Baku Altar MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Rare
Type	Artifact
Released	2005-02-04
Set symbol
Set name	Betrayers of Kamigawa
Set code	BOK
Number	152
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Edward P. Beard, Jr.

Key Takeaways

Provides significant card advantage by turning charge counters into extra cards, maximizing spell impacts.
Enables earlier casting of costly spells by accelerating resources, ramping up in-game strategies.
Operates at instant speed, allowing players to adapt and counter opponents’ moves effectively.

Text of card

Whenever you play a Spirit or Arcane spell, you may put a ki counter on Baku Altar. , , Remove a ki counter from Baku Altar: Put a 1/1 colorless Spirit creature token into play.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Baku Altar shines in the department of card advantage by letting players maximize their Spirit or Arcane spells. Each counter on this artifact turns into potential card draw, keeping your hand full and options open.

Resource Acceleration: By converting noncreature spells into charge counters, Baku Altar serves as a resource acceleration tool. These counters can later facilitate casting costlier spells earlier than usual, ramping up your game plan.

Instant Speed: The beauty of Baku Altar lies in its utility at instant speed. It allows you to interact on your opponent’s turn, making it a versatile piece in your arsenal—turning any of your instants into surprise threats or answers.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the notable drawbacks is the discard condition attached to Baku Altar, which can often backfire, especially in decks running low on cards. This can lead to difficult decisions about resource allocation and may hinder your strategical planning if not managed carefully.

Specific Mana Cost: Baku Altar comes with a specific mana cost composition that could pigeonhole it into certain deck archetypes or colors. This mana specificity can be limiting, especially for those looking to integrate it into a multi-colored deck, thereby reducing its versatility across different strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When looking at the card’s mana value, it’s evident that Baku Altar demands a significant investment for its activation. In the fast-paced environment of modern formats, the cost-to-benefit ratio may not always be in favor of the player, as there are alternative cards that may achieve similar or better outcomes with less mana investment.

Reasons to Include Baku Altar in Your Collection

Versatility: The Baku Altar card offers flexibility in deck-building. It can support a myriad of spirit-based strategies and enhance decks that capitalize on casting multiple spells per turn.

Combo Potential: With its ability to create a Spirit token each time you cast a Spirit or Arcane spell, Baku Altar has the potential to synergize with mechanics that benefit from creature tokens, potentially unlocking powerful combos in spirit-centric decks.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where spirits are prevalent or where incremental advantage is key, Baku Altar can become a pivotal card. It subtly powers up your board state and can be a relentless source of pressure in the right meta.

How to beat

Baku Altar joins the roster of intriguing MTG cards that underpin enchantment strategies. It’s admired for its capacity to harvest dream counters when you cast a Spirit or Arcane spell, further allowing you to summon Spirit creature tokens. Facing an opponent with Baku Altar can be formidable, especially if their deck is brimming with synergistic components.

To counter Baku Altar effectively, consider incorporating enchantment removal spells into your deck. Cards like Disenchant or Naturalize offer a straightforward solution to dismantle the enchantment before it accumulates substantial value. Another avenue is exploiting the card’s dependency on casting certain spell types. Counterspells such as Negate or Dovin’s Veto can impede your adversary from casting the spells that feed Baku Altar, stifling their strategy from the root. It’s about disrupting the synergy by anticipating and diminishing their moves.

In essence, countering Baku Altar requires preemptive measures and strategic planning. Design your deck with card disruption in mind, ensure your plays are well-timed, and maintain board control to prevent the Altar from overwhelming you. After all, mastering the art of counterplay is pivotal in Magic: The Gathering, transforming daunting match-ups into triumphs.

Cards like Baku Altar

The allure of Baku Altar in Magic: The Gathering lies in its unique impact on spirit and arcane spells. Much like Shrine of Loyal Legions, which accumulates value over time, Baku Altar thrives on the long game, gradually amassing power. Shrine of Loyal Legions doesn’t distinguish between spell types, unlike Baku Altar which specifically targets spirits and arcane spells to create Ochre Jelly tokens.

Myojin of Cleansing Fire also ties in with the spirit theme, but it boasts a more immediate, extensive purification effect upon the battlefield. The wait for value to accrue with Baku Altar contrasts sharply with the instant cleansing Myojin of Cleansing Fire provides — albeit at a significantly higher mana cost. Another related card, Long-Forgotten Gohei, enhances spirit spells much like Baku Altar does; however, it focuses on reducing costs and bolstering power rather than token generation.

Evaluating Baku Altar alongside its counterparts, it becomes clear that its strategic potential in spirit and arcane-centered decks lies in incremental advantage, setting the stage for a powerful position as the game progresses within the spirit realm of Magic: The Gathering.

Shrine of Loyal Legions - MTG Card versions

Myojin of Cleansing Fire - MTG Card versions

Long-Forgotten Gohei - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Baku Altar by color, type and mana cost

Water Gun Balloon Game - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Baku Altar MTG card by a specific set like Betrayers of Kamigawa, 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 Baku Altar and other MTG cards: