Gnarlroot Pallbearer MTG Card


Gnarlroot Pallbearer offers a boost in land plays, speeding up your mana availability for critical plays. Instant speed interactions paired with this card may throw opponents off and sway the game’s momentum. Although powerful, its need for discarding and specific mana can hamper its overall efficiency in a game.
Gnarlroot Pallbearer - The Brothers' War
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Treefolk Druid
Abilities Trample
Released2022-11-18
Set symbol
Set nameThe Brothers' War
Set codeBRO
Power 5
Toughness 5
Number184
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byNino Is

Text of card

Trample When Gnarlroot Pallbearer enters the battlefield, target creature gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of creature cards in your graveyard.

The flames of war consumed most of Argoth's treefolk. Vengeance consumed the rest.


Cards like Gnarlroot Pallbearer

The Gnarlroot Pallbearer is a new entrant among the myriad of creature cards in MTG that players might be looking to integrate into their decks. It finds its parallels with cards like Elvish Mystic and Llanowar Elves, both of which are staples for green mana ramp strategies. Similar to these cards, Gnarlroot Pallbearer allows players to accelerate their mana growth, enabling larger spells to be cast earlier in the game.

However, Gnarlroot Pallbearer offers a unique twist – it doesn’t just tap for green mana. Instead, it brings an additional ability that potentially transforms late-game draws into new creatures on the field. This means that while Elvish Mystic and Llanowar Elves may give you a solid early game advantage, Gnarlroot Pallbearer extends its utility beyond just mana acceleration, impacting board presence in the later stages of the game. It’s this utility that can potentially turn the tides by drawing out more value from each card in the later turns.

While assessing the merits of such creature cards, the Gnarlroot Pallbearer showcases a multipurpose role not commonly found in other mana dorks. Its versatile design allows players to adopt a more dynamic and responsive strategy, adapting to the changing pace of the match.

Elvish Mystic - MTG Card versions
Llanowar Elves - MTG Card versions
Elvish Mystic - MTG Card versions
Llanowar Elves - MTG Card versions

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Ancient Silverback - MTG Card versions
Sulam Djinn - MTG Card versions
Verdeloth the Ancient - MTG Card versions
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Gang of Elk - MTG Card versions
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Kodama of the East Tree - MTG Card versions
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Feral Throwback - MTG Card versions
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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Gnarlroot Pallbearer provides a significant edge in terms of card economy. When it enters the battlefield, you may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield tapped. This ability can round out your land drops, ensuring a smooth progression in your game, and thus improving your card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: The ability of the Gnarlroot Pallbearer to put a land card into play directly from your hand acts as resource acceleration. This effect can be a subtle yet powerful way to get ahead of your opponents in terms of available mana, allowing for larger or more complex plays earlier in the game.

Instant Speed: While Gnarlroot Pallbearer itself is not an instant, pairing it with abilities or cards that can put creatures onto the battlefield at instant speed can provide a significant tactical advantage. Being able to drop in a creature that accelerates your resource development unexpectedly can shift the tide of a match, especially if timed to disrupt an opponent’s strategy.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Gnarlroot Pallbearer necessitates the player to discard a card, which can deplete your hand, especially detrimental when you’re trying to maintain a competitive edge with card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s cost demands both black and green mana, potentially restricting its inclusion only to decks that can reliably provide both types of mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value that’s on the higher end for what it delivers, players might find that there are other creatures or spells that achieve similar effects with a lower investment, leaving more mana available for other strategies during their turns.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: The Gnarlroot Pallbearer offers flexibility in deck construction, fitting seamlessly into strategies that revolve around creature-based synergies or graveyard mechanics. Its ability to interact with different creature types enhances its adaptability across various gameplay situations.

Combo Potential: This card’s innate ability to work with graveyard recursion creates opportunities for combo setups, enabling players to reanimate key creatures or exploit death triggers for strategic advantages, amplifying this MTG card’s impact on the board.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that sees a significant presence of grindy games or creature-heavy decks, Gnarlroot Pallbearer can serve as a pivotal asset. Its design to utilize the graveyard as a resource offers considerable advantage against common archetypes, solidifying its place in competitive play.


How to Beat

The Gnarlroot Pallbearer poses a unique challenge for Magic: The Gathering players. This creature can create a substantial battlefield presence and tipping the scales can become increasingly difficult the longer it remains unchecked. To effectively counter this card, adapting your strategy is key.

One approach is leveraging removal spells that can bypass its potent death-trigger effects. Spells that exile creatures or alter the rules of engagement, like Leyline of the Void or Rest in Peace, can nullify its strength. Alternatively, focusing on sweepers that clear multiple creatures at once can also mitigate the impact of Gnarlroot Pallbearer’s abilities, providing a reset button on the opponent’s accumulating advantages.

Timing is crucial as well. If you manage to deal with the Pallbearer before it can start generating value through its synergies with other cards, you’ll be in a stronger position. Efficient use of instant speed interaction, therefore, can make all the difference. Remember, understanding the intricacies of your opponent’s strategies can give you the foresight to disrupt their plans and maintain control of the game.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gnarlroot Pallbearer MTG card by a specific set like The Brothers' War, 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 Gnarlroot Pallbearer and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Gnarlroot Pallbearer has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal