Abzan Runemark MTG Card
2015-01-23 - Number 3
2019-11-07 - Number 8
2020-09-26 - Number FRF-3
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Enchantment — Aura |
| Abilities | Enchant |
Key Takeaways
- Abzan Runemark can indirectly lead to card advantage by empowering creatures, forcing opponents to respond.
- Efficiently costed, it accelerates your game plan by enhancing creatures earlier than your opponent may anticipate.
- Though not at instant speed, its buffs set up for advantageous combat scenarios, crucial in gameplay.
Guide to Vigilance card ability
In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.
Text of card
Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets +2/+2. Enchanted creature has vigilance as long as you control a black or green permanent.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Abzan Runemark may not directly allow you to draw cards, but its ability to enhance a creature can sway the board state in your favor. Boosting your creatures’ power and toughness creates a more formidable presence, indirectly leading to card advantage by forcing your opponent to deal with your enhanced creatures or risk being overwhelmed.
Resource Acceleration: Although Abzan Runemark doesn’t offer traditional resource acceleration like adding mana, it does contribute to bolstering your board state at a reasonable cost. The enhancement it provides is efficient for its mana investment, potentially accelerating your game plan by making your creatures more threatening sooner than expected.
Instant Speed: This aspect is not applicable to Abzan Runemark since it is an aura enchantment played at sorcery speed. However, the enhancement it grants during your main phase can set up unexpected favorable blocks or attacks during combat, simulating the surprise element usually associated with instant speed actions.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While this card doesn’t directly require a discard, it can be indirectly demanding when it comes to managing resources. In some situations, utilizing the buff it provides could lead to a difficult choice where you might need to discard other valuable cards to garner its benefits fully.
Specific Mana Cost: The color combination required for the Abzan Runemark is quite specific. Its cost includes green, white, and black mana, which can limit the card’s versatility across different deck archetypes that do not run this particular color trio.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Having to spend three mana might be a significant investment considering what the card offers. Other enchantments or spells at this cost can potentially provide a broader impact on the game, whether it’s through more considerable enhancement or additional effects, making Abzan Runemark a less favorable choice among competitive players.
Reasons to Include Abzan Runemark in Your Collection
Versatility: Abzan Runemark offers flexible buff options in deck building, catering to those who capitalize on enhancing creature strength. Its synergy with both white and black permanents makes it a valuable addition to multicolored decks, providing greater power and toughness to your creatures.
Combo Potential: With Abzan Runemark, players can uncover creative combinations, particularly in decks that prioritize bolstering creature abilities. This card is a cog in the machine of combo-oriented strategies focused on creating formidable creatures on the battlefield.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where combat tricks and creature enhancements can turn the tide, Abzan Runemark stays relevant. For decks competing within environments where creature-based strategies are prevalent, this enchantment can be a game-changer, providing the necessary boost to outmatch opponents in battle.
How to beat
Confronting an opponent’s Abzan Runemark in your Magic: The Gathering match can be a tricky situation. This aura, known for buffing creatures with a notable bonus to both power and toughness, can swing the board state in your opponent’s favor abruptly. To counteract its potential, focus on maintaining removal spells in your deck that can target either the creature it’s enchanting or the Runemark itself.
Direct removal spells such as Naturalize or Mortify can be great tools to directly dismantle the boost provided by Abzan Runemark. Additionally, board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation ensure that the creature, along with any augmentations, is cleared away. It’s also worth noting that keeping instant-speed interaction allows you to respond right before your opponent capitalizes on the power boost during combat, maximizing the utility of your spells and minimizing the impact of their Runemark.
Understanding the benefit of versatile and timely removal in your deck composition is key. By preparing for such enhancements and having an answer ready, you stand a good chance of mitigating the Runemark’s influence and maintaining the upper hand in your duels across the planes.
Cards like Abzan Runemark
Abzan Runemark is an intriguing enchantment in the realm of Magic: The Gathering. It slots into decks looking to bolster their creatures, much like other auras such as Spectra Ward. Although not as protective as Spectra Ward, which offers comprehensive damage immunity, Abzan Runemark provides a significant power boost to creatures with the appropriate color identity. Its dependency on permanents with white, black, or green enables a synergy in decks crafted around these colors.
When examining cards like Ethereal Armor, we see a different kind of power scaling. Ethereal Armor increases a creature’s might and fortitude for each enchantment you control, potentially offering a greater swing in stats, but without the color-based requirement. Glaring Aegis is another card that shares a similarity with Abzan Runemark, providing a power boost and additional utility by tapping a potential blocker upon casting.
In essence, while weighing the benefits of these enchantment cards, Abzan Runemark finds its niche in Abzan-colored decks that can reliably meet its conditions, thereby turning any creature into quite the formidable force on the battlefield.
Cards similar to Abzan Runemark by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Abzan Runemark MTG card by a specific set like Fate Reforged 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 Abzan Runemark 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
Printings
The Abzan Runemark Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2015-01-23 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by James Ryman.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015-01-23 | Fate Reforged | FRF | 3 | 2015 | normal | black | James Ryman | |
| 2 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 8 | 2015 | normal | black | James Ryman | |
| 3 | The List | PLST | FRF-3 | 2015 | normal | black | James Ryman |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Abzan Runemark has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
