Dungeon Crawler MTG Card


Dungeon Crawler provides card advantage and can unexpectedly strengthen your hand with its dungeon mechanic. Despite its instant speed interactions, Dungeon Crawler’s discard requirement and mana specificity can be limiting. Its versatility, combo potential, and meta-relevance make it a noteworthy addition to any collection emphasizing dungeons.
Dungeon Crawler - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Zombie
Released2021-07-23
Set symbol
Set nameAdventures in the Forgotten Realms
Set codeAFR
Power 2
Toughness 1
Number99
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred bySvetlin Velinov

Text of card

Dungeon Crawler enters the battlefield tapped. Whenever you complete a dungeon, you may return Dungeon Crawler from your graveyard to your hand.

"I think of it as giving them another chance to achieve their potential." —Nestus Wrasse, necromancer


Cards like Dungeon Crawler

The Dungeon Crawler card brings a unique edge to the array of creature cards in the depths of Magic the Gathering. This card stands out with its ability to bring incremental advantage each time you venture into the dungeon. Comparable to other creatures that bolster game play, such as the Elvish Visionary, the Dungeon Crawler offers more than just a one-time effect. Unlike the Visionary, which allows for a single card draw upon entering the battlefield, the Dungeon Crawler can potentially provide value multiple times throughout the game.

Another card worth mentioning alongside Dungeon Crawler is the steadfast Skirk Prospector. This creature converts other goblins into valuable mana, paralleling the concept of using resources for an advantage. Although Skirk Prospector offers immediate ramp potential, Dungeon Crawler’s repeated dungeon delve can craft a more pronounced advantage over time, especially in decks focused on the dungeon mechanic.

When considering the long game, the Dungeon Crawler exhibits a persistent threat that can be hard to match in creature-based strategies. Its ability to recur from the graveyard upon completing a dungeon further enhances its appeal, setting it apart from its peers and marking its place in Magic the Gathering strategies rooted in endurance and recurring value.

Elvish Visionary - MTG Card versions
Skirk Prospector - MTG Card versions
Elvish Visionary - MTG Card versions
Skirk Prospector - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Dungeon Crawler by color, type and mana cost

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Stone-Throwing Devils - MTG Card versions
Will-o'-the-Wisp - MTG Card versions
Vampire Bats - MTG Card versions
Bog Rats - MTG Card versions
Muck Rats - MTG Card versions
Vebulid - MTG Card versions
Urborg Skeleton - MTG Card versions
Carrion Rats - MTG Card versions
Foulmire Knight // Profane Insight - MTG Card versions
Dark Supplicant - MTG Card versions
Bile Urchin - MTG Card versions
Plague Beetle - MTG Card versions
Festering Goblin - MTG Card versions
Sleeper Agent - MTG Card versions
Knucklebone Witch - MTG Card versions
Nightshade Stinger - MTG Card versions
Smolder Initiate - MTG Card versions
Kjeldoran Dead - MTG Card versions
Deathgreeter - MTG Card versions
Guul Draz Vampire - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Dungeon Crawler card effectively enables players to draw from a separate “dungeon deck” and potentially gain extra cards, thereby increasing the player’s options and overall hand strength during the game.

Resource Acceleration: As you delve deeper into the dungeon with Dungeon Crawler, it often provides opportunities to expedite your resources, such as ramping up your mana pool or providing access to additional actions and strategies far quicker than usual.

Instant Speed: One of the key abilities of dungeon-themed cards is their intrinsic synergy with instant-speed interactions, allowing players to respond to opponents’ moves efficiently while progressing through their dungeon objectives, leading to potential surprise advantages during the course of play.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Dungeon Crawler card demands players to pitch a card from their hand, which could backfire when options are dwindling and every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Necessitating a dedicated colored mana, Dungeon Crawler insists on black mana within its casting cost, potentially restricting its inclusion in decks without a solid black mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Its entry fee on the higher side contrasts with other creatures of similar power levels, which might offer additional abilities or require less mana, presenting a steeper investment early in the game.


Reasons to Include Dungeon Crawler in Your Collection

Versatility: Dungeon Crawler is a card that seamlessly integrates into a variety of decks, particularly those exploring the dungeon mechanic or looking to gain an early presence on the board. Its ability to return from the graveyard makes it a resilient option for multiple strategies.

Combo Potential: With its dungeon-related ability, this creature can synergize with other cards that benefit from venturing into dungeons. This opens up opportunities for building around a dungeon-centric theme, triggering multiple effects as you progress through the dungeon rooms.

Meta-Relevance: Given the fluctuating nature of the MTG metagame, having a card like Dungeon Crawler, which can adapt to different board states and provide incremental advantage, might prove pivotal, particularly in formats where dungeon mechanics are prominent.


How to beat

Dungeon Crawler, the adventure-seeking creature from Magic: The Gathering, presents an interesting challenge to overcome. Players familiar with recursive threats will recognize that Dungeon Crawler thrives on entering and completing dungeons, a mechanic that can create a recurring problem for opponents. To combat this, having access to graveyard hate is crucial. In particular, cards like Relic of Progenitus or Bojuka Bog can disrupt the cycle of the Dungeon Crawler by exiling it from the graveyard, making it a one-time issue.

Moreover, keeping board wipes or removal in your deck ensures you can handle Dungeon Crawler the moment it steps onto the battlefield. A simple shock or Fatal Push after a dungeon room has been completed can negate the creature’s advantage, preventing it from becoming an excessive drain on your resources. Efficient removal is key as the cost of Dungeon Crawler is low, and you’ll want to be able to deal with it multiple times without expending significant resources each turn.

Ultimately, while Dungeon Crawler is designed to be a persistent nuisance, preparing your deck to manage graveyard recursion and introducing precise removal can effectively neutralize this dungeon-delving foe, allowing you to maintain control of the game.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dungeon Crawler MTG card by a specific set like Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, 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 Dungeon Crawler and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dungeon Crawler has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2021-07-23 A player may only have one dungeon in the command zone at a time.
2021-07-23 Choosing the dungeon or room to venture into is part of resolving the venture into the dungeon keyword action. Once that choice is made, players may not respond until after the appropriate room ability has triggered.
2021-07-23 Dungeon cards are not part of a player's deck or sideboard. In both constructed and limited formats, players can use any dungeon card when they venture into the dungeon.
2021-07-23 Dungeons are removed from the game as a state-based action.
2021-07-23 If you somehow venture into the dungeon while a room's ability is on the stack, you will continue on in the dungeon. If you're already in the last room, complete that dungeon and start a new one.
2021-07-23 Moving into a dungeon room will cause its room ability to trigger.
2021-07-23 Once you resolve the last room ability of a dungeon, that dungeon is now completed and is removed from the game.
2021-07-23 The player venturing into the dungeon chooses which dungeon they will venture into. They may choose a dungeon that they have already completed this game.
2021-07-23 To venture into the dungeon, a player moves their venture marker into the next room of the dungeon they are currently in. If they aren't currently in a dungeon, that player instead chooses a dungeon card from outside the game, puts it into the command zone, and moves their venture marker onto the first room.
2021-07-23 You can only move forward (well, downward) in a dungeon, never backwards or sideways.