Nettle Swine MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Boar
Released	2012-05-04
Set symbol
Set name	Avacyn Restored
Set code	AVR
Power	4
Toughness	3
Number	186
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Christopher Moeller

Key Takeaways

Nettle Swine shines in green decks; it applies pressure with its respectable power and toughness.
Comparatively, cards like Ripjaw Raptor offer extra abilities, influencing their selection over Nettle Swine.
To mitigate Nettle Swine’s impact, employing tactical removal spells or combat tricks is an effective approach.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Nettle Swine provides a robust creature presence that can pressure opponents and draw out their resources, indirectly contributing to card advantage as it demands answers from your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: Though not directly a source of resource acceleration, Nettle Swine’s efficient cost to power ratio offers a significant presence on the board without depleting multiple resources, allowing you to cast other important spells sooner.

Instant Speed: While Nettle Swine itself doesn’t have instant speed capabilities, its inclusion in a deck enables the player to maintain a threat at sorcery speed while keeping mana available for other instant speed interactions during the opponent’s turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Nettle Swine’s drawback doesn’t include a discard aspect, but careful deck building is required to optimize its use as it doesn’t offer card advantage on its own.

Specific Mana Cost: Nettle Swine demands a specific combination of green mana, which could potentially limit deck flexibility, especially in multicolored decks where mana consistency is key.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that competes with other impactful four mana creatures or spells, Nettle Swine might not always represent the best use of resources, especially considering its straightforward combat abilities without secondary effects.

Reasons to Include Nettle Swine in Your Collection

Versatility: Nettle Swine’s straightforward mana cost and substantial power make it a solid addition to any green deck that needs beefy creatures. Its ability to slot into aggressive strategies and adapt to various gameplay scenarios without complex conditions is a clear benefit.

Combo Potential: While not inherently a combo piece, the simplicity of Nettle Swine enables it to work well with cards that capitalize on creature count or power. It’s an ideal candidate for synergies with cards that benefit from having a four-power creature on the board.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that favors quick, impactful plays, Nettle Swine holds its own. It’s a creature that can put pressure on opponents and demands an answer. Having a card that can consistently apply pressure in the creature-centric games can be essential, and Nettle Swine fulfills this role proficiently.

How to beat

Nettle Swine is a creature card that poses an interesting challenge for players in Magic: The Gathering. Bearing a solid body, it can create a significant impact when it hits the battlefield. Nonetheless, overcoming this card can be quite straightforward. Strategic use of removal spells can cleanly deal with Nettle Swine. Cards like Doom Blade, Murder, and Path to Exile are efficient answers to quickly remove it from play without much fuss.

Alternatively, combat tricks can turn the tide of battle against Nettle Swine. These tricks allow for unexpected swings in creature strength and can result in favorable exchanges. Playing creatures with higher toughness values or with deathtouch can also effectively neutralize Nettle Swine’s threat. In this way, creatures you control with a strong defensive capability or those that pose a threat through combat abilities can serve as deterrents, discouraging opponents from attacking. Managing board presence with these strategies can help keep Nettle Swine’s impact minimal, and maintain your advantage over the course of the game.

In summary, while Nettle Swine can be a formidable force, a combination of preparedness with removal, combat tactics, and creature selection can ensure its prowess on the battlefield is short-lived, preserving your strategy and positioning for victory.

Cards like Nettle Swine

Nettle Swine is an interesting creature card in Magic: The Gathering, drawing parallel to other four-mana green creatures such as Baloth Gorger. Nettle Swine brings a straightforward design offering a power of 4 and toughness of 3 without any additional abilities. Baloth Gorger, on the other hand, provides versatility with its kicker ability, allowing it to be a late game threat when the additional mana is spent.

Moving to cards with similar mana costs, we can compare Nettle Swine with cards like Ripjaw Raptor. Although both cost four mana, Ripjaw Raptor has the advantage of an impactful enrage ability which allows card draw upon being damaged. This ability gives it an edge over Nettle Swine, which lacks any such extra effects. Additionally, the Ripjaw Raptor comes with a higher toughness, enduring the battlefield longer.

Despite the more impressive abilities of creatures like Ripjaw Raptor, Nettle Swine holds its ground in scenarios that favor vanilla creatures, which can be beneficial in formats like Pauper or when working within certain deck themes. Its simplicity can be its strength in the right environment, making Nettle Swine a solid consideration for decks that need a no-frills, decently sized body at a fair mana cost.

Cards similar to Nettle Swine by color, type and mana cost

Ulvenwald Oddity // Ulvenwald Behemoth - MTG Card versions

Viridian Lorebearers - MTG Card versions

Monkey Monkey Monkey - MTG Card versions

Matsu-Tribe Birdstalker - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Nettle Swine MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored, 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 Nettle Swine and other MTG cards: