Ruin Grinder MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeArtifact Creature — Construct
Abilities Cycling,Menace,Mountaincycling
Power 7
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Ruin Grinder offers card advantage, cycling for strategic card draw when it enters a graveyard.
  2. Its ability to place charge counters on artifacts accelerates resource availability in-game.
  3. Despite its high mana cost, Ruin Grinder’s menace ability imposes immediate, impactful decisions.

Text of card

Menace When Ruin Grinder dies, each player may discard their hand and draw seven cards. Mountaincycling (, Discard this card: Search your library for a Mountain card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ruin Grinder allows you to play strategically by having you draw more cards once it’s put into a graveyard from anywhere. This enhancing card flow provides valuable card advantage in a game, setting up for potential power plays.

Resource Acceleration: With its unique ability of charging counters onto artifacts, Ruin Grinder could potentially be a significant resource accelerant in the playfield. Its effect accelerates your game state, providing more options to fulfill your game plan faster.

Instant Speed: Though not an instant card per se, Ruin Grinder’s Menace ability merits a mention. When attacking, it requires to be blocked by at least two creatures, which gives it a pseudo instant-speed advantage, forcing your opponent into immediately making potentially disadvantageous decisions.

With Ruin Grinder atop your deck, you can positively affect your MTG journey, making it an indispensable card in your collection. Explore its power and thrive in your skill strategy.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Despite its utility, the Ruin Grinder card requires a sacrifice. Players will find the need to discard another card to benefit from its graveyard to battlefield revival. This requirement may leave you disadvantaged, particularly when running low on useful cards.

Specific Mana Cost: The Ruin Grinder card’s cost includes the specific colorless mana. This can create restrictions, making it slightly difficult to fit in every deck-type. If your deck is not optimized for colorless mana production, this can be a significant bottleneck.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The cost for Ruin Grinder might dishearten some MTG players. At six mana, other cards in the game offer equal or better value for a less mana cost. Hence, the Ruin Grinder card may not always be the more efficient choice under those circumstances.


Reasons to Include Ruin Grinder in Your Collection

Versatility: Ruin Grinder offers an advantageous flexibility to various types of decks. Especially, those that exploit artifacts or desire to benefit from damage inflicted by the Grinder’s death.

Combo Potential: With its unique death-trigger effect, the Ruin Grinder holds immense combo potential. It brings an advantage by triggering mass land destruction when it dies, disrupting opponents’ strategies. It could work well with cards that sacrifice creatures for further gains.

Meta-Relevance: Given the Ruin Grinder’s effect, it finds relevance in the current meta that involves control strategies. Its imposing presence can provide a shift in momentum, especially against decks heavily reliant on their mana base.


How to beat

Ruin Grinder has emerged as a valued asset in MTG decks given its capacity to deal direct damage and mill opponents’ libraries, all while withstanding heavy damage due to its construct tribe type. With that said, its command over the battlefield is not insurmountable.

Removal cards like ‘Go for the Throat’ and ‘Doom Blade’ can easily rid the field of Ruin Grinder. These cards provide some of the surest defenses against Ruin Grinder due to their unconditional targeting and relatively low casting costs, as compared to the often high mana investment necessary to cast and equip Ruin Grinder. Similarly, ‘Revoke Existence’ and ‘Disenchant’ can counter the artifact status of Ruin Grinder, forcing it off the battlefield.

Another approach is to directly attack the player controlling Ruin Grinder. This can be achieved through evasion techniques or faster aggro strategies that can outpace the slower, more resource-intensive Ruin Grinder deck. With careful strategies and the right cards, taking down a Ruin Grinder becomes less daunting, assisting you in securing your victory in MTG matches.


BurnMana Recommendations

The strategic depth of MTG is mirrored in the Ruin Grinder, a versatile entity empowering your deck’s potential. Balancing its pros and cons can define your pathway to victory. Think of how its artifact synergies could revolutionize your playstyle, leaning into its graveyard-triggered draws and mass land destruction abilities. Counter its weaknesses with savvy deck building, and consider including strategies for resource acceleration. Embrace the Ruin Grinder’s adaptability, and harness its full power. For deck ideas, combos, and tactical guidance that elevate your MTG experience, journey with us and reveal the secrets of mastering your matches. Your deck’s evolution awaits.


Cards like Ruin Grinder

Ruin Grinder stands as a compelling entrant in the roster of artifact creatures in Magic: The Gathering. Its attributes share a similarity with cards such as Pilgrim’s Eye, also known for its land-fetching ability upon entering the battlefield. However, the Ruin Grinder has a distinct advantage, offering an opportunity for card advantage due to its cycling ability.

Another noteworthy comparison can be drawn with Solemn Simulacrum. Similar to Ruin Grinder, it enables land acceleration. But the distinction lies in its death trigger which renders an additional card. Despite this, Ruin Grinder maintains an upper edge with its menace ability which can prove critical in certain game scenarios.

Then we shift our focus to Wurmcoil Engine. An impeccable heavy-hitter and life-gainer, it shares the high power and toughness with Ruin Grinder. Yet, Ruin Grinder’s cycling ability and the consequent damage to each opponent upon cycling or dying, further polish its appeal.

Conclusively, analyzing Ruin Grinder against its counterparts, it effectively manages to secure a commendable position among artifact creatures in Magic: The Gathering, courtesy of its multifaceted abilities and potential for exploiting card advantage.

Pilgrim's Eye - MTG Card versions
Solemn Simulacrum - MTG Card versions
Wurmcoil Engine - MTG Card versions
Pilgrim's Eye - MTG Card versions
Solemn Simulacrum - MTG Card versions
Wurmcoil Engine - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Ruin Grinder by color, type and mana cost

Artificer's Dragon - MTG Card versions
Moltensteel Dragon - MTG Card versions
Combustible Gearhulk - MTG Card versions
Embercleave - MTG Card versions
Meteoric Mace - MTG Card versions
Ironhoof Boar - MTG Card versions
Caldera Breaker - MTG Card versions
Artificer's Dragon - MTG Card versions
Moltensteel Dragon - MTG Card versions
Combustible Gearhulk - MTG Card versions
Embercleave - MTG Card versions
Meteoric Mace - MTG Card versions
Ironhoof Boar - MTG Card versions
Caldera Breaker - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ruin Grinder MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and The List, 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 Ruin Grinder and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ruin Grinder Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2021-04-23 and 2021-04-23. Illustrated by Hector Ortiz.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 901142015NormalBlackHector Ortiz
22020-09-26The ListPLST C21-572015NormalBlackHector Ortiz
32021-04-23Commander 2021C21 572015NormalBlackHector Ortiz
42021-04-23Commander 2021C21 3842015NormalBlackHector Ortiz

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ruin Grinder has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2021-04-16 Players decide and announce in turn order, starting with the active player, whether or not they want to discard their hand. Then, all players who chose to do so discard their hands and draw seven cards. Players later in the turn order will know if players before them are discarding, but they don’t get to see what those players will discard to help them decide whether to discard themselves.

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