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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day

Daily Since November 2001!

Bonesplitter
Image from Wizards.com

 Bonesplitter
- Mirrodin

Reviewed June 19, 2014

Constructed: 3.45
Casual: 3.25
Limited: 4.00
Multiplayer: 2.75

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale:
1 - Horrible  3 - Average.  5 - Awesome

Click here to see all of our 
Card of the Day Reviews 

BMoor

Bonesplitter

Not quite as notorious as Skullclamp or the Jitte, but no less instrumental in teaching WotC just what their new toy was capable of. A reusable +2/+0 in a Sligh aggro deck for a mere one mana per use can turn even an Ornithopter into a force to be reckoned with on Turn One.Suddenly, even with the extra [1] you're paying, your opponent can't produce a creature big enough to cope. There's a reason Leonin Scimitar got reprinted in a Core Set and this didn't-- this makes aggro just too fast and too resilient to cope with effectively. Even monoblue aggro starts looking scary when they've got access to Ornithopter and Bonesplitter.

Constructed- 4.5
Casual- 4.5
Limited- 4.75
Multiplayer- 2.5

David Fanany

Player since 1995

Bonesplitter
 
In terms of statistics, this is almost literally the equipment version of Rancor. It's both more and less durable than its elder cousin: less vulnerable to the "in response, Terror" countermove, more vulnerable to the old-school answers like Disenchant which some people have even been known to maindeck in casual settings. Mostly, though, it's just a very solid card that makes fast decks faster and almost always implies a significant threat when it's seen in an opponent's territory.
 
Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 2/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
Mattedesa

Deck Garage

Bonesplitter

The Bonesplitter takes yesterday's card, takes away the +1 to toughness boost and adds it to the power it gives the equipped creature. Other than that, it's exactly the same. It may not seem like much of a difference, but it is.

Put this card in an aggressive deck and see what happens. Play a 1/1 creature on the first turn. On the second turn, play and equip the Bonesplitter then attack. Your opponent has three power coming at them on turn two and every turn after that until they can deal with the threat. It really puts some pressure on your opponent to come up with an answer very quickly.

It's not foolproof and it's not overpowered. The equipped creature probably still has a low toughness and can die to any serious blocker. But the Boneplitter is a solid addition to the right type of deck.

It doesn't fare as well in multiplayer formats because in games where multiple people can attack you, an all-out aggressive strategy will leave you open for opponents to team up and take you out.

Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 3
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 2


Michael Sokolowski

Welcome back to Weapons Week!

Today's weapon: Axe*
Trivia: Compared to a sword swing, an axe delivers more cleaving power against a smaller target area, making it more effective against armor, due to concentrating more of its weight in the axehead.

* Bonesplitter may actually be a type of polearm called a halberd, but that's basically an axe on a long stick anyway.

Bonesplitter has a lot of things in common with yesterday's scimitar - the low cast and equip cost, and creature cards it works well with for instance - but it's generally a little bit better across the board. And a large part of the reason for that is it has a specialized function that it's very good at.

It helps aggro decks. A lot.

Let's look at two classic examples. Red decks featuring lots of small guys with haste (Goblins, traditionally) and big green zoo decks that feature big guys with trample. Bonesplitter, instead of being an all-around generic buff, helps both of those decks achieve their intended goals more rapidly.

Let's look at an example. Turn 1, Boros Recruit. Turn 2, cast Bonesplitter, and equip Bonesplitter to Boros Recruit. You're now attacking with a 3/1 with First Strike. Now either your opponent is going to sacrifice a creature to block, as it's very unlikely that their guy has more than 3 toughness this early meaning you just got a free kill, or they take 3 damage to the face. And either way, your Recruit is ready and willing to do the whole thing again next turn.

Next example. Let's say you have a Terra Stomper out. Your opponent is trying to buy time to find a kill spell by sending in chump blocker after chump blocker. The Bonesplitter here basically acts as "1: Deal an extra 2 damage to your opponent every turn." Because let's say your opponent had a bunch of 4/4's. Maybe he made a bunch of Angel tokens with Moonsilver Spear or something. If he blocks with one, normally he'd lose the token and take 4 trample damage. Bonesplitter increases that to 6, which over the next few turns could decide the game. Because you're not trying to wipe out his field here, you're trying to deal as much damage to him as possible IN SPITE of his field.

Because of trample, Bonesplitter's extra 2 damage will always be going SOMEWHERE. And because of haste, it's very likely you could play something scary, equip Bonesplitter to it that same turn, and attack with an unexpected 7 damage Hellkite Charger or Demigod of Revenge. Or do both with a 9 damage Blitz Hellion.

Even Kor Duelist would rather have a Bonesplitter in his hands than a Leonin Scimitar, unless he had an eye for fine pieces of art. An extra point of power is often much more useful in an aggro deck than an extra point of toughness. Even if it's just a simple Raging Goblin (or better yet, Legion Loyalist) on turn 1 and Bonesplitter turn 2, what does your opponent do if they don't have a 1/1? Would you sacrifice a 2/2 or even a 3/3 to stop a simple goblin? And if not, are you willing to take maybe 6 damage from it before it dies? Did you end up losing the game because you took an extra 6 damage early on and weren't able to stop it? Aggro decks with Bonesplitter, man. They really pour on the power and the damage.

It may not be quite as good as Rancor, but it's an inexpensive boost, both in mana cost and because it's a common. I certainly wouldn't recommend it for every deck out there, but if you want to give cheap aggro-esque equipment a try, Bonesplitter is certainly a fine choice.

Join us tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion to Weapons Week! What will the final weapon be? I won't spoil the surprise, but it's pretty powerful.

Constructed: 2.5
Casual: 3
Limited: 3.5
Multiplayer: 3

Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno

Today's card of the day is Bonesplitter which is a one mana equipment with an equip cost of one that gives +2/+0. The more offensive nature of this makes it a better tool for aggressive builds and in particular when used with First or Double Strike. Compared to Leonin Scimitar it shows how specializing can sometimes be better than having two weaker aspects. Overall this is a card that sees play in equipment themed decks for the low cost and offensive strength.

In a Limited format that has this available it is an easy automatic inclusion in any Sealed deck and a worthwhile early to midrange pick in Booster. It fits into any deck, adds a notable offensive boost to anything with combat effects or evasion, and enters play early when an opponent may not have options to oppose it.

Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 4.0
Multiplayer: 3.5


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