A-Hobbling Zombie MTG Card

A-Hobbling Zombie - Innistrad: Midnight Hunt

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Zombie
Abilities	Deathtouch
Released	2021-09-24
Set symbol
Set name	Innistrad: Midnight Hunt
Set code	MID
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	A-106
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Josh Hass

Key Takeaways

A-Hobbling Zombie creates card advantage and fits well into token and sacrifice-focused strategies.
Its deathtouch ability and token generation upon death make it a valuable defender and attacker.
However, its specific mana cost and discard requirement limit its flexibility and deck integration.

Text of card

Deathtouch When Hobbling Zombie dies, create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token with decayed. (It can't block. When it attacks, sacrifice it at end of combat.)

"I see someone tried to stop you, my pet. How delightful." —Ghoulcaller Gisa

Card Pros

Card Advantage: A-Hobbling Zombie is adept at creating card advantage in certain scenarios, especially when its death triggers help draw cards or when it replaces itself by creating tokens upon leaving the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: This card can potentially aid in resource acceleration by its ability to stall the opponent, granting you more turns to draw into more lands or mana sources thus slowly building a resource lead over your opponent.

Instant Speed: Despite not being an instant itself, A-Hobbling Zombie pairs well with instant speed removal or tricks. Its presence on the board may enable you to better leverage your instant speed spells by forcing difficult combat decisions or by interacting with abilities that trigger during the combat phase.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Hobbling Zombie demands a card to be discarded to implement its effects. This can strain your hand, especially when you’re attempting to maintain card advantage over your opponent. A careful evaluation is necessary to decide if the immediate benefit is worth the long-term cost of losing resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both black and another mana to play, the Hobbling Zombie is a specialized card that fits primarily in zombie-themed or black-centric decks. This inflexibility can be burdensome for players looking to incorporate it into more diverse or multicolored strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that’s not negligible, players might find that the Hobbling Zombie falls behind other creatures in terms of power and utility. Other zombie creatures or cards could potentially provide more impact on the game’s state with a lower investment or offer additional synergies that the Hobbling Zombie lacks.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: A-Hobbling Zombie offers a strategic advantage in many deck builds due to its dual role. Not only does it act as a reliable blocker with its deathtouch attribute, effectively deterring attackers, but it also puts pressure on opponents as a consistent source of damage.

Combo Potential: This undead creature is perfect for any deck looking to exploit death triggers. When A-Hobbling Zombie meets its demise, it creates a 2/2 black Zombie creature token, seamlessly fitting into strategies harnessing token generation or sacrifice synergies.

Meta-Relevance: Given the recurring presence of creature-based strategies in the current meta, A-Hobbling Zombie is particularly effective. It can counter various aggressive strategies by threatening to trade with larger threats, making it an essential creature to consider for controlling or midrange decks looking to stabilize the board.

How to Beat

A Hobbling Zombie in Magic: The Gathering presents a unique challenge on the battlefield. This undead creature often slips into decks that exploit its death-trigger ability, leaving opponents with a pesky 2/2 zombie token to contend with after it’s gone. Overlooking this resilience can be a critical mistake.

To effectively counter A Hobbling Zombie, it’s essential to minimize interaction. Employ removal spells that exile instead of destroy, bypassing the token generation. Cards like Path to Exile or Declaration in Stone can cleanly deal with the creature without leaving anything behind. Also, employing creatures with first strike nullifies the zombie’s deathtouch mechanic, negating its ability to threaten and trade with your more substantial creatures. Managing your resources and choosing the right moment to deal with the zombie can swing the tide in your favor.

Moreover, strategies that rely on graveyard hate, such as Rest in Peace, significantly reduce zombie-centric strategies’ effectiveness. By shutting down all graveyard interactions, you’re not only dealing with the immediate threat but also preventing any undue advantages your opponent might gain from a zombie-laden graveyard. Keep these tactics in mind, and you’ll find that hobbling the Hobbling Zombie is a walk in the park.

Cards like A-Hobbling Zombie

The Hobbling Zombie stands as a solid contender in the array of black creatures within Magic: The Gathering. Parallel in function to Undead Minotaur, both cards brandish a 2/2 body, but Hobbling Zombie offers a slight advantage with its deathtouch ability. This allows it to trade with any creature it battles, irrespective of the creature’s size.

Another close relative in this necrotic family is Walking Corpse. Although similar in mana cost and power, Walking Corpse lacks the additional impact that Hobbling Zombie’s deathtouch brings to the table. Furthermore, when we inspect Festering Goblin, a common choice in zombie decks, we notice the ability to weaken an opposing creature upon death, a more subtle and strategic tool compared to the direct deathtouch killing power of Hobbling Zombie.

Thus, when considering lineups of undead creatures for a deck, Hobbling Zombie not only aligns with the power and toughness standards but surpasses expectations with its deathtouch ability, making it a valuable piece in Magic: The Gathering’s roster of zombies, especially in games where formidable defenses are prevalent.

Cards similar to A-Hobbling Zombie by color, type and mana cost

Order of the Ebon Hand - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase A-Hobbling Zombie MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, 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 A-Hobbling Zombie and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where A-Hobbling Zombie has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal