Irontread Crusher MTG Card
2017-01-20 - Number 161
2019-11-07 - Number 1598
2020-11-12 - Number 247
2020-09-26 - Number AER-161
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Artifact — Vehicle |
| Abilities | Crew |
| Power | 6 |
| Toughness | 6 |
Text of card
Crew 3 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 3 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)
"We've been through a lot together."
Cards like Irontread Crusher
In the realm of vehicle cards within Magic: The Gathering, Irontread Crusher demands attention. This artifact stands alongside other noteworthy vehicles like Renegade Freighter, which shares the power level much often sought after in aggressive decks. Both these cards require crewing to activate, yet Renegade Freighter offers an escalating power when it attacks, unlike the static strength of Irontread Crusher.
Additionally, the comparison isn’t complete without mentioning Ovalchase Dragster. While Irontread Crusher boasts durability with its impressive 6 toughness, Ovalchase Dragster speeds ahead with haste, providing an immediate impact on the battlefield. However, it lacks in longevity with only 1 toughness, making durability the true strength of Irontread Crusher.
Analyzing the balance of cost, power, and survivability, Irontread Crusher positions itself as a formidable option for players seeking a reliable and sturdy vehicle card. Its dependable presence in gameplay makes it a solid choice, especially for strategies that benefit from a durable artifact creature.
Cards similar to Irontread Crusher by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Although Irontread Crusher itself doesn’t directly provide card advantage, it can become a consistent threat that must be answered, effectively pressuring your opponent to use their resources. This indirect pressure can lead to a card advantage over time as your opponent is forced to deal with it.
Resource Acceleration: Irontread Crusher can work as a form of resource acceleration due to its Crew ability. By converting smaller creatures into a more substantial threat, it allows for an efficient utilization of the board state, potentially accelerating your position in the game.
Instant Speed: While Irontread Crusher does not have instant speed itself, it synergizes well with vehicles and creatures that do. This can provide a dynamic shift in strategy, allowing you to adapt and respond at instant speed with other cards while still presenting a formidable artifact creature to contend with on the battlefield.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Engaging with the Irontread Crusher requires a player to operate within the constraints of its crew ability, which necessitates tapping another creature with power at least 3. While not a traditional discard, it can deplete your creature resources and impair your battlefield presence.
Specific Mana Cost: Casting this artifact demands a diverse mana pool with a requirement of three generic mana. Though it’s colorless and adaptable, its cost can still be a hurdle in the early game where mana efficiency is vital for establishing board control.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite the Irontread Crusher’s solid stats, the requirement of four mana to bring it onboard can be steep compared to other vehicles or creatures. This is especially true when considering the additional necessity to tap creatures just to activate it, which can be a significant tempo setback in fast-paced games.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Irontread Crusher stands out with its ability to adapt to various decks due to its vehicle nature. It can turn any creature into a potent attacker, lending strength to decks that lack high-powered creatures.
Combo Potential: The Crusher offers synergy in decks making use of artifact or vehicle-centric themes, seamlessly integrating with cards designed to untap vehicles or benefit from artifact synergies.
Meta-Relevance: Given its solid stats and affordability, Irontread Crusher can be a relevant choice in an environment where creature-based aggro strategies prevail, offering a resilient threat that can bypass usual creature removal.
How to beat
Irontread Crusher is a formidable artifact vehicle that demands attention on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. It presents a substantial challenge due to its high toughness and becomes a pressing threat once crewed. Dealing with it effectively requires a strategy focused on timing and resource management.
One approach to overcome Irontread Crusher involves preventing it from becoming crewed in the first place. This can be done by removing potential crew members from the play before the vehicle can engage. Alternatively, direct artifact removal spells that can bypass the Crusher’s imposing form are ideal for ensuring it doesn’t provide any strategic advantage to your opponent. Consider sideboarding naturalize effects or universal removal spells that can handle a wide variety of threats, including robust artifacts like the Crusher.
Remaining vigilant and strategic with your removal can certainly tip the scales in your favor, turning the tides against Irontread Crusher. Addressing the crew or the vehicle itself before it can start steamrolling over your defenses is key, and integrating versatile answers into your deck will enhance your resilience against such artifact-based threats.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Irontread Crusher MTG card by a specific set like Aether Revolt and Mystery Booster, 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 Irontread Crusher and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
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Printings
The Irontread Crusher Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2017-01-20 and 2020-11-12. Illustrated by Jason A. Engle.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017-01-20 | Aether Revolt | AER | 161 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jason A. Engle | |
| 2 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 1598 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jason A. Engle | |
| 3 | The List | PLST | AER-161 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jason A. Engle | ||
| 4 | 2020-11-12 | Kaladesh Remastered | KLR | 247 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jason A. Engle |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Irontread Crusher has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Irontread Crusher card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2017-09-29 | Any untapped creature you control can be tapped to pay a crew cost, even one that just came under your control. |
| 2017-09-29 | Creatures that crew a Vehicle aren’t attached to it or related in any other way. Effects that affect the Vehicle, such as by destroying it or giving it a +1/+1 counter, don’t affect the creatures that crewed it. |
| 2017-09-29 | Each Vehicle is printed with a power and toughness, but it’s not a creature. If it becomes a creature (most likely through its crew ability), it will have that power and toughness. |
| 2017-09-29 | For a Vehicle to be able to attack, it must be a creature as the declare attackers step begins, so the latest you can activate its crew ability to attack with it is during the beginning of combat step. For a Vehicle to be able to block, it must be a creature as the declare blockers step begins, so the latest you can activate its crew ability to block with it is during the declare attackers step. In either case, players may take actions after the crew ability resolves but before the Vehicle has been declared as an attacking or blocking creature. |
| 2017-09-29 | If a permanent becomes a copy of a Vehicle, the copy won’t be a creature, even if the Vehicle it’s copying has become an artifact creature. |
| 2017-09-29 | If an effect causes a Vehicle to become an artifact creature with a specified power and toughness, that effect overwrites the Vehicle’s printed power and toughness. |
| 2017-09-29 | Once a Vehicle becomes a creature, it behaves exactly like any other artifact creature. It can’t attack unless you’ve controlled it continuously since your turn began, it can block if it’s untapped, it can be tapped to pay a Vehicle’s crew cost, and so on. |
| 2017-09-29 | Once a player announces that they are activating a crew ability, no player may take other actions until the ability has been paid for. Notably, players can’t try to stop the ability by changing a creature’s power or by removing or tapping a creature. |
| 2017-09-29 | Vehicle is an artifact type, not a creature type. A Vehicle that’s crewed won’t normally have any creature type. |
| 2017-09-29 | When a Vehicle becomes a creature, that doesn’t count as having a creature enter the battlefield. The permanent was already on the battlefield; it only changed its types. Abilities that trigger whenever a creature enters the battlefield won’t trigger. |
| 2017-09-29 | You may activate a crew ability of a Vehicle even if it’s already an artifact creature. Doing so has no effect on the Vehicle. It doesn’t change its power and toughness. |
| 2017-09-29 | You may tap more creatures than necessary to activate a crew ability. |