Card Spotlight
Beorn the Fierce
A 5-mana mono-green legend from The Hobbit with trample who pumps every other Bear by +2/+2, turns a target creature into a Bear every combat, and draws two cards once you control three Bears.
Commander Spotlight
Beorn the Fierce ↗
A 5-mana mono-green legend from The Hobbit with trample who pumps every other Bear by +2/+2, turns a target creature into a Bear every combat, and draws two cards once you control three Bears.
See Beorn the Fierce's full stats and printings →
Strategies it goes well with
- Bear tribal and go-wide green decks. The anthem effect and the type-changing trigger work together, so even a deck with few printed Bears can turn its existing board into the tribe over a couple of turns.
- Card advantage via wide boards. Reaching three Bears on the battlefield is a real, repeatable draw-two trigger, rewarding a deck that goes wide rather than tall.
- Trample and combat-focused green decks. Granting trample as part of the same trigger that grants the type change makes previously chump-blockable creatures into real threats.
How it does in Commander
As the commander
As the commander it rewards a green go-wide deck built around turning its own board into Bears over time. With the anthem and the type-changing trigger available from the command zone, reaching three Bears for the card draw is a realistic goal every game.
In the 99
A strong late-game drop in any green creature deck, since it doesn't require actual Bear creatures already in the list to start producing value.
Formats it's strong in
- Go-wide green decks. More creatures on the battlefield means more targets to turn into Bears and more bodies benefiting from the anthem.
- Decks that don't mind a slower build-up. Reaching three Bears for the card draw takes a couple of turns, which suits a deck built for longer games.
Formats it's weak in
- Low-creature-count decks. With few other creatures on the battlefield, there's little to turn into Bears and little for the anthem to boost.
- Very fast, aggressive pods. A five-mana payoff that takes a few turns to fully come online is a poor match for a table trying to close games out quickly.
Synergistic cards
Any wide token generator ↗
More bodies on the battlefield means more targets to convert into Bears and more creatures receiving the anthem over time.
Craterhoof Behemoth ↗
A classic go-wide finisher that benefits from the same large, buffed creature count Beorn is building toward.
Zendikar's Roil (or similar landfall token makers) ↗
A steady stream of small creatures gives Beorn plenty of raw material to turn into Bears each turn.
Any card-advantage payoff for a wide board ↗
Beorn's own draw trigger stacks with anything else rewarding a go-wide green plan.
Is it worth the price?
As a recent-set card with a strong rate, Beorn the Fierce carries a moderate price for what it does. Worth it for a green go-wide or Bear-adjacent deck; a lower priority for a deck with few other creatures to leverage the type-changing trigger with.
Frequently asked questions
How does Beorn the Fierce's combat trigger work?
At the beginning of combat on your turn, put a trample counter on up to one target creature you control and it becomes a Bear in addition to its other types. Any creature can join the tribe and pick up the anthem, one per turn.
When does Beorn the Fierce draw cards?
The same combat trigger checks, after making a creature a Bear, whether you control three or more Bears. If you do, you draw two cards, which is a real card-advantage payoff on top of a growing board of anthem-boosted attackers.
Is Beorn the Fierce good outside a dedicated Bear tribal deck?
Yes, more than most tribal payoffs. Since it can turn any creature into a Bear itself, a deck doesn't need to run Bear creatures to benefit. It needs creatures worth pumping and a few turns to build up the count.