Dargo, the Shipwrecker MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost7
RarityUncommon
TypeLegendary Creature — Giant Pirate
Abilities Partner,Trample
Power 7
Toughness 5

Key Takeaways

  1. Sacrificing creatures for Dargo’s cost reduction fuels aggressive play and utilizes expendable units smartly.
  2. Works best in red-based decks; may be less efficient in multi-color or non-red deck compositions.
  3. Potential high impact as a commander or in decks embracing sacrifice mechanics and combos.

Text of card

As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may sacrifice any number of artifacts and/or creatures. This spell costs less to cast for each permanent sacrificed this way and less to cast for each other artifact or creature you've sacrificed this turn. Trample Partner (You can have two commanders if both have partner.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Dargo the Shipwrecker, you can effectively capitalize on the card’s unique ability to sacrifice other creatures to reduce its casting cost. This can turn any tokens or expendable creatures into potential cost reductions, keeping your hand full while progressing your board state.

Resource Acceleration: By converting creatures you control into a resource to help cast Dargo, this card allows for a type of acceleration that bypasses traditional mana costs. Particularly in decks with a high number of tokens or recurring creatures, Dargo’s presence can lead to a much more aggressive playstyle, ramping up the pressure on your opponents swiftly.

Instant Speed: While Dargo itself is a creature card and not cast at instant speed, it synergizes well with effects that can be activated or spells that can be played at instant speed. Sacrificing creatures as a cost reducer for Dargo during the end step prior to your turn can serve as an unexpected play that can disrupt opponents’ plans and timing, resulting in a significant tempo advantage.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Players must sacrifice creatures as an additional cost to cast Dargo the Shipwrecker. This can be seen as a drawback when you’re unable to afford losing creatures or are playing a strategy that doesn’t naturally have expendable creatures on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: Dargo’s particular cost requirement entails at least one red mana. For those running multicolored or non-red decks, this could present a stumbling block, making it challenging to incorporate Dargo effectively within the deck’s mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite the cost-reduction ability tied to sacrificing creatures, the initial seven mana needed to cast Dargo is steep. Many other cards can potentially offer more immediate impact or synergy at a lower mana investment, making Dargo a less optimal choice, especially in fast-paced formats or metagames where efficiency is key.


Reasons to Include Dargo the Shipwrecker Mtg Card in Your Collection

Versatility: As a powerful legendary creature, Dargo the Shipwrecker can serve as a formidable commander or a dynamic inclusion in your red deck strategies. Its ability to potentially cost less mana for a high-powered creature offers a wide array of deck-building options.

Combo Potential: Known for his ability to work well with sacrifice mechanics, Dargo can be the linchpin in an assortment of combo plays. Partner him with other cards that benefit from, or enable, sacrificing creatures to maximize value and surprise opponents.

Meta-Relevance: With many players looking for interactions that give them an edge, Dargo the Shipwrecker can be an unexpected but potent force. His resilience and ability to dominate the board can turn the tides in a meta that underestimates the impact of powerful, singular creatures.


How to beat

Dargo the Shipwrecker presents a unique challenge in Magic: The Gathering, being capable of becoming a formidable presence on the battlefield swiftly. This towering red creature entices players with its seemingly low casting cost and the potential to return from the graveyard. To effectively tackle Dargo, it is critical to manage the graveyard environment and to employ removal strategies judiciously.

Early game answers such as Essence Scatter can thwart attempts to deploy Dargo from the stack, while graveyard hate cards like Tormod’s Crypt can limit its resurgence. Moreover, employing exile-based removal, such as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, can permanently address the threat posed by Dargo, circumventing its ability to make a comeback. The key lies in monitoring how many creatures or treasure tokens are sacrificed to reduce Dargo’s cost and responding appropriately before the player can exploit its reduced cost to their advantage.

In sum, by prioritizing the containment of graveyard recursion and utilizing strategic removal, players can mitigate the impact of Dargo the Shipwrecker, allowing them to maintain a stronghold over the game’s progression and curtail the momentum of their adversary.


BurnMana Recommendations

MTG enthusiasts understand that every card like Dargo the Shipwrecker comes with a unique set of pros and cons. By evaluating its synergies and potential drawbacks, players can develop nuanced strategies to optimize their gameplay. If you’re intrigued by Dargo’s capacity to redefine the battlefield and leverage sacrifice for gains, we invite you to deepen your knowledge with us. Discover the decks where Dargo shines, learn how to mitigate its cons, and find out how to use it to assert dominance in your matches. Dive into our comprehensive insights to ensure Dargo the Shipwrecker isn’t just part of your collection, but a cornerstone of your victories.


