Aurochs Herd MTG Card
Mana cost | |
Converted mana cost | 6 |
Rarity | Common |
Type | Creature — Aurochs |
Abilities | Trample |
Released | 2006-07-21 |
Set symbol | |
Set name | Coldsnap |
Set code | CSP |
Power | 4 |
Toughness | 4 |
Number | 103 |
Frame | 2003 |
Layout | normal |
Border | black |
Illustred by | Darrell Riche |
Key Takeaways
- Aurochs Herd secures card advantage by fetching another Aurochs, ensuring a sustained threat presence.
- The card sacrifices hand advantage for repeated threats, necessitating discard of an Aurochs to activate.
- Despite its mana demands, Aurochs Herd’s snowballing tribal power makes it a formidable force in creature-focused decks.
Text of card
Trample When Aurochs Herd comes into play, you may search your library for an Aurochs card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. If you do, shuffle your library. Whenever Aurochs Herd attacks, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn for each other attacking Aurochs.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Aurochs Herd brings a unique mechanic that when it enters the battlefield, you can search your library for another Aurochs card. This not only puts a creature on the field but also ensures that you maintain card advantage by directly replacing itself with another threat from your deck, which is particularly potent in decks that focus on the Aurochs tribe.
Resource Acceleration: Although Aurochs Herd doesn’t directly accelerate resources in traditional ways such as ramping mana, it reduces the need for additional card draw mechanics. Its ability to chain Aurochs from your library to your hand effectively accelarates your resource deployment by consistently deploying threats without expending additional cards or mana on draw spells.
Instant Speed: While Aurochs Herd cannot be played at instant speed, its influence offers players significant tactical flexibility. Once it’s on the field, it can make any future Aurochs, including itself, a looming threat during the combat phase with its ability to beef up fellow Aurochs. This puts the opponent in the tough spot, having to decide if they should remove it immediately or risk the Herd’s snowballing power in upcoming turns.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One downside to the Aurochs Herd card is that in order to activate its search ability, you must discard another Aurochs from your hand. This can be difficult if you’re already managing limited resources and reduces your hand advantage.
Specific Mana Cost: The Aurochs Herd comes with a somewhat restrictive mana cost requiring four green mana. This specificity might hinder deck flexibility, making it less desirable for multicolored decks or those that manage various mana sources.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of six mana in total, Aurochs Herd falls into the higher mana cost category when compared with other creatures. This can slow down your gameplay because it takes time to accumulate enough resources to summon the Herd, especially early in the game when tempo is crucial.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Aurochs Herd can adapt to various playstyles, particularly beneficial in decks that aim to overwhelm opponents with an ever-growing stampede of creatures.
Combo Potential: When paired with cards that manipulate the library or grant additional draws, the Herd’s ability to fetch another copy of itself from the deck can become a relentless engine, vital for a sustained board presence.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature-based strategies prevail, the natural resilience and recursive nature of Aurochs Herd makes it a persistent threat that can outpace removal-heavy decks.
How to beat
Aurochs Herd is a unique creature card imbued with the ability to fetch another copy of itself from your deck when it enters the battlefield. This feature can quickly overwhelm opponents with an ever-increasing bovine army, particularly in formats where its tribal synergies thrive. To effectively counter this strategy, control decks wielding board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation can clear multiple creatures in one fell swoop, halting the herd’s momentum. Also, spot removal spells that exile, such as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, are valuable for preventing the Aurochs’ tutor effect from triggering. If you’re looking for a more preemptive solution, cards like Grafdigger’s Cage can restrict creature cards from being played from libraries, stymieing the Herd’s recursive nature before it begins.
Another tactic involves strategy disruption; employing hand disruption spells like Thoughtseize lets you remove the Aurochs Herd before it even hits the board. Moreover, pacing your threats and removal efficiently is key in outlasting the Aurochs-based deck’s long game potential. Ultimately, staying one step ahead with your answers and keeping their battlefield presence to a minimum is the pathway to triumph over Aurochs Herd’s stampede.
Cards like Aurochs Herd
Aurochs Herd is an intriguing creature in the world of MTG, offering a unique self-replicating mechanic that appeals to players fond of building creature-heavy strategies. When comparing it to other cards in the game, Stampeding Elk Herd immediately comes to mind, equipped with a different kind of herd mentality that can give creatures a boost with formidable trample ability. Unlike Aurochs Herd, the Elk doesn’t fetch another creature from the deck, but it still paves the way for substantial combat damage.
Another creature to consider is Wirewood Savage which also interacts with the playing of other creatures, specifically beasts, by providing the advantage of card draw. It potentially offers sustained card advantage over time, a benefit Aurochs Herd skips for a more direct field presence. Lastly, there’s the classic Green creature – Llanowar Sentinel, which can bring its counterparts to the battlefield, akin to Aurochs Herd’s ability. Still, it falls short by lacking the built-in trample and the steadily increasing power synergy that the Aurochs tribe takes advantage of.
So, while each of these creature cards brings its own flavor to a deck, Aurochs Herd stands out with its inherent ability to swarm the battlefield, growing stronger with each new addition, making it a staple in decks leveraging the power of numbers.
Cards similar to Aurochs Herd by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Aurochs Herd MTG card by a specific set like Coldsnap, 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 Aurochs Herd 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 Magic products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Aurochs Herd has restrictions
Format | Legality |
---|---|
Commander | Legal |
Legacy | Legal |
Paupercommander | Legal |
Modern | Legal |
Oathbreaker | Legal |
Pauper | Legal |
Vintage | Legal |
Duel | Legal |
Predh | Legal |