Marauding Raptor MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Dinosaur
Power 2
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Offers cost reduction for creatures, enabling faster and more powerful plays in MTG.
  2. Can damage your own creatures, requiring careful play strategy to avoid losses.
  3. Despite mana limitations, it dominates in red or dinosaur-focused MTG strategies.

Text of card

Creature spells you cast cost less to cast. Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, Marauding Raptor deals 2 damage to it. If a Dinosaur is dealt damage this way, Marauding Raptor gets +2/+0 until end of turn.

"Stand still and try not to look like prey!" —Skerk Hobnett, wilderness guide


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Marauding Raptor can effectively mold your hand by filtering out creatures, giving you a higher chance of drawing into key spells or lands needed for the progression of your strategy.

Resource Acceleration: This clever predator provides a cost reduction for other creatures you cast, which can significantly accelerate your board presence by allowing you to deploy threats earlier than usual.

Instant Speed: While Marauding Raptor itself is not an instant, it can have an instant impact on the game by reducing the cost of creatures that can be played at instant speed, thereby enhancing your reactive play options and keeping opponents on their toes.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Marauding Raptor’s ability to damage creatures can backfire, forcing you to unintentionally weaken or even lose your own smaller creatures when they enter the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: Marauding Raptor requires a specific combination of red mana, which could restrict its inclusion to decks that heavily focus on or support red mana resources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of two red mana, this raptor’s initial cost is steep when compared to other two-mana creatures, potentially slowing down your early game momentum if not utilized in a dedicated dinosaur deck.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Marauding Raptor serves as a key piece in dinosaur-focused decks but also supports strategies that play creatures with higher cost. It acts both as an accelerator and a potent enabler for power-heavy beasts on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: This card is notorious for its ability to synergize with other dinosaurs, reducing their casting cost, and it’s particularly lethal with “Polyraptor”, sparking a loop of token creation. The potential for combos is vast, making it a staple in innovative red rush builds.

Meta-Relevance: With its cost-effectiveness and robust ability to skew the creature dynamics in your favor early in the game, Marauding Raptor holds its ground in the current meta. It can catch opponents off-guard and alter the pace of the match significantly.


How to beat

Marauding Raptor is a powerful creature in Magic: The Gathering, known for its ability to reduce the cost of dinosaur spells and deal damage to other creatures when they enter the battlefield. To effectively counter this card, it’s essential to use strategies that minimize the advantages it offers. Instant speed removal spells are particularly effective, allowing you to respond immediately to the Raptor’s appearance on the field before it can start reducing costs or dealing damage. Cards like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can remove Marauding Raptor without triggering its damaging ability since they don’t involve placing a creature onto the battlefield.

Alternatively, utilizing cards that have indestructible or enter with a high toughness can withstand the Raptor’s hit and remain on the board. This approach negates the Raptor’s initial damage and turns the situation to your advantage. In the same breath, strategies that prevent the Raptor from attacking or blocking through enchantments or abilities which tap it down can also be highly effective, retaining control over the game’s flow. Lastly, overall game speed can be a factor; rapid deck builds can often outpace the Raptor, overwhelming the opponent before they can make full use of its cost-reduction benefits.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the nuances of Marauding Raptor’s abilities can give MTG players an exhilarating edge in gameplay. Not only does it serve as a cost-effective accelerator, particularly in dinosaur-themed decks, but it’s also a card that demands strategic use to mitigate potentially negative side effects. Whether you’re looking to sharpen your deck construction skills or aiming to counter this formidable foe, diving deeper into the tactics surrounding Marauding Raptor can greatly enhance your MTG arsenal. Ready to harness the predatory power of this remarkable raptor or develop the perfect counter-strategy? Explore further with us and refine your MTG expertise.


Cards like Marauding Raptor

Marauding Raptor carves its unique niche in Magic: The Gathering as a creature that not only escalates your plays but also physically strengthens itself in the process. This two-mana-cost dinosaur stands out in comparison to other creatures like Goblin Chainwhirler or Rampaging Ferocidon. While both exert influence on the board by dealing damage, Marauding Raptor’s ability to reduce the cost of dinosaur spells and its power boost for each creature played offers a more synergistic advantage in dinosaur-themed decks.

Another card that mirrors its cost-effectiveness is the renowned Kinjalli’s Caller, which also makes dinosaur spells cheaper. However, Marauding Raptor’s ability to grow stronger and inflict damage on other creatures you control, potentially triggering enrage mechanics, sets it apart. This provides a blend of aggressive play and strategic depth, compared to Kinjalli’s Caller’s more one-dimensional mana-reduction ability.

When weighing utility and impact in dino-centric strategies, Marauding Raptor clearly demonstrates its superiority. Its multifaceted role as an accelerator and power booster contributes to a more dynamic and potentially explosive gameplay, earning its place as a focal card in decks looking to dominate with prehistoric might.

Goblin Chainwhirler - MTG Card versions
Rampaging Ferocidon - MTG Card versions
Kinjalli's Caller - MTG Card versions
Goblin Chainwhirler - Dominaria (DOM)
Rampaging Ferocidon - Ixalan Promos (PXLN)
Kinjalli's Caller - Ixalan (XLN)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Marauding Raptor MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2020 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 Marauding Raptor and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Marauding Raptor Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2019-07-12 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by Bayard Wu.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-07-12Core Set 2020M20 1502015normalblackBayard Wu
22020-09-26The ListPLST M20-1502015normalblackBayard Wu
32023-11-17The Lost Caverns of Ixalan CommanderLCC 2282015normalblackBayard Wu

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Marauding Raptor has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-07-12 Effects that reduce the generic mana cost of a spell (such as that of Marauding Raptor) can't reduce that spell's colored mana requirements.
2019-07-12 Marauding Raptor's cost reduction doesn't affect itself.

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