Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Kathari Bomber: Flying under the radar with Unearth and tokens

In the multiverse of MTG, a well-timed two-color threat can feel almost cinematic. Kathari Bomber, a lean 3-mana (1 generic + B + R) creature from Modern Masters 2017, embodies a clever design space where evasion, tempo, and graveyard reuse collide. This common-on-its-face card hides a lot of nuance behind its flying frame: a 2/2 flier that rewards you for drawing a bead on your opponent, then instantly shifts gears into a token-forced tempo swing. 🧙‍♂️🔥 It’s the kind of card that makes you grin when your plan comes together and grimace a little when it doesn’t—because you’ve just sacrificed a 2/2 for a pair of red Goblin allies and a surge of momentum. ⚔️

Flying · Unearth. When this creature deals combat damage to a player, create two 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens and sacrifice this creature. Unearth {3}{B}{R} — Return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield with haste; exile it at the beginning of the next end step or if it would leave the battlefield. Unearth only as a sorcery.

The card’s two-keyword core—Flying and Unearth—points to a dual-life strategy that’s common in B/R shells: you apply pressure with evasive beaters, then splice in a reanimation line to keep your board presence popping even after combat. Kathari Bomber’s color identity anchors in black and red, which means you’re looking at a mix of removal, direct damage, and a few synergies that care about creatures entering the battlefield. The symbolism is elegant: a nimble hunter, then a one-shot return to the fray that carries its own radiant, albeit temporary, vengeance. 💎🧙‍♂️

Keyword pair: Flying and Unearth in action

Flying provides an immediate evasion edge, which is the bread and butter of many black-red creatures. It lets Kathari Bomber slip past ground defenses and threaten to connect when you need it most. The real magic (and the reason you’ll want to pilot this card in the right deck) is the post-damage token burst: two 1/1 red Goblins enter the battlefield, and Kathari Bomber sacrifices itself. Those goblins can serve as a quick combat multiplier, fuel for a breach strategy, or sacrificial fodder for other synergy cards. In many games, those tokens aren’t just “two bodies” — they can redefine the board state by forcing a sudden mass of blockers or triggering token-sensitive finishers. 🎲🎲

Unearth adds a second life to Kathari Bomber, turning a potential one-and-done into a kinetic threat that’s capable of reappearing in the late game (albeit with a temporary lifeline). The requirement of paying {3}{B}{R} to return it from the graveyard, and then granting it haste, gives you a narrow window to recoup value before it leaves the battlefield again. This makes Kathari Bomber a tantalizing bridge piece for midrange and tempo decks that want to pepper the opponent with damage and then flood the board with red goblin pressure on the next turn. The fact that Unearth is a sorcery means timing is everything—you’ll want to plan around your graveyard resources and know when the window is worth swinging for a faster win. 🔥

Deck-building notes and play patterns

• Tempo play: Curve Kathari Bomber into a successful attack to force your opponent into blocks while you drop two Goblins on the crackback. Your next turn can leverage those resources into further pressure, or you can recast Bomber via Unearth for another swing if the situation allows. ⚔️
• Token amplification: Cards that reward or benefit from tokens—such as those that trigger on creature entering the battlefield or on Goblin tokens specifically—can amplify Kathari Bomber’s impact. Consider synergistic pieces like Purphoros, God of the Forge or token-centric engines that love red Goblin aggression. 🧙‍♂️
• Graveyard planning: In a منتصف-to-late game, Unearth becomes a valuable tool to reintroduce a threat when resources are dwindling. Remember that Kathari Bomber returns with haste, which means you can attack immediately or threaten a surprise block or two. Just be mindful of the exile at the end step. 💎
• Mana efficiency: At 3CMC, Kathari Bomber sits in a reasonable place for aggressive WA and RB shells, but it’s not a slam-dunk in every metagame. It shines in environments that embrace volatility and midrange battles, where a single hit can topple the balance with a token avalanche. 🧙‍♂️

In terms of card design, Kathari Bomber balances risk and reward with the two-for-one token payoff and the potential for repeated value via Unearth. It’s a reminder that MTG’s most memorable designs often live at the intersection of pure stats and clever text. The art by Carl Critchlow—rendered in MM3’s frame—captured a moment of dark energy and nimble mischief that fans still remember when they sort through their binders. The card’s common rarity belies the strategic depth it can unlock in the right deck, especially when you’re playing among friends who appreciate the under-the-radar power of a well-timed reanimation cameo. 🎨🧙‍♂️

Flavor and lore vibes

While Kathari Bomber doesn’t carry a sprawling narrative in the lore dump, its identity as a fast, winged opportunist who thrives on disruption fits the broader Kathari flavor of swift, cunning creatures that strike and slip away. The combination of a dangerous flier and a one-shot reentry mechanic echoes themes of risk-versus-reward, a common thread in many black-red archetypes that prize tempo and surprise. The token payoff—two goblins born from a single hit—reads like a miniature skirmish tableau, where a pair of red sprites tip the scales in the middle of a duel. It’s the kind of card that invites you to craft clever micro-plays and celebrate the little booms that help you keep pressure on your opponent. 💥🎲

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