Warbringer MTG Card


Warbringer - Dragons of Tarkir
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Orc Berserker
Abilities Dash
Released2015-03-27
Set symbol
Set nameDragons of Tarkir
Set codeDTK
Power 3
Toughness 3
Number168
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byRaymond Swanland

Key Takeaways

  1. Warbringer slashes dash costs, enabling a flood of creatures and maintaining card advantage.
  2. Deploying Warbringer may sacrifice versatility and tempo due to high costs and color restrictions.
  3. Effective removals like instant spells or board wipes counteract Warbringer’s disruptive potential.

Text of card

Dash costs you pay cost less (as long as this creature is on the battlefield). Dash (You may cast this spell for its dash cost. If you do, it gains haste, and it's returned from the battlefield to its owner's hand at the beginning of the next end step.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Warbringer Mtg Card provides a strategic edge by reducing the cost of your creature spells with dash. This enables you to deploy multiple threats in a single turn, effectively drawing you into more plays and increasing your board presence without using up additional cards from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: The cost reduction effect of Warbringer can be seen as a form of resource acceleration. By making your dash creatures cheaper, you’re effectively increasing your mana efficiency, allowing you to make more impactful plays earlier in the game or doubling up on actions in later stages.

Instant Speed: While Warbringer itself may not be an instant, it enhances the capabilities of instant-speed interactions in your deck. When played strategically, this can catch an opponent off guard by suddenly bringing in creatures with dash at a reduced cost during combat or at end of their turn, disrupting their plans and maintaining pressure.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Deploying the Warbringer requires sacrificing one of your precious cards, a trade-off that can sometimes leave you at a strategic disadvantage, especially when your hand is already running thin on resources.

Specific Mana Cost: A blend of mana types is necessary to summon the Warbringer, which may not always align with the color scheme of your deck. This can restrict the card’s potential and make it less versatile in a diverse array of deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The investment to bring the Warbringer into play is significant when compared to other options available in the game. This cost factor can affect the tempo of your gameplay, making you ponder whether the benefits outweigh the expenditure of your limited mana resources.


Reasons to Include Warbringer Mtg Card in Your Collection

Versatility: Warbringer can be a game changer in different types of decks that aim to overwhelm opponents with creatures. Its ability to reduce the mana cost for Dash abilities makes it an excellent addition to aggressive strategies.

Combo Potential: With Warbringer, the Dash cost reduction can enable explosive turns where multiple creatures hit the battlefield simultaneously for a fraction of their normal cost. Combining this card with other Dash creatures amplifies this effect for a swift victory.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment teeming with creature-based combat, Warbringer’s cost-efficiency for swift attacks can offer a significant advantage. It aligns well in a meta where the pace of the game is paramount and surprise assaults can dictate the outcome.


How to Beat Warbringer

Warbringer is a formidable card within the MTG realm, known for its dash cost reduction ability, which can significantly impact the flow of a match. This menacing creature can swiftly alter the battlefield dynamics by enabling cheaper, faster, and repetitive attacks. Its ability to bolster the aggressiveness of dash-centric decks makes it a target that you’ll want to address promptly.

To counter this threat, efficient removal spells are your best bet. Instant speed removals like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can disrupt your opponent’s momentum, dealing with Warbringer before it can begin to dash out other creatures at a reduced cost. Furthermore, board wipes, such as Damnation or Wrath of God, are excellent at resetting the battlefield and removing multiple threats, including Warbringer, negating the tempo gained by your adversary.

Another strategy is to utilize counterspells. These can prevent Warbringer from ever hitting the field if timed correctly, which is crucial to stopping the dash cost reduction from wreaking havoc on your game plan. Cards like Mana Leak or Negate can effectively keep Warbringer at bay while you develop your board and advance your strategy.

Finally, remember the importance of keeping up the pressure and maintaining control of the board. By doing so, you not only suppress Warbringer’s influence but also minimize the advantages provided to your opponent’s creatures. A well-crafted strategy paired with calculated removal and counters can reliably overpower the challenges posed by Warbringer.


