Sun's Bounty MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Abilities	Recover
Released	2006-07-21
Set symbol
Set name	Coldsnap
Set code	CSP
Number	18
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Michael Sutfin

Key Takeaways

Acts as a lifeline in critical moments with life-gain utility at instant speed for strategic deck maneuvers.
Incorporation in lifegain combos and specific metagames can be the edge needed against aggressive decks.
Understanding its strategic counterplays is essential to mitigate the recurring benefits it offers.

Text of card

You gain 4 life. Recover (When a creature is put into your graveyard from play, you may pay . If you do, return this card from your graveyard to your hand. Otherwise, remove this card from the game.)

"Heidar has forced the sun into hiding, but it has not forgotten us."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sun’s Bounty can be a pivotal addition to your deck when you’re aiming to extend your reach in the late game. By granting you life points, this card can help you stabilize and stay in the game longer, granting you the opportunity to access more of your deck’s potential power.

Resource Acceleration: Though not in the form of treasure or mana, Sun’s Bounty promotes a different kind of resource acceleration. Gaining life can be indirectly considered a resource, giving you the leeway to use your life total more aggressively while trading with creatures or utilizing life-payout cards.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Sun’s Bounty at instant speed cannot be understated. This gives you the upper hand by allowing you to respond to your opponent’s threats or end-of-turn actions, making it an excellent card for controlling the pace of the game and making strategic plays in critical moments.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Sun’s Bounty demands that you discard a card as part of its activation. This could set you back, particularly when your hand is already depleted, or when you’re desperately holding onto key pieces for your late-game strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: This card insists on white mana for casting, which may not always be convenient, especially in multicolored decks that need to manage a more diverse mana pool efficiently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For its life-gaining effect, Sun’s Bounty may be considered costly as there are alternatives that can boost your life total for less mana investment, leaving you more flexibility to execute other moves during your turn.

Reasons to Include Sun’s Bounty in Your Collection

Versatility: Sun’s Bounty offers flexible uses, fitting seamlessly into lifegain-oriented decks or as a surprise defensive maneuver. Its capacity to provide health in a pinch makes it a valuable addition to any player’s arsenal.

Combo Potential: This card can be a key part of combos, effectively interacting with cards that flourish when you gain life. Whether it’s triggering prowess-like effects or fueling a larger life-linked strategy, Sun’s Bounty can be the linchpin in a well-tuned combo.

Meta-Relevance: With aggressive decks frequently dominating play tables, a well-placed life gain spell may disrupt the pace of the game. Sun’s Bounty allows you to regain footing in such meta scenarios, ensuring you remain a step ahead in the constant battle for supremacy.

How to beat

The strategic charm of Sun’s Bounty lies in its utility; providing both life gain and a potential card draw. Yet every MTG card has its counterplay. When facing an opponent wielding Sun’s Bounty, your best move is adopting an aggressive approach, aiming to overwhelm their life gain with substantial damage. Prioritizing cards that deal direct damage or building a board presence they can’t easily outscale, nullifies Sun’s Bounty’s impact.

Consider leveraging graveyard disruption as well. Since Sun’s Bounty can be cast from the graveyard via its foretell mechanic, disrupting your opponent’s graveyard can prevent a second usage. Cards that exile cards from the graveyard, such as Bojuka Bog or Tormod’s Crypt, can serve as effective checks to Sun’s Bounty’s resilient nature. Finally, employing cards that limit lifegain like Erebos, God of the Dead, can give you a definitive edge against decks that rely heavily on the lifegain and card draw Sun’s Bounty provides.

Mindful of these strategies, any player can craft a plan to minimize the bounty that Sun’s Bounty could otherwise bestow. By staying one step ahead, you ensure that the sun sets on this particular card’s advantage.

Cards like Sun's Bounty

Sun’s Bounty offers a unique twist in the theme of life-gain spells in MTG. It is closely related to cards like Rest for the Weary which also provides a significant life boost. While Rest for the Weary can potentially offer a greater increase in life points if landfall is achieved, Sun’s Bounty allows for repeated usage thanks to its retrace ability, enabling players to cast it from the graveyard by discarding a land card.

Another comparable card is Healing Salve, granting players an option between preventing damage or gaining life. Sun’s Bounty, although lacking the damage prevention aspect, provides steadfast life-gain and can be recycled for repeat play. Then there’s Feed the Clan, which, like Rest for the Weary, can give a surge of life if the player has a creature with power four or greater. Sun’s Bounty doesn’t have such requirements but instead leverages land resources for multiple uses.

In essence, while each life-gain card has its merits and situational advantages, Sun’s Bounty stands out for its reusability, making it a resilient choice for sustaining life totals over the course of a game.

Cards similar to Sun's Bounty by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sun's Bounty MTG card by a specific set like Coldsnap, 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 Sun's Bounty and other MTG cards: