Sewer Rats MTG Card

Mirage (MIR)
1996-10-08 - Number 139

Sewer Rats - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)

Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
1999-11-12 - Number 70

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Rat
Power	1
Toughness	1

Key Takeaways

Provides card advantage by selectively diminishing the opponent’s hand while posing a recurrent threat.
Instant speed activation allows for strategic plays and flexibility, challenging conventional removal strategies.
Demands thoughtful gameplay, as its strength boosting comes with the cost of discarding precious cards.

Text of card

o B, Pay 1 life: +1/+0 until end of turn. You cannot spend more than o Bo Bo B in this way each turn.

You lie down with rats, and the rats run away. —Suq'Ata insult

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sewer Rats offers a repeatable way to get ahead in card quality, if not quantity. By keeping your hand size in check, you effectively diminish your opponent’s resources while maintaining your own tactical options.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana, Sewer Rats can contribute to a swifter victory, which is a form of tempo acceleration. Its low casting cost also means that deploying other threats alongside it is easier, effectively giving you a quicker board presence.

Instant Speed: The ability to activate Sewer Rats at instant speed affords flexibility in playstyle. Engaging its ability after blockers are declared or during your opponent’s end step can be vital for dodging sorcery-speed removal and maintaining threats on the battlefield.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Sewer Rats challenges your strategic play by demanding a card to be discarded from your hand each time you desire to bolster its strength. This can deplete your hand and leave you vulnerable if you’re already struggling with card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Sewer Rats necessitates a particular mana alignment, as its casting requires black mana. This could potentially restrict its integration solely within black or multicolored decks, thereby excluding it from a wider deck variety.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although the rats come with an ability to grow stronger, the initial mana investment is relatively steep compared to their base power. In matches where tempo plays a crucial role, you might find more efficient creatures to include in your deck for the same or even a lower mana cost.

Reasons to Include Sewer Rats in Your Collection

Versatility: Sewer Rats shines in decks that utilize discard mechanics or benefit from having creatures that can repeatedly attack an opponent’s hand resources.

Combo Potential: This card can sync with abilities or other cards that thrive on having a large number of creatures, or specifically rats, to amplify their effects.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature-based strategies are prevalent, Sewer Rats’ ability to decrease an opponent’s hand size can disrupt their game plan, making it a tactical inclusion.

How to beat

Sewer Rats holds a unique place in the creature lineup of MTG, boasting a repeatable life-draining ability that can be activated at a low mana cost. As daunting as they may seem when they swarm the board, there are effective strategies to negate their impact. To outmaneuver these pesky rodents, it’s wise to utilize cards with global removal abilities that can clear multiple creatures at once. Spells like Wrath of God or Damnation can reset the board, leaving your opponent’s mana investments ineffective.

Another tactic is to limit their numbers with spot removal spells such as Swords to Plowshares or Fatal Push, which can pick off the Rats one by one before their numbers become overwhelming. Cards that grant you hexproof, like Leyline of Sanctity, also protect you from the Rats’ targeted ability, rendering their primary function moot. Lastly, employing creatures with the ‘deathtouch’ ability can deter an opponent from attacking with Sewer Rats, as they risk losing their creature in the process. By staying one step ahead and utilizing these strategies, Sewer Rats can be managed effectively, maintaining the balance of the game in your favor.

In essence, while Sewer Rats may seem like a formidable threat due to their ability to chip away at a player’s life total, knowing how to disrupt their strategy can diffuse their power, keeping the control of the game firmly within your grasp.

Cards like Sewer Rats

In the realm of creature cards within Magic: The Gathering, Sewer Rats hold a unique position. It shares traits with other one-mana black creatures such as Typhoid Rats, which also packs a punch in early game strategy with its deathtouch ability. Sewer Rats, however, brings an intriguing twist to the table through its pay-life-to-pump ability, which can be a game-changer in the right deck.

Delving deeper, we find Festering Goblin as another example – while it also offers a tactical play upon death, it doesn’t provide the same level of recurring threat that Sewer Rats can. Meanwhile, cards like Dirty Rat reveal players’ hands and force discards, playing with information rather than power on the board. While not as directly aggressive as the Sewer Rats, their impact can still be felt on your opponent’s strategy.

The blend of stealth and potential for increasing power makes Sewer Rats a card that, while not overwhelming on its own, can become quite a nuisance if left unchecked. It exemplifies a balance between utility and threat that is characteristic of black creatures in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Sewer Rats by color, type and mana cost

Stone-Throwing Devils - MTG Card versions

Foulmire Knight // Profane Insight - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sewer Rats MTG card by a specific set like Mirage and Battle Royale Box Set, 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 Sewer Rats and other MTG cards: