Arms Dealer MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Arms Dealer MTG card provides a unique form of card advantage by its ability to convert creatures into removal. With the right setup, it can repeatedly remove key threats from the board, disrupting your opponent’s strategy while maintaining a favorable position for yourself.

Resource Acceleration: By effectively utilizing Goblin tokens or redundant creatures, this card acts as a source of resource acceleration. It allows you to make the most of seemingly marginal creatures, turning them into valuable assets for controlling the battlefield.

Instant Speed: The ability to activate Arms Dealer at instant speed makes it a flexible and strategic tool during gameplay. This functionality lets you respond to your opponent’s moves with precision, keeping them guessing and forcing them to play around your open mana, wary of the potential destruction you could unleash on their creatures.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Arms Dealer demands the player to sacrifice a Goblin as part of the activation cost. This can be a setback, especially in situations where your board presence is weakening or when sacrificing a Goblin could impede your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: The Arms Dealer card requires a very particular mana alignment to utilize, needing both red and generic mana. This can sometimes be a hurdle for decks that aren’t heavily invested in red mana or those with a more stringent color base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a three mana cost to cast and an additional activation cost as part of its ability, Arms Dealer’s total investment can become hefty. There are alternative cards available that might perform similar functions without the steep setup, making this card a less optimal choice in certain deck builds.

Reasons to Include Arms Dealer in Your Collection

Versatility: Arms Dealer serves as not just a creature on the battlefield but a reliable removal tool in Goblin-themed decks, capable of addressing threats by sacrificing a fellow Goblin for damage output.

Combo Potential: With other cards that generate Goblin tokens or benefit from creatures dying, this card easily integrates into combos, turning a simple board presence into a strategic advantage.

Meta-Relevance: In formats where creature-heavy decks prevail, Arms Dealer can become a significant game-changer, disrupting opponent strategies and maintaining board control.

How to Beat Arms Dealer in MTG

Arms Dealer from Magic: The Gathering proves to be a cunning card, capable of turning the tides in goblin-themed decks. It allows a player to sacrifice a goblin and deal 4 damage to target creature, a tactical move that can dismantle opponents’ strategies. To effectively overcome the threat of Arms Dealer, consider using instant-speed removal spells that can neutralize it before its ability is activated. Targeted spells like Fatal Push or Path to Exile ensure the Dealer can’t utilize its destructive potential.

Moreover, implementing graveyard disruption like Rest in Peace can prevent goblin recursion, further hindering the Dealer’s tactical advantage. As goblin decks are synergy-driven, disrupting the tribal unity significantly weakens their board presence. Additionally, efficient board wipes such as Wrath of God can sweep away the Dealer along with its goblin comrades in one fell swoop, giving you a clear advantage on the battlefield. Lastly, remember that denying your opponent the resources to exploit Arms Dealer’s ability is key. Resource denial strategies, like land destruction or mana disruption, can prevent the casting and activation of troublesome cards, keeping Arms Dealer out of play.