Wizards of the Coast works hard to keep gameplay fresh by constantly adding exciting new abilities and mechanics. Today we’re going to talk about the Boast ability. Boast is a flavorful mechanic that rewards aggression and creates interesting gameplay decisions. In this article, I’ll explain everything you need to know about the ability, and I’ll also give my picks for the best Boast creatures in the game.
To use a Boast ability, the “boasting” creature must first be declared as an attacker. Once a creature with Boast has attacked, the player can then activate the ability any time during that same turn by paying the specified activation cost. Boast can be activated before or after blockers are declared and/or combat damage is dealt.
As with a lot of abilities in Magic: the Gathering, this can get complicated. Naturally, there are a ton of different interactions and possibilities. But not to worry; you’ve come to the right place. This article will answer any and all questions you might have. Let’s jump right in.
Table of Contents:
What Is It?
Boast is a special type of Activated Ability featured on 15 creatures from the Kaldheim set. Each of these creatures has its own unique ability. The “Boast” part is basically just an extra stipulation.
I love the flavor of this mechanic. I can’t help but to imagine these boast creatures sitting in a saloon somewhere drunkenly bragging about their most recent attacks. In all seriousness though, Boast isn’t just a random ability with random requirements. Instead, you really get to feel the cause and effect of your actions, and that’s something I appreciate a lot. Executed a brave attack? Brag or “boast” about it, and reap some sweet rewards!
How Does It Work?
You can only activate a Boast ability if you’ve attacked with the creature that turn. This incentivizes you to swing at your opponent and makes for some exciting gameplay. After you’ve declared the creature as an attacker, you’re free to activate the ability any time during that turn. You still do, however, have to pay the normal activation cost for the ability. The most common activation cost is two mana (one generic mana, and one mana of the creature’s color). The cost, however, can be cheaper, or a lot more expensive. It all depends on how powerful the ability is.
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Rules
Magic: the Gathering is a complicated game. Naturally, rulings and clarifications are necessary to give players a clear understanding of mechanics and abilities. Below I’ll list the official rules concerning Boast, as well as some important rulings.
From the Comprehensive Rules: 702.142.
702.142.a “A boast ability is a special kind of activated ability. “Boast — [Cost]: [Effect]” means “[Cost]: [Effect]. Activate only if this creature attacked this turn and only once each turn.”
702.142b Effects may refer to boast abilities. If an effect refers to a creature boasting, it means its boast ability being activated.”
MTG Wiki
Rulings
- If a creature with Boast enters the battlefield attacking, the Boast ability cannot be activated that turn. The creature must be declared as an attacker.
- If a creature with Boast is declared as an attacker more than once in a turn, that creature can still only use their ability once that turn.
FAQs
Is Boast Instant Speed?
Yes and no. Like other activated abilities, you can use it any time you have priority, as long as you meet its other requirements. It just so happens, however, that Boast requires you to have attacked the same turn you activate it. This limits the timing considerably compared to normal instant-speed.
For example, it’s impossible to attack with a creature on your opponents turn, which means you’ll almost never be able to Boast a creature after you’ve passed your turn. The one exception to this is if an opponent steals your creature, attacks with it, doesn’t activate it’s ability, and then returns it to you. Since it attacked that turn, even though your opponent declared the attack, you would then be able to activate it’s ability. That’s not a common scenario, but still, good to know, right?
Also, you’ll never be able to use the ability during your Untap step, Upkeep step, Draw step, or pre-combat Main Phase. This is because those steps and phases come before the Combat Step, and it’s impossible for your creature to have attacked before then.
So while Boast does function at instant speed, its requirements means that you can only use it at certain times.
When Can You Use Boast?
In short, you can Boast a creature any time you have priority during a turn in which you’ve already declared an attack with that creature.
One key point is that you can use the ability after you attack, but before damage is dealt. This lets you reap the benefits of boasting before your creature has a chance to be killed by your opponents blockers. Also, if you attack and your opponent aims a removal spell at your creature to stop the damage, you can activate the ability before their spell resolves. You can also, of course, use it any time after combat, assuming your creature survives.
How Many Times Can You Activate Boast?
Unfortunately, you can only use Boast once each turn. Even if you somehow get a second Attack Phase and your creature attacks twice during the same turn, you can still only activate its ability once. There is, however, one exception to this rule, and that exception comes in the form of Birgi, God of Storytelling.
Birgi’s static ability lets your creatures boast twice during your turn instead of once. Birgi is the God of Storytelling, so it only makes sense that she enhances your creatures bragging potential.
Can You Activate Boast Before Damage?
You sure can! Let’s say you attack with Dragonkin Berserker with the intention of boasting and creating a dragon token. Your opponent, however, blocks with a 3/3 creature. If you proceed to damage, your Dragonkin Berserker will die. Luckily, however, you can still activate Dragonkin Berserker’s ability after blockers are declared, before damage is dealt, and you’ll still get your dragon token.
