Brutal Cathar // Moonrage Brute MTG Card
2021-09-24 - Number 286
2021-09-24 - Number 7
2021-09-24 - Number 7s
2022-01-28 - Number 7
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Human Soldier Werewolf |
| Abilities | Daybound |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Key Takeaways
- Exiles threats while advancing your board, offering card advantage through strategic transformations.
- Flexibility in tactics with its instant speed-like transformation, aligning with game dynamics.
- Pivotal for competitive decks, withstanding meta shifts and enhancing creature-heavy strategies.
Text of card
When this creature enters the battlefield or transforms into Brutal Cathar, exile target creature an opponent controls until this creature leaves the battlefield. Daybound (If a player casts no spells during their own turn, it becomes night next turn.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Brutal Cathar helps tilt the balance of the game in your favor by exiling an opponent’s creature during its transformation. Its design leverages both offense and defense, allowing you to remove an opponent’s key creature whilst still developing your own board presence. Over multiple turns, this can lead to a significant advantage as you’re effectively handling threats while committing your own to the battlefield.
Resource Acceleration: While this card doesn’t inherently produce mana or other resources, the strategic removal of opponent threats can free up your resources. Instead of spending mana on removal spells, Brutal Cathar combines creature development with opponent creature control, effectively conserving your in-hand resources for further plays and accelerating your game plan by keeping the board clear.
Instant Speed: Brutal Cathar can transform back to its human form at the beginning of your end step, giving you an instant speed-like flexibility in managing your tactics. This duality allows for adaptation to the flow of the game; be it applying pressure by attacking as a human or using the werewolf form to control opponents’ creatures when they are most vulnerable. Its versatile nature ensures it remains a constant threat that can adapt to rapidly changing game states.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Brutal Cathar doesn’t specifically demand a discard, transforming it back from Moonrage Brute requires skipping a valuable discard opportunity, potentially disrupting your hand management and overall strategy.
Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both white and any other mana, Brutal Cathar necessitates a commitment to white mana resources, making it less flexible for multicolor decks that can’t consistently provide white mana.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing three mana, including one white, Brutal Cathar may compete with other three-drop slots in a deck that could provide more immediate board impact or value, especially considering its condition to transform into Moonrage Brute.
Reasons to Include Brutal Cathar in Your Collection
Versatility: Brutal Cathar offers a dynamic role in decks, capable of acting as both an impactful creature and a means of disrupting your opponents. As a Werewolf, it can flip to Moonrage Brute, offering flexibility and adaptability in various game scenarios.
Combo Potential: This card can seamlessly integrate into strategies that require temporary removal of opponent’s creatures, or those looking to benefit from day/night transformations. Its ability to exile creatures until it leaves the battlefield can synergize with flicker or bounce effects within your own deck.
Meta-Relevance: Its relevance in the current competitive scene stems from its capacity to handle prominent creature-heavy strategies as well as its resilience against removal. Brutal Cathar has the power to change the tide of a game, making it a formidable addition to any collection aimed at staying competitive.
How to beat
Brutal Cathar is a versatile creature card that can be a thorn in the side of many MTG players. With its ability to transform into Moonrage Brute and exile another creature when it enters the battlefield or transforms, players facing this card need to strategize carefully. To effectively counter Brutal Cathar, consider using instant removal spells that can target it either on your opponent’s turn or in response to it being cast or transformed, thus avoiding its exiling effect.
Cards with hexproof can also serve as a solid defense against Brutal Cathar, preventing it from targeting and exiling your important creatures. Additionally, including creatures with indestructible or those that benefit from entering the graveyard can mitigate the impact of Brutal Cathar’s ability. It’s essential to stay one step ahead and anticipate the potential transform, preparing a response to maintain control over the game state and avoid being caught off guard by this formidable Werewolf.
Having a well-thought-out sideboard plan that includes various answers to threats like Brutal Cathar can make the difference between victory and defeat. By adapting your deck to include these strategies, you can increase your chances of overcoming the challenge posed by Brutal Cathar and strengthen your play against similar removal threats.
BurnMana Recommendations
With Brutal Cathar’s aptitude for altering the battlefield, an astute MTG player can see its value in both aggressive and controlling decks. Its unique trait of transitioning between human and werewolf forms grants you creative ways to employ its exile ability strategically. When constructing your deck, consider how Brutal Cathar might synchronize with your existing cards for a robust defense or an unexpected offense. Are you eager to harness the ingenuity of Brutal Cathar and refine your game plan to outmaneuver opponents? Delve deeper with us as we guide your journey towards becoming a tactician of the MTG arena.
Cards like Brutal Cathar // Moonrage Brute
In MTG, Brutal Cathar stands out in the realm of creature removal and transformation. Its closest relatives are cards like Fiend Hunter and Banisher Priest, both of which have the ability to exile creatures for as long as they remain on the battlefield. Unlike these peers, Brutal Cathar brings the unique twist of shifting into Moonrage Brute, a werewolf that not only exiles an opponent’s creature but also becomes an aggressive beater during your opponent’s turn.
