Bola WarriorHow it works & interactions with other cards

Breaking the Defensive Line

The primary function of Bola Warrior is its activated ability. For the cost of one red mana, tapping the warrior, and discarding a card from your hand, you choose one target creature. That creature loses its ability to block for the remainder of the current turn. Because this is an activated ability, you can use it multiple times if you have ways to untap the warrior, targeting different creatures each time.

How the Ability Resolves

To activate the ability, you must first have a valid target creature on the battlefield. You pay the costs—mana, tapping, and discarding—simultaneously as you put the ability on the stack. Once it resolves, the targeted creature is flagged with a 'can't block' effect. It is important to note that this must be done before the Declare Blockers step of combat; once a creature has legally been declared as a blocker, making it unable to block will not remove it from combat or make the attacker unblocked.

Strategic Considerations

A common mistake is waiting too long to use the ability. You should typically activate Bola Warrior during the Beginning of Combat step or the Declare Attackers step. Since the effect lasts 'this turn,' you can even use it during your main phase if you anticipate your opponent might use a flash creature or an activated ability to create a blocker later.

Interaction examples

Clearing the Skies

Ornithopter of Paradise

If your opponent controls an Ornithopter of Paradise, they have a flying blocker ready for your aerial assault. During your Declare Attackers step, you can tap Bola Warrior and discard a card to target the Ornithopter of Paradise. Once the ability resolves, the artifact creature cannot be chosen as a blocker, allowing your flyers to attack your opponent directly.

Ensuring the Payoff

Professional Face-Breaker

Professional Face-Breaker rewards you for dealing combat damage to a player. To ensure this happens, use Bola Warrior to target your opponent's most effective blocker. By removing that creature's ability to block, you create a clear path for Professional Face-Breaker to strike the player, triggering its ability to create a Treasure token.