Battlebond Set Information and Where to Find

Last updated on January 18, 2025

Sea of Clouds | Illustration by Florian de Gesincourt

Grab a friend and grab some cards because today we’re taking a look at Magic’s Battlebond expansion! A set that’s built with the Two-Headed Giant and Commander formats in mind. This set brought with it all of the benefits of working as a team and lending a hand to your friends at the table, so let’s take a look at things together, shall we?

Basic Information

What	Key Info
Official Name	Battlebond
Set Symbol
Set Code	BBD
Hashtag	#MTGBBD
Number of Cards	254 cards
Rarities	15 mythic, 53 rare, 80 uncommon, 101 common, 5 basic lands
Cards Per Pack	15 (1 rare/mythic, 3 uncommons, 10 commons, 1 land)

About Battlebond

WotC loves to step into new design territory when coming up with new Magic sets, and 2018’s Battlebond was no exception. They set out to create a set with mechanics that highlighted playing as a team. That means exactly what you think it means: it was a set meant for the two-headed giant and Commander formats!

While the set was also tailored to the limited scene with some consideration toward draft and sealed, the cards don’t care too much if you’re playing limited or constructed. As long as you’re playing in teams or groups, you’re good to go.

Set Legality

Luxury Suite | Illustration by Jonas De Ro

Battlebond wasn’t released as an expansion that would enter the Standard rotation, so the cards aren’t legal in Standard, Pioneer, or Modern. Reprints that were already in those formats are, of course, an exception. Battlebond’s cards are legal in the Commander, Legacy, and Vintage formats, though.

Tag-team Spell Slinging

Everybody loves flavor with their Magic sets, and Battlebond has you covered even without a large driving narrative. Our setting is the plane of Kylem, a place known for its arena where combatants face off in flashy and spectacular two-on-two combat. They aren’t tasked with killing their opponents, but instead are to defeat their foes with wondrous and flashy spells and tricks. It’s all about the style and teamwork here!

There really isn’t much beyond that, as the plane of Kylem is hardly developed in a narrative sense. It probably won’t show up anywhere else but Battlebond 2, if that ever happens. Any further look into the flavor would be with the mechanics introduced in the set, which we’re just about to explore!

Battlebond Mechanics

Assist

Assist is a mechanic that works exactly as it sounds. It allows another player to help pay for the generic mana cost of a card, allowing a duo of spellcasters to throw down some seriously powerful creatures and spells! Keep in mind that the card’s owner will still have to pay for the colored mana themselves, and that assist only affects generic mana cost.

Partner with [name]

If you enjoyed partner commanders, then you might like this spin on the partner mechanic! While not entirely new, it has a few tricks that the original partner mechanic didn’t have. Aside from being able to use some of the pairs as partners, when you cast one of these two cards from your hand you get to go into your deck and grab that creature’s partner and put it in your hand.

For example, casting Pir, Imaginative Rascal means you get to search your library for Toothy, Imaginary Friend and put it in your hand, or vice versa. All of the partner pairs in Battlebond have mechanics that complement each other, so it’s a really fun mechanic to tinker with both in limited and constructed decks.

Support

This one isn’t new so much as returning to support the flavor of the set. In the spirit of cheering on combatants or aiding an ally, support puts +1/+1 counters on a number of creatures up to the support number. So “support 2” would be a counter on up to two creatures, while “support 6” is counters on up to six creatures.

It’s important to note that you can target any creatures, not just ones you control. This lets you buff your friend’s board in the true spirit of tag-team action!

The “Your Team” Term

The “your team” term comes with Battlebond to add to the spice of the set’s theme. It simply refers to anybody on your team, including yourself. This term is only notable in game modes with teams like two-headed giant. In a game where you aren’t on teams but are still working together with others, the term only refers to you. The effects that come with this term vary, so have fun experimenting with them!

Cycles

Like with every Magic set, Battlebond came with a couple of card cycles that helped define the set as something more unique than a few mechanics and a new term.

Friend or Foe

The friend or foe cycle introduced the concept of selecting players in the game to have certain effects applied to them depending on whether or not you called them a friend or foe. For example, when using Virtus's Maneuver, all players you select as “friends” get to return a creature from their graveyard to their hand, while your foes are forced to sacrifice a creature.

While the use of cards like these are pretty obvious in two-headed giant, it’s a ton of fun in Commander to strike deals with your opponents.

Bond Lands

While they’re called technically multiplayer lands, a lot of people like to refer to these bad boys as bond lands. They’re dual lands that enter the battlefield untapped in games where you have two or more opponents. This makes them pointless in one-on-one formats while they shine in formats like Commander or two-headed giant.

Drafting Battlebond

Bountiful Promenade | Illustration by Jung Park

In Battlebond, each team drafts four packs total, with teams picking two cards at a time before passing the pack on to the next team. Members then decide as a team who plays which cards when building the decks. This is slightly different than traditional two-headed drafting, which involves six packs per team instead of four.

