Zombie Ogre MTG Card


Zombie Ogre - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Zombie Ogre
Abilities Venture into the dungeon
Released2021-07-23
Set symbol
Set nameAdventures in the Forgotten Realms
Set codeAFR
Power 3
Toughness 5
Number129
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byNicholas Gregory

Key Takeaways

  1. Zombie Ogres provide card advantage, allowing for a fuller hand and more strategic options.
  2. They offer resource acceleration, giving players access to extra mana and faster plays.
  3. Instant speed abilities from Zombie Ogres ensure adaptability and surprise during play.

Text of card

At the beginning of your end step, if a creature died this turn, venture into the dungeon. (Enter the first room or advance to the next room.)

"On the plus side, Throg no longer thinks he's clever." —Xanathar


Card Pros

Card Advantage: A certain Zombie Ogre card comes into play by adding extensive card advantage to your gaming strategy. Often, Zombie Ogres enable you to draw extra cards, or bring back cards from the graveyard, ensuring that your hand remains full and options plentiful.

Resource Acceleration: Many Zombie Ogre cards have synergies that ramp up your resources swiftly. They may allow you to tap into additional mana by sacrificing creatures or performing specific actions, which can catalyze the summoning of high-cost creatures or the casting of game-changing spells sooner than expected.

Instant Speed: Should a Zombie Ogre card have an ability that operates at instant speed, it grants the versatility to adapt to battlefield changes instantly. This can keep opponents off balance, as you can react to their moves, deploy unexpected buffs, or trigger abilities without the constraints of your own turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Zombie Ogre cards often demand a discard from the player, which can deplete your hand. Such an effect requires strategic timing to mitigate resource loss, and might not align with a player’s game flow if they can’t afford to discard.

Specific Mana Cost: This creature typically requires a blend of color-specific mana—usually black. This can present a deck-building challenge, restricting its playability to specific strategies that can support the necessary mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Zombie Ogres usually command a substantial amount of mana to cast. In a fast-paced gameplay scenario, spending a large amount of mana on a single creature can slow down your momentum, especially when there are numerous other creatures or spells that are more mana-efficient.


Reasons to Include Zombie Ogre Mtg Card in Your Collection

Versatility: Zombie Ogre is a multi-functional card that can slide into numerous deck archetypes. It often shines in decks that capitalize on undead themes or require robust, recurring creatures.

Combo Potential: With synergies prevalent in tribal mechanics, this card can enhance strategies that pivot around graveyard interaction and creature type bonuses, elevating the power level of your zombie-focused combos.

Meta-Relevance: Given that creature-based strategies are evergreen in many metagames, having a sturdy Zombie Ogre in your collection could pay dividends. It has the potential to disrupt opponents’ plays and maintain board presence in a variety of matchups.


How to beat

Zombie Ogres in Magic: The Gathering come with a set of challenges that require a mix of strategic play and the right cards. These creatures often combine high toughness, making them difficult to remove in combat. An effective strategy is to utilize removal spells that can bypass this toughness. Black offers a slew of options, such as Fatal Push or Go for the Throat, which can unconditionally destroy creatures regardless of their size.

Another tactic is to take advantage of cards that can exile creatures from the game. White has tools like Path to Exile or the more recent Settle the Wreckage, which can handle these zombie behemoths effortlessly. Exiling also ensures they won’t be coming back from the graveyard—a common theme with zombie-based decks. Green can help too, with options like Plummet for flying Ogres or Prey Upon to pit your creatures against them in a fight where you can manipulate the outcome.

Lastly, managing the graveyard itself is crucial, as many Zombie Ogre cards thrive on the undead synergy. Graveyard hate cards, such as Scavenging Ooze or Relic of Progenitus, are your allies here, preventing any comeback from the afterlife. In essence, key removal, exile spells, and graveyard control are your best bets to topple the Zombie Ogre menace in MTG.


Cards like Zombie Ogre

The enigmatic allure of the undead in Magic: The Gathering can be seen in a variety of cards, including the particular case of a Zombie Ogre. This creature often combines the brute strength of an Ogre with the relentless nature of a Zombie, crafting a niche for itself within the pantheon of dark-themed decks. Among its kin, it bears comparison to Ghoulcaller’s Chant, which similarly delves into zombie synergy by returning zombie creatures from the graveyard to the player’s hand, reinforcing the theme of perpetual, undying forces.

