Pestilence Rats MTG Card


Pestilence Rats - Ice Age
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Rat
Released1995-06-03
Set symbol
Set nameIce Age
Set codeICE
Power *
Toughness 3
Number157
Frame1993
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byJeff A. Menges

Key Takeaways

  1. Scale Pestilence Rats power to the number of cards in your hand for a larger board threat.
  2. Maximize hand size for a direct power boost, synergizing with resource acceleration.
  3. Adjust Pestilence Rats power with instant speed spells to surprise opponents.

Text of card

Pestilence Rats has power equal to the total number of other Rats in play, no matter who controls them. For example, as long as there are two other Rats in play, Pestilence Rats has power and toughness 2/3.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Pestilence Rats’ power scales with the number of cards in your hand, incentivizing a strategy focused on maximizing the number of options available to you, thus maintaining card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Pestilence Rats work well with decks that accelerate resource gathering. Using cards that increase your hand size can directly boost the Rats’ power, giving you a larger threat on the board swiftly.

Instant Speed: While Pestilence Rats themselves are cast at sorcery speed, its scalable nature makes it synergistic with instant speed spells that allow you to draw or discard, adjusting its power dynamically and unpredictably during your opponent’s turn or at the end of their turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Pestilence Rats necessitates a strategic hand management as it can force you to discard valuable cards to utilize certain abilities, leaving you at a potential card disadvantage against opponents.

Specific Mana Cost: The cost to play Pestilence Rats is not simply generic but requires specific black mana, making it less flexible and primarily confining it to mono-black or two-color decks that can consistently produce the necessary mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Pestilence Rats may offer an appealing effect for a rat-themed or pestilence deck, its mana efficiency is questionable. The cost-value ratio is considered high when compared to other creatures in the same mana range, potentially making it a less optimal choice for many deck strategies where every point of mana counts.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Pestilence Rats has a scalable power level that can adjust easily to the size of your deck, making it a flexible addition to mono-black decks or any strategy focused on rat tribal synergies.

Combo Potential: This card’s power is tied to the number of Rats you control, which can become quite formidable in conjunction with duplication and token-generating cards. It fits like a glove in strategies revolving around exponential creature growth.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature decks reign, Pestilence Rats can serve as a threatening blocker or attacker. Its ability to grow as you commit more rats to the board makes it a card that can rapidly adapt to the shifting tides of a game. Tailor your deck with this in mind, and Pestilence Rats can become a valuable asset against the current creature-heavy metagame.


How to beat

Pestilence Rats is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering, known for its power that’s equal to the number of Rats you control. This can be quite intimidating, especially when facing an opponent who’s running a rat-themed deck stacked with a swarming strategy. But fear not, there are tactics to undermine the pestering power of these Rats.

To successfully combat Pestilence Rats, removal spells that can take care of multiple creatures at once, such as board wipes, are highly effective. Spells like “Wrath of God” or “Damnation” can clear the board of all creatures, rendering the strength of Pestilence Rats irrelevant. Additionally, targeting the key rat-generating cards with spot removal or counter spells will greatly diminish the potency of a Rats deck. Keep in mind enchantments like “Swords to Plowshares” to exile them or “Pithing Needle” to suppress their activated abilities. This way, you can prevent the Rats from multiplying out of control.

Ultimately, the strategy to overcome Pestilence Rats involves disrupting the swarm synergy and utilizing spells that can affect multiple creatures. Keep your board clear and their numbers manageable, and the Rats won’t stand a chance.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into the MTG landscape with Pestilence Rats and harness their scalable might for your strategic advantage. Whether you’re expanding your collection with versatile cards, exploring rat tribal synergies or simply seeking a card that adjusts to the ebb and flow of the game, Pestilence Rats could be your next clever play. Engage with a community that’s as passionate about MTG as you are and discover further ways to optimize your deck building. Revel in the game’s complexity and refine your tactics. Join us to uncover more insights and take your MTG expertise to new heights.


Cards like Pestilence Rats

Pestilence Rats holds a unique space among creature cards in MTG with its power directly tied to the number of Rats you control. In this aspect, it draws comparisons to creatures such as Relentless Rats, which grows in might for each copy you have on the field. However, Pestilence Rats’ power adjusts dynamically with your Rat population, providing a fluctuating threat level throughout the game.

Looking at Pack Rat, this creature also thrives in numbers, allowing you to create a copy of itself at the cost of discarding a card, thereby boosting its own power indirectly. While Pack Rat offers a steady increase in board presence and potential power, Pestilence Rats reacts to the presence of its kin without further cost.

Considering Marrow-Gnawer, we see a lord for Rats granting them fear and the ability to multiply, thus increasing the potential power of Pestilence Rats. Yet, Marrow-Gnawer requires a tap and a sacrifice, dictating a more active approach compared to the passive power scaling of Pestilence Rats.

Assessing their places in MTG, Pestilence Rats is a fine choice for a strategist who prefers a card that can become increasingly menacing as the Rat legion swells, capable of catching opponents unaware with its scaling power.

Relentless Rats - MTG Card versions
Pack Rat - MTG Card versions
Marrow-Gnawer - MTG Card versions
Relentless Rats - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Pack Rat - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Marrow-Gnawer - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)

Cards similar to Pestilence Rats by color, type and mana cost

Nettling Imp - MTG Card versions
Royal Assassin - MTG Card versions
El-Hajjâj - MTG Card versions
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Scathe Zombies - MTG Card versions
Sorceress Queen - MTG Card versions
Wall of Bone - MTG Card versions
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Mindstab Thrull - MTG Card versions
Hypnotic Specter - MTG Card versions
Mischievous Poltergeist - MTG Card versions
Strongarm Thug - MTG Card versions
Razortooth Rats - MTG Card versions
Ghastly Remains - MTG Card versions
Lord of the Undead - MTG Card versions
Deepwood Ghoul - MTG Card versions
Dross Prowler - MTG Card versions
Nim Lasher - MTG Card versions
Nim Abomination - MTG Card versions
Nettling Imp - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Royal Assassin - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
El-Hajjâj - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Plague Rats - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Frozen Shade - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Scathe Zombies - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Sorceress Queen - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Wall of Bone - Duel Decks: Garruk vs. Liliana (DDD)
Lost Soul - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Mindstab Thrull - Masters Edition (ME1)
Hypnotic Specter - Magic Player Rewards 2006 (P06)
Mischievous Poltergeist - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Strongarm Thug - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Razortooth Rats - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Ghastly Remains - Legions (LGN)
Lord of the Undead - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Deepwood Ghoul - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Dross Prowler - Mirrodin (MRD)
Nim Lasher - Mirrodin (MRD)
Nim Abomination - Darksteel (DST)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Pestilence Rats MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age, 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 Pestilence Rats and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Pestilence Rats has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 Does not count itself for determining power. It only counts other Rats.

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