I looked at every equipment on gatherer, and I believe that this, loxodon warhammer, and nightmare lash are pretty much the only good equipment out there, with this one being my personal favorite for its cheapness and versatility. Of course there are probably a few exceptions, but I consider those the quality standard of equipment cards.
Necrolysis
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(11 votes)
@Flavros We also have a nice thing called Umezawa's Jitte
@TDL Darksteel Axe is far from strictly better than Bonesplitter, Darksteel is 2 to equip. I can think of plenty of situations where I'd rather risk my equipment getting destroyed than pay the extra mana. Plus if my opponent is going to waste a shatter on my +2/+0 equipment it'll likely cost them more than it'll cost me.
TDL
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(9 votes)
I find it depressing that an obviously useful and good card, even by today's standards (what with powercreep and all), is going to be shoved into the "strictly worse than" category. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, find some Scars spoilers. Of course, I understand why Wizards is printing that stupid Darksteel Axe. If they just reprinted Bonesplitter, then people wouldn't have to buy the new card! Edit: Thanks to Natas, I have realized that I was mistaken when I claimed Darksteel Axe is strictly better than this. I am now less depressed.
Pwnsaw
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(4 votes)
This is good because its so cheap to play and move around. A very simple card, but very effective.
MasterOfEtherium
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(6 votes)
@TDL If Im Playing Now I Want Good Cards Now I Dont Wanna Play With Crap Bonesplitter Is Fine And Darksteel Axe Is Great. Anyways REPRINT BLACK LOTUS
@Flavros, there are plenty of better equipment out there than those 2 or even this one, there just often time combo cards.
scumbling1
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(11 votes)
"Strictly worse than darksteel axe"
Wrong: this lacks indestructablility, but you pay less to equip it. It's not a case of having a strictly better / worse card here.
Furthermore, Bonesplitter -- while not strictly better -- is still functionally better than Darksteel Axe. The one extra mana hurts your early-game tempo to be worth the additional ability. If your opponent wants to spend a removal spell on this card, that's fine -- they'll probably pay more mana on their spell than you did on Bonesplitter.
kiseki
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(4 votes)
I'm always a little sad when my equipment deck's opening hand doesn't have one of these. I have to make due with Shuko as my bonesplitter imitation so I can run 8 cheap equipment. Also, I love GrimjawxRULES's suite of 1 drop creatures. I wish there were 2 more of the same type. The curve of this card is perfect with 1 drop creatures and a 3rd turn O-Naginata.
ninjaman98
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(2 votes)
I know its not that good, but its cheap, and being that its an artifact make is easily put into any color or deck, 3.5/5
metalevolence
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Rancoresque. In other words, pretty damn good.
AngusMcSillyWilly
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Bonespitter is an instant classic. 1 to equip is way better then darksteal axe 2 equip cost. Maybe if darksteal cost 1 more to cast instead of equip i would say it's better, but i'm a bonesplitter man.
Bonesplitter's strength is in early game attaching it to wienies and annoying flyers like Ornithopter . dark steal is a totally different beast and meant for different things
4 out of 5
good.beats.for.all
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
excellent in pauper mirrodin's equipment where always the best jitte excluded. makes attacking with a 3/1 doublestriker on turn 2 very possible
SAllison87
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Makes even 1/1's scary. Great for decks that need an offensive push.
& this plus Vampire Nighthawk is really scary
Havrekjex
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I run four of these in my mono black suicide aggro deck, and most of the time, it ends up on Tormented Soul (swing for three unblockable damage on turn two) or Vampire Nighthawk (swing for four damage and four life on turn four... turn two if I can Dark Ritual the 'hawk). It's easily my favourite equipment card because of its speed. In that specific deck, I wouldn't dream of replacing it with Sword of X and Y.
1st turn, Dark Ritual -> Needle Specter 2nd turn, Bonespliter, equip and attack for 3, opponent discard 3 cards.
NoobOfLore
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Cheap, powerful, and effective. That said, I don't really like it much.
I like my equips to be a little more splashy. (Such as the humorously expensive Ogre's Cleaver)
Chrs84
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
As the name suggests... Solid simple classic equip boost.
Atali
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
The most efficient power boosting equipment of all, and because it was one of the first equipment ever, everything gets compared to it. It's unfair, like comparing all mana artifacts to Moxen.
