Baleful Mastery MTG Card


Alternative casting cost offers mana efficiency, enabling more versatile play within the same turn. Instant speed option disrupts opponents’ strategies, giving players a decisive tactical advantage. The card’s downside, such as enabling opponent card draw, requires strategic deck play.
Card setsReleased in 7 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeInstant

Text of card

You may pay rather than pay this spell's mana cost. If the cost was paid, an opponent draws a card. Exile target creature or planeswalker.


Cards like Baleful Mastery

Baleful Mastery stands out among removal spells in Magic: The Gathering. It echoes the swift nature of other instant-speed removals like Murder, which also destroys a creature or planeswalker. But Baleful Mastery is more than just a reactive card; it’s a strategic tool. At a reduced cost, opponents get to draw a card, presenting a choice between tempo and card advantage.

When compared to the likes of Vraska’s Contempt, Baleful Mastery offers a lower mana cost but doesn’t gain you life. Meanwhile, spells like Hero’s Downfall have similar functions, but Baleful Mastery has the added edge of exiling the target, preventing graveyard interactions. Utter End also exiles, but its higher cost makes Baleful Mastery a more flexible option in fast-paced games.

Ultimately, Baleful Mastery provides a unique advantage in the realm of creature and planeswalker removal. Its ability to disrupt the opponent while keeping mana open for other plays makes it a significant player, sometimes favoring the tactical costs versus the immediate benefits seen in similar MTG cards.

Murder - MTG Card versions
Vraska's Contempt - MTG Card versions
Hero's Downfall - MTG Card versions
Utter End - MTG Card versions
Murder - MTG Card versions
Vraska's Contempt - MTG Card versions
Hero's Downfall - MTG Card versions
Utter End - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Baleful Mastery. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Dimir MillDimir Mill ModernMillModern League 2024-04-10
SkelementalsSkelementals ModernSkelementalsModern Challenge 32 2024-04-19
Sultai ComboSultai Combo GladiatorGladiator Proving Grounds: Week 15 2024

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Baleful Mastery presents a unique twist on card advantage. While it does allow an opponent to draw a card, it offers the caster a cost-efficient removal option without giving up a turn. This means you can deal with threats while still progressing your own board state.

Resource Acceleration: It doesn’t directly produce mana or tokens, but its reduced alternative casting cost means you can deploy threats or further control elements with the mana saved. This efficiency accelerates your resource allocation, letting you stay ahead in the arms race of spells.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of instant speed removal cannot be overstated. Baleful Mastery enables you to adapt to threats as they arise, even during an opponent’s turn. This can disrupt an opponent’s strategy at critical moments, providing a significant tactical edge.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One notable downside of using Baleful Mastery is its alternative casting condition that allows an opponent to draw a card. This can be a substantial drawback, particularly in situations where you’re attempting to maintain card advantage or when the opponent’s hand is depleted.

Specific Mana Cost: Baleful Mastery’s mana cost requires one black mana, which may present a restriction in multi-colored decks that are not heavily aligned with black mana sources. This can lead to situations where the card is uncastable due to a lack of the necessary mana color at critical moments.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Though offering versatility, its regular casting cost of four mana — two generic and two black — can be steep. In a format where efficiency is key, there might be alternative removal spells that accomplish similar outcomes without consuming as much of your mana resources during a turn.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Baleful Mastery is an adaptable removal spell that can fit into almost any black deck. Its flexibility lies in the option to cast it for a reduced mana cost at the risk of giving an opponent a card advantage. This decision feature allows for strategic plays based on game circumstances.

Combo Potential: This spell can work seamlessly with decks that take advantage of spells with multiple costs or benefits derived from casting spells with certain characteristics. Additionally, it can be a key interaction piece in decks that capitalize on your opponents drawing cards.

Meta-Relevance: In a metagame teeming with potent creatures and planeswalkers, Baleful Mastery provides a cost-efficient solution to neutralize threats. Its ability to exile rather than destroy makes it a strong contender against indestructible or graveyard-based strategies that are prevalent in various MTG formats.


How to beat

Baleful Mastery is a unique removal spell that allows players to exile a target creature or planeswalker at a relatively low cost. To successfully navigate around this spell, consider employing cards with hexproof or indestructible abilities. These traits often provide a layer of protection from targeted removal spells like Baleful Mastery. Furthermore, using creatures that offer benefits upon leaving the battlefield can counteract the disadvantage of being exiled. It’s also advantageous to hold onto backup threats in your hand to maintain board presence after an opponent resolves Baleful Mastery.

Playing around the alternative casting cost is another astute approach. When an opponent opts to utilize the cheaper cost for casting Baleful Mastery, they allow you to draw a card. Timing is essential here—capitalize by refilling your hand, maintaining card advantage, and outpacing your opponent’s resources. Lastly, instigating a spell war with counterspells when Baleful Mastery is on the stack can keep your key assets safe while draining the opponent’s mana and resources, leaving them vulnerable to your strategic follow-up plays.

In essence, outmaneuvering Baleful Mastery requires a mixture of foresight, deck construction, and tactical in-game decisions to mitigate its potential impact and turn the tables in your favor.


BurnMana Recommendations

Unlock the full potential of your MTG gameplay with Baleful Mastery. This card is a game-changer in any black deck, offering a cost-effective way to exile problematic creatures or planeswalkers. The ability to act at instant speed and adaptively respond to threats makes it a cornerstone for control strategies. Weighing the pros and cons, the strategic depth it adds is undeniable. Whether you’re battling against graveyard tactics or looking for versatility in your removal suite, Baleful Mastery is a compelling choice. Curious to explore its intricacies and learn to wield it effectively in your deck? Dive deeper with us and master this MTG staple.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Baleful Mastery MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and The List, 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 Baleful Mastery and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Baleful Mastery Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2021-04-23 and 2024-04-19. Illustrated by Chris Cold.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 900682015NormalBlackChris Cold
22020-09-26The ListPLST STX-642015NormalBlackChris Cold
32021-04-23Strixhaven: School of MagesSTX 3012015NormalBlackChris Cold
42021-04-23Strixhaven: School of MagesSTX 642015NormalBlackChris Cold
52021-04-24Strixhaven: School of Mages PromosPSTX 64s2015NormalBlackChris Cold
62021-04-24Strixhaven: School of Mages PromosPSTX 64p2015NormalBlackChris Cold
72024-04-19Outlaws of Thunder Junction CommanderOTC 1262015NormalBlackChris Cold

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Baleful Mastery 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 Baleful Mastery card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2021-04-16 If an effect increases or decreases the cost of spells you cast, that cost increase or decrease is applied to the alternative cost you chose to pay. In that case, the cost was still paid for the purposes of the effect, even if you paid more or less for it when it was cast.
2021-04-16 If you choose to pay one alternative cost, you can’t pay any other alternative costs. For example, if an effect lets you cast a “Mastery” spell “without paying its mana cost,” you can’t also choose to pay its given alternative cost.
2021-04-16 If you copy a “Mastery” spell and the alternative cost was paid, the copy will resolve as though the cost was paid.
2021-04-16 In a multiplayer game, you choose which opponent takes the prescribed action as the spell resolves.
2021-04-16 The mana value of a spell on the stack is determined by its mana cost, not any alternative costs you used to pay for it.