This is one of those cards - for me unfortunately that I think aren't worth the card slots until I see it on the other side of the board.
ZEvilMustache
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(5 votes)
What's so "Magebane" about it?
Vinifera7
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(6 votes)
@ZEvilMustache The "Magebane" nomenclature stems from the fact that it prevents all noncombat damage.
Oleander
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.9/5.0)(7 votes)
Note: Vinifera, preventing combat damage isn't something that is specifically against mages. That sounds more like a divine protection a deity would bless a patron with. Mages use spells, so I would think that if something is a bane to mages, it'd have shroud and allow you to fly so you you can actually be on par with those pesky, evasive mages.
MagicStick
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(7 votes)
Um Oleander, that's NONcombat damage numb nuts.
TroglodyteJB
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0)(4 votes)
There's so little I like about this card. It's +2/+4, which is obviously a solid increase, but losing flying is a healthy drawback that limits it's deployment. Secondly, if it's magebane, why is it preventing damage? Magebane implies that it should assist in killing mages, but it doesn't prevent kills, removal, or negative enchantments. This should have been enemy-shroud ("Cannot be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control") rather than damage prevention, to fit the name. My biggest complaint, however, is that it's rare. There's no way that this is a rare powerlevel card, in my opinion-- especially when commons and uncommons are the backbone of this set, as there's many commons or uncommons that I would unequivocally prefer to pull out of a pack over this. The only thing that puts it remotely in rare territory is the P/T boost, which makes it feel like a trumped-up uncommon rather than a unique rare. Seriously-- search for rare equipment in Standard and decide for yourself.
MightyMortox
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(7 votes)
This card is great against red decks, it basically grants one of your better creatures immunity from those pesky lightning bolts and whatever else they might throw at it.
JacksJokeShop
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(7 votes)
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't Protean Hydra be unkillable through damage with this on? Seeing as he prevents damage but removes +1/+1 counters, he could never remove the +2/+4 given by this card.
Even without that combo, this card is great for any deck that runs low or no fliers. Personally, I protect my Elvish Pipers with this beast. Not the greatest Equipment, but certainly decent in some situations. My opponents are spell fanatics, red everywhere and my green weenies need protection from those Lightning Bolts whenever possible.
SocialExperiment
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
@ JacksJokeShop--Yes, you could make Protean Hydra nigh-invincible with this--or, for that matter, anything that give him at least +0/+1. As long as he has one Toughness that isn't caused by his counters, he can't be killed by damage. In fact, you could use him as a chump blocker to double his P/T as long as you had him equipped with something that boosted his toughness (or any bonus that didn't manifest as counters, such as something that gave all Green creatures +1/+1 or something.
Anyways, regarding the actual card here, Magebane is really useful for powering up a sturdy defender and protecting it from removal, especially if they aren't vulnerable to cards like Doomblade and Terminate (maybe they've got protection from black or something). Especially effective when combined with Shield of the Righteous.
madformedusa
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.7/5.0)(3 votes)
lamesauce. should be uncommon.
Destinatus
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
This card is awesome with elemental aggro decks. put a 6/1 on the board for 3 mana, then equip this for a mere 2 mana and you have a 8/5 trample, haste, that is hard to get rid of with spells and is near immune to cheap first strikers that screw elementals over. All of this on the fifth turn can be absolutely devastating.
gunmetal
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
trog: The reason this card is rare is that it's that it's a complete beast in M10 limited, and would be ridiculously warping at uncommon. Disregarding money rares, there's no card I'd pick over a magebane - it turns even your 1/1 dorks into siege mastodons, then equips someone else for 2 to make an uber blocker, and stays on the table even if they kill your dudes. The fact that it's total win with guys like phantom warrior and dread warlock, and that it can randomly blank opposing tendrils is just gravy.
Ava_Adore
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I get the magebane bit, as it stops the ping from wizards, burn from spells, and the such
i love the flavor so much
4/5
AbyssalManZero
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Seems like the perfect combo for Child Of Night given the toughness of 1.. Also a good combo with Magus of the coffers and pestilence XD
Demonic_Angel13
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
To me it's one of the more balanced equipments out there. +2/+4 helps get a good defender and the non combat damage thing is like a localized Mark of Asylum. All in all a great card for the mana.
r-e-meatyard
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0)(2 votes)
If it had been called "MEGAbane Armor" it would have been good.
HairlessThoctar
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(9 votes)
Best friends with Kitesail Apprentice. It doesn't get flying until he's equipped, thus you get a 4/6 unburnable flyer.
PEVE_O
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
I wish i understood the flavor of why it loses flying? is the armor just too heavy?
A3Kitsune
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Slap this and a Lure on Teeka's Dragon. Trample, Rampage:4, 7/9 base stats, your opponent is getting smashed.
Ventrisor
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
I played this with a Palace Guard and i now have a 3/8 blocker who can block as many creatures as i want. Won me the game.
sure they can go unblocked, but it will be prevented
Bishop084
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Havens: redirected combat damage is still combat damage. Pariah's Shield combined with this will protect you from spells and abilities that deal damage to you, but all those unblocked creatures are still going to deal full damage to the shield bearer.
This + Predatory Urge would work really well. A relatively unkillable reusable creature killer.
JaxsonBateman
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's not terrible - but the issue is that the extra ability is meaningless against, I dare say, the majority of decks. So you're looking at an equipment at rare that only adds +2/+4 and takes away flying.
There are much better options.
Lash_of_Dragonbreath
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Necessary if you're running Dralnu, Lich Lord as your general in EDH.
Dragasm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So much awesome flavor! Actually works really well in a red deck. Buckle it onto your best attacker, then lay waste to everything else with magmaquake. chain reaction, blasphemous act, or similar cards.
Seems like an awesome equipment for Teeka's Dragon. Makes him stronger, while at the same time removing flying which is actually a drawback in many cases for him.
ExzcellionGamma
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Jaya will have used this as she casts her {5}{R}{R}-discard a red card-cost Inferno.
DritzD27
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
There is something haunting-ly spectacular about that art. Its hard to look away whenever I see it. 5/5 for that alone. 4/5 for being a fun and awesome equipment apart from that.
Khazpar
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I imagine someone stuffing a Suntail Hawk into one of these. "I don't think it will be able to fly in that thing."
Comments (38)
The "Magebane" nomenclature stems from the fact that it prevents all noncombat damage.
Even without that combo, this card is great for any deck that runs low or no fliers. Personally, I protect my Elvish Pipers with this beast. Not the greatest Equipment, but certainly decent in some situations. My opponents are spell fanatics, red everywhere and my green weenies need protection from those Lightning Bolts whenever possible.
Anyways, regarding the actual card here, Magebane is really useful for powering up a sturdy defender and protecting it from removal, especially if they aren't vulnerable to cards like Doomblade and Terminate (maybe they've got protection from black or something). Especially effective when combined with Shield of the Righteous.
i love the flavor so much
4/5
It doesn't get flying until he's equipped, thus you get a 4/6 unburnable flyer.
is the armor just too heavy?
sure they can go unblocked, but it will be prevented
Naming similarities, and while it's not entirely synergistic, it does work together rather well.
There are much better options.