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The Two-Headed Giant set
What this set is
Battlebond is the first and so far only Magic set designed for Two-Headed Giant, the format where two players share a life total and a turn. Everything in it assumes a teammate sitting next to you, which makes it the one set whose card evaluations do not transfer to a normal game.
Assist is the clearest example. A spell with assist lets another player help pay its generic cost, so a card your deck cannot afford becomes castable if your partner has mana spare. There is no way to write that card for a one-on-one game.
Partner with is the other, and it is the one that escaped into Commander. Eleven named pairs each fetch the other when they enter, and because they are legendary they can be run as two commanders together. That is why a set built for a format most people never play still shows up in Commander deckbuilding.
Themes
Every mechanic in Battlebond
Assist
Another player may pay part of the spell's generic mana cost before you pay the rest. It only makes sense at a table where somebody wants your spell to resolve, which is exactly the format the set was built for.
Partner with
A named pair rather than the open-ended partner keyword. When one enters the battlefield you may search your library for the other, and because both are legendary they can be your two commanders. Eleven pairs, and the reason this set matters outside Two-Headed Giant.
Friend or foe
A cycle of cards that offer one effect to a teammate and another to an opponent, or ask you to divide something between the two. They are the clearest statement of what the set is: cards whose text has nowhere to point in a duel.
Support
Put a +1/+1 counter on each of that many other target creatures. Back from Oath of the Gatewatch, and in a team format it can reach across to your partner's board rather than only your own.
Where You Can Play It
Format legality
Battlebond was printed for the eternal formats and was never Standard- or Pioneer-legal. Its eighty-five new cards are legal in Commander, Legacy and Vintage.
Standard was never in play for this set, so no rotation has ever touched it. Nothing here leaves Modern, Legacy, Vintage or Commander either. Commons from any set are Pauper-legal; that isn't listed per set here.
Limited
Drafting it
Drafted in teams of two rather than solo, and that changes the picks rather than just the games. What you pass matters differently when the person to your left might be your partner.
Two-Headed Giant draft
The format it was made for
Teams share a life total and a turn, so a card that stalls the board is worth less and a card that goes over the top is worth more. Removal is at a premium because there are twice as many threats to answer.
Assist and the shared mana pool
Why the curve is different
You are not limited to your own lands for the generic part of a cost, so expensive cards are more castable here than their mana values suggest. Draft accordingly rather than by a normal curve.
Boosters, precons and singles from Battlebond are on TCGplayer.
FAQ
Common questions
What is Battlebond?
The first and so far only Magic set designed for Two-Headed Giant, the format where two players share a life total and a turn. Everything in it assumes a teammate, which makes it the one set whose card evaluations do not transfer to a normal game.
Is Battlebond Standard legal?
No, and it never was. Its eighty-five new cards were printed for the eternal formats and are legal in Commander, Legacy and Vintage.
How does assist work?
Another player may pay part of the spell's generic mana cost before you pay the rest. It only makes sense at a table where somebody else wants your spell to resolve, which is the format the set was built for.
What is partner with?
A named pair rather than the open-ended partner keyword. When one enters the battlefield you may search your library for the other, and because both are legendary they can be run as two commanders together. Battlebond has eleven such pairs.
Why do Commander players care about Battlebond?
Mostly the partner with pairs, which let two of its legends share a command zone, and a cycle of lands that enter untapped in multiplayer games. Both are useful well outside the format the set was designed for.
All card names, art, and mechanics belong to Wizards of the Coast. Battlebond released on Jun 8, 2018; details reflect the set as published. Sources: Wizards of the Coast set pages and release notes, Draftsim, Untapped.gg.
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