Nyxborn Eidolon MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment Creature — Spirit
Abilities	Bestow
Released	2014-02-07
Set symbol
Set name	Born of the Gods
Set code	BNG
Power	2
Toughness	1
Number	78
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Nils Hamm

Key Takeaways

Nyxborn Eidolon’s enchantment creature type bolsters card interactions, maximizing game advantages.
An affordable casting cost accelerates your board presence without draining resources.
Much-needed instant-speed bestow mechanic offers timely battlefield adaptability.

Text of card

Bestow (If you cast this card for its bestow cost, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. It becomes a creature again if it's not attached to a creature.) Enchanted creature gets +2/+1.

A body Returned, a soul still lost.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Nyxborn Eidolon can contribute to your card advantage through its enchantment creature type. This dual nature means it can be recurred or manipulated by effects that target either enchantments or creatures, effectively doubling the potential interactions and uses within a game, and providing more opportunities for you to gain an edge over your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: While Nyxborn Eidolon itself doesn’t directly provide resource acceleration, it can be a cost-effective play. With its modest casting cost, it allows you to deploy other resources more rapidly. Its presence early in the game can help set up a formidable board state while still holding mana for other strategic plays.

Instant Speed: Nyxborn Eidolon operates at sorcery speed, but its bestow mechanic offers a versatile instant-speed interaction. You can cast it as an Aura spell to attach to another creature, which can be a tactical move if you’re responding to removal spells targeting your creatures. This capability allows you to shift your strategy on the fly and maintain a robust stance even during your opponent’s turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Incorporating Nyxborn Eidolon into your gameplay can present a challenge due to its need for an additional card to be discarded. This can put you at a strategic disadvantage, especially when playing with a hand that is already resource-limited.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost of Nyxborn Eidolon is fixed and requires a certain combination of mana types. This can pose a limitation as it necessitates a tailored mana base, which may not align with all deck types, hindering its versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When evaluating the efficiency of Nyxborn Eidolon’s mana cost relative to its benefits, it may be found lacking. There are several other cards available that could potentially provide greater value or more impactful effects for the same or lower mana investment.

Reasons to Include Nyxborn Eidolon in Your Collection

Versatility: Nyxborn Eidolon offers solid flexibility for deck building. This enchantment creature can be a key part of your devotion strategy or act as an early blocker when facing aggressive decks. Its role in a variety of archetypes makes it a utility player in many black-based decks.

Combo Potential: As an enchantment creature, Nyxborn Eidolon works well with mechanics that care about either enchantments or creatures. It can be sacrificed for value, reanimated, or even used as part of a constellation mechanic to trigger beneficial effects multiple times in decks designed around such synergies.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where enchantment interactions are part of the competitive scene, Nyxborn Eidolon earns points for adding to your enchantment count while remaining a cost-effective play. In matches where every point of devotion leads to a more substantial board presence or enables a game-winning play, this card could be a sleeper hit.

How to beat

Nyxborn Eidolon enters the battlefield as a subtle yet potent force within the enchantment-creature lineup. Its enchantment synergies make it a versatile asset, often bolstering strategies centered around devotion or enchantment themes. While initially not imposing, it’s the lurking potential with numerous enchantments that gives this card its edge.

To effectively counter Nyxborn Eidolon, consider deploying removal spells that specifically target enchantments. Cards like Naturalize or Disenchant can dismantle the threat by not only removing the creature but also nullifying any bonuses conferred to other creatures on the board. Targeted creature removal spells are equally efficient, as they can directly eliminate the Eidolon before its presence can significantly influence the game state.

Preemptive measures, such as Thoughtseize or Duress, are also strategic options, stripping this card from your opponent’s hand before they have the opportunity to cast it. For those who would rather bypass it, an evasion approach using flying or unblockable creatures can readily outmaneuver Nyxborn Eidolon’s ground-based influence, pushing you towards victory. However you choose to approach the challenge, assessing your deck’s strengths and potential answers remains crucial to overcoming the Nyxborn Eidolon’s enchanting presence.

Cards like Nyxborn Eidolon

Nyxborn Eidolon enters the realm of enchantment creatures within Magic: The Gathering, boasting similarities to other low-cost creatures that favor enchantment synergies. It echoes the utility found in Bassara Tower Archer, another enchantment creature that provides solid defensive value. However, Nyxborn Eidolon stands out due to its enchantment creature status which makes it a versatile option for decks leveraging constellation mechanics or devotion.

Ghostblade Eidolon is another comparable spirit, granting double strike when bestowed upon another creature. Although it carries a higher mana cost compared to the more economical Nyxborn Eidolon, it potentially offers a more significant impact on the battlefield when used effectively. Another card in this conversation is Baleful Eidolon, providing deathtouch instead of Nyxborn Eidolon’s power buff. This characteristic offers a different type of board control, focusing on deterring attackers rather than enhancing your own offensive line.

While assessing creatures that excel in an enchantment-heavy environment, Nyxborn Eidolon provides a valuable balance of low mana cost and useful power boost. It’s a staple for those looking to exploit the synergies within enchantment-focused decks in Magic: The Gathering.

Bassara Tower Archer - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Nyxborn Eidolon by color, type and mana cost

Chains of Mephistopheles - MTG Card versions

Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Nyxborn Eidolon MTG card by a specific set like Born of the Gods, 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 Nyxborn Eidolon and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Nyxborn Eidolon has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-09-15	An Aura that becomes a creature is no longer put into its owner’s graveyard as a state-based action. Rather, it becomes unattached and remains on the battlefield as long as it’s a creature. While it’s a creature, it can’t be attached to another permanent or player. An Aura that’s not attached to a legal permanent or player as defined by its enchant ability and also isn’t a creature will be put into its owner’s graveyard as a state-based action.
2013-09-15	Auras attached to a creature don’t become tapped when the creature becomes tapped. Except in some rare cases, an Aura with bestow remains untapped when it becomes unattached and becomes a creature.
2013-09-15	If a permanent with bestow enters the battlefield by any method other than being cast, it will be an enchantment creature. You can’t choose to pay the bestow cost and have it become an Aura.
2013-09-15	On the stack, a spell with bestow is either a creature spell or an Aura spell. It’s never both, although it’s an enchantment spell in either case.
2013-09-15	Unlike other Aura spells, an Aura spell with bestow isn’t countered if its target is illegal as it begins to resolve. Rather, the effect making it an Aura spell ends, it loses enchant creature, it returns to being an enchantment creature spell, and it resolves and enters the battlefield as an enchantment creature.
2013-09-15	Unlike other Auras, an Aura with bestow isn’t put into its owner’s graveyard if it becomes unattached. Rather, the effect making it an Aura ends, it loses enchant creature, and it remains on the battlefield as an enchantment creature. It can attack (and its abilities can be activated, if it has any) on the turn it becomes unattached if it’s been under your control continuously, even as an Aura, since your most recent turn began.
2013-09-15	You don’t choose whether the spell is going to be an Aura spell or not until the spell is already on the stack. Abilities that affect when you can cast a spell, such as flash, will apply to the spell after you’ve made this choice. For example, an effect that said you can cast creature spells as though they have flash won’t allow you to cast a creature card with bestow as an Aura spell anytime you could cast an instant, but one that said you can cast Aura spells as though they have flash will.