Cards like Warbringer

Warbringer is a unique asset in the realm of cost-reduction creatures for Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts. It’s often associated with other creatures like Goblin Warchief, which also offers reduced costs for Goblin spells. Yet, Warbringer distinguishes itself with its broader inclusion of all Dash costs, not just those for Goblins, setting the stage for dynamic, swift plays across a wider range of creature cards.

Comparably, we can look at Foundry Street Denizen, a creature that gains strength with each red creature that enters the battlefield under your control. While it doesn’t reduce mana costs, it bolsters your army’s might each turn, potentially delivering overwhelming damage. Similarly, there’s the Mardu Scout, which embodies the Dash mechanic Warbringer aims to optimize, offering a glimpse into potential synergies and explosive combat phases.

In weighing the benefits, Warbringer emerges as a strategic choice for aggressive decks that hinge on surging onto the battlefield quickly and frequently. Its universality with Dash costs gives it a tactical edge for a variety of strategies, making it a formidable card in fast-paced, aggressive MTG gameplay.

Goblin Warchief - MTG Card versions
Foundry Street Denizen - MTG Card versions
Mardu Scout - MTG Card versions
Goblin Warchief - Scourge (SCG)
Foundry Street Denizen - Gatecrash (GTC)
Mardu Scout - Fate Reforged (FRF)

Cards similar to Warbringer by color, type and mana cost

Dragon Whelp - MTG Card versions
Keldon Warlord - MTG Card versions
Crimson Manticore - MTG Card versions
Márton Stromgald - MTG Card versions
Reckless Embermage - MTG Card versions
Wildfire Emissary - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Giant - MTG Card versions
Rathi Dragon - MTG Card versions
Mogg Bombers - MTG Card versions
Warmonger - MTG Card versions
Bloodfire Kavu - MTG Card versions
Whipkeeper - MTG Card versions
Anger - MTG Card versions
Nalathni Dragon - MTG Card versions
Everquill Phoenix - MTG Card versions
Goblin Goon - MTG Card versions
Lesser Gargadon - MTG Card versions
Krark-Clan Engineers - MTG Card versions
Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked - MTG Card versions
Ogre Taskmaster - MTG Card versions
Dragon Whelp - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Keldon Warlord - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Crimson Manticore - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Márton Stromgald - Ice Age (ICE)
Reckless Embermage - Mirage (MIR)
Wildfire Emissary - Mirage (MIR)
Flowstone Giant - Tempest (TMP)
Rathi Dragon - Tempest (TMP)
Mogg Bombers - Stronghold (STH)
Warmonger - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Bloodfire Kavu - Apocalypse (APC)
Whipkeeper - Odyssey (ODY)
Anger - Judgment (JUD)
Nalathni Dragon - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Everquill Phoenix - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
Goblin Goon - Legions (LGN)
Lesser Gargadon - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Krark-Clan Engineers - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Ogre Taskmaster - Ninth Edition (9ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Warbringer MTG card by a specific set like Dragons of Tarkir, 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 Warbringer and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Warbringer has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2015-02-25 If a creature enters the battlefield as a copy of or becomes a copy of a creature whose dash cost was paid, the copy won’t have haste and won’t be returned to its owner’s hand.
2015-02-25 If you choose to pay the dash cost rather than the mana cost, you’re still casting the spell. It goes on the stack and can be responded to and countered. You can cast a creature spell for its dash cost only when you otherwise could cast that creature spell. Most of the time, this means during your main phase when the stack is empty.
2015-02-25 If you pay the dash cost to cast a creature spell, that card will be returned to its owner’s hand only if it’s still on the battlefield when its triggered ability resolves. If it dies or goes to another zone before then, it will stay where it is.
2015-02-25 Warbringer’s first ability can’t affect the colored mana requirement of a dash cost. If a card’s dash cost includes one generic mana, that cost will be reduced by .
2015-02-25 Warbringer’s first ability doesn’t affect Warbringer itself.
2015-02-25 You don’t have to attack with the creature with dash unless another ability says you do.

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