Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Grim Bounty Across Expansions: A Look at Reprint Frequency
When you talk about black removal that also hands you a little windfall of mana, Grim Bounty feels like an unassuming workhorse from the Adventures in the Forgotten Realms set. Released on July 23, 2021, this common sorcery costs 2 colorless and 2 black mana ({{2}{B}{B}}) and drops a dual-impact line on the battlefield: destroy a target creature or planeswalker, then sprout a Treasure token. That token, an artifact with a built-in mana bargain, can be sacrificed for one mana of any color. It’s a neat two-for-one that tucks in ramp and removal in a single card. 🧙🔥💎
Framed within AFR’s Dungeons & Dragons-inspired world, Grim Bounty embodies the set’s penchant for practical, game-skewing tools that feel both thematic and useful in a broad range of formats. The card’s color identity is firmly Black, with a Treasure-producing mechanic that has since become a familiar ally in ramp-focused builds. The flavor text—“Freed from the need to pay tribute to the dragon, the villages gladly paid the dragon-slayers instead.”—adds a dash of lore, reminding us that even a simple spell can shift power dynamics in a real-time, dragon-slaying economy. 🎨⚔️
What Grim Bounty Actually Delivers on the Board
- Tempo + removal: Destroying a creature or a planeswalker buys a moment to stabilize, answer threats, or set up a more ambitious plan for the next turn. That’s the classic Black control arc: removal that doesn’t just trade resources, but also creates future options.
- Treasures for mana acceleration: The Treasure token is the card’s secret sauce. It’s an artifact that can be tapped for one mana of any color after tapping and sacrificing the Treasure. In many decks, that singular piece of mana flexibility unlocks curve-breaking plays by offering mana fixing or enabling fuse-cost sequences for big spells. 🧙♀️🎲
- Mana-synced flexibility: The combination of removal and Treasure generation makes Grim Bounty appealing inCommander and multicolored decks that crave tempo and mana flexibility. It’s especially potent in decks that can leverage Treasure tokens for a late-game surge or to cast a powerful spell ahead of schedule. ⚔️
“Destroy target creature or planeswalker. Create a Treasure token.” It’s a compact design that asks you to think about what you’re really paying for—agency and tempo—paired with a little coin-flip ramp that can snowball if your deck leans into Treasure synergies. And in Commander, where players love value engines, Grim Bounty earns its keep by turning removal into ongoing resource generation.
From a print-history perspective, Grim Bounty is anchored in Adventures in the Forgotten Real Realms (afr). Its rarity is listed as common, which typically means it appears in more limited print runs than rare or mythic cards, but it also implies a broad availability in booster packs and draft environments. The card’s set is not a standard reprint hub, and the [reprint] flag on the card data you provided is false, indicating that, within the AFR era itself, this particular print hasn’t been flagged as a reprint within that set. In practical terms, there hasn’t been a widely distributed AFR reprint of Grim Bounty in subsequent sets that share a similar design space. This aligns with the sense that some black removal plus Treasure tools tend to show up sporadically, especially when a particular mechanic’s fan interest doesn’t drive a high-frequency reprint slot in newer sets. 📚
Financial tidbits aside, the card’s global footprint across formats adds texture to its print history. On the market, Grim Bounty sits on a modest price ladder, as reflected by current price data: around USD 0.05 for non-foil copies and around USD 0.17 for foil copies in some markets, with euro prices following a similar modest trajectory. That affordability makes it a charming plug-in for casual players who want a reliable two-for-one tool without chasing chase foils or scarce promos. The lasting appeal here is less about scarcity and more about what the card enables in a game that loves tempo-driven play, treasure ramps, and clever target choices. 🧿🧩
Set, Flavor, and the Cultural Footprint
Adventures in the Forgotten Realms leans into a high-fantasy, dragon-slaying vibe, and Grim Bounty fits snugly into that world. The card’s Treasure mechanic—an artifact token that can be cashed in for mana of any color—resonates with players who enjoy the sweet spot between spell-slinging and mana economy. The flavor text evokes a world where heroic townsfolk learned to navigate payoffs and risks, a theme that makes the card feel more than just a mechanical line item. As we track print frequency across expansions, Grim Bounty reminds us that a well-crafted tool can survive the test of time even when the market rewards outras. 🎨
For deck builders, the card’s pulse is most visible in Commander and pioneer contexts where reliable removal and flexible mana ramp are valued. The fact that it’s both legal in Modern and historic formats—while remaining a common, non-foil staple in AFR—speaks to a design that ages gracefully rather than peaking through a single reprint window. And while newer sets push ambitious new mechanics, Grim Bounty offers a counterpoint: a compact, reliable engine that doesn’t demand top-tier rarity or a complicated mana base to sing. 🧙♂️💎
Practical Takeaways for Collectors and Players
- Track print history with curiosity: Even cards that look humble on the surface can reveal surprising distribution patterns across expansions. Grim Bounty’s AFR roots and lack of obvious reprints make it an interesting case study in how a card’s utility and theme drive its life cycle.
- Use the Treasure as a resource engine: The token’s flexibility often outpaces the removal itself in longer games, particularly when your deck can leverage color-fixing for a late-game threat surge. The card’s value is as much in the token economy as in the spell’s immediate effect. 🎲
- Keep an eye on price trajectories: The modest price point makes it accessible for commander budgets and budget-minded tabletop players, preserving its role as a dependable pick for casual play and local metas.
If you’re building for long sessions of tabletop strategy and want something that blends nostalgia with practical ramp, Grim Bounty fits the bill. And as you refine your board state while planning your next multi-spell turn, consider gifting yourself a trusty desk companion—like a round or rectangle neoprene desk pad—that keeps your card table steady while you grind through a late-night game. Pro-tip: a good pad makes those treasure tokens feel like real treasure, not just decals on the table. 🧙🔥🎨