Boon of Emrakul MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant

Key Takeaways

  1. Boon of Emrakul can neutralize threats while maintaining card advantage for strategic edge in MTG matchups.
  2. Effective in decks with black mana, it may restrict deck versatility due to specific mana cost requirements.
  3. Boon of Emrakul shines in creature-heavy metas, reinforcing board control and enabling combo potentials.

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets +3/-3.

All around Emrakul, life re-formed in her image.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Enchanting an opponent’s creature with Boon of Emrakul can effectively neutralize a threat and potentially lead to advantageous two-for-one scenarios. When their creature is destroyed, you’ve effectively removed a threat while retaining your enchantment card’s value.

Resource Acceleration: Although Boon of Emrakul doesn’t directly accelerate resources in terms of mana, tactically it can be seen as a form of acceleration by efficiently dealing with a threat for less mana than it might cost to handle it with a creature or more expensive removal.

Instant Speed: The aura operates at sorcery speed; however, its low mana cost allows players to keep mana available for other instant speed interactions within the same turn, maintaining a flexible and reactive playstyle.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Boon of Emrakul necessitates discarding a card from your hand, potentially putting you at a disadvantage if your hand is already diminished or if you’re holding onto key cards for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s casting cost requires both colorless and black mana, which may not easily align with decks that are not tailored around a black mana base, possibly restricting its utility in a wider range of deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While providing a noteworthy enchanting effect, Boon of Emrakul has a mana cost that some players might find too steep compared to other removal or aura options available, potentially limiting its inclusion in various competitive formats.


Reasons to Include Boon of Emrakul in Your Collection

Versatility: Boon of Emrakul is a flexible card that can be slotted into a variety of deck archetypes. Its ability to enchant a creature gives it defensive and offensive capabilities, making it suitable for aggressive and control strategies alike.

Combo Potential: With its enchant creature ability, Boon of Emrakul synergizes with decks focused on aura and enchantment bonuses. It can be part of intricate combos, boosting the power of creatures or triggering enchantment-related abilities.

Meta-Relevance: If the current meta leans towards creature-heavy tactics, Boon of Emrakul’s ability to swing the balance by providing an advantage through its enchantment effects could be pivotal. Its contribution to board control is particularly relevant in such a meta.


How to beat

Boon of Emrakul is a card that can catch players off guard with its enchantment aura, capable of attaching to creatures and providing a sizable boost in power. Navigating around this card involves a mix of strategic planning and timely responses. Understanding when to remove the creature before the aura hits or having enchantment removal spells ready is a fundamental counter strategy.

Considering its three mana cost, cards like Naturalize or Disenchant that can destroy enchantments are efficient answers. Waiting for your opponent to attempt to attach Boon of Emrakul, then using instant-speed removal spells can leave them at a disadvantage, as they lose both the aura and the creature in one swoop. Keeping up mana for these responses while being cautious about extending your creatures on the board can significantly diminish the impact of Boon of Emrakul.

Preemptive plays such as Duress allow you to peek at your opponent’s hand and potentially remove threats before they materialize. Flexibility in your gameplay, along with a reserve of answer cards, often is the key to outstripping the boon that this card could potentially bestow upon your adversary.


Cards like Boon of Emrakul

Boon of Emrakul is an intriguing enchantment in the landscape of Magic: The Gathering, offering a twist on the usual aura buffs given its detrimental effect to the opponent’s creatures. It can be closely compared to Dead Weight, another enchantment that simply reduces a creature’s power and toughness. Boon of Emrakul edges out with its higher reduction metrics and ability to often outright kill a creature due to toughness reaching zero. Both serve as effective means to neutralize threats on the battlefield.

When we consider other cards like Spontaneous Mutation, we find a different flavor of debuff. This card scales its power-reducing effect based on the number of cards in your graveyard, potentially surpassing Boon of Emrakul in certain deck builds. Lastly, there’s Weight of Conscience, which permanently taps a creature and offers an exile effect with its additional requirement. These enchantments provide a versatile toolkit for controlling opponents’ creatures in various MTG formats.

While all these cards share the theme of weakening creatures, Boon of Emrakul’s immediate and significant impact on the board gives it a distinctive status, capable of turning the tides of a game by transforming creatures from threatening to harmless.

Dead Weight - MTG Card versions
Spontaneous Mutation - MTG Card versions
Weight of Conscience - MTG Card versions
Dead Weight - Innistrad (ISD)
Spontaneous Mutation - Eldritch Moon (EMN)
Weight of Conscience - Morningtide (MOR)

Cards similar to Boon of Emrakul by color, type and mana cost

Gloom - MTG Card versions
Season of the Witch - MTG Card versions
Tourach's Gate - MTG Card versions
Withering Wisps - MTG Card versions
Funeral March - MTG Card versions
Casting of Bones - MTG Card versions
Blanket of Night - MTG Card versions
Necropotence - MTG Card versions
Hecatomb - MTG Card versions
Megrim - MTG Card versions
Recurring Nightmare - MTG Card versions
Contamination - MTG Card versions
Oppression - MTG Card versions
Maggot Therapy - MTG Card versions
Murderous Betrayal - MTG Card versions
Noxious Field - MTG Card versions
Tainted Well - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Arena - MTG Card versions
Gravestorm - MTG Card versions
Mortiphobia - MTG Card versions
Gloom - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Season of the Witch - The Dark (DRK)
Tourach's Gate - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Withering Wisps - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Funeral March - Homelands (HML)
Casting of Bones - Alliances (ALL)
Blanket of Night - Visions (VIS)
Necropotence - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Hecatomb - Masters Edition (ME1)
Megrim - Stronghold (STH)
Recurring Nightmare - Exodus (EXO)
Contamination - Urza's Saga (USG)
Oppression - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Maggot Therapy - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Murderous Betrayal - Nemesis (NEM)
Noxious Field - Prophecy (PCY)
Tainted Well - Invasion (INV)
Phyrexian Arena - Phyrexia: All Will Be One (ONE)
Gravestorm - Hachette UK (PHUK)
Mortiphobia - Torment (TOR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Boon of Emrakul MTG card by a specific set like Eldritch Moon and Mystery Booster, 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 Boon of Emrakul and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Boon of Emrakul Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2016-07-22 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Svetlin Velinov.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-07-22Eldritch MoonEMN 812015normalblackSvetlin Velinov
22019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 5842015normalblackSvetlin Velinov
32020-09-26The ListPLST EMN-812015normalblackSvetlin Velinov

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Boon of Emrakul has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

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