As you know, Magic: The Gathering is no stranger to bringing back old mechanics, and one of the more unexpected revivals is the return of the mechanic Bestow in Modern Horizons 3. Originally introduced in Theros back in 2013, Bestow allows certain enchantment creatures to become Auras, effectively bestowing their abilities, power, and toughness onto another creature.

And while Bestow certainly had its time in the spotlight back in the day, it hasn't really been seen all too much outside of Theros, which I'm guessing could be due to the mechanic's inherent complexity and flavor profile of being tied directly to the Gods of Nyx. But now that it's finally back, players, myself included, are excited to revisit this mechanic once again.

How Does Bestow Work?

In case you weren't playing Magic back in Theros block, at its core, Bestow is a mechanic that turns a creature into an Aura enchantment when cast for an alternate cost, otherwise known as the bestow cost. When a creature with Bestow is played as an Aura, the enchanted creature gains the power, toughness, and abilities of the bestowing creature.

Take Celestial Archon, for example. Normally, this is a 4/4 Flying, First Strike creature that costs to cast. But if you pay its Bestow cost of , you can attach it to another creature, granting that creature a sizeable power and toughness boost of +4/+4 while also giving it Flying and First Strike.

Bestow - Rules and Interactions

As I mentioned earlier, Bestow is a mechanic with some level of complexity, which I feel is important for just about any mechanic if it wants to thrive in the competitive scene. Here are some of the more notable interactions that, to this day, may still confuse even the most experienced of players:

• Casting as an Aura: When you cast a creature with bestow as an Aura, it becomes a non-creature spell on the stack. That means it can't be countered by spells like Essence Scatter (which counters strictly creature spells) but can be stopped by something like Negate (which strictly counters non-creature spells).
• Not Countered if Target is Invalid: Normally, an Aura is effectively countered if the target it was supposed to enchant becomes invalid before it resolves. Bestow cards bypass this problem altogether. If the creature that was supposed to be enchanted is destroyed or becomes an illegal target before the Bestow Aura resolves, the Bestow card will instead enter the battlefield as a creature.
• Unattaching the Aura: If the creature that's enchanted by the bestow Aura dies or leaves the battlefield, the bestow card "falls off" and transforms back into a creature. This means, unlike typical Auras, you actually get the Bestow creature back on the battlefield instead of losing both the creature and the Aura.
• Summoning Sickness: When a Bestow creature transitions from an Aura to a creature, it is considered to have been on the battlefield since it was cast as an Aura. So, if the Bestow creature "fell off" during your turn and becomes a creature, you can actually still attack or use tap abilities as if you have controlled it since your last turn.

Using Bestow Today

While Bestow has certainly proven its worth in a wide variety of decks over the years, I'd still say it's probably at its best in the following strategies:

Voltron Decks

Voltron decks, decks that focus on building up a single powerful creature with multiple buff effects, typically love Bestow because it allows them to not only enhance their key creature but also provide them with a backup creature that'll be ready to be equipped or enchanted again if things happen to go south.

Enchantress Decks

Decks built around enchantments, often referred to as "Enchantress" decks, aptly named after cards like Verduran Enchantress, Enchantress's Presence, and Mesa Enchantress, benefit greatly from Bestow creatures as they synergize with most Enchantress staples that either draw cards or trigger effects when enchantments and/or creatures enter the battlefield.

Graveyard-Focused Decks

Since Bestow creatures are both creatures and enchantments, they actively contribute to graveyard-focused mechanics like Delirium, which rewards you for having different card types in your graveyard. Want to search for any creature or land card instead of just a basic land with Traverse the Ulvenwald? Simply bin a Bestow creature, and you're halfway there.

It's also worth noting that enchantment revival spells are typically much more cost-efficient than creature revival spells. For example, would you rather pay five mana to play a Starfield of Nyx that lets you grab threats like Chromanticore, Nighthowler, Kestia, the Cultivator every turn or cast a card like Rise Again for the same cost and only get back one creature, one time? The choice is obvious.

Cards With Bestow

With some fresh, new additions from Modern Horizons 3, here is a complete list of all the cards that are ready to bless your creatures with the strength and protection of the Gods:

• Baleful Eidolon
• Boon Satyr
• Cavern Lampad
• Celestial Archon
• Chromanticore
• Crystalline Nautilus
• Detective's Phoenix
• Eidolon of Countless Battles
• Erebos's Emissary
• Everflame Eidolon
• Flitterstep Eidolon
• Ghostblade Eidolon
• Glyph Elemental
• Gnarled Scarhide
• Heliod's Emissary
• Herald of Torment
• Hopeful Eidolon
• Hypnotic Siren
• Indebted Spirit
• Kestia, the Cultivator
• Leafcrown Dryad
• Mogis's Warhound
• Nighthowler
• Nimbus Naiad
• Noble Quarry
• Nylea's Emissary
• Nyxborn Eidolon
• Nyxborn Hydra
• Nyxborn Rollicker
• Nyxborn Shieldmate
• Nyxborn Triton
• Nyxborn Unicorn
• Nyxborn Wolf
• Observed Alseid
• Purphoros's Emissary
• Sightless Brawler
• Spearpoint Oread
• Spirespine
• Spiteful Returned
• Springheart Nantuko
• Thassa's Emissary
• Trickster's Elk
• Triton Wavebreaker

What's Next For Bestow?

While Bestow hasn't been revisited in Standard sets since the original Theros block, with its recent appearance in supplemental sets like Commander 2018 and Modern Horizons 3, we now have some hope of it making a comeback in future sets, especially in planes that focus on enchantments or where the Gods of Nyx, those who are still kicking anyways, take center stage.

*Cough* Return to Theros *Cough* Come on, Mark, you know you want to. *Cough Cough*

For now, though, be sure to keep these Bestow cards in mind when queuing up for some Modern and Commander games because you just never really know when you're going to get randomly ambushed by a divine Boon Satyr.