Mtg Wiki Bestow

Vonbon Hill

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30-11-2024

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Bestow, a mechanic introduced in the Born of the Gods expansion set, added a unique layer of strategic depth to Magic: The Gathering. It allowed players to leverage the power of enchantments in a way previously unseen, blurring the lines between creature and enchantment strategies. Let's explore this fascinating mechanic in detail.

Understanding the Bestow Mechanic

The core concept of Bestow is simple yet elegant: a bestow card functions as both an Aura and a creature. When cast, you have the choice:

• Cast it as an Aura: Attach it to a creature, granting it the bestowed creature's abilities. This is a classic enchantment effect.

• Cast it as a creature: Put the card directly onto the battlefield as a creature, utilizing its power and toughness stats. This leverages its strength as a combat unit.

This dual nature provides immense flexibility. Consider the scenario where you're facing a powerful creature. You could bestow the enchantment onto your own creature, bolstering its defense or granting it offensive capabilities, or you could play it as a creature itself, creating a new threat on the board.

Strategic Advantages and Considerations

The strategic implications of Bestow are significant:

• Defensive Utility: Bestow offers strong defensive options. Enchanting your creature with a bestow aura can significantly improve its survivability, making it more difficult for your opponent to remove.

• Offensive Prowess: The bestowed abilities often include significant offensive boosts, empowering your creatures to deliver devastating blows.

• Tempo Control: The choice between casting a bestow card as an aura or a creature allows for tempo manipulation. You can choose the option that best suits the current board state and your overall strategy.

• Resource Management: Because bestow cards cost mana to cast, you must carefully consider the mana cost against the potential strategic benefits and weigh this against alternative card plays.

Examples of Powerful Bestow Cards

Several bestow cards stand out for their impact on gameplay. While specific examples aren't detailed here, many cards featured powerful abilities that significantly impacted their respective formats. The versatility of the mechanic often made them viable across different metagames.

The Legacy of Bestow

While Bestow is no longer a current mechanic in Standard play, its impact on Magic: The Gathering remains. It introduced a creative way to integrate auras and creatures, enriching the gameplay experience and demonstrating the innovative capacity of the game’s designers. Its legacy continues to be studied by players and designers alike, inspiring future mechanic designs. The concept of versatile cards with multiple functionalities proved highly influential and has resurfaced in various forms in subsequent sets.