Fairgrounds Trumpeter MTG Card

Its growth without the need for extra cards enhances board presence with no additional hand resource loss. Playing counters at instant speed can be advantageous, leveraging the Trumpeter’s end-of-turn growth ability. In meta contexts favoring counter strategies, this creature emerges as a formidable inclusion to your collection.

Kaladesh (KLD)
2016-09-30 - Number 155

Fairgrounds Trumpeter - March of the Machine (MOM)

March of the Machine (MOM)
2023-04-21 - Number 335

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Elephant
Power	2
Toughness	2

Text of card

At the beginning of each end step, if a +1/+1 counter was placed on a permanent under your control this turn, put a +1/+1 counter on Fairgrounds Trumpeter.

The louder the elephant trumpeted, the more the crowd cheered. And the more the crowd cheered . . .

Cards like Fairgrounds Trumpeter

Fairgrounds Trumpeter from Magic: The Gathering is a unique creature card that grows over time. In the realm of +1/+1 counter strategies, it stands alongside cards like Ainok Bond-Kin, which similarly benefits from counters, granting itself first strike. Though the Bond-Kin offers an immediate combat advantage, Fairgrounds Trumpeter plays the long game, scaling in power each turn counters are placed on creatures you control.

Another card with a parallel design is Wild Beastmaster. While it doesn’t grow by itself, when it attacks, it boosts other creatures you control based on its power, potentially creating a substantial swing in board presence. The Beastmaster can turn the tide immediately, while the Trumpeter needs time to accumulate strength. Longshot Squad, yet another creature card in this comparison, grants itself and other creatures you control reach when it’s out on the field with +1/+1 counters. This not only enhances the creature’s utility by allowing you to block flying threats, but like Fairgrounds Trumpeter, it improves its efficacy over the course of the game.

Ultimately, Fairgrounds Trumpeter offers a distinct gameplay experience, rewarding patient players who can protect it and steadily bolster its power, proving its might in decks focused on +1/+1 counter synergies.

Cards similar to Fairgrounds Trumpeter by color, type and mana cost

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Fairgrounds Trumpeter doesn’t offer direct card drawing abilities but can grow its strength and toughness each turn, effectively increasing your board presence without expending additional cards from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: While this card does not provide resource acceleration in the form of mana or tokens, its continuous growth equates to investing in a growing asset, making it a valuable addition to a strategy reliant on creature size.

Instant Speed: Although Fairgrounds Trumpeter operates at sorcery speed, its ability to grow at the end of your turn incentivizes and rewards you for playing other creatures with +1/+1 counters at instant speed during your opponent’s turn, indirectly interacting with the instant-speed dynamic of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Fairgrounds Trumpeter doesn’t have a discard requirement, cards that synergize well with it often do, thus indirectly leading to potential resource loss.

Specific Mana Cost: As a creature that costs one green and two of any color, it demands mana-specific resources, limiting flexibility in multicolored or splash heavy decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, the Fairgrounds Trumpeter competes with other three-drop creatures with potentially immediate impact, which may deter some players from including it in their decks.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Fairgrounds Trumpeter has a place in decks that capitalize on +1/+1 counters, adapting well within proliferate strategies or with mechanics like evolve. The card’s ability to grow each turn makes it a flexible threat that can become increasingly challenging for opponents to handle.

Combo Potential: This creature synergizes well with a variety of counter-based interactions. In particular, it shines in conjunction with cards that spread multiple counters at once, accelerating its growth and turning it into a powerhouse on the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: Within a meta that favors counter-intensive decks or formats where permanent buffs are prevalent, Fairgrounds Trumpeter stands out. Its scalability can make it a formidable force in games where players build their strategies around durability and incremental advantage.

How to beat

Fairgrounds Trumpeter is a creature that gradually grows stronger every time a +1/+1 counter is placed on any creature you control at the end of your turn, making it a potential threat in Magic: The Gathering. This ability can quickly turn the Trumpeter into a dominant force on the battlefield if left unchecked.

To counteract the Fairgrounds Trumpeter’s growing presence, removal spells are highly effective. A simple strategy is to use instant-speed removal such as Fatal Push or Path to Exile before the end phase trigger occurs, thus preventing the Trumpeter from accumulating counters. Moreover, board wipes like Wrath of God can reset the playing field, nullifying any advantage gained from the Trumpeter’s ability.

In matches where you can afford to play the long game, setting up enchantments that prevent counter placement, like Solemnity, cripples the Trumpeter’s potential. In essence, the key to besting the Trumpeter lies in preemptive action, disabling its counter-gaining mechanic, or wiping the board clean before it swells into an unmanageable threat.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Fairgrounds Trumpeter MTG card by a specific set like Kaladesh and March of the Machine, 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 Fairgrounds Trumpeter and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Fairgrounds Trumpeter Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-09-30 and 2023-04-21. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2016-09-30	Kaladesh	KLD		155	2015	Normal	Black	Jesper Ejsing
2	2023-04-21	March of the Machine	MOM		335	2015	Normal	Black	Samuel Perin

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Fairgrounds Trumpeter has restrictions

Format	Legality
Standard	Legal
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Alchemy	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Future	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2016-09-20	Fairgrounds Trumpeter's ability triggers if, at any point during this turn, a +1/+1 counter was placed on a permanent that you controlled as the counter was placed. It doesn't matter whether you still control the permanent or whether it still has a counter.
2016-09-20	If a +1/+1 counter hasn't been placed yet at the moment an end step begins, Fairgrounds Trumpeter's ability doesn't trigger at all. If another ability triggers during the end step and puts a +1/+1 counter on a permanent you control, you won't put an additional +1/+1 counter on Fairgrounds Trumpeter.