The Birth of Meletis MTG Card


The Birth of Meletis - Theros Beyond Death
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment — Saga
Released2020-01-24
Set symbol
Set nameTheros Beyond Death
Set codeTHB
Number5
Frame2015
Layoutsaga
Borderblack
Illustred byTyler Jacobson

Key Takeaways

  1. Delivers card advantage and mana curve smoothing by fetching a Plains card to the battlefield.
  2. Demands specific mana sources, potentially limiting its deck diversity and early-game impact.
  3. Contributes to enchantment synergies and meta relevance, valuable for attrition-based strategies.

Text of card

(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.) I — Search your library for a basic Plains card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library. II — Create a 0/4 colorless Wall artifact creature token with defender. III — You gain 2 life.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The enchantment draws you a card upon entering the battlefield, which provides an incremental benefit and helps maintain a robust hand throughout the game.

Resource Acceleration: The Birth of Meletis thins your deck by allowing you to put a Plains card onto the battlefield tapped, smoothing out your mana curve and setting up future plays.

Instant Speed: Although not an instant itself, the land fetched onto the battlefield can untap during your next untap step, giving you access to more mana almost as swiftly as if you had played an instant.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Fortunately for players using The Birth of Meletis, this card doesn’t necessitate discarding as part of its cost, mitigating concerns about losing valuable hand assets.

Specific Mana Cost: This saga does come with a specific mana requirement—two white mana. This can restrict its inclusion in decks, demanding a commitment to white mana sources or a deck structure that comfortably supports dual colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While not exorbitant, the three-mana investment for The Birth of Meletis might compete with other impactful plays in the crucial early stages of the game. Players must weigh its value against other cards in the three-mana slot that might provide more immediate impact or versatility.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: The Birth of Meletis shines in its ability to blend into various deck themes. This card’s function as a land searcher ensures your mana base stability while also providing a defensive boon on the third turn with the 0/4 Wall. It’s a multifunctional addition whether you’re pressing the advantage or fortifying your defenses.

Combo Potential: Building upon its second ability, The Birth of Meletis sets the stage for enchantment synergies and flicker combinations. Utilizing the token creation, it can enable constellation triggers or work seamlessly with cards that capitalize on creatures entering the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: Given its low casting cost and solid impact, The Birth of Meletis holds a relevant position in decks that aim to outlast opponents through attrition. Its efficacy in the current landscape can’t be underestimated as it bolsters your land count and presents an early obstacle for aggressive strategies.


How to beat

The Birth of Meletis stands as a notable enchantment in the plane of Theros, providing players with an early game advantage. This card’s ability to seek out a basic Plains card thins out the deck, increasing the chances of drawing into more impactful cards in later turns. Additionally, it brings a 0/4 wall into play on the next turn, which can be a modest shield against early aggression. By the third chapter, you gain 2 life, which, albeit minimal, can be just enough to inch ahead in a close match.

To effectively counter The Birth of Meletis, consider the timing of enchantment removal. Since its value accrues over time, disrupting it before the second chapter can be key. Using cards that target enchantments can hinder an opponent’s strategy, especially if their game plan is contingent on the benefits from chapter two and three. Bouncing it back to their hand with spells like Brazen Borrower can also be a setback, considering its casting cost and delayed gratification. Furthermore, land destruction or graveyard interaction to combat fetched Plains can disrupt the tempo advantage your opponent aims to gain.

Despite its allure and utility in deck thinning and early defense, The Birth of Meletis can be mitigated or negated with thoughtful sideboarding and timely interaction, ensuring you maintain the upper hand.


BurnMana Recommendations

Delving into the world of MTG can be profoundly strategic, especially when improving your deck with versatile cards like The Birth of Meletis. This enchantment elevates gameplay by offering card advantage and ensuring a steady mana base with its deck-thinning capability. It’s crucial to balance its mana investment against your deck’s overall strategy and aim for enchantment synergies that can multiply its benefits. For players seeking to enhance their collection and gameplay, understanding the value of The Birth of Meletis is key. Dive deeper into MTG strategy, discover deck building insights, and master your gameplay with us.


Cards like The Birth of Meletis

The Birth of Meletis stands out as an enchanting addition to enchantment-based strategies in Magic: The Gathering. It closely resembles cards like Omen of the Sea, which also provide value upon entering the battlefield. The Birth of Meletis allows players to search their library for a basic Plains card, ensuring land drops and stabilizing the game. Omen of the Sea, by contrast, lets you scry two and then draw a card, offering immediate card selection instead of land acquisition.

In addition to Omen of the Sea, Gift of Paradise is another enchantment that can be compared to The Birth of Meletis. While Gift of Paradise doesn’t allow you to search for lands, it ramps by providing two extra mana of any one color and also offers a small life boost upon entering the battlefield. These enchantments offer different paths to gaining an advantage, with one emphasizing land consistency and the other focusing on mana acceleration and life gain.

Assessing these enchantments shows that, while each has its unique role within different decks, The Birth of Meletis ensures land consistency, a critical part of building a strong foundation in any MTG strategy.

Omen of the Sea - MTG Card versions
Gift of Paradise - MTG Card versions
Omen of the Sea - Theros Beyond Death (THB)
Gift of Paradise - Amonkhet (AKH)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase The Birth of Meletis MTG card by a specific set like Theros Beyond Death, 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 The Birth of Meletis and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where The Birth of Meletis has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-01-24 A chapter ability doesn’t trigger if a lore counter is put on a Saga that already had a number of lore counters greater than or equal to that chapter’s number. For example, the third lore counter put on a Saga causes the III chapter ability to trigger, but I and II won’t trigger again.
2020-01-24 As a Saga enters the battlefield, its controller puts a lore counter on it. As your precombat main phase begins (immediately after your draw step), you put another lore counter on each Saga you control. Putting a lore counter on a Saga in either of these ways doesn’t use the stack.
2020-01-24 Each symbol on the left of a Saga’s text box represents a chapter ability. A chapter ability is a triggered ability that triggers when a lore counter that is put on the Saga causes the number of lore counters on the Saga to become equal to or greater than the ability’s chapter number. Chapter abilities are put onto the stack and may be responded to.
2020-01-24 If multiple chapter abilities trigger at the same time, their controller puts them on the stack in any order. If any of them require targets, those targets are chosen as you put the abilities on the stack, before any of those abilities resolve.
2020-01-24 Once a chapter ability has triggered, the ability on the stack won’t be affected if the Saga gains or loses counters, or if it leaves the battlefield.
2020-01-24 Once the number of lore counters on a Saga is greater than or equal to the greatest number among its chapter abilities, the Saga’s controller sacrifices it as soon as its chapter ability has left the stack, most likely by resolving or being countered. This state-based action doesn’t use the stack.
2020-01-24 Removing lore counters won’t cause a previous chapter ability to trigger. If lore counters are removed from a Saga, the appropriate chapter abilities will trigger again when the Saga receives lore counters.

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