Cards like Dargo, the Shipwrecker

Dargo the Shipwrecker carves a unique niche among legendary creatures in Magic: The Gathering with his towering strength and peculiar sacrifice mechanic. At seven mana, this giant is familiar territory when compared with other high-cost creatures like Hamletback Goliath, which also grows more formidable with each creature entering the battlefield. However, Dargo’s capability to reduce his cost by sacrificing other creatures makes him stand out, allowing a strategic flexibility that Hamletback Goliath lacks.

Another comparable card is Brion Stoutarm, who shares the theme of leveraging sacrifices for gain. Brion Stoutarm, though demanding a different strategy, utilizes the act of sacrificing creatures to directly damage opponents. While Dargo doesn’t fling creatures at opponents, his potential for an early and economical board presence is noteworthy.

Assessing these options, Dargo the Shipwrecker proves to be a pivotal addition for players fond of aggressive and resourceful playstyles. Offering both raw power and cost-reducing advantages, Dargo finds a solid place among MTG’s array of legendary giants and sacrifice-themed cards.

Hamletback Goliath - MTG Card versions
Brion Stoutarm - MTG Card versions
Hamletback Goliath - Resale Promos (PRES)
Brion Stoutarm - Resale Promos (PRES)

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Magma Giant - Portal Second Age (P02)
Trained Orgg - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Velican Dragon - Sega Dreamcast Cards (PSDG)
Crazed Firecat - Torment (TOR)
Yidaro, Wandering Monster - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Butcher Orgg - Onslaught (ONS)
Rimescale Dragon - Coldsnap (CSP)
Boldwyr Intimidator - Morningtide (MOR)
Shivan Hellkite - Forgotten Realms Commander (AFC)
Hamletback Goliath - Commander Anthology Volume II (CM2)
Knollspine Dragon - Game Night: Free-for-All (GN3)
Thunder Dragon - From the Vault: Dragons (DRB)
Karplusan Giant - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Ancient Hellkite - Magic 2011 Promos (PM11)
Tyrant of Discord - Avacyn Restored (AVR)
Minotaur Aggressor - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Molten Primordial - Gatecrash (GTC)
Spawn of Thraxes - Journey into Nyx (JOU)
Dream Pillager - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Tyrant of Valakut - Oath of the Gatewatch Promos (POGW)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dargo, the Shipwrecker MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Commander Legends, 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 Dargo, the Shipwrecker and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dargo, the Shipwrecker Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2020-11-20 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 862562015normalblackZoltan Boros
22020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 1722015normalblackZoltan Boros
32020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 5722015normalblackZoltan Boros
42023-11-17Special GuestsSPG 72015normalborderlessKai Carpenter

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dargo, the Shipwrecker has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-11-10 An effect that checks whether you control your commander is satisfied if you control one or both of your two commanders.
2020-11-10 Both commanders start in the command zone, and the remaining 98 cards (or 58 cards in a Commander Draft game) of your deck are shuffled to become your library.
2020-11-10 Dargo's first ability can't reduce its cost below . You can sacrifice any number of artifacts and creatures, even if they won't reduce Dargo's cost any further.
2020-11-10 If something refers to your commander while you have two commanders, it refers to one of them of your choice. If you are instructed to perform an action on your commander (e.g. put it from the command zone into your hand due to Command Beacon), you choose one of your commanders at the time the effect happens.
2020-11-10 If your Commander deck has two commanders, you can only include cards whose own color identities are also found in your commanders' combined color identities. If Falthis and Kediss are your commanders, your deck may contain cards with black and/or red in their color identity, but not cards with green, white, or blue.
2020-11-10 Once the game begins, your two commanders are tracked separately. If you cast one, you won't have to pay an additional the first time you cast the other. A player loses the game after having been dealt 21 damage from any one of them, not from both of them combined.
2020-11-10 The cost reduction for artifacts and creatures sacrificed earlier in the turn will apply even if you don't sacrifice any as an additional cost.
2020-11-10 The cost reduction is per sacrificed permanent, whether that permanent was an artifact, a creature, or both.
2020-11-10 To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you're paying, add any cost increases (such as the commander tax), then apply any cost reductions (such as that of Dargo's first ability). Dargo's mana value is 7, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.
2020-11-10 To have two commanders, both must have the partner ability as the game begins. Losing the ability during the game doesn't cause either to cease to be your commander.
2020-11-10 You can choose two commanders with partner that are the same color or colors. In Commander Draft, you can even choose two of the same commander with partner if you drafted them. If you do this, make sure you keep the number of times you've cast each from the command zone clear for "commander tax" purposes.

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