Let’s explore another scenario where you’d want to Boast before damage. Let’s say you attack with Arni Brokenbrow. Arni’s ability lets you switch his power to the biggest power amongst other creatures you control plus one. So if you control a 5/5, after you activate Arni’s ability, he turns into a 6/6. Not let’s say your opponent has a chump blocker. You don’t want to waste putting your mana into Arni’s ability if he’s going to get blocked anyways. So in this scenario, it’s best to wait until after your opponent declares blockers to make your choice. If your opponent blocks, you can save your mana for some other spell. If your opponent doesn’t block, you can activate the ability and blast them for extra damage!
The flexibility of this ability can be a big advantage if you play your cards right.
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Full List of Boast Creatures
- Arni Brokenbrow
- Axgard Braggart
- Battershield Warrior
- Dragonkin Berserker
- Draugr Recruiter
- Duskwielder
- Eradicator Valkyrie
- Fearless Liberator
- Fearless Pup
- Goldmaw Champion
- Hagi Mob
- Horizon Seeker
- Tuskeri Firewalker
- Usher of the Fallen
- Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire
What Boast Cards Are Good?
So far, there are only 15 creatures with the ability, and of those 15, only five are Rare/Mythic. Despite this low sample size, these creatures have managed to make an impact in constructed formats. And while they might not be powerhouses, they do have potential. Here I’ll give my picks for the best Boast creatures to include in your deck.
Dragonkin Berserker
Dragonkin Berserker has perhaps the most powerful ability of all the Kaldheim creatures. For five mana, you can create a 5/5 dragon token every turn. Boasting becomes even cheaper if you have dragon creatures on the battlefield, adding some built-in synergy. A strong ability paired with a low casting cost means Dragonkin Berserker is almost never a bad draw. This creature is especially strong in dragon-themed decks.
| Pros | Cons |
| Powerful Ability | Ability Is Expensive to Activate |
| Good In Both Early and Late Game | |
| Synergizes With Itself |
Recommended Formats
- Modern
- Commander
Eradicator Valkyrie
Eradicator Valkyrie is by far the most powerful creature on this list when it comes to stats. For four mana you get a 4/3 body with Flying, Lifelink, and Hexproof from Planeswalkers. This alone should be enough to make her playable. Additionally, Eradicator Valkyrie also comes with a decent Boast ability. You pay two mana and sacrifice a creature, and then each of your opponents is forced to sacrifice a creature of their own.
While this might seem underwhelming, if you can find ways to benefit from ditching your creatures, this ability suddenly becomes devastating. Eradicator Valkyrie slots in perfectly in Aristocrat decks, particularly in Commander where the higher casting cost isn’t an issue. Korvold, Fae-Cursed King is my first choice for a commander to pair with our Valkyrie.
| Pros | Cons |
| Powerful Stats | Relatively High Casting-Cost |
| Powerful Aristocrats Ability | Ability Requires Your Deck to Be Built Around It |
Recommended Formats
- Commander
Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire
Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire might be the most well rounded card on this list. For three mana, you get a 2/3 Deathtouch creature. Deathtouch is huge here since it makes Varragoth so much harder to block. This in turn makes his ability easier for you to activate multiple times. For two mana you get to search your library for any card in your library and put it on top of your deck.
The one downside to Varragoth, however, is that it takes a lot of recourses to benefit from his ability. Three mana to cast him, then another two mana to boast, spread over two turns. That’s quite a bit. And although lining up your draws is nice, Varragoth eats up too many recourses for faster formats.
| Pros | Cons |
| Deathtouch | Uses a Lot of Recourses |
| Powerful Ability |
Recommended Formats
- Commander
Usher of the Fallen
While Usher of the Fallen is only an uncommon, you shouldn’t underestimate it. Usher costs just one white mana to cast, and has two power. Two-power one-drops are hugely underrated in my opinion, especially when they have useful abilities like Usher. For two mana, Usher of the Fallen lets you create a 1/1 white Human Warrior creature token. While this may not seem like a lot, for an already stout one-drop, having a mana-sink is nice. Usher of the Fallen’s main home was in White Aggro decks in Standard, where it did solid work until rotating out in the fall of 2022.
| Pros | Cons |
| Very Cheap To Cast | Bad Late-Game Draw |
| Great In White Aggro Decks | |
| Good Stats |
Recommended Formats
- Modern
End Step
While these creatures might not be crazy impactful for constructed formats, they’re definitely powerful enough to be useful in the right decks. Aside from their power level, Boast is one of the most flavorful mechanics I’ve seen in a long time.
Who knows, maybe they’ll release more Boast creatures in future sets. I certainly hope so. Until then, I wish you the best of luck in all of your battles. May you afterwards boast of them with all appropriate arrogance.
