Embraal Bruiser MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Embraal Bruiser doesn’t directly allow you to draw cards, but it is a creature that can help you maintain board presence. Having creatures on the battlefield is pivotal and can be considered a form of card advantage as it forces your opponent to have an answer for it.

Resource Acceleration: While Embraal Bruiser isn’t a direct source of resource acceleration, its ability to potentially enter the battlefield with prowess under the right conditions can accelerate your damage output without the need for additional mana investment.

Instant Speed: Although Embraal Bruiser itself isn’t an instant, it has the keyword ability “Menace” which allows it to only be blocked by two or more creatures. This means it can pressure your opponent into keeping more creatures back, effectively offering you more control over how combat plays out during each turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Activating the abilities of Embraal Bruiser often necessitates discarding a card, which could diminish your hand and weaken your position, especially when your card resources are dwindling.

Specific Mana Cost: Embraal Bruiser requires both generic and black mana, making it less flexible and potentially problematic in multi-colored decks that may struggle with mana consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that includes two black symbols, Embraal Bruiser might not always be the most efficient play. Players need to carefully consider if its stats and abilities justify its place in the deck over other options that may have a broader impact for the same or lower investment.

Reasons to Include Embraal Bruiser in Your Collection

Versatility: Embraal Bruiser stands out with its adaptability in deck building. As an aggressive two-drop with menace, it becomes a persistent threat when equipped or alongside artifacts, fitting smoothly into aggressive strategies or artifact-centric decks.

Combo Potential: Its ability to gain menace when you control an artifact opens up interesting combo avenues. It can serve as a crucial piece in strategies that revolve around enhancing creatures or utilizing equipment and artifact synergies for potent attacks.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta with a significant amount of creature-based strategies, the natural evasion provided by Embraal Bruiser can be particularly advantageous, allowing it to skirt past blockers and apply steady pressure on opponents.

How to beat

The Embraal Bruiser may at first glance seem like a formidable adversary in your MTG matches, blessed with the ability to hit the ground running with menace as long as you control an artifact. Yet, the key to overcoming this card lies in disrupting this synergy. Targeted removal of artifacts can neutralize the threat, rendering the Bruiser simply as a 3/1 creature without evasion. Creature removal spells are also effective at dispatching the Bruiser, ensuring it never gets the chance to capitalize on its offensive potential.

Moreover, remember that the Bruiser’s reduced defense makes it vulnerable to quick, low-cost creatures or burn spells which can remove it from play before it can benefit from menace. Last but not least, consider including cards that offer protection from black or that limit the abilities of your opponent’s creatures, thereby nullifying the advantage that Embraal Bruiser could bring to the battlefield. Your approach to dealing with the Bruiser should be a balanced blend of proactive artifact control and reactive creature management, leveraging the full spectrum of your deck’s capabilities.