Murderous Redcap MTG Card


Murderous Redcap offers potential card advantage by persisting and dealing damage twice. It can disrupt opponents and pave the way for critical plays in strategic moments. Synergizes well with decks utilizing flicker or sacrifice mechanics for control.
Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Goblin Assassin
Abilities Persist
Power 2
Toughness 2

Text of card

When Murderous Redcap comes into play, it deals damage equal to its power to target creature or player. Persist (When this creature is put into a graveyard from play, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to play under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)


Cards like Murderous Redcap

Murderous Redcap makes its mark in MTG as a creature that brings versatility and resilience to the table. Its similarity to other persist creatures, such as Kitchen Finks, is evident in its ability to return to the battlefield. However, while Kitchen Finks excels in life gain, Murderous Redcap distinguishes itself with direct damage, which can target creatures or players, offering a different approach to board control and win conditions.

Another comparable card is Geralf’s Messenger, which also has the undying effect, guaranteeing a return to the game after its first death. Like Redcap, it deals damage to opponents when it enters the battlefield, fostering strategies that capitalize on recurring threats. However, it’s restricted to mono-black decks due to its triple black mana cost, whereas Murderous Redcap’s hybrid mana cost affords greater deck-building flexibility.

Examining the uniqueness of Murderous Redcap demonstrates how it finds its niche in MTG, combining effective board presence with a direct damage mechanic. Its compatibility with various deck types and strategic uses in combo setups underscore its value in MTG, offering nuanced choices to players crafting their ideal deck.

Kitchen Finks - MTG Card versions
Geralf's Messenger - MTG Card versions
Kitchen Finks - MTG Card versions
Geralf's Messenger - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Murderous Redcap by color, type and mana cost

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Possessed Barbarian - MTG Card versions
Prosper, Tome-Bound - MTG Card versions
Orcus, Prince of Undeath - MTG Card versions
Blim, Comedic Genius - MTG Card versions
Rakdos Firewheeler - MTG Card versions
Rakdos, Lord of Riots - MTG Card versions
Immersturm Predator - MTG Card versions
Hellhole Rats - MTG Card versions
Wort, Boggart Auntie - MTG Card versions
Sootwalkers - MTG Card versions
Viashino Skeleton - MTG Card versions
Olivia Voldaren - MTG Card versions
Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch - MTG Card versions
Blazing Specter - MTG Card versions
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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Murderous Redcap offers a unique blend of damage dealing and creature persistence. When it enters the battlefield or dies with a +1/+1 counter, its persist ability triggers, possibly providing you with an additional use of the creature. This grants a subtle form of card advantage as it can eliminate an opponent’s creature while potentially remaining on the board.

Resource Acceleration: Although not a direct accelerator of resources, Murderous Redcap can contribute to such strategies. By disrupting opponents’ plays through targeted removal, it indirectly accelerates your game plan by clearing the way for your important threats or saving your resources for more critical turns.

Instant Speed: While Murderous Redcap doesn’t operate at instant speed, it integrates well with decks that have instant-speed synergies. Its enter-the-battlefield ability can be a strategic component, combining with cards that allow you to flicker or sacrifice and return creatures to the battlefield during opportune moments.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While this card doesn’t directly ask you to discard, it synergizes with decks that require discard. This means you could be at a disadvantage if forced to utilize discard strategies without backup resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Murderous Redcap’s mana cost not only specifies colors (hybrid red/black and colorless) but also fitting this card into your mana curve can be restricting, especially outside of Goblin or persist-themed decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes three mana, this creature’s entrance and persist abilities may seem costly. Given the mana investment, the impact on the board might not always justify the cost when compared to other options available to cause direct damage or recursive threats at lower mana values.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Murderous Redcap can be a key player in a variety of decks, especially those that leverage persist mechanics. Its ability to deal damage upon entering the battlefield or dying makes it a flexible choice for both offensive and defensive strategies.