Mortalbug
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
in my double strike deck best case scenario you start with 3 mountains or plains, 2 of these and one hearthfire hobgoblin. turn 1: this turn 2: another one of these turn 3: hearthfire hobgoblin turn 4: either swing for 6 double strike (12 damage if unblocked) or put scourge of nobilis on it and swing for 8 double strike (16 if unblocked). or turn 1: this turn 2: boros swiftblade turn 3: equip and swing for 3 doublestrike (6 damage if unblocked)
Before I get marked down and trolled, don't bother. But do make the comparisons between these two cards, and you will see rancor takes a dump on it. And when I mean comparisons I don't mean the QQ "This is better in so and so deck." Just compare the two cards in a vacuum, and pretend only forest exists for lands.
Lifegainwithbite
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
@Thewrathofshane: Not if you're running Metalcraft... plus exiles can deal with Rancor and only specific removal can deal with this. Also and more importantly: Rancor is green. This is colourless. So it can't be strictly worse. Strictly worse means Rancor is better in every situation and that's clearly not the case.
OverlordSmurf
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
After the uber-tier equips like the Swords, Skullclamp, and the Jitte, this is arguably the best Equipment Artifact, and it's certainly my favorite. It's so simple, but it's so cheap and adds so much power for so little mana. It's a phenomenal boon to aggro decks (e.g., T1, Land, Kor Duelist, T2, Land, Bonesplitter, equipped, swing for 6), and unlike traditional pump-up enchantments, it doesn't cost you card advantage when your creature gets knocked out. Simply amazing. This is a card that really needs a reprint, especially since we've got Rancor, which a superior option provided you're running green, floating around nowadays.
DoragonShinzui
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"If and only if you forget their types, effects, and other colors of mana, Rancor is strictly better than Bonesplitter."
You don't actually know what that means, do you?
Taudisban
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@TheWrathofShane
Rancor still isn't strictly better. Rancor can nixed on the stack by creature death. Rancor is most of the time better if you're playing Mono-Green creature decks but that is exactly the QQ "This is better in so and so deck" sort of argument you're asking others not to do.
Comments (35)
But once this hits play, it says:
I like it a lot
Of course, I understand why Wizards is printing that stupid Darksteel Axe. If they just reprinted Bonesplitter, then people wouldn't have to buy the new card!
Edit: Thanks to Natas, I have realized that I was mistaken when I claimed Darksteel Axe is strictly better than this. I am now less depressed.
@Flavros, there are plenty of better equipment out there than those 2 or even this one, there just often time combo cards.
Wrong: this lacks indestructablility, but you pay less to equip it. It's not a case of having a strictly better / worse card here.
Furthermore, Bonesplitter -- while not strictly better -- is still functionally better than Darksteel Axe. The one extra mana hurts your early-game tempo to be worth the additional ability. If your opponent wants to spend a removal spell on this card, that's fine -- they'll probably pay more mana on their spell than you did on Bonesplitter.
Also, I love GrimjawxRULES's suite of 1 drop creatures. I wish there were 2 more of the same type.
The curve of this card is perfect with 1 drop creatures and a 3rd turn O-Naginata.
Bonesplitter's strength is in early game attaching it to wienies and annoying flyers like Ornithopter . dark steal is a totally different beast and meant for different things
4 out of 5
& this plus Vampire Nighthawk is really scary
Phylactery Lich is trying to convince me to play Darksteel Axe instead.
2nd turn, Bonespliter, equip and attack for 3, opponent discard 3 cards.
That said, I don't really like it much.
I like my equips to be a little more splashy.
(Such as the humorously expensive Ogre's Cleaver)
Solid simple classic equip boost.
turn 1: this
turn 2: another one of these
turn 3: hearthfire hobgoblin
turn 4: either swing for 6 double strike (12 damage if unblocked) or put scourge of nobilis on it and swing for 8 double strike (16 if unblocked).
or
turn 1: this
turn 2: boros swiftblade
turn 3: equip and swing for 3 doublestrike (6 damage if unblocked)
Before I get marked down and trolled, don't bother. But do make the comparisons between these two cards, and you will see rancor takes a dump on it. And when I mean comparisons I don't mean the QQ "This is better in so and so deck." Just compare the two cards in a vacuum, and pretend only forest exists for lands.
You don't actually know what that means, do you?
Rancor still isn't strictly better. Rancor can nixed on the stack by creature death. Rancor is most of the time better if you're playing Mono-Green creature decks but that is exactly the QQ "This is better in so and so deck" sort of argument you're asking others not to do.