From everything flying around the internet, it’s clear that those with a preference for the social side of Magic had a blast while players who were looking for solid set integrity and certain strategies felt as if the set didn’t do a good job with draft. I think formats like this are going to be hit or miss with a lot of people, and unless you see a super heavily resounding “yes” from the community, you’ll usually see some debate on things here and there.

Products and Where to Buy

As I always do, I recommend looking for any sealed product at your local game store to support them if possible. If you’d rather keep to yourself and order everything online, that’s fine too. Considering this set is from two years ago, online might just be the better option.

Booster Packs

As with any set, 15-card packs are the prime source of getting your hands on cards other than just buying singles. You can find packs at online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom, Amazon, eBay, and more.

Sale

Magic: the Gathering MTG Battlebond Booster Pack

• Good news, Planeswalker!

$12.95

Buy on Amazon

Booster Boxes

Booster boxes are your packets of 36 packs and are for players with a desire to crack packs like there’s no tomorrow. Maybe you’re just searching for the feeling of opening that one card you really want. These boxes also help provide the supplies to run your very own draft or sealed events with friends! Just like packs, you can find booster boxes at online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom, Amazon, eBay, and more.

MTG Magic The Gathering Battlebond Booster Box - 36 packs of 15 cards each

• Welcome to Battlebond, where competitors battle in pairs! Recruit a trusted partner and fight shoulder-to-shoulder, hand-in-hand, or back-to-back for glory and the roar of the crowd!
• Forge an unbreakable bond with your combat companion and claim your place in the pantheon of champions!
• All new cards in Battlebond depict the environment of Valor's Reach, an area on the plane of Kylem, where combat is fought two-on-two.
• And like any good spectator sport, the goal isn't just to win, but to look good doing it. Style points count!
• 36 packs per box, 15 random cards per pack. Release Date: June 08 2018

$232.65

Buy on Amazon

Battle Packs

If you’re looking to pitch in on a draft, grab a teammate and pick up one of these. They have six packs, which is perfect to fire up a two-headed giant draft as long as your table has their own packs.

Or maybe picking a few of these is cheaper than a booster box. Either way, you can also grab these at online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom, Amazon, eBay, and more.

Magic: The Gathering Battlebond Battle Pack | 6 Battlebond Booster Packs (90 Cards)

• Battlebond Battle Packs are FACTORY SEALED with six Battlebond booster packs.
• In the arena of Valor’s Reach, competitors battle in pairs. RECRUIT A TEAMMATE TO BOOSTER DRAFT with 2–3 Battle Packs and 6–8 players
• Some Battlebond cards PARTNER WITH each other: when you play one of them, your teammate gets to search their deck for the other one. (If a booster pack has one half of the pair, it will also have the other half.)
• STYLE POINTS COUNT. In Valor’s Reach, competitors don’t just want to win—they want to look good doing it.
• Some “Partner with” duos can join forces to lead your Commander deck together.

$39.95

Buy on Amazon

Battlebond Card List

All right, here we are. Here's the complete list of Battlebond cards!

White

Angel of Retribution	Angelic Chorus	Angelic Gift	Arena Rector
Aurora Champion	Battle Mastery	Blaring Recruiter	Brightling
Bring Down	Champion of Arashin	Doomed Traveler	Dwarven Lightsmith
Expedition Raptor	Jubilant Mascot	Kor Spiritdancer	Land Tax
Lightwalker	Long Road Home	Loyal Pegasus	Mangara of Corondor
Midnight Guard	Oreskos Explorer	Pacifism	Play of the Game
Proud Mentor	Raptor Companion	Rebuke	Regna, the Redeemer
Regna's Sanction	Royal Trooper	Shoulder to Shoulder	Silverchase Fox
Skystreamer	Solemn Offering	Sparring Mummy	Steppe Glider
Swords to Plowshares	Sylvia Brightspear	Take Up Arms	Tandem Tactics
Together Forever

Blue

Arcane Artisan	Benthic Giant	Call to Heel	Chakram Retriever
Claustrophobia	Coralhelm Guide	Fog Bank	Frost Lynx
Fumble	Game Plan	Huddle Up	Impulse
Kitesail Corsair	Kraken Hatchling	Lore Weaver	Mystic Confluence
Negate	Nimbus Champion	Nimbus of the Isles	Omenspeaker
Opportunity	Oracle's Insight	Out of Bounds	Peregrine Drake
Phantom Warrior	Reckless Scholar	Saltwater Stalwart	Soaring Show-Off
Sower of Temptation	Spell Snare	Spellseeker	Spellweaver Duo
Switcheroo	Tidespout Tyrant	Toothy, Imaginary Friend	Totally Lost
True-Name Nemesis	Watercourser	Will Kenrith	Zndrsplt, Eye of Wisdom
Zndrsplt's Judgment

