The 34 Best Hate Bears in Magic Ranked

Last updated on August 27, 2025

Eidolon of the Great Revel | Illustration by Cyril Van Der Haegen

Death & Taxes is a popular strategy that's been around in Magic forever, mostly in Legacy. These kinds of decks run a mix of taxing effects and spells that aim to hate or slow down your opponents. The creatures that are seen in them are called hate bears.

But where does the term “hate bear” come from? Follow me to find out if you can, uh, bear it!

What Is a Hate Bear in MTG?

Kudo, King Among Bears | Illustration by Ekaterina Burmak

“Hate bear” usually refers to a creature with an ability that changes how the game is played as long as it's on the battlefield. Some force your opponents to pay a “tax” to cast spells or activate abilities while others “reward you” if they play some spell or trigger an effect on the battlefield. Others stop your opponents from taking certain game actions at all.

Why Are They Called Hate Bears?

The term “bear” is slang for a 2-mana creature that has power and toughness of 2, named after the original Grizzly Bears. These creatures usually “hate” or tax your opponent’s plays, which is where the term “hate bear” came around.

Not every hate bear listed has power and toughness of 2, but they’re close to it. Some are 1/3s or 3/1s. I’m only looking at creature cards that cost exactly 2 mana with bear-like stats. Sorry Yasharn, Implacable Earth.

#33. Ash Zealot

While its static ability is powerful, players nowadays don't tend to cast spells from the graveyard like they did pre-Modern Horizons II. Ash Zealot is the right card for the job if this kind of strategy rises in popularity again.

#32. Unsettled Mariner

Unsettled Mariner may not sound great, but it's a great addition to any typal deck that can run it because it's a changeling.

#31. Destiny Spinner

This creature doesn't stop your opponents from playing. Instead it ensures that your enchantments can't be countered. But Destiny Spinner can also act as a finisher in a dedicated deck.

#30. Ghostly Pilferer

Blue doesn’t have much for hate bears, with Ghostly Pilferer as a rare example.

I didn't know it had a second ability at first because I was mostly using its main one to draw cards. Its second ability may not come up very often, but it's certainly something to consider against decks that want to cheat by casting spells for free.

#29. Soulless Jailer

I won't fight you if you don't think a 0/4 qualifies as a hate bear, but it's definitely here in the spirit of shutting down opposing strategies. This is basically Grafdigger's Cage on an early blocker, which pulls double-duty against aggro decks and certain flavors of combo decks.

#28. Deep Gnome Terramancer

Ramp strategies using cards like Cultivate are very common in Commander, so I can see Deep Gnome Terramancer being good if you’re running a deck with Plains.

#27. Ethersworn Canonist

Let’s face it: No one likes to play against someone trying to play solitaire Magic. Ethersworn Canonist prevents that from happening because it keeps things fair while it’s around.

#26. Meddling Mage

If you don't want your opponents to play a specific card, Meddling Mage ensures that it won't happen unless the Mage is removed from the battlefield.

#25. Strict Proctor

Lotus Field loves Strict Proctor. If you chose not to pay the tax then the land sac trigger is canceled. It affects every permanent, unlike other similar creatures.

#24. Kataki, War's Wage

If you wanted to hate on affinity decks back in the day, Kataki, War's Wage was your guy. Nowadays other cards do the job better, at least in Modern. It's still a staple in Legacy Death & Taxes archetypes.

#23. Phyrexian Revoker

Phyrexian Revoker is the embodiment of Pithing Needle. There isn’t much to be said here, but it can fit into any hate bear deck and is often used in Legacy Death & Taxes, at least as a sideboard card.

#22. Sanctifier en-Vec

Sanctifier en-Vec was the next evolution of Auriok Champion, giving it the Modern Horizons treatment of being way more pushed than necessary. This is just an absolute hoser for red and black, and can single-handedly shut down entire strategies utilizing those colors.

