Marauding Knight MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Phyrexian Zombie Knight
Abilities	Protection
Released	2000-10-02
Set symbol
Set name	Invasion
Set code	INV
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	110
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Daren Bader

Key Takeaways

Marauding Knight excels against white-heavy decks, growing stronger as opponents play more white permanents.
Not a fit for all, its value diminishes against non-white decks and places mana costs and board demand constraints.
Deserves a spot in specialized black or knight-focused decks, countering white spells, and synergizing with land strategies.

Text of card

Protection from white Marauding Knight gets +1/+1 for each plains your opponents control.

"They ride our trails as if they were designed to," said the guard. "They were," replied Gerrard.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Marauding Knight’s inherent prowess against decks with white permanents can disrupt your opponent’s board presence while maintaining your own. This creates a subtle card advantage as playing against white-heavy decks can significantly enhance Marauding Knight’s power, potentially removing the need to deploy additional creatures to achieve the same level of board dominance.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly a tool for resource acceleration, Marauding Knight can force opponents to use resources inefficiently. Encountering a Marauding Knight can lead to opponents expending valuable removal spells or creature blocks, thereby indirectly accelerating your resource advantage through attrition.

Instant Speed: Marauding Knight does not operate at instant speed itself, but it can synergize well with instant speed spells that manipulate the number of white permanents on the battlefield or protect the knight from removal. This synergy allows you to react to your opponent’s actions during their turn, retaining the element of surprise and maximizing the efficiency of your plays.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Marauding Knight necessitates having a precise setup to be effective, such as an opponent possessing a significant number of white permanents. This requirement can hamper the card’s value in matchups against non-white decks, making it a less versatile pick when strategizing your deck composition.

Specific Mana Cost: With a strict color requirement of two black mana plus two generic mana, Marauding Knight may not seamlessly fit into decks that aren’t heavily inclined towards black mana or multicolored decks that may struggle with mana fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a total of four mana, this card enters the battlefield at a stage where players typically seek to establish a strong board presence or set up for game-winning combos. Considering this, Marauding Knight might compete for a slot against other impactful four-mana black cards with potentially greater or immediate effects on the game state.

Reasons to Include Marauding Knight in Your Collection

Versatility: Marauding Knight’s power boost for every swamp you control makes it a fit for black-heavy or monochrome decks. Its adaptability shines in mana-focused builds where land count can decide the outcome of a game.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes exceptionally well with land buffs and swamp count increase strategies, leveraging not just its own combat potential but enhancing companion cards that benefit from strong board states and high land counts.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where white decks predominate, Marauding Knight can act as a powerful counter. The Protection from White ability renders it impervious to many common white removal spells, allowing it to remain a constant threat on the board.

How to beat

Marauding Knight presents a unique challenge on the battlefield, rising in power with each Plains your opponent controls. This makes it a dominant force against white-centric decks, where Plains are abundant. To tackle this daunting black creature, focus on limiting its power boost. Utilize land destruction cards or force your opponent to swap Plains for other land types. Another strategy involves removing Marauding Knight swiftly before it can accumulate too much power. Affordable spells like Murder or Fatal Push can bypass the Knight’s increasing strength, allowing you to deal with it directly and efficiently.

Furthermore, consider adding cards that punish or inhibit bonuses obtained from lands. Cards like Blood Moon transform all nonbasic lands into Mountains, nullifying the Knight’s ability to gain power from Plains. This shifts the control back to you and undermines the advantage Marauding Knight has in a white-heavy deck. With careful planning and the right counters, Marauding Knight can be reduced from a looming threat to a manageable obstacle, ensuring your continued dominance over the game.

Remember, in dealing with Marauding Knight, adaptability and preemptive play are key. Proactively controlling the battlefield and staying ahead of your opponent’s land strategies will help you maintain an upper hand, preventing the Knight from galloping towards victory.

Cards like Marauding Knight

Marauding Knight harnesses the power of lands, an attribute shared among certain creatures in Magic: The Gathering. When compared to other cards like White Knight, which boasts protection from black and first strike, Marauding Knight differs significantly. It gains strength from the number of plains an opponent controls, making it potentially a more formidable force on the battlefield.

Then there’s Knight Exemplar, offering a different kind of advantage with its ability to grant other knights indestructible, forming an impenetrable unit. Although not directly increasing power with land count like Marauding Knight, the solidarity it offers is distinct. Similarly, Kinsbaile Cavalier stands out by giving double strike to knight creatures you control, amplifying their damage without depending on the opponent’s landscape.

Conclusively, in the realm of knight-themed cards in Magic: The Gathering, Marauding Knight occupies a unique space. Its power scales with the opponent’s land type, rendering it highly situational yet potentially overwhelming in certain decks. Such adaptability in power levels among these cards highlights the diverse strategies that players can explore.

Cards similar to Marauding Knight by color, type and mana cost

Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions

Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Marauding Knight MTG card by a specific set like Invasion, 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 Marauding Knight and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Marauding Knight has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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