Grixis 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	78
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Nils Hamm

Key Takeaways

This card provides instant speed options, vital for disrupting opponent strategies or responding to game changes.
Demands card discipline, balancing its advantages with the potential cost of depleting hand resources.
Requires careful mana base planning due to its specific tri-color needs, impacting deck strategy.

Text of card

, : Draw a card, then discard a card. , : Target creature can't block this turn.

Vitals of Grixis who eschew undeath must scrape and scratch to retain their mortality. The result is a breed of inventive mages.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Grixis Battlemage comes with the capability to offer card advantage through its draw ability. By spending mana and discarding a card, you can replace it potentially with something more useful from your deck, keeping your hand filled with options.

Resource Acceleration: This MTG card can help speed up your gameplay by discarding a card to untap a land. This subtle form of resource acceleration can be pivotal in casting more spells or activating abilities sooner than you normally could.

Instant Speed: With the Battlemage’s abilities being activatable at instant speed, you have the flexibility to respond to your opponent’s actions during their turn. This can lead to advantageous plays, such as disrupting their strategy or making optimal moves in response to the changing state of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Grixis Battlemage demands you pitch another card to unlock its potential. This could pose a challenge during late-game scenarios when your hand might be running on empty, leaving you to make tough decisions about which of your dwindling resources to sacrifice.

Specific Mana Cost: Catering to a very specific mana palette, this mage requires a combination of blue, black, and red mana. This can complicate your mana base and force you to rely heavily on a tri-color deck, potentially slowing down your game plan against more agile opponents.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Casting this card comes at the significant price of three mana—one of each of its identity’s colors. When you consider its abilities in relation to its cost, there are other creatures or spells in the same mana range that may provide more immediate or impactful benefits on the battlefield, making it a tough sell when deck-building on a tight mana curve.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Grixis Battlemage fits seamlessly into a variety of decks that capitalize on instant speed interaction and mana fixing. Its ability to provide card selection and discard creates options for control and tempo players alike.

Combo Potential: This card shines when combined with strategies that exploit discarded cards, like reanimator or madness themes. Its tap ability can also be a cog in intricate engines designed to outvalue opponents.

Meta-Relevance: Given that the current meta often rewards adaptive playstyles and diverse threats, Grixis Battlemage’s ability to switch roles from an enabler to a disruptor makes it a smart addition to decks looking to stay competitive.

How to Beat

Dealing with Grixis Battlemage in the world of Magic: The Gathering requires strategic finesse and an understanding of its abilities. This versatile creature from the Shards of Alara set has multiple abilities, each activated by specific mana types, which can be a real nuisance if left unchecked. Its ability to draw cards makes it a powerful ally for the controller but a thorn in the opponent’s side.

To counteract Grixis Battlemage’s influence on the game, you might consider employing removal spells before the battlemage’s powers can be fully utilized. Instant-speed removals such as Path to Exile or Abrupt Decay can effectively neutralize it before the controller gets too much value from it. Another approach is to limit the resources the opponent can use, utilizing cards like Blood Moon to restrict mana or Damping Sphere to make it costlier for your opponent to activate multiple abilities in a single turn. With the right strategy, and by disrupting the opponent’s mana base or removing the creature before it takes over the game, overcoming the challenge posed by Grixis Battlemage can be achievable.

In sum, it’s key to anticipate and respond promptly to Grixis Battlemage – either impede its mana sources or use removal spells efficiently to ensure it doesn’t swing the duel in your opponent’s favor.

Cards like Grixis Battlemage

The Grixis Battlemage is a unique addition to the realm of creature cards in Magic: The Gathering, offering a versatile set of abilities. Looking at similar cards, we encounter Izzet Guildmage, which also presents the player with useful abilities activated by mana. However, Grixis Battlemage ups the ante with accesses to a broader range of abilities due to its mixed color identity, encompassing black in addition to blue and red, unlike the monocolored Izzet Guildmage.

Another card to consider in the comparison is Jeskai Elder. Both cards offer not only a creature presence but also an ability to influence the hand and the battlefield. While Jeskai Elder allows for card filtering whenever it deals combat damage to a player, Grixis Battlemage provides direct card draw or discard mechanics, promising to both bolster your own resources or disrupt your opponent’s hand when needed, albeit at a heftier mana investment.

Assessing these options underlines the distinctive position of Grixis Battlemage amongst creature cards in Magic: The Gathering. Its adaptable use and strategic benefits, offering both tactical hand control and varied mana sink opportunities, ensure this card holds its ground in the competitive MTG landscape.

Cards similar to Grixis Battlemage by color, type and mana cost

Nightscape Battlemage - MTG Card versions

Tetsuo, Imperial Champion - MTG Card versions

Goro-Goro and Satoru - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Grixis 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 Grixis Battlemage and other MTG cards: