Phantasmal Bear MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Bear Illusion
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. At one blue mana, Phantasmal Bear can pressure opponents quickly while saving cards for later plays.
  2. Being an Illusion, it’s susceptible to sacrifice if targeted, demanding mindful play to avoid loss.
  3. Despite fragility, it offers aggressive early presence as a 2/2, fitting into swift tempo strategies.

Text of card

When Phantasmal Bear becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.

"You know it to be false, but when its claws find you, what you know won't matter much at all." —Pol Jamaar, illusionist


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Phantasmal Bear offers a strategic element to your deck as it requires judicious play to maintain board presence. Although it doesn’t directly allow you to draw cards, its low cost enables a rapid deployment that can pressure opponents early in the game while preserving other cards in hand.

Resource Acceleration: This creature’s mere one blue mana cost has the potential to accelerate your game plan by populating the board quickly with a 2/2 creature. This can lead to a faster execution of your strategy before opponents are fully set up.

Instant Speed: While Phantasmal Bear itself is a creature card and not played at instant speed, its cheap cost leaves mana available. This ensures resources for instant speed responses during your opponent’s turn, keeping you flexible and ready for interactive play.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Phantasmal Bear presents a drawback in its illusionary nature, as any targeted spell or ability from an opponent mandates its sacrifice, often equating to an inadvertent discard.

Specific Mana Cost: Incorporated into decks requiring blue mana, the Phantasmal Bear’s mana cost restricts deck-building versatility, potentially alienating it from diverse mana pools.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Though its summoning cost is low, the intrinsic risk associated with its ease of removal may not justify the inclusion over other more resilient one-drop creatures.


Reasons to Include Phantasmal Bear in Your Collection

Versatility: Phantasmal Bear is a remarkable addition to decks that demand a swift and efficient early game play. With its cost efficiency and solid stats for a one-drop creature, it melds seamlessly into several blue-based aggressive and tempo strategies.

Combo Potential: As an illusion, this card presents fascinating synergies with lords and other cards that favor the illusionary tribe. Its low cost also makes it an ideal candidate for sacrifice-based combos or as a surprise blocker when needed.

Meta-Relevance: In a gaming environment where early board presence can be critical, Phantasmal Bear holds its ground. It is particularly adept in metas with fewer targeted removal spells, allowing it to remain a constant threat on the board without its drawback being too detrimental.


How to Beat Phantasmal Bear

Phantasmal Bear is a creature that, at first glance, seems an efficient play with a 2/2 body for just one blue mana. In decks that thrive on tempo and early board presence, it can be a troublesome adversary. Yet, it has an Achilles heel that seasoned players can exploit – its ‘illusion’ vulnerability that forces it to be sacrificed upon becoming the target of a spell or ability.

To counter Phantasmal Bear effectively, inexpensive targeted spells or abilities are your best allies. Cards like Shock or Dead Weight deliver a cost-effective solution, essentially providing a two-for-one trade in mana value. Similarly, abilities from creatures that can target—such as those found on tappers like Gideon’s Lawkeeper—render the Bear trivial to handle. Even the simple act of declaring it as the target of an ability during combat can ensure its removal. This exploitable weakness shifts the card from a potentially aggressive early creature into a liability for the one fielding it. As such, careful management of targeted spells and abilities during gameplay can neutralize the threat posed by Phantasmal Bear with minimal investment.


Cards like Phantasmal Bear

Phantasmal Bear marks its territory in the realm of one-mana creatures within Magic: The Gathering. It nudges its way into the same space as other notable one-drop creatures, such as the classic Slither Blade. Both share a similar potential for early game presence, but Phantasmal Bear differentiates itself with a stronger power stat of 2/2, compared to Slither Blade’s 1/1. However, the illusionary nature of Phantasmal Bear comes at a cost; it must be sacrificed when targeted by a spell or ability, making it a fragile choice in the face of the interactive plays.

Delving further, we find the Merfolk of the Pearl Trident, another one-mana creature that offers a reliable, albeit less potent presence on the board. Contrary to Phantasmal Bear, the Merfolk doesn’t carry any additional downside, but in exchange, it offers a lower power and toughness of 1/1. This makes Phantasmal Bear the more aggressive option.

The delicate balance between raw power and vulnerability makes Phantasmal Bear a unique pick among its peers. Its high-risk, high-reward nature is something to consider for MTG players looking to apply early pressure on opponents, strategically accepting its brittle nature for potentially quick benefits on the battlefield.

Slither Blade - MTG Card versions
Merfolk of the Pearl Trident - MTG Card versions
Slither Blade - Amonkhet (AKH)
Merfolk of the Pearl Trident - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

Cards similar to Phantasmal Bear by color, type and mana cost

Merfolk of the Pearl Trident - MTG Card versions
Flying Men - MTG Card versions
Shrieking Drake - MTG Card versions
Cloud Pirates - MTG Card versions
Fledgling Osprey - MTG Card versions
Manta Riders - MTG Card versions
Faerie Squadron - MTG Card versions
Faerie Seer - MTG Card versions
Fugitive Wizard - MTG Card versions
Wandering Ones - MTG Card versions
Teardrop Kami - MTG Card versions
Dreamcatcher - MTG Card versions
Drifter il-Dal - MTG Card versions
Sage of Epityr - MTG Card versions
Screeching Sliver - MTG Card versions
Timebender - MTG Card versions
Cloud Sprite - MTG Card versions
Merrow Witsniper - MTG Card versions
Cursecatcher - MTG Card versions
Martyr of Frost - MTG Card versions
Merfolk of the Pearl Trident - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Flying Men - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)
Shrieking Drake - Media Inserts (PMEI)
Cloud Pirates - Portal (POR)
Fledgling Osprey - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Manta Riders - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Faerie Squadron - Invasion (INV)
Faerie Seer - Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)
Fugitive Wizard - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Wandering Ones - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Teardrop Kami - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Dreamcatcher - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Drifter il-Dal - Time Spiral (TSP)
Sage of Epityr - Time Spiral (TSP)
Screeching Sliver - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Timebender - Planar Chaos (PLC)
Cloud Sprite - Tenth Edition (10E)
Merrow Witsniper - Morningtide (MOR)
Cursecatcher - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Martyr of Frost - Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra (DD2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Phantasmal Bear MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2012 and Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska, 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 Phantasmal Bear and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Phantasmal Bear Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2011-07-15 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Ryan Yee.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12011-07-15Magic 2012M12 702003normalblackRyan Yee
22014-03-14Duel Decks: Jace vs. VraskaDDM 42003normalblackRyan Yee
32018-03-16Masters 25A25 692015normalblackRyan Yee
42019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 4532015normalblackRyan Yee
52020-09-26The ListPLST A25-692015normalblackRyan Yee

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Phantasmal Bear has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-03-16 If Phantasmal Bear becomes the target of a spell or ability, its ability triggers and goes on the stack on top of that spell or ability. The ability will resolve first (causing Phantasmal Bear to be sacrificed). Unless the spell or ability has another target, it will then be countered when it tries to resolve for having no legal targets.

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