Erebos's Emissary MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment Creature — Snake
Abilities	Bestow
Released	2013-09-27
Set symbol
Set name	Theros
Set code	THS
Power	3
Toughness	3
Number	86
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Sam Burley

Key Takeaways

Turning weak draws into power boosts makes Erebos’s Emissary a potent card in creature-heavy decks.
Instant speed discard ability grants surprise combat advantages and flexible battlefield tactics.
Deck thinning via its creature sacrifice option accelerates access to key resources during play.

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.) Discard a creature card: Erebos's Emissary gets +2/+2 until end of turn. If Erebos's Emissary is an Aura, enchanted creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn instead. Enchanted creature gets +3/+3.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Erebos’s Emissary enables you to transform less useful creatures in your hand into potential game-changers by discarding them for a power boost. This can tilt the scales in your favor by effectively turning dead draws into valuable assets on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: By utilizing its ability to sacrifice another creature, you can strategically thin your deck, accelerating your access to more resources. This can be particularly beneficial in decks that have a plethora of creatures or those that benefit from creatures entering the graveyard.

Instant Speed: The power to discard a creature card to pump Erebos’s Emissary can be activated at instant speed, providing flexibility during combat. It allows you to catch your opponent off guard, potentially turning a defensive block into an offensive victory or vice versa.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To leverage Erebos’s Emissary’s ability, players must discard another creature card, which could diminish hand advantage and negatively impact strategic flexibility in tight game situations.

Specific Mana Cost: Erebos’s Emissary demands a specific mana combination to cast, which could pose a deckbuilding restriction, particularly in multicolored decks that may struggle to meet the black mana requirement consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes three generic and one black mana, Erebos’s Emissary may be considered quite costly given the speed of certain MTG formats, potentially making it a less suitable choice in decks that prioritize lower curve options for faster gameplay.

Reasons to Include Erebos’s Emissary in Your Collection

Versatility: Erebos’s Emissary is a flexible card that can serve multiple roles within a deck. Its ability to boost another creature or itself can make it a game-changer in combat, providing strategic advantages whether you’re on the offensive or holding the line.

Combo Potential: This card can be a key piece in graveyard-centric decks, using its discard ability to enable synergies with reanimation strategies or to simply empower itself for a significant beatdown.

Meta-Relevance: With a meta that often fluctuates between aggro, control, and midrange, Erebos’s Emissary offers a resilience against removal spells, making it a persistent threat that can adapt to the shifting tides of any match-up.

How to Beat

Erebos’s Emissary is an intriguing creature enchantment card from Magic: The Gathering that has the potential to be a thorn in an opponent’s side. Its ability to boost a creature’s power while potentially discarding cards for even greater strength, makes it a target to address swiftly on the battlefield.

To overcome Erebos’s Emissary, consider using removal spells that can bypass its discard ability, such as exile effects or unconditional removals like Path to Exile or Doom Blade. Players should also manage their creature count effectively, as the Emissary’s strength grows with each additional creature available for its buff. A well-timed board wipe can eliminate the boosted creature, nullifying the Emissary’s presence immediately.

Keeping up card advantage and resource management is key, as the player wielding Erebos’s Emissary may find themselves running low on cards due to its discard demands. This can leave them vulnerable to counterattacks. Thus, building your strategy around efficient removal and maintaining card superiority can ensure dominance over Erebos’s Emissary in your matches.

Cards like Erebos's Emissary

Erebos’s Emissary is a unique creature in the realm of enchantment creatures, lending itself to the strategy of augmenting creatures while also providing a discard outlet. In comparison, Baleful Eidolon also enhances creatures via bestowing and lends deathtouch instead of Erebos’s Emissary’s pump ability. However, Erebos’s Emissary’s ongoing ability to buff itself provides more potential for a game-ending threat on an open board.

Another card that echoes the functionality of Erebos’s Emissary is Nighthowler. Nighthowler can also be bestowed on a creature, growing in power as more creatures find their way into graveyards. Both are effective in a graveyard-centric deck, yet Nighthowler’s scalability can potentially surpass that of Erebos’s Emissary’s fixed buffing capability. Lastly, Spiteful Returned takes another twist on the bestow mechanic. Though it may not make a creature as formidable in combat as Erebos’s Emissary, Spiteful Returned’s direct life loss to the opponent upon attacking adds a different strategic layer.

When examining these alternatives, Erebos’s Emissary stands out due to its versatility as a standalone threat and its ability to make any creature significantly more dangerous, which can be decisive in the late game. The capacity to alter combat dynamics makes Erebos’s Emissary a valuable asset in many MTG decks focused on creature-based interactions and attrition strategies.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Erebos's Emissary MTG card by a specific set like Theros, 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 Erebos's Emissary and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Erebos's Emissary has restrictions

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

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Erebos's Emissary 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	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.
2014-02-01	Only the controller of the Erebos's Emissary may activate the ability, even if Erebos's Emissary is attached to a creature another player controls.