Marrow Bats MTG Card

Avacyn Restored (AVR)
2012-05-04 - Number 113

Commander 2013 (C13)
2013-11-01 - Number 82

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Bat Skeleton
Abilities	Flying
Power	4
Toughness	1

Key Takeaways

Provides recurring creature advantage for consistent battlefield presence in MTG.
Regenerates at instant speed, allowing flexible responses and a lasting threat.
Demands card discard, a trade-off for its offensive and defensive versatility.

Text of card

Flying Pay 4 life: Regenerate Marrow Bats.

"No matter how far we push into Stensia, undeath will always remain in these lands." —Terhold, archmage of Drunau

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Provides a recurring creature for battlefield presence, which can be crucial for keeping up the pressure in offensive strategies or for defense.

Resource Acceleration: Gives an option to invest life points instead of mana to regenerate, permitting more efficient mana usage on other spells or abilities.

Instant Speed: Utilizing its regeneration ability at instant speed offers flexibility to respond to threats during the combat phase or against removal, keeping it a persistent force on the board.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Marrow Bats necessitate pitching a card to unleash its potential. This downside can drain your hand, leaving you with fewer options as the game progresses.

Specific Mana Cost: Summoning Marrow Bats demands a precise blend of mana, making it a snug fit for solely those decks that can reliably produce both black and generic mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Accessing the powers of Marrow Bats comes at a steep four mana, which can be a hurdle in games where speed is key. Its cost may overshadow its benefits when alternatives could advance your board presence with less investment.

Reasons to Include Marrow Bats in Your Collection

Versatility: Marrow Bats offers a unique mix of abilities that provide aggressive and defensive utility. Its flying attribute allows it to evade many common blockers, whereas its life-paying regeneration makes it a resilient threat in the face of removal.

Combo Potential: This card has synergy within decks that exploit life total changes, such as those employing the extort mechanic or certain life-gain strategies, adding layers of interaction and combo possibilities.

Meta-Relevance: In games that are often defined by board presence, Marrow Bats maintains relevance by being a creature that’s difficult to permanently remove. This can make it particularly effective in meta environments that are heavy on creature-based strategies.

How to beat

Marrow Bats can be quite the challenge to overcome on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. This flying creature comes with a unique ability to regenerate, making it a persistent nuisance for opponents. To effectively counter this threat, consider incorporating removal spells that can exile or specifically state they prevent a creature from regenerating. Cards such as Path to Exile or Supreme Verdict work well as they don’t allow Marrow Bats to utilize its regeneration ability.

An alternative strategy would be to use cards that reduce the effectiveness of life payment options like Marrow Bats requires for its regeneration. This can be achieved by bringing Curse of Exhaustion into play or using Erebos, God of the Dead, to deny your opponent the chance to pay life and use the regeneration feature freely. Additionally, cards that force sacrifice, like Liliana of the Veil, bypass the need to deal direct damage or destruction, rendering Marrow Bats’ regeneration moot.

Employing these techniques or similar ones will ensure that the pesky Marrow Bats are kept in check, maintaining your control over the game state and steering your gameplay towards victory against decks wielding this tenacious creature.

Cards like Marrow Bats

Marrow Bats stands as an intriguing choice among life gain cards in the diverse Magic: The Gathering card pool. When examining creatures that can provide a health buffer, one may find similarities with Vampire Nighthawk. Vampire Nighthawk not only offers lifelink, in line with Marrow Bats, but also brings deathtouch and flying to the battlefield, offering versatile defense and attack strategies at a lower cost.

A more parallel comparison might be made with the imposing Baneslayer Angel, recognized for its noteworthy lifelink and flying abilities as well. Though Baneslayer Angel demands a substantial mana investment, it compensates with impressive power and toughness. Annihilating potential threats becomes effortless, making it a formidable board presence. In comparison, Marrow Bats may initially appear less daunting but its pay-life regeneration ability introduces a unique and recurring survival mechanism, adding a layer of resilience.

Delving into the comparison, Marrow Bats exposes players to strategic life point management, balancing the brinkmanship of high-risk plays against sustained board presence. This makes it a distinctive option within MTG’s catalog of creatures for those looking to leverage their life total as a resource and maintain a hard-to-eliminate threat.

Vampire Nighthawk - Wizards Play Network 2009 (PWP09)

Cards similar to Marrow Bats by color, type and mana cost

Predatory Nightstalker - MTG Card versions

Wei Elite Companions - MTG Card versions

Predatory Nightstalker - Vintage Masters (VMA)

Stone Catapult - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)

Sengir Vampire - Arena Beginner Set (ANB)

Earwig Squad - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Indulgent Tormentor - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Wei Elite Companions - Masters Edition III (ME3)

Shriekmaw - Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Marrow Bats MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored and Commander 2013, 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 Marrow Bats and other MTG cards: