Bravado MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	1998-10-12
Set symbol
Set name	Urza's Saga
Set code	USG
Number	177
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jerry Tiritilli

Key Takeaways

Bravado turns creatures into considerable threats, potentially dictating opponent’s removal strategy.
Instant speed offers flexibility, making it a surprise element in combat scenarios.
Despite the power boost, mana and discard demands can limit its applicability in gameplay.

Text of card

Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for each other creature you control.

"We drive the dragons from our home. Why should we fear you?" —Fire Eye, viashino bey

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Bravado is influential in creating card superiority. It boosts your creature’s power, turning any creature into a more formidable threat. This can force your opponent to deal with your enhanced creature, often leading to a favorable exchange for you.

Resource Acceleration: This card can significantly enhance your resource development by making your creature a bigger target for your opponent’s removal spells. In multiplayer games, Bravado can accelerate your board presence as it gains power with each additional creature you control, which can quickly snowball into an overwhelming advantage.

Instant Speed: The ability to play Bravado at instant speed provides you tactical flexibility. You can cast it during combat on an unblocked attacker to increase its damage output unexpectedly or use it defensively to buff a blocker, potentially disrupting your opponent’s strategy.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Bravado necessitates discarding another card to activate certain abilities. This discard can deplete your hand, potentially leaving you at a strategic disadvantage, especially in the late game where resources are crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: Bravado’s casting cost requires red mana, which can restrict deck-building options. If your deck isn’t optimized for red mana or runs on a multi-colored base, integrating Bravado effectively can be challenging.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Though Bravado can offer a significant power boost, its mana cost is on the higher side when weighed against other enchantments or instant-speed buffs in the same mana range. This can affect your tempo, as investing in a single creature’s enhancement might not always be the best play.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Bravado thrives in environments that are heavy with creature spells, amplifying the power of even the smallest creature to become a formidable threat. It’s a card that can pivot any deck towards a more aggressive stance, or simply bolster your current line-up.

Combo Potential: With Bravado in play, the synergy with token-generating cards or effects that increase the number of creatures on the battlefield becomes significant. This elevates its potential in combos, turning swarms of creatures into overwhelming forces.

Meta-Relevance: As the game ebbs and flows with different meta trends, Bravado retains value by countering creature-light control decks. Its presence forces opponents to deal with an ever-scaling threat, making it a strategic choice for those wishing to stay ahead of the prevailing meta.

How to Beat Bravado

Bravado is a unique enchantment in Magic: The Gathering that can turn the tide of battle by bolstering the power of your creatures proportionate to the number of creatures you control. This card is best countered by limiting the number of creatures on your opponent’s side of the battlefield. Board wipes such as Wrath of God or Doomskar are particularly effective against decks that aim to maximize the value of Bravado.

Spot removal spells like Path to Exile or Assassin’s Trophy also work well by removing key creatures before Bravado’s effect can significantly amplify their power. Additionally, instant-speed interaction is key, allowing you to respond to the casting of Bravado or in response to creatures entering the battlefield that would otherwise benefit from the enchantment.

Being proactive is important. Employ strategies that prevent your opponent from developing a wide board state. Cards that can also negate the effects of enchantments, such as Disenchant or Naturalize, are effective for a straightforward approach. Understanding and disrupting your opponent’s strategy is essential in overcoming the challenge that Bravado presents on the battlefield.

Cards like Bravado

Bravado is a unique aura in Magic: The Gathering, enhancing a creature based on the number of creatures controlling player has. Its closest relatives would be cards like Glorious Anthem, which gives a flat boost to all creatures you control. Bravado shines in decks dense with creatures, potentially granting a more substantial individual power and toughness increase than the static bonus of Glorious Anthem.

Crusade is another card that performs a similar function, offering a consistent boost, but only to white creatures. This limitation makes Bravado a more flexible option in multicolored decks or those leveraging a variety of creatures. If comparing to the likes of Shared Triumph, Bravado again offers broad support not restrained to a single creature type. Shared Triumph asks for a specific creature type commitment which makes Bravado more adaptable in assorted creature decks.

When evaluating enchantments that amplify creature capabilities, Bravado’s scalability with the number of creatures you control can lead to overwhelming advantages, supporting its validity in creature-heavy strategies within the world of Magic: The Gathering. It holds its ground as a powerful option for players who favor swarming the battlefield.

Cards similar to Bravado by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Bravado MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga, 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 Bravado and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Bravado has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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