Another card that players might draw parallels with is Skyclave Apparition. While it doesn’t transform like Brutal Cathar, it shares the quality of removing creatures or nonland permanents without giving the opponent a creature token, which happens with the departure of Fiend Hunter or Banisher Priest. The flexibility of Skyclave Apparition in dealing with multiple permanent types makes it a valuable alternative in various situations.
All in all, Brutal Cathar presents a versatile mix of offensive pressure and defensive capabilities. It’s an excellent choice in MTG for those players looking to manage the board while developing a strong presence, adding a layer of complexity and dual functionality that is distinct among its counterparts.
Cards similar to Brutal Cathar // Moonrage Brute by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Brutal Cathar // Moonrage Brute MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad: Midnight Hunt and Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, 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 Brutal Cathar // Moonrage Brute and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Printings
The Brutal Cathar // Moonrage Brute Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2021-09-24 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021-09-24 | Innistrad: Midnight Hunt | MID | 286 | 2015 | Transform | Black | Steve Ellis | |
| 2 | 2021-09-24 | Innistrad: Midnight Hunt | MID | 7 | 2015 | Transform | Black | Karl Kopinski | |
| 3 | 2021-09-24 | Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Promos | PMID | 7s | 2015 | Transform | Black | Karl Kopinski | |
| 4 | 2022-01-28 | Innistrad: Double Feature | DBL | 7 | 2015 | Transform | Black | Karl Kopinski |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Brutal Cathar // Moonrage Brute has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Brutal Cathar // Moonrage Brute card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-09-24 | A transforming permanent doesn't leave the battlefield as it transforms. If Brutal Cathar transforms into Moonrage Brute, the exiled cards remain exiled. If it transforms with its triggered ability on the stack, that ability will still exile the target creature. |
| 2021-09-24 | Auras attached to the exiled creature will be put into their owners' graveyards. Equipment attached to the exiled creature will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled creature will cease to exist. |
| 2021-09-24 | Before a player untaps their permanents during the untap step, the game checks to see if the day/night designation should change. |
| 2021-09-24 | Brutal Cathar's ability creates two one-shot effects: one that exiles the creature when the ability resolves, and another that returns the exiled card to the battlefield immediately after Brutal Cathar (or Moonrage Brute) leaves the battlefield. |
| 2021-09-24 | Day and night are designations that the game itself can have. The game starts as neither. Once the game becomes day (or less commonly, night), the game will be exactly one of them—day or night—going back and forth for the rest of the game. |
| 2021-09-24 | Double-faced permanents with daybound transform to their nightbound faces as it becomes night. Similarly, double-faced permanents with nightbound transform to their daybound faces as it becomes day. This happens immediately and is not a state-based action. It happens any time it becomes day or night, not just during the untap step. |
| 2021-09-24 | For more information about Day and Night and the Daybound and Nightbound abilities, please see the Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Mechanics atricle (https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/innistrad-midnight-hunt-mechanics-2021-09-02). |
| 2021-09-24 | If Brutal Cathar leaves the battlefield before its enters-the-battlefield/transforms-into ability resolves, the target creature won't be exiled. |
| 2021-09-24 | If a creature token is exiled, it ceases to exist. It won't be returned to the battlefield. |
| 2021-09-24 | If it is day, and the active player of the previous turn cast no spells during their turn, it becomes night. |
| 2021-09-24 | If it is night, and the active player of the previous turn cast two or more spells during their turn, it becomes day. |
| 2021-09-24 | If it is night, permanents with daybound that enter the battlefield without being cast will enter with their nightbound faces up. |
| 2021-09-24 | If it's neither day nor night, and a creature with daybound and a creature with nightbound somehow appear on the battlefield at the same time, it becomes day. The creature with nightbound will transform. |
| 2021-09-24 | If you cast a spell with daybound during night, that spell will be front face up (that is, daybound face up) on the stack. However, it will enter the battlefield with its back face up (that is, with its nightbound face up). It won't enter with its daybound face up and then transform. |
| 2021-09-24 | In a multiplayer game, if Brutal Cathar's owner leaves the game, the exiled card will return to the battlefield. Because the one-shot effect that returns the card isn't an ability that goes on the stack, it won't cease to exist along with the leaving player's spells and abilities on the stack. |
| 2021-09-24 | Moonrage Brute leaving the battlefield will also cause the exiled card to return to the battlefield. |
| 2021-09-24 | Permanents with daybound and nightbound can't transform via any means other than their daybound and nightbound abilities. Notably, older cards such as Moonmist that instruct a player to transform permanents don't affect permanents with daybound or nightbound. |
| 2021-09-24 | The exiled card returns to the battlefield immediately after this creature leaves the battlefield. Nothing happens between the two events, including state-based actions. The two creatures aren't on the battlefield at the same time. For example, if the returning creature is a Clone, it can't enter the battlefield as a copy of Brutal Cathar or Moonrage Brute. |