#21. Archivist of Oghma

Archivist of Oghma comes from Battle for Baldur's Gate and rewards you every time your opponents search their library. I’ve seen it in decks that also run Field of Ruin to force your opponents to search and shuffle their library.

#20. Drannith Magistrate

While innocent at first glance, Drannith Magistrate can negate win conditions from your opponent's decks like Emergent Ultimatum. It’s best buddies with Spell Queller if they manage to kill the latter. If this was solely a list of Commander cards, this would take a much higher spot.

#19. Charismatic Conqueror

Charismatic Conqueror takes the space where Imposing Sovereign used to reside. This vampire gives your opponents an out to having their permanents enter tapped, but at the cost of giving you a 1/1. You might argue giving your opponent agency over the hate bear effect makes it worse, but the stats are better than Sovereign and you're fine with whatever choice your opponent makes.

#18. Eidolon of the Great Revel

Eidolon of the Great Revel is a multiformat staple for a lot of burn decks. Its impact on the board is such that it's used in many burn strategies where it's legal.

#17. Dennick, Pious Apprentice

Dennick, Pious Apprentice shuts down targeted graveyard interaction, while being a well-statted lifelinker as well. You can even disturb it as Dennick, Pious Apparition should it die, giving it even more value beyond its front face.

#16. Doorkeeper Thrull

Doorkeeper Thrull takes the best of Hushwing Gryff and Tocatli Honor Guard and slaps it on a cheap, tiny flier. Flash is a game-changed on these Torpor Orb effects, since you can often blank the first ETB your opponents play into your open mana. This thrull even shuts off artifact ETBs as a bonus.

#15. Hushbringer

What sets Hushbringer apart from other ETB-cancellers is that it has two essential keywords: flying and lifelink. It also negates dying effects.

#14. Tomik, Distinguished Advokist

Tomik, Distinguished Advokist isn’t your regular bear. Its stats are higher than any regular one and its hate ability is very particular. It gives hexproof to lands in play and in the graveyard while making sure that your opponents can't play lands from graveyards.

This seems kind of random to me, but it's perfect against decks using Life from the Loam or Crucible of Worlds.

#13. Grand Abolisher

If you want a safety net for whatever you plan on doing during your turn, Grand Abolisher‘s the way to go. This functionally shuts off counterspells, combat tricks, and most other forms of instant-speed interaction opponents could throw your way during your turn.

#12. Leonin Arbiter

This cat knows how to terrorize some tables with its ability that delays tutors and search effects. Leonin Arbiter is commonly used in Modern where fetch lands are very prevalent.

I regularly use this along with Ghost Quarter to emulate a Wasteland effect, and have managed to steal a lot of games when my opponents couldn't answer it.

#11. Kudo, King Among Bears

Kudo, King Among Bears takes the “hate bear” moniker quite literally. This is not only a great commander for a hate bears deck, but also a clever design, seeing as the 2/3 statline ensures it always has better base stats than other creatures in play. Pair it with anthem effects to outclass your opponents, or drop Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite into play and keep your opponents off creatures for good.

#10. Containment Priest

Some strategies use reanimation spells like Exhume and Animate Dead to cheat giant creatures in play ahead of schedule. Containment Priest puts a big red Denied! stamp on those strategies, and those creatures are exiled instead.

#9. Lion Sash

The white Scavenging Ooze, as I like to call it, has about the same abilities as its green counterpart. The slight difference is that you can reconfigure it onto a creature to give it a boost equal to the number of counters on Lion Sash.

While this may be very useful, the real reason why it makes it onto this list is that it messes with your opponents’ graveyards.

#8. Scavenging Ooze

Like Lion Sash, Scavenging Ooze specializes in hating graveyards. While you can't equip it like the Sash, you can still gain some life with it, a particularity from this green fellow.

#7. Spirit of the Labyrinth

Spirit of the Labyrinth is one of the best beaters I’ve seen. Its stats are technically the same as a bear except it has more power than toughness. That's good on its own, but its static ability can negate cards like Brainstorm, or Fable of the Mirror-Breaker’s second ability.

This can even shut down entire decks in some multiplayer environments.

#6. Lavinia, Azorius Renegade

I have to be honest: I’ve never played Lavinia, Azorius Renegade. I’ve seen it as part of the sideboard plan of human decks in Modern, though.

Its ability looks promising and works exceptionally well against the elemental incarnation cycle of Modern Horizons II.

#5. Gaddock Teeg

Gaddock Teeg has to be my second favorite hate bear because it shuts down almost every board wipe you can imagine. It's also a great counter to Force of Will, but Modern Horizons II took away its opportunity to shine with Force of Negation.

#4. Collector Ouphe

The green Stony Silence is how I recognize Collector Ouphe these days. It may not seem like a lot but it has the potential to hate and shut down entire decks.

This is the kind of card that Legacy decks like Elves like to run because you can tutor for it with Green Sun's Zenith.

#3. Dauthi Voidwalker

Dauthi Voidwalker has a big body for a hate bear, but it hates your opponent's cards and prevents them from going to the graveyard. It also lets you play one of those exiled cards at the cost of sacrificing it.

It works even better in multiples because you can cast any card exiled with a void counter.

#2. Orcish Bowmaster

Were it not for the #1 slot being such an iconic and integral part of the hate bears legacy, Orcish Bowmasters would certainly take top spot. This it draw hate to the max. It's seemingly less malicious than something like Hullbreacher or Narset, Parter of Veils, since it still lets people have their cards, it just kills them rapidly for overextending.

#1. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben

Thalia, Guardian of Thraben is probably my favorite creature in Magic. Its static ability is fantastic against decks that rely on killing things on curve. Even if it's just to slow them down, it's awkward when Thalia is around and you have to answer other more oppressing creatures.

Imagine you’re playing against a control deck. You play your 1-drop and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben on turn 2. All of a sudden your opponent probably can't play their cards on turn 2 if they aren’t creatures. They were expecting to cast a board wipe by turn 4, but they now need to wait an extra turn while taking tons of damage.

That’s the power of the Cathar, and why it's so beloved by many players like me.

Best Hate Bears Payoffs

No specific card rewards you for playing these kinds of creatures, but overall strategies (usually aggressive) use them to gain momentum through the game.

Decks that run Winota, Joiner of Forces tend to fall on hate bears to slow other decks and protect Winota so it can take over when it enters the battlefield. What’s great about this is that a wide variety of hate bears are humans, which go exceptionally well in these kinds of decks.

Azorius () decks tend to have a vast number of hate bears in them. Your opponents will start hating you instead if you align them with a stax commander like Grand Arbiter Augustin IV.

Decks have started running a curve of turn 1 Selfless Savior into Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Adeline, Resplendent Cathar on turn 3 more recently, especially in Pioneer. The first protects your 2-drop, and the 2-drop makes it hard for your opponent to have an answer for the board.

This play pattern when you’re on play is extremely punishing. Adeline, Resplendent Cathar, a bomb on its own, puts your opponents in a dilemma.

Hate bears are usually small and fragile to removal. Cards like Lurrus of the Dream-Den and Serra Paragon fit well in decks with them because you can get them back into play in the blink of an eye.

Creatures that search for others like Imperial Recruiter are excellent because they can search for the exact hate bear you need depending on the occasion.

Wrap Up

Thalia, Guardian of Thraben | Illustration by Jana Schirmer & Johannes Voss

Hate bears can come in all different colors and sizes. Their abilities are somewhat minimal while alone, but they can quickly become frustrating to play against when stacked together.

Do you like this kind of creature? What are your favorite hate bears? Was there one that I forgot to mention? Let me know in the comments, over on Twitter, or in the official Draftsim Discord.

As always, it's been a pleasure writing and investigating Magic cards and history, and I'll see you in the next one!