Golgari Brownscale MTG Card
2005-10-07 - Number 166
2018-12-07 - Number 166
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Lizard |
| Abilities | Dredge,Mill |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Text of card
When Golgari Brownscale is put into your hand from your graveyard, you gain 2 life. Dredge 2 (If you would draw a card, instead you may put exactly two cards from the top of your library into your graveyard. If you do, return this card from your graveyard to your hand. Otherwise, draw a card.)
Cards like Golgari Brownscale
Golgari Brownscale stands out within the roster of dredge creatures in Magic: The Gathering. Its closest relatives include cards like Stinkweed Imp, which also wields the dredge mechanic, enabling players to mill cards and return the creature to their hand. While Stinkweed Imp dredges five cards to Golgari Brownscale’s two, the latter has the added benefit of gaining two life as it moves from the graveyard to the hand—a boon for life-based strategies.
Examining another counterpart, Dakmor Salvage offers the dredge benefit in land form. Although it doesn’t contribute to life gain, it ensures land drops and keeps the graveyard synergy alive. Meanwhile, Golgari Thug provides a lower dredge number, but it can also manipulate the top of your library by putting a creature from your graveyard on top.
Ultimately, finding the right balance between dredging power, additional effects, and synergy with the rest of your deck is key when considering Golgari Brownscale against its relatives in the deep and diverse world of Magic: The Gathering gameplay.
Cards similar to Golgari Brownscale by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Golgari Brownscale. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Abzan Midrange | Pauper | Pauper Jungle | |
 | WBRG | Pauper | Pauper Qualifier 2024-03-02 |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Golgari Brownscale grants recurring value each time it’s dredged from your graveyard to your hand, effectively drawing you a card that’s also a creature, bolstering both your hand and board presence simultaneously.
Resource Acceleration: Every return from the graveyard to your hand via dredge sets the stage for increased resource utility, as it can be repeatedly discarded for effects or synergies that benefit from creatures entering the graveyard, strengthening your overall position.
Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, Golgari Brownscale’s dredge ability can be utilized at instant speed during your draw step, aligning seamlessly with your game strategy without skipping a beat, ensuring you’re always at the ready.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Golgari Brownscale from the graveyard necessitates discarding another card, which could deplete your hand and diminish your strategic options.
Specific Mana Cost: Golgari Brownscale demands both green and black mana, potentially restricting its inclusion in multicolored decks that may not support such a specific mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three, including one green and one black, there are more mana-efficient creatures in MTG that offer similar or greater board presence.
Reasons to Include Golgari Brownscale in Your Collection
Versatility: Golgari Brownscale offers a dual role in both maintaining life balance and fueling graveyard synergies. It’s adaptable to various strategies that capitalize on graveyard mechanics, making it a solid addition to decks that thrive on recycling resources.
Combo Potential: This card’s dredge ability allows players to repeatedly cycle it from graveyard to hand, enabling combos with other cards that benefit from recurring graveyard activities. Its potential to continuously provide life gain is also a significant asset in decks that aim for a long game.
Meta-Relevance: In a game environment rich with graveyard interaction or where aggressive life-loss strategies prevail, Golgari Brownscale remains relevant. The recurrent life gain can be crucial in outlasting opponents, and its seamless integration into Life from the Loam decks or other graveyard-centric builds keeps it enduringly pertinent.
How to Beat Golgari Brownscale
Golgari Brownscale is a card that brings resilience to the table. Its presence in graveyard-centric decks can be challenging, with its ability to return to a player’s hand and offer a life-gain with each Dredge. To counter this reusability, one should look towards graveyard disruption. Cards like Rest in Peace or Relic of Progenitus can effectively neutralize Golgari Brownscale’s advantages by removing it from the game or continually exiling it from the graveyard.
It’s also advisable to apply pressure with aggressive strategies that outpace the life-gain provided by Golgari Brownscale. Fast-paced decks or those that can impose a significant amount of damage quickly can outmatch the incremental life gain Golgari Brownscale provides. Avoid long, drawn-out matches where Brownscale’s value increases over time and focus on closing the game swiftly.
Lastly, exile effects are particularly potent against Golgari Brownscale. If it’s on the battlefield, consider using spells that exile creatures rather than destroy them, bypassing its Dredge ability entirely. This strategy cuts off the cycle that Golgari Brownscale thrives on, preventing any further life gain and reuse by the opponent.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Golgari Brownscale MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica: City of Guilds and Ultimate Masters, 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 Golgari Brownscale and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
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- Card Market
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Printings
The Golgari Brownscale Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2005-10-07 and 2018-12-07. Illustrated by Carl Critchlow.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2005-10-07 | Ravnica: City of Guilds | RAV | 166 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Carl Critchlow | |
| 2 | 2018-12-07 | Ultimate Masters | UMA | 166 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Carl Critchlow |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Golgari Brownscale has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Golgari Brownscale card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2005-10-01 | The first ability triggers when Golgari Brownscale returns to your hand from your graveyard for any reason, not just when you use its dredge ability. |
| 2013-06-07 | Dredge lets you replace any card draw, not just the one during your draw step. |
| 2013-06-07 | Once you decide to replace a draw using a card’s dredge ability, that card can’t be removed from your graveyard “in response.” (Replacement effects don’t use the stack.) |
| 2013-06-07 | You can’t use dredge unless you’re going to draw a card and the card with dredge is already in your graveyard. |