Another parallel can be drawn with Death Baron, a card that grants deathtouch and strengthens fellow zombies, amplifying the impact of each undead creature on the battlefield, much as a Zombie Ogre’s formidable presence would. Despite lacking the supportive aura of a card like Death Baron, Zombie Ogre cards generally compensate with raw power and standalone utility. We also find kinship with Rotting Regisaur, who looms large with substantial power but demands a sacrifice each turn, unlike the more self-sufficient Zombie Ogre that does not typically incur recurring costs.

In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, while there might be other undead that offer different strategic advantages, a Zombie Ogre card provides a blend of resilience and might that is hard to match, often becoming a cornerstone in decks that pride themselves on an aggressive and relentless board presence.

Ghoulcaller's Chant - MTG Card versions
Death Baron - MTG Card versions
Rotting Regisaur - MTG Card versions
Ghoulcaller's Chant - Innistrad (ISD)
Death Baron - Shards of Alara (ALA)
Rotting Regisaur - Core Set 2020 Promos (PM20)

Cards similar to Zombie Ogre by color, type and mana cost

Skyshroud Vampire - MTG Card versions
Predatory Nightstalker - MTG Card versions
Fallen Angel - MTG Card versions
Stone Catapult - MTG Card versions
Grotesque Hybrid - MTG Card versions
Earwig Squad - MTG Card versions
Indulgent Tormentor - MTG Card versions
Sootfeather Flock - MTG Card versions
Zombie Cutthroat - MTG Card versions
Gluttonous Zombie - MTG Card versions
Woebearer - MTG Card versions
Wei Elite Companions - MTG Card versions
Halo Hunter - MTG Card versions
Malakir Bloodwitch - MTG Card versions
Caustic Crawler - MTG Card versions
Shriekmaw - MTG Card versions
Reaper of Sheoldred - MTG Card versions
Dementia Bat - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Plaguelord - MTG Card versions
Bloodlord of Vaasgoth - MTG Card versions
Skyshroud Vampire - Tempest (TMP)
Predatory Nightstalker - Vintage Masters (VMA)
Fallen Angel - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Stone Catapult - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Grotesque Hybrid - Torment (TOR)
Earwig Squad - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Indulgent Tormentor - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Sootfeather Flock - Legions (LGN)
Zombie Cutthroat - Scourge (SCG)
Gluttonous Zombie - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Woebearer - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Wei Elite Companions - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Halo Hunter - Zendikar (ZEN)
Malakir Bloodwitch - Zendikar (ZEN)
Caustic Crawler - Worldwake (WWK)
Shriekmaw - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)
Reaper of Sheoldred - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Dementia Bat - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Phyrexian Plaguelord - Duel Decks: Mirrodin Pure vs. New Phyrexia (TD2)
Bloodlord of Vaasgoth - Magic 2012 (M12)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Zombie Ogre MTG card by a specific set like Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, 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 Zombie Ogre and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Zombie Ogre has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-07-23 A player may only have one dungeon in the command zone at a time.
2021-07-23 Choosing the dungeon or room to venture into is part of resolving the venture into the dungeon keyword action. Once that choice is made, players may not respond until after the appropriate room ability has triggered.
2021-07-23 Dungeon cards are not part of a player's deck or sideboard. In both constructed and limited formats, players can use any dungeon card when they venture into the dungeon.
2021-07-23 Dungeons are removed from the game as a state-based action.
2021-07-23 If you somehow venture into the dungeon while a room's ability is on the stack, you will continue on in the dungeon. If you're already in the last room, complete that dungeon and start a new one.
2021-07-23 Moving into a dungeon room will cause its room ability to trigger.
2021-07-23 Once you resolve the last room ability of a dungeon, that dungeon is now completed and is removed from the game.
2021-07-23 The player venturing into the dungeon chooses which dungeon they will venture into. They may choose a dungeon that they have already completed this game.
2021-07-23 To venture into the dungeon, a player moves their venture marker into the next room of the dungeon they are currently in. If they aren't currently in a dungeon, that player instead chooses a dungeon card from outside the game, puts it into the command zone, and moves their venture marker onto the first room.
2021-07-23 You can only move forward (well, downward) in a dungeon, never backwards or sideways.
2021-07-23 Zombie Ogre doesn't need to have been on the battlefield at the time the creature died for its ability to function.
2021-07-23 Zombie Ogre's ability will trigger only once during your end step, no matter how many creatures died this turn. However, if no creatures have died so far this turn as the end step begins, the ability won't trigger at all. It's not possible to cause a creature to die during the end step in time to have the ability trigger.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks