Barbed Wire
Mercadian Masques 287 • uncommon
- Set
- Mercadian Masques
- Collector number
- 287
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Mana cost
- 3 generic mana
- Type
- Artifact
- Colors
- Colorless
- Artist
- Ron Spencer
- Market price
- $1.83
What it does
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, this artifact deals 1 damage to that player.
2 generic mana: Prevent the next 1 damage that would be dealt by this artifact this turn.
A steel snake with ten thousand teeth.
Where you can play it
- StandardNot legal
- PioneerNot legal
- ModernNot legal
- LegacyLegal
- VintageLegal
- CommanderLegal
- PauperNot legal
- BrawlNot legal
- HistoricNot legal
- TimelessNot legal
- Penny DreadfulNot legal
- OathbreakerLegal
Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC. Card text via Scryfall. Not approved or endorsed by Wizards. As of the last catalogue refresh.
Where to find one
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Where it came from
Barbed Wire was released in 1999 as part of the Mercadian Masques expansion for the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. Set on the plane of Mercadia, the card reflects the set's thematic focus on commerce, political intrigue, and the distinct, often industrial aesthetic of the world's governing forces. As an artifact that deals damage to players who tap lands, it was designed to function as a persistent global pressure tool in gameplay, encouraging players to carefully manage their mana resources.
The card features artwork by Ron Spencer, a prominent illustrator known for his dynamic and visceral style during Magic's formative years. Spencer utilized a gritty, high-contrast approach to visualize the concept of 'barbed wire' in a fantasy setting, emphasizing the sharp and restrictive nature of the object. Upon its release, the card was received as a niche technical tool for control-oriented strategies, and it remains a representative piece of the late-90s era of card design, where artifacts often leaned into complex, symmetrical penalties.
Generated by Pi, the collecto.rs collecting companion
Who's collecting this
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About Barbed Wire
Barbed Wire is a card in the Magic: The Gathering catalog on collecto.rs. Mercadian Masques 287 • uncommon. Catalog data is sourced from Scryfall. No public cards collectors track this one yet — adding yours would make you the first on collecto.rs.
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