Bant Battlemage MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Human Wizard |
| Released | 2008-10-03 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Shards of Alara |
| Set code | ALA |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
| Number | 5 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | normal |
| Border | black |
| Illustred by | Donato Giancola |
Key Takeaways
- Strategically tailored, Bant Battlemage offers dynamic plays with instant-speed reactive abilities for board control.
- It’s a key piece in decks craving a rainbow mana base, greatly enhancing resource development and use.
- Despite its power, its casting requirements and discard costs are noteworthy trade-offs to consider.
Text of card
, : Target creature gains trample until end of turn. , : Target creature gains flying until end of turn.
"A night attack will be easy. We'll make an air raid over the Akrasan border. Just get me some flint to light the war torches."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Bant Battlemage ensures that you hold a strategic upper hand by providing options to fortify your board presence. With the ability to tap a creature, it paves the way for smooth attacks or defends against incoming threats, depending on the current game state.
Resource Acceleration: Representing three different mana colors, this battlemage facilitates a diversified mana-base, fusing seamlessly into a deck that desires a wide array of color requirements for various spells, thereby accelerating your resource development.
Instant Speed: Activating the Battlemage’s abilities at instant speed grants dynamic interaction opportunities during the heat of battle. This means that you can adapt to the threats on the board without missing a beat and can efficiently manage your resources across multiple phases of play.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Bringing the Bant Battlemage into play may not always be smooth sailing. Its tap ability, while potent, comes with a cost – you’re compelled to discard another card. For players meticulously plotting their road to victory, this prerequisite could potentially disrupt carefully laid plans, particularly in moments when the hand runs thin on cards.
Specific Mana Cost: The Bant Battlemage demands a precise blend of mana—Green, White, and Blue—to effectively cast it. This requisite tends to pigeonhole the card into specific decks, usually those tailored around the Bant shard, hence reducing its versatility across the broader spectrum of deck archetypes.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Allocating three mana might not seem too demanding at first glance. However, in a game where tempo matters, sometimes even a turn can spell the difference between dominance and defeat. The Battlemage’s cost takes a toll on your mana availability, potentially slowing down your ability to play other spells or creatures that could offer more strategic value or immediacy.
Reasons to Include Bant Battlemage in Your Collection
Versatility: Bant Battlemage offers adaptability to various gameplay styles, acting as a versatile creature that can be buffed or used to enable strategies around creature abilities.
Combo Potential: With its ability to give creatures trample or flying until end of turn, Bant Battlemage can create opportunities for powerful combos, enabling potentially game-ending swings in Limited or Commander games.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta that leans towards creature-based strategies, Bant Battlemage’s ability to break stalemates with its combat-modifying effects makes it a valuable asset, tipping the scales in your favor during critical points of a match.
How to Beat Bant Battlemage
Bant Battlemage, an intriguing creature card within Magic: The Gathering, champions versatility on the battlefield. Its utility lies in the tapping of creatures, thus paving the way for your offensive moves, or granting protection from a color to keep your critical pieces in play. To effectively counter Bant Battlemage, strategic removal is key.
Removal spells that don’t target, like board wipes or mass removal cards, particularly shine against it, circumventing the color protection it can grant. Consider Supreme Verdict or Wrath of God, both of which can clear the board without targeting individual creatures. Additionally, combat tricks or spells that don’t rely on targeting, such as Settle the Wreckage, can flummox opponents who lean on the Battlemage’s abilities for defense.
It’s also beneficial to pressure a Bant Battlemage player early on, before they can establish the mana base to leverage both abilities. Fast-paced aggro decks can often outpace the Battlemage, bypassing the need to deal with its abilities altogether. In summary, to beat Bant Battlemage, aim for non-targeting removal strategies or swift aggressive tactics to outmaneuver your opponent’s game plan.
Cards like Bant Battlemage
Bant Battlemage is an intriguing creature present in the Magic: The Gathering universe, renowned for its adaptability and utility on the battlefield. As we examine its place among similar MTG cards, Knight of Autumn stands out as a versatile counterpart. Knight of Autumn offers a flexible approach to dealing with multiple in-game scenarios, from creature enhancement to artifact or enchantment removal. Where Bant Battlemage excels at granting either trample or lifelink to a creature, the Knight of Autumn provides more options upon entering the battlefield, though lacking the ongoing activation ability.
The comparison extends to cards like Deputy of Equils that also fall into the multicolored creature category, notable for their ability to control the board by exiling other permanents. While not providing a consistent enhancement like Bant Battlemage, Deputy of Equils impacts the field immediately but without the repeatable feature. Lastly, we look at the Simic Guildmage, whose abilities to move +1/+1 counters or auras can reshape the game state significantly. This Guildmage offers more control over ongoing enchantments and counters, contrasting with Bant Battlemage’s focus on combat advantages.
In essence, while these cards present an array of tactical advantages, Bant Battlemage’s unique ability to consistently boost creatures’ combat abilities ensures its distinct place in MTG’s creature dynamics and strategic plays.
Cards similar to Bant Battlemage by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Bant Battlemage MTG card by a specific set like Shards of Alara, 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 Bant Battlemage and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See Magic products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Bant Battlemage has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
