Dwarven Demolition Team MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 9 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Dwarf
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides strategic advantage by demolishing walls, potentially leading to card advantage through opponent resource depletion.
  2. May accelerate your resources by removing blockers, allowing direct attacks and saving resources for other threats.
  3. Its mere battlefield presence influences opponent play, forcing them to possibly hold back instant speed responses.

Text of card

Tap to destroy a wall.

Foolishly, Najib retreated to his castle at El-Abar; the next morning he was dead. In just one night, the dwarven forces had reduced the mighty walls to mere rubble.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dwarven Demolition Team allows you to dismantle your opponent’s defensive lines by granting the ability to destroy walls. This tactical edge can often lead to card advantage, as it forces your opponent to use more resources to defend their position or rebuild, essentially causing them to lose cards in the process.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting mana resources, the Dwarven Demolition Team’s wall destruction ability can act as a form of resource acceleration. By clearing potential blockers, it paves the way for your other creatures to directly attack your opponent, effectively hastening your victory and saving resources that would otherwise be allocated for dealing with pesky walls.

Instant Speed: Although the Dwarven Demolition Team’s ability is not at instant speed, its presence on the battlefield can influence how your opponent plays. Knowing that their walls could be brought down at any moment may force them to play more conservatively or divert instant speed responses to the Dwarven Demolition Team, rather than to your other, potentially more dangerous threats.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Dwarven Demolition Team requires a dedicated slot in your deck that could otherwise go to cards with more immediate impact or versatility in a variety of situations.

Specific Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes red mana, this card is tailor-made for red or multicolored decks, potentially limiting its inclusion in other deck types that might not benefit from or support red mana as effectively.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At three mana for a creature that must tap to destroy a wall, it presents a higher cost compared to other creatures or spells that offer more immediate or flexible destruction capabilities.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: The Dwarven Demolition Team thrives in game formats where land destruction can strategically dismantle an opponent’s board presence. This card can be a key inclusion in decks that aim to disrupt mana bases, giving it a functional edge in various matchups.

Combo Potential: When coupled with cards that can untap creatures or proliferate activation costs, the Dwarven Demolition Team can become a recurrent threat, potentially locking opponents out of their crucial lands and strategies each turn.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames heavy with utility lands or decks that are reliant on specific nonbasic lands, the Dwarven Demolition Team offers a means to handle these important pieces. Its ability to target specific lands makes it a tactical choice against decks that might otherwise leverage their land base to dominate the game.


How to beat

The Dwarven Demolition Team presents an interesting challenge for players in Magic: The Gathering. This red creature card has the specific ability to destroy walls, which can be utilized strategically to dismantle your opponent’s defenses. However, overcoming this card comes down to understanding the battlefield. Hovering over the Demolition Team with removal spells before they can activate their ability is a smart move, as cards like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can dispatch them swiftly.

An alternative strategy is altering your deck to reduce reliance on walls or similar defense mechanisms. Swapping in cards that offer protection from red or indestructible creatures can neutralize the Dwarven Demolition Team’s advantage. Additionally, a strong offense is often the best defense in MTG—focusing on swift, aggressive plays can outpace the demolition-oriented strategy and pressure your opponent before their Dwarven cards can impact the game’s outcome.

All in all, recognizing the need to adapt your tactics and deck composition in anticipation of cards like the Demolition Team could be the difference in maintaining control over the game’s flow, leading to a more fortified position on the MTG battlefield.


Cards like Dwarven Demolition Team

Dwarven Demolition Team brings a unique flare to Magic: The Gathering’s classic creature cards. This red card offers players a way to directly take down walls, pioneering an ability highly specialized within MTG’s strategic play. It’s akin to other creatures that provide utility beyond mere battlefield presence, such as Goblin Tinkerer. The latter card allows players to destroy artifacts, showing the same targeted removal strength as Dwarven Demolition Team, albeit in a different category.

Comparably, the Aven Cloudchaser stands out with the ability to destroy enchantments upon entering the battlefield. Although it serves a different removal purpose, it showcases similar utility in disrupting opponents’ strategies. Similarly, the Reclamation Sage is renowned for its enter-the-battlefield effect that targets artifacts or enchantments, providing versatility against a broader range of permanents compared to the narrow but potent wall-destroying capability of the Dwarven Demolition Team.

When considering the utility each creature offers, Dwarven Demolition Team is a force against defensive strategies heavy on wall-type creatures, carving a distinct niche for itself in MTG’s diverse array of creature abilities.

Goblin Tinkerer - MTG Card versions
Aven Cloudchaser - MTG Card versions
Reclamation Sage - MTG Card versions
Goblin Tinkerer - Mirage (MIR)
Aven Cloudchaser - Odyssey (ODY)
Reclamation Sage - Magic 2015 Promos (PM15)

Cards similar to Dwarven Demolition Team by color, type and mana cost

Dwarven Warriors - MTG Card versions
Raging Bull - MTG Card versions
Wall of Stone - MTG Card versions
Wall of Lava - MTG Card versions
Brassclaw Orcs - MTG Card versions
Sabretooth Tiger - MTG Card versions
Imperial Recruiter - MTG Card versions
Uthden Troll - MTG Card versions
Hobgoblin Bandit Lord - MTG Card versions
Goblin Rabblemaster - MTG Card versions
Nosy Goblin - MTG Card versions
Goblin Sky Raider - MTG Card versions
Skirk Commando - MTG Card versions
Cosmic Larva - MTG Card versions
Mannichi, the Fevered Dream - MTG Card versions
Cunning Bandit // Azamuki, Treachery Incarnate - MTG Card versions
Ghost-Lit Raider - MTG Card versions
Goblin Chariot - MTG Card versions
Balduvian Barbarians - MTG Card versions
Shinen of Fury's Fire - MTG Card versions
Dwarven Warriors - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Raging Bull - Legends (LEG)
Wall of Stone - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Wall of Lava - Ice Age (ICE)
Brassclaw Orcs - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Sabretooth Tiger - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Imperial Recruiter - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Uthden Troll - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Hobgoblin Bandit Lord - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Promos (PAFR)
Goblin Rabblemaster - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Nosy Goblin - Onslaught (ONS)
Goblin Sky Raider - Onslaught (ONS)
Skirk Commando - Archenemy (ARC)
Cosmic Larva - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Mannichi, the Fevered Dream - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Cunning Bandit // Azamuki, Treachery Incarnate - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Ghost-Lit Raider - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Goblin Chariot - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Balduvian Barbarians - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Shinen of Fury's Fire - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dwarven Demolition Team MTG card by a specific set like Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, 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 Dwarven Demolition Team and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dwarven Demolition Team Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 1993-08-05 and 2022-11-28. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11993-08-05Limited Edition AlphaLEA 1421993normalblackKev Brockschmidt
21993-10-04Limited Edition BetaLEB 1431993normalblackKev Brockschmidt
31993-12-01Unlimited Edition2ED 1431993normalwhiteKev Brockschmidt
41993-12-10Collectors' EditionCED 1431993normalblackKev Brockschmidt
51993-12-10Intl. Collectors' EditionCEI 1431993normalblackKev Brockschmidt
62003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 1842003normalwhiteKev Walker
72003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 184★2003normalblackKev Walker
82022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 4361997normalblackKev Brockschmidt
92022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 1392015normalblackKev Brockschmidt

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dwarven Demolition Team has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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