Benthic Biomancer MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Merfolk Wizard Mutant
Abilities Adapt
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Benthic Biomancer excels in card quality control, adapting to refine your hand and strategy.
  2. Offers adaptability at instant speed, keeping opponents uncertain and reactive in-game.
  3. Versatility keeps it relevant across multiple deck archetypes within the shifting MTG meta.

Text of card

: Adapt 1. (If this creature has no +1/+1 counters on it, put a +1/+1 counter on it.) Whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on Benthic Biomancer, draw a card, then discard a card.

"I am my life's work."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Benthic Biomancer shines at tweaking your hand, as it lets you loot—draw a card, then discard a card—when it adapts. It helps you sift through your deck to find the answers or threats you need at crucial moments in the game.

Resource Acceleration: While Benthic Biomancer itself does not directly accelerate your resources, it can help dig for the necessary cards to set up your mana base or find acceleration tools. It’s an evolutionary leap toward smoothing out your plays.

Instant Speed: The ability to adapt Benthic Biomancer at instant speed is a tactical advantage, allowing you to respond to your opponent’s actions or end-of-turn decisions, keeping them guessing and always on their toes. It’s a subtle but potent way to maintain control over the flow of the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To leverage Benthic Biomancer’s adapt ability, a player must discard a card. This could be a strategic setback when hand size is already diminished or when the discard could lead to losing a crucial piece of your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Benthic Biomancer requires both blue mana and generic mana to cast and use its adapt ability. This necessity can restrict its inclusion to blue-centric or two-color decks, potentially making it less versatile in a multi-colored deck environment.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When considering the cost to adapt and the potential benefits, Benthic Biomancer may appear taxing. For a similar mana investment, players could potentially cast other creatures with immediate impact or ones that offer more substantial scalability throughout the game.


Reasons to Include Benthic Biomancer in Your Collection

Versatility: Benthic Biomancer is a flexible card, easily slotting into blue-based aggro, control, or midrange decks. Its ability to loot—draw a card and then discard a card—helps to adjust your hand to better suit the current state of play.

Combo Potential: This creature pairs excellently with cards that thrive on +1/+1 counters or card draw mechanics, allowing for powerful synergies and enabling you to build momentum as the game progresses.

Meta-Relevance: In the ever-shifting MTG landscape, Benthic Biomancer holds its ground as a relevant card to combat various deck types. Its adaptability can be a game-changer, enabling it to respond effectively to a wide array of opposing strategies.


How to beat

Benthic Biomancer is a unique creature card in MTG that excels in decks focusing on card draw and adaptation. With its ability to loot—a term used for drawing a card and then discarding a card—whenever a +1/+1 counter is placed on it, it can be a subtle but effective way to filter your hand and find the right pieces for your strategy. As with any looting effect, the key to beating Benthic Biomancer lies in minimizing its ability to manipulate the player’s hand.

To counter this merfolk wizard efficiently, consider using removal spells after the opponent invests in its adapt ability, thus wasting their resources. Instant-speed interaction is particularly effective as it can disrupt the loot process in the middle of an adapt activation. Moreover, cards that impose restrictions on drawing or force discarding can negate the advantage Benthic Biomancer provides. Keeping pressure on the opponent’s card advantage is essential, as hindering their ability to sift through their deck can stifle their overall game plan. Additionally, graveyard disruption can be useful if the opponent relies on retrieving cards from the discard pile. Successfully navigating these strategies will contribute to overcoming the challenges posed by Benthic Biomancer.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the depths of MTG is a rewarding venture, especially with cards like Benthic Biomancer. This merfolk wizard adds strategical depth to your games, perfecting your hand and adjusting to the board state with finesse. While this card demands careful play to maximize its potential, the benefits of including it in your deck are compelling. Whether you’re looking to create a ripple in your local meta or just aiming to enhance your collection with versatile, synergistic options, Benthic Biomancer could be your next great discovery. Dive deeper with us and find out how Benthic Biomancer can harmonize with your deck strategy.


Cards like Benthic Biomancer

Benthic Biomancer steps into the realm of creature utility in Magic: The Gathering, offering a blend of adaptability and card selection. Reminiscent of other creatures like Merfolk Looter, which also allows for card filtering, Benthic Biomancer has the added benefit of being able to grow through its adapt ability. This makes it not only a tool for refining your hand but also a potential threat on the board.

Comparable to Looter il-Kor with its shadow mechanic, Benthic Biomancer offers a transparent approach with no evasion but compensates with the versatility of increasing its stats. Meanwhile, Wharf Infiltrator shares the facet of creature card draw but differs in that it provides a pathway to sneaking in Emerge creatures. Benthic Biomancer is straightforward in its approach: adapt and draw, with no additional frills.

Assessing these options, Benthic Biomancer fits snugly into decks that value continuous card quality improvement and enjoy the upside of a creature that adjusts to the game’s needs, whether it’s demanding a better hand or a more robust presence on the battlefield.

Merfolk Looter - MTG Card versions
Looter il-Kor - MTG Card versions
Wharf Infiltrator - MTG Card versions
Merfolk Looter - Exodus (EXO)
Looter il-Kor - Time Spiral (TSP)
Wharf Infiltrator - Eldritch Moon (EMN)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Benthic Biomancer MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica Allegiance and Ravnica Allegiance Promos, 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 Benthic Biomancer and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Benthic Biomancer Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2019-01-25 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by Daarken.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-01-25Ravnica AllegianceRNA 322015normalblackDaarken
22019-01-25Ravnica Allegiance PromosPRNA 32s2015normalblackDaarken
32019-01-25Ravnica Allegiance PromosPRNA 32p2015normalblackDaarken
42023-11-17The Lost Caverns of Ixalan CommanderLCC 1452015normalblackDaarken

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Benthic Biomancer has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Benthic Biomancer card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2019-01-25 An ability that triggers when counters are put on a permanent will trigger if that permanent somehow enters the battlefield with those counters.
2019-01-25 If a creature somehow loses all of its +1/+1 counters, it can adapt again and get more +1/+1 counters.
2019-01-25 You can always activate an ability that will cause a creature to adapt. As that ability resolves, if the creature has a +1/+1 counter on it for any reason, you simply won't put any +1/+1 counters on it.
2019-01-25 You draw a card and discard a card all while Benthic Biomancer's triggered ability is resolving. Nothing can happen between the two, and no player may choose to take actions.

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