Deadshot Minotaur MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Minotaur |
| Abilities | Cycling |
| Released | 2009-04-30 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Alara Reborn |
| Set code | ARB |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 4 |
| Number | 52 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Jason Chan |
Key Takeaways
- Cycling for card advantage enables smoother draws and a more consistent game plan.
- Maintaining tempo is easier with instant speed cycling, filtering through your deck faster.
- Though versatile, its higher mana value and discard requirement may limit some strategies.
Text of card
When Deadshot Minotaur comes into play, it deals 3 damage to target creature with flying. Cycling {RG} ({RG}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
"May the earth rise up to meet you."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Deadshot Minotaur enters the arena with a powerful effect that lets you cycle it away, replacing itself in your hand. This cycling mechanism is a boon for players seeking to thin their decks, ensuring a smoother draw and increasing the chances of fetching the right cards at critical moments.
Resource Acceleration: Although not directly contributing to traditional mana acceleration, the cycling ability of Deadshot Minotaur can indirectly speed up your gameplay. By cycling for a single red mana, you are effectively filtering through your deck to reach your vital land drops and key spells faster, keeping the tempo in your favor.
Instant Speed: Cycling can be executed at instant speed, providing the flexibility to adapt to the board state on the fly. Whether you’re dodging an opponent’s removal or simply seeking better options during their end step, Deadshot Minotaur offers strategic depth, keeping your adversaries guessing and allowing you to make moves unseen.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Deadshot Minotaur necessitates a card discard upon cycling. This could reduce hand advantage, a critical aspect in maintaining options throughout the game.
Specific Mana Cost: This creature card commands a distinct mana combination of red and green. Decks not based around these colors or those without ample mana fixing may struggle to accommodate it.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value of five, Deadshot Minotaur may strain your resources, particularly when you could deploy multiple lower-cost creatures or execute several actions instead.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Deadshot Minotaur offers a flexible role in various decks, particularly those requiring cycling abilities to draw cards and control the flow of the game. Its ability to act as both a creature and a card advantage tool makes it a handy choice.
Combo Potential: This card shines in combos, utilizing its cycling to trigger effects that activate whenever you cycle another card or when cards are put into the graveyard from anywhere. It synergizes well with effects that capitalize on creatures entering or leaving the battlefield.
Meta-Relevance: In metagames with a prevalence of creature-based strategies, Deadshot Minotaur can serve as a strategic piece to address multiple creature threats, due to its ability to deal damage to flying creatures as it enters the battlefield.
How to beat
Deadshot Minotaur brings a unique aspect to the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering, notably its synergy with Cycling. This card can be a valuable tool for churning through your deck to find key pieces, especially in formats that hinge on graveyard mechanics or cascade triggers. Understanding these interactions is crucial in formulating a strategy to overcome it.
When facing Deadshot Minotaur, it’s vital to disrupt your opponent’s graveyard or prevent them from capitalizing on the cycle trigger altogether. Utilizing graveyard-hate cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void can effectively nullify any benefits gleaned from cycling this Minotaur. Alternatively, employing instant-speed removal or countermagic when a cascade effect is on the stack can mitigate the potential advantage granted by this card’s inclusion in a deck.
It’s also important to consider the tempo of your plays. Deadshot Minotaur can accelerate an opponent’s game plan, so maintaining a pace that pressures them and disrupts their synergies is key. By carefully choosing your moments to act and staying aware of the Minotaur’s interactions, you can counter its impact and maintain control of the game.
Cards like Deadshot Minotaur
Deadshot Minotaur is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering that offers a blend of cycling ability and direct damage. It stands in line with other creature cards like Flametongue Kavu, which also provides damage to a target when it enters the battlefield. However, Deadshot Minotaur’s cycling ability gives players the additional flexibility to draw a card, which Flametongue Kavu lacks.
Comparing it to Valley Rannet, another creature with a cycling ability, Deadshot Minotaur is distinct in its lower casting cost and the immediate board impact with its damage dealing effect. Valley Rannet, while having a higher power and toughness, doesn’t offer that same direct board interaction when cycled. Additionally, Monstrous Carabid is a comparable card for its similar mana cost and cycling feature, but it again misses out on the ability to deal damage upon entering the battlefield.
These distinctions make Deadshot Minotaur a card that can serve dual purposes, acting as both a potential creature play or as a source of cycling for card advantage. Its specific combination of damage and cycling at an affordable mana cost carves out a unique spot for it within MTG deck strategies focusing on efficiency and versatility.
Cards similar to Deadshot Minotaur by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Deadshot Minotaur MTG card by a specific set like Alara Reborn, 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 Deadshot Minotaur and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Deadshot Minotaur has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Deadshot Minotaur card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2008-10-01 | Cycling is an activated ability. Effects that interact with activated abilities (such as Stifle or Rings of Brighthearth) will interact with cycling. Effects that interact with spells (such as Remove Soul or Faerie Tauntings) will not. |
| 2009-05-01 | The enters-the-battlefield ability is mandatory. If you’re the only player who controls a creature with flying, you must target one of those creatures. |
