Grenzo's Ruffians MTG Card

Capable of creating card advantage, they dominate by dealing damage to multiple opponents simultaneously. They demand red mana commitment, shaping deck construction and resource management in play. Multipurpose tool in multiplayer formats, Grenzo’s Ruffians bolster decks with potent combo and meta relevance.

Grenzo's Ruffians - Conspiracy: Take the Crown

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Goblin
Abilities	Melee
Released	2016-08-26
Set symbol
Set name	Conspiracy: Take the Crown
Set code	CN2
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	55
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Svetlin Velinov

Text of card

Melee (Whenever this creature attacks, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each opponent you attacked with a creature this combat.) Whenever Grenzo's Ruffians deals combat damage to an opponent, it deals that much damage to each other opponent.

Cards like Grenzo's Ruffians

Grenzo’s Ruffians carves a unique niche within Magic: The Gathering’s assortment of creature cards. This card bears a resemblance to creatures like Raging Redcap, with both sharing the melee ability, amplifying their impact in multi-opponent scenarios. Grenzo’s Ruffians take this a step further with the potential to deal damage to multiple opponents in a single combat phase, a capability that Raging Redcap lacks.

Examining other comparisons, Goblin Gang Leader is also of note, featuring the melee ability. However, Grenzo’s Ruffians stand out due to their ability to duplicate damage dealt to the player across each opponent, which adds a layer of strategy in games against multiple adversaries. When contrasted with Gang Leader’s straightforward melee, Grenzo’s Ruffians encourage a more tactical approach, positioning them as a deck cornerstone in multiplayer formats.

Ultimately, Grenzo’s Ruffians distinguish themselves in Magic: The Gathering through their potential for widespread battlefield influence, a trait that meshes well with strategies focused on aggression and damage spread. The card’s design allows for significant multiplayer interactions, giving it an edge in games where every damage point to each opponent can sway the tide of battle.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Grenzo’s Ruffians can deal a substantial amount of damage across multiple opponents, potentially creating significant card advantage in multiplayer formats. Whenever they deal combat damage to a player, that effect is duplicated for each other opponent, leading to an increased potential for card advantage as you could take out several creatures your opponents control in one combat phase.

Resource Acceleration: Although Grenzo’s Ruffians themselves do not directly accelerate resources, they can apply pressure that forces opponents to use their resources inefficiently. This can set them back and effectively accelerate your relative resource availability as you maintain board presence and control.

Instant Speed: While Grenzo’s Ruffians are not an instant-speed spell, their ability to inflict widespread damage can be a game-changing event that serves a similar purpose. By necessitating an immediate response upon attacking, they can disrupt opponents’ plans almost as effectively as a well-timed instant.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Grenzo’s Ruffians require a committed strategy to get the most out of their ability. Without setup, they could be less impactful on the game.

Specific Mana Cost: As a card with a cost that includes two red mana, it demands heavy commitment to red. This can restrict deck-building options to mono-red or red-centric decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a four mana cost overall, other creatures or spells might provide immediate effects or better stats, offering more versatility or power at a similar investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Grenzo’s Ruffians brings a level of unpredictability and adaptability to your deck that can catch opponents off-guard. Its ability to deal damage to several players simultaneously makes it an effective card in multiplayer games or formats like Commander.

Combo Potential: Aligning with decks built around card interactions that trigger off of dealing combat damage to players, Grenzo’s Ruffians can be part of devastating combos, scaling up the damage it deals with each successful hit.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where games often pivot on sharp, decisive moves, Grenzo’s Ruffians’ capacity for multilateral damage can turn the tides, particularly against decks that are light on creature blockers or heavily reliant on planeswalkers.

How to beat

Mastering Grenzo’s Ruffians in Magic: The Gathering requires strategic insight into this card’s unique mechanics. The ruffians are a formidable foe due to their melee ability, which can trigger whenever they attack and deal combat damage to a player, causing that much damage to be dealt to each other opponent. To gain the upper hand against them, one practical approach is through controlling the field.

Controlling a multitude of blockers is a reliable tactic to nullify the impact of Grenzo’s Ruffians. By setting up a strong defensive line, you can prevent them from scoring the combat damage needed to trigger their ability. Sweepers can wipe the board clean before they amass, while instant-speed removals like Path to Exile or Doom Blade can check them before they become a threat. It’s crucial to manage the battlefield and master the timing of your spells.

Keeping in mind that Grenzo’s Ruffians thrive in multiplayer formats, utilizing spot removal to reduce the number of targets they can hit is also effective. In summary, maintaining board control with strategic deployment of blockers and removal spells is key to successfully countering the menacing Grenzo’s Ruffians in your MTG matches.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Grenzo's Ruffians MTG card by a specific set like Conspiracy: Take the Crown, 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 Grenzo's Ruffians and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Grenzo's Ruffians has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2016-08-23	Creatures that enter the battlefield attacking were never declared as attackers, so they won’t count toward melee’s effect. Similarly, if a creature with melee enters the battlefield attacking, melee won’t trigger.
2016-08-23	It doesn’t matter how many creatures you attacked a player with, only that you attacked a player with at least one creature. For example, if you attack one player with Wings of the Guard and another player with five creatures, Wings of the Guard will get +2/+2 until end of turn.
2016-08-23	Melee will trigger if the creature with melee attacks a planeswalker. However, the effect counts only opponents (and not planeswalkers) that you attacked with a creature when determining the bonus.
2016-08-23	You determine the size of the bonus as the melee ability resolves. Count each opponent that you attacked with one or more creatures. It doesn’t matter if the attacking creatures are still attacking or even if they are still on the battlefield. It also doesn’t matter if the opponent you attacked is still in the game.