Combo Potential: This card shines in combinations with cards that manipulate +1/+1 and -1/-1 counters, enabling potential infinite combos that can lead to victory in a single turn.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where small creatures dominate, Murderous Redcap serves as an excellent recurring removal option. It is quite effective against aggro decks, making it a strategic inclusion in your arsenal.


How to beat

Confronting the challenge of Murderous Redcap in MTG requires thoughtful strategy. This creature card from the Shadowmoor set introduces persist, allowing it to return to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter after it dies. Its ability to deal damage equal to its power when it enters the battlefield means it can target creatures or players, presenting a recursive threat if not dealt with properly.

To effectively handle Murderous Redcap, removal that exiles or tuck spells, which shuffle the creature back into the library, are effective counters. Graveyard hate cards that remove creatures from graveyards or disable triggered abilities can also disable the persist mechanic. Additionally, since Murderous Redcap’s damage is determined by its power, effects that reduce its power to zero can negate its damage-dealing ability upon re-entry to the field. Lastly, cards like Rest in Peace which prevent cards from entering the graveyard from anywhere play a critical role in disrupting this combo piece and preventing its looped return from beyond the battlefield.

Thus, flexibility in deck building to include general creature removal, graveyard disruption, and power modification options is vital when gearing up to battle decks featuring the tenacious Murderous Redcap.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into the versatility and cunning strategies of Murderous Redcap in your MTG arsenal. With its persistent presence on the battlefield, it can turn the tide of a match by cleverly removing key threats and engaging in potentially infinite combos. Whether you are fine-tuning your current deck or seeking new, powerful additions, understanding how to optimize cards like Murderous Redcap can make all the difference. Explore the realms of synergistic gameplay and enhance your collection for a competitive edge. Unravel the full potential of this unique card in your quest for MTG mastery. Join us to discover more innovative ways to claim your victory.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Murderous Redcap MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Shadowmoor, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Murderous Redcap and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Murderous Redcap Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2008-05-02 and 2018-12-07. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 361922003NormalBlackMark Hyzer
22008-05-02ShadowmoorSHM 1922003NormalBlackDave Allsop
32009-01-01Friday Night Magic 2009F09 72003NormalBlackMark Hyzer
42013-06-07Modern MastersMMA 1922003NormalBlackDave Allsop
52018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 2172015NormalBlackDave Allsop
62020-09-26The ListPLST SHM-1922003NormalBlackDave Allsop

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Murderous Redcap has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Murderous Redcap card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2008-05-01 Murderous Redcap’s power is checked at the time the ability resolves. If it’s left the battlefield by then, its last known information is used.
2013-06-07 If a creature with persist stops being a creature, persist will still work.
2013-06-07 If a creature with persist that has +1/+1 counters on it receives enough -1/-1 counters to cause it to be destroyed by lethal damage or put into its owner’s graveyard for having 0 or less toughness, persist won’t trigger and the card won’t return to the battlefield. That’s because persist checks the creature’s existence just before it leaves the battlefield, and it still has all those counters on it at that point.
2013-06-07 If a permanent has multiple instances of persist, they’ll each trigger separately, but the redundant instances will have no effect. If one instance returns the card to the battlefield, the next to resolve will do nothing.
2013-06-07 If a token with no -1/-1 counters on it has persist, the ability will trigger when the token is put into the graveyard. However, the token will cease to exist and can’t return to the battlefield.
2013-06-07 If multiple creatures with persist are put into the graveyard at the same time (due to combat damage or a spell that destroys all creatures, for example), the active player (the player whose turn it is) puts all of their persist triggers on the stack in any order, then each other player in turn order does the same. The last trigger put on the stack is the first one that resolves. That means that in a two-player game, the nonactive player’s persist creatures will return to the battlefield first, then the active player’s persist creatures do the same. The creatures return to the battlefield one at a time.
2013-06-07 The persist ability triggers when the permanent is put into a graveyard. Its last known information (that is, how the creature last existed on the battlefield) is used to determine whether it had a -1/-1 counter on it.
2013-06-07 When a permanent with persist returns to the battlefield, it’s a new object with no memory of or connection to its previous existence.