Necromancer doesn’t directly accelerate your mana resources, the generated Zombie can be used in synergy with other cards that tap creatures for value, effectively contributing to your resource acceleration indirectly.

Instant Speed: Although the Boneclad Necromancer itself is not an instant, it can set the stage for instant-speed interactions. By removing key creature cards from the graveyard, you can potentially foil your opponent’s plans to use those cards at instant speed, giving you a tactical edge during the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Boneclad Necromancer’s ability necessitates having a creature to exile from a graveyard, which may not always be possible, especially in the early game or against decks with limited creatures.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost for this card requires both black and generic mana, which may not align seamlessly with multi-colored or non-black focused decks, potentially limiting its versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of five mana, including three generic and two black, Boneclad Necromancer may come into play later than more cost-efficient creatures, potentially slowing down tempo for aggressive strategies.

Reasons to Include Boneclad Necromancer in Your Collection

Versatility: Boneclad Necromancer is a multifunctional choice for decks that capitalize on creature cards in the graveyard. It can easily slide into black-based midrange or control decks that require both a decent body on the field and graveyard manipulation.

Combo Potential: This card has inherent synergy with strategies that revolve around sacrificial mechanics or reanimation, enabling you to gain additional value from creatures that have served their purpose or been used as resources.

Meta-Relevance: Given its ability to exile target creature cards from an opponent’s graveyard, Boneclad Necromancer becomes a pertinent addition, particularly in metagames where graveyard strategies are prevalent.

How to beat

The Boneclad Necromancer can pose a substantial challenge on the battlefield, offering players not only a solid body to block with but also the ability to extract value from creatures in the graveyard. This card functions optimally when there are creatures to target in your graveyard, as it allows a token to be created upon its entry into the game arena.

Defeating this formidable adversary comes down to limiting its value generation. Graveyard hate cards, such as Rest in Peace or Tormod’s Crypt, disrupt the Necromancer’s functionality by purging the graveyard. This stops the card from bringing additional creatures into play. Agile deck handling with removal spells can also swiftly address the Necromancer before it sets off its enter-the-battlefield ability. Timing is crucial—eliminating target creatures from your graveyard in response to the Necromancer being cast, or using instant-speed removal before the token ability resolves, can render the Necromancer’s advantage minimal.

Ultimately, carefully directed graveyard management and strategic spell casting can nullify the threat of the Boneclad Necromancer, enabling players to maintain control over the game and prevent their opponent from leveraging their graveyard as a resource expansion tool.

Cards like Boneclad Necromancer

Exploring the depths of creature-based strategies in Magic: The Gathering, Boneclad Necromancer stands as a solid choice for those delving into necromantic powers. It bears similarities to other cards such as Doomed Necromancer, which also taps into the theme of resurrection. However, Boneclad Necromancer offers a different tactical approach, as it brings a 2/2 Zombie creature token to the field when it enters the battlefield, rather than resurrecting from the graveyard directly.

In the realm of self-milling strategies, cards like Stitcher’s Supplier provide an interesting comparison. While not directly involved in creating token creatures, Stitcher’s Supplier helps stock the graveyard, fueling the necromantic synergies that cards like Boneclad Necromancer can capitalize on. Continuing with token generation, Murderous Rider offers a utility by destroying a creature or planeswalker and later returning to the battlefield as a Zombie Knight creature after being used as an instant removal, showcasing a blend of immediate interaction and long-term field presence.

These comparisons reveal that while Boneclad Necromancer might not boast the most aggressive stats, the balance it provides between creature summoning and the potential for graveyard interaction positions it as a multi-faceted tool within the necromancer archetype in Magic: The Gathering.

Stitcher's Supplier - Core Set 2019 (M19)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Boneclad Necromancer MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2020, 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 Boneclad Necromancer and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Boneclad Necromancer has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal