Battlefield Scrounger MTG Card

Graveyard manipulation with Battlefield Scrounger can turn the tide of long matches by recycling key cards. Discarding to activate the Scrounger’s ability can pose strategic challenges, especially when hand size matters. A versatile card, Battlefield Scrounger enhances graveyard-focused decks while also interrupting opponent strategies.

Judgment (JUD)
2002-05-27 - Number 106

Battlefield Scrounger - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)

Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
2023-01-13 - Number 150

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Centaur
Abilities	Threshold
Power	3
Toughness	3

Text of card

Threshold Put three cards from your graveyard on the bottom of your library: Battlefield Scrounger gets +3/+3 until end of turn. Play this ability only once each turn. (Play this ability only if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

Cards like Battlefield Scrounger

Battlefield Scrounger is a noteworthy creature in the realm of graveyard utility cards in Magic: The Gathering. It stands shoulder to shoulder with cards like Scrabbling Claws. Scrabbling Claws also taps into the graveyard potential, offering players to exile cards from graveyards and, in turn, draw a card. However, Scrabbling Claws doesn’t provide a creature body to apply board presence as Battlefield Scrounger does.

Another parallel is drawn with Nighthowler, a creature that enhances its strength based on graveyard contents. The fundamental difference lies in the fact that Nighthowler benefits from all cards in all graveyards, while Battlefield Scrounger restricts its focus to your own graveyard’s creature cards. Plus, the Scrounger can also refurbish your deck, staving off potential mill-out losses.

Evaluating their place in decks, Battlefield Scrounger secures its position with an intriguing blend of combat viability and graveyard strategy. Thriving in long games, it presents a resilient threat that not only grows in power but also protects against an empty library, a trait not commonly found in creatures of similar caliber.

Cards similar to Battlefield Scrounger by color, type and mana cost

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Battlefield Scrounger encourages strategic gameplay through its threshold ability, which allows players to return three target cards from their graveyard to their library. This ability doesn’t just recycle valuable spells and creatures—it also essentially increases the size of your deck, delaying potential deck out scenarios while equipping you with more options to outlast and outplay your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: With each successful activation of its ability, Battlefield Scrounger can subtly accelerate your resource availability. By selectively returning high-impact cards into your library, you enhance the quality of your draws. This tactic ensures a steady flow of potent spells and creatures that can be drawn in upcoming turns, thereby keeping your hand potent and pressure continuous.

Instant Speed: Although the Scrounger’s ability is not at instant speed itself, it interacts favorably with other instant speed spells and abilities in your deck. It functions on a ‘per attack’ basis, allowing you to gauge the battlefield and decide the best moment to employ its graveyard manipulation. This enables smart interactions with your graveyard at the right moments, providing you incremental advantages turn after turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Players must discard a card to leverage Battlefield Scrounger’s threshold ability. This can be a tactical setback when your hand size is critical to maintaining gameplay strategies.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s casting cost requires both generic and green mana, which might not seamlessly fit into multicolored or color-specific decks that don’t prioritize green mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost of three including one green, finding room for Battlefield Scrounger in a tightly curated deck can be challenging. Some players might find other creature cards or utility spells that deliver more impact or versatility for a similar, or even lower, mana investment.

Reasons to Include Battlefield Scrounger in Your Collection

Versatility: Battlefield Scrounger is a unique card that finds its place in decks harnessing graveyard strategies. Its ability to shuffle three cards from a graveyard into a library is universally useful, allowing for reuse of key spells or creatures.

Combo Potential: With the right setup, Battlefield Scrounger can become a recurring threat. Combined with cards that care about large graveyards or specific element synergies, it can significantly amplify a deck’s potency.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where graveyard interaction is pivotal, having a card like Battlefield Scrounger offers a tactical edge. It’s not just about bringing back resources; it’s also about disrupting your opponent’s graveyard-based strategies, making it a dual-threat in the current meta.

How to beat

Battlefield Scrounger is a unique challenge on the board in Magic: The Gathering, blending creature resilience with the utility of card recycling. Its ability to shuffle three cards from a graveyard into a library while bolstering its strength is a solid strategy in longer games. The best approach to mitigating the Scrounger’s influence is to maintain graveyard control. Cards that exile or offer graveyard hate—like Tormod’s Crypt or Leyline of the Void—can effectively neuter its capability. Additionally, quick removal spells that don’t send creatures to the graveyard, such as Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile, ensure the Scrounger won’t be coming back anytime soon.

Counterplay is also about timing. Engage the Scrounger when its ability is on the stack to maximize your window of interaction. Utilize instant-speed removal or counterspells like Disallow to upset the strategy mid-combo. Moreover, creature combat strategies should focus on denying the Scrounger combat opportunities where it can’t engage its threshold ability, which can be critical in thwarting this gritty scrapper from coming back time and again.

Ultimately, understanding how and when to disrupt your opponent’s game plan is key to overcoming the Battlefield Scrounger’s potential comeback from the graveyard, thereby preserving your path to victory in the game.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Battlefield Scrounger MTG card by a specific set like Judgment and Dominaria Remastered, 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 Battlefield Scrounger and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Battlefield Scrounger Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2002-05-27 and 2023-01-13. Illustrated by Daren Bader.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2002-05-27	Judgment	JUD		106	1997	Normal	Black	Daren Bader
2	2023-01-13	Dominaria Remastered	DMR		150	2015	Normal	Black	Daren Bader

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Battlefield Scrounger has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2022-12-08	Check the number of cards in your graveyard before activating the ability. If activating the ability causes that number to fall below seven, the ability still resolves as normal.