Emberhorn Minotaur MTG Card

Emberhorn Minotaur benefits from indirect card advantage by forcing opponents to address its presence on the board. With cost-effective stats and versatility in red-centric decks, it enables aggressive play without high mana investment. Strategy and timing are crucial when deploying Emberhorn Minotaur, considering potential counters and exert-based synergies.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Minotaur Warrior
Abilities	Exert
Released	2017-04-28
Set symbol
Set name	Amonkhet
Set code	AKH
Power	4
Toughness	3
Number	130
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Viktor Titov

Text of card

You may exert Emberhorn Minotaur as it attacks. When you do, it gets +1/+1 and gains menace until end of turn. (An exerted creature won't untap during your next untap step.)

"My stride will break only against the twin points of Hazoret's spear."

Cards like Emberhorn Minotaur

Emberhorn Minotaur presents a potent force for players to consider in the battlefield dynamics of Magic: The Gathering. This formidable Minotaur shares qualities with creatures like Ahn-Crop Crasher, both being red and having haste-enabling powers. Yet, Emberhorn Minotaur’s need for exertion to gain trample sets it on a different tactical path compared to the immediate impact Ahn-Crop Crasher offers by preventing creature blocks on the turn it attacks.

Another creature mirroring Emberhorn Minotaur’s aggressive style is the Bloodrage Brawler. Upon entry to the fray, it challenges deck builders, nudging them towards discarding, but offering a greater power boost in return. While the Brawler’s strength is enticing, it trades ongoing flexibility for initial might, contrasting with the Minotaur’s balance between immediate and long-term board presence.

The comparison underlines the importance of strategy when choosing fiery combatants for your deck. Each card carries its distinct advantages depending on the game situation, but Emberhorn Minotaur stands out for those employing exertion strategies to bulldoze through opponents’ defenses, intertwining resource management and control on the battleground. As such, it maintains its place as a steadfast contender in red aggressive decks looking to trample over the competition.

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Emberhorn Minotaur may not offer direct card draw, its formidable presence on the board compels your opponent to deal with it, potentially using more than one card in the process. This can indirectly lead to card advantage as your adversaries expend valuable resources to counteract the threat it poses.

Resource Acceleration: The Emberhorn Minotaur itself does not provide resource acceleration in the traditional sense of generating mana or drawing cards. However, its cost-to-power ratio offers a form of resource efficiency, allowing players to mount a significant offensive threat without a heavy mana investment, thus preserving mana for other strategic plays within the turn.

Instant Speed: The key strength of Emberhorn Minotaur doesn’t lie in instant speed interactions. Instead, by understanding what instant speed spells the opponent might use against it, players can more effectively decide when to cast this Minotaur, ensuring it has the highest chance to survive and exert pressure on the board state.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The playability of Emberhorn Minotaur often hinges on the ability to discard another card. This mechanic can be a setback, primarily when your hand is already depleted or each card in hand is vital for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Casting Emberhorn Minotaur requires both red and generic mana, which means it slots specifically into red-inclusive decks, limiting its versatility across various deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana for a 4/3 creature, the Emberhorn Minotaur may be considered mana-intensive, especially when other creatures provide similar or superior power and toughness for the same or less mana investment.

Reasons to Include Emberhorn Minotaur in Your Collection

Versatility: Emberhorn Minotaur’s simple mana cost and solid stats make it a suitable option for multiple Red-centric decks. It adapts well to aggressive strategies and can act as a reliable creature on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: Thanks to its exert ability, which can provide a significant power boost during attacks, Emberhorn Minotaur synergizes with strategies that encourage untapping creatures or playing with exert mechanics.

Meta-Relevance: While it may not be a staple in all environments, Emberhorn Minotaur performs well against decks that struggle to quickly answer threats on board. In a meta with fewer instant-speed removals, it can capitalize on its 4-power to pressure opponents effectively.

How to beat

Emberhorn Minotaur presents itself as a robust aggressor on the battlefield. With a solid 4/3 body, this creature demands an immediate answer from opponents in the game. It showcases its might when exerted, granting it a temporary but notable power boost. The trick to overcoming this fiery foe lies in effectively managing the pace of play and keeping removal spells or creatures with sufficient toughness at the ready.

Consider employing creatures that can block and survive the Minotaur’s assault, such as those with sufficient toughness or abilities like reach or deathtouch. Efficient removal spells also play a key role. Instant-speed answers like Fatal Push can eliminate this threat before it inflicts significant damage. Cards with exile effects, bypassing the minotaur’s ability to comeback from the graveyard, are particularly potent as well.

Strategy-wise, preventing the Minotaur from exerting its power by keeping the battlefield clear of blockers or by maintaining control of the game tempo through counterspells and bounce spells can negate its advantages. By addressing Emberhorn Minotaur with a combination of smart block choices, timely removal, and gameplay control, its impact can be minimized, preserving your standing in the match.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Emberhorn Minotaur MTG card by a specific set like Amonkhet, 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 Emberhorn Minotaur and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Emberhorn Minotaur has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2017-04-18	All cards in the Amonkhet set that let you exert a creature let you do so as you declare it as an attacking creature, as do some of the cards in the Hour of Devastation set. You can’t do so later in combat, and creatures put onto the battlefield attacking can’t be exerted. Any abilities that trigger on exerting an attacking creature will resolve before blockers are declared.
2017-04-18	If an exerted creature is already untapped during your next untap step (most likely because it had vigilance or an effect untapped it), exert’s effect preventing it from untapping expires without having done anything.
2017-04-18	If you gain control of another player’s creature until end of turn and exert it, it will untap during that player’s untap step.
2017-04-18	You can’t exert a creature unless an effect allows you to do so. Similar effects that “tap and freeze” a creature (such as that of Decision Paralysis) don’t exert that creature.