Black

Archfiend of Despair	Assassinate	Assassin's Strike	Blaring Captain
Bloodborn Scoundrels	Daggerdrome Imp	Diabolic Intent	Doomed Dissenter
Eyeblight Assassin	Fan Favorite	Fill with Fright	Gang Up
Grotesque Mutation	Hand of Silumgar	Inner Demon	Krav, the Unredeemed
Last Gasp	Liturgy of Blood	Mindblade Render	Morbid Curiosity
Nirkana Revenant	Noosegraf Mob	Noxious Dragon	Nyxathid
Painful Lesson	Prakhata Club Security	Quest for the Gravelord	Rotfeaster Maggot
Screeching Buzzard	Shambling Ghoul	Sickle Dancer	Slum Reaper
Soulblade Corrupter	Stunning Reversal	Swarm of Bloodflies	Tavern Swindler
Tenacious Dead	Thrasher Brute	Thrilling Encore	Virtus the Veiled
Virtus's Maneuver

Red

Azra Bladeseeker	Bathe in Dragonfire	Battle Rampart	Battle-Rattle Shaman
Blaze	Blood Feud	Boldwyr Intimidator	Bonus Round
Borderland Marauder	Bull-Rush Bruiser	Chain Lightning	Chakram Slinger
Cheering Fanatic	Dragon Breath	Dragon Hatchling	Earth Elemental
Ember Beast	Enthralling Victor	Expedite	Flamewave Invoker
Goblin Razerunners	Impetuous Protege	Khorvath Brightflame	Khorvath's Fury
Lava-Field Overlord	Lightning Talons	Magma Hellion	Magmatic Force
Najeela, the Blade-Blossom	Okaun, Eye of Chaos	Pathmaker Initiate	Reckless Reveler
Rowan Kenrith	Shock	Stadium Vendors	Stolen Strategy
Thunder Strike	Trumpet Blast	War's Toll	Wrap in Flames

Green

Aim High	Beast Within	Bramble Sovereign	Canopy Spider
Charging Binox	Charging Rhino	Combo Attack	Cowl Prowler
Daggerback Basilisk	Decorated Champion	Doubling Season	Elvish Visionary
Feral Hydra	Fertile Ground	Fertilid	Generous Patron
Giant Growth	Gorm the Great	Greater Good	Grothama, All-Devouring
Hunted Wumpus	Jungle Wayfinder	Karametra's Favor	Kraul Warrior
Lead by Example	Ley Weaver	Magus of the Candelabra	Pir, Imaginative Rascal
Pir's Whim	Plated Crusher	Primal Huntbeast	Pulse of Murasa
Return to the Earth	Saddleback Lagac	Seedborn Muse	Skyshroud Claim
Soulblade Renewer	The Crowd Goes Wild	Veteran Explorer	Vigor
Wandering Wolf

Multicolored

Apocalypse Hydra	Archon of Valor's Reach	Auger Spree	Azra Oddsmaker
Centaur Healer	Dinrova Horror	Enduring Scalelord	Evil Twin
Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer	Jelenn Sphinx	Kiss of the Amesha[/card	Last One Standing
Relentless Hunter	Rhox Brute	Riptide Crab	Rushblade Commander
Savage Ventmaw	Unflinching Courage	Urborg Drake	Vampire Charmseeker

Colorless

Consulate Skygate	Culling Dais	Eager Construct	Genesis Chamber
Gold-Forged Sentinel	Hexplate Golem	Juggernaut	Millennial Gargoyle
Mind's Eye	Mycosynth Lattice	Night Market Guard	Peace Strider
Pierce Strider	Seer's Lantern	Sentinel Tower	Spectral Searchlight
Stone Golem	Tyrant's Machine	Victory Chimes	Yotian Soldier

Lands

A Round of Applause

Azra Oddsmaker | Illustration by Josh Hass

Battlebond was definitely a success. Maybe its draft format was a hit or miss with some of the community, but the quality reprints and great additions to the EDH environment are clearly enjoyed. The set succeeded in at least one of its goals if not most or all of them. It was a set meant for a bunch of players in the same game, and the mechanics and cards it brought to the table really shined in those settings.

On the note of reprints, I believe that they’re one the strongest part of the set. There were a few new cards that found homes in multiple decks especially in Commander, but a lot of previously popular cards are sitting comfy in Battlebond card list. The increased availability for some of them was one of the most impactful things to come from the set. Coming in right beside them are the partner cards, especially the legendary ones. Those legendary partner pairs have found numerous homes as commanders in plenty of players’ arsenals.

So, as we wrap things up, what do you think? Do you think we’ll see a Battlebond 2? Do you have any cards from the set, maybe a partner pair or specific spell, that you really love? Is there anything you feel like I didn’t cover here? Feel free to discuss everything in the comments below!

As always, we constantly update our blog with new and exciting topics, so if you’re looking for some other reads from us go check it out! If you want to support us to make sure we can keep putting out fun content like this, consider heading over to our Patreon.

And finally, thank you for your time. Stay safe, and have a good one. I’ll see you again soon enough!

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