Rotted Hulk MTG Card


Rotted Hulk - Journey into Nyx
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Elemental
Released2014-05-02
Set symbol
Set nameJourney into Nyx
Set codeJOU
Power 2
Toughness 5
Number81
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byRaymond Swanland

Key Takeaways

  1. Rotted Hulk can exhaust opponents’ removal, indirectly preserving your hand advantage.
  2. Its black mana requirement may restrict versatility but affirms its role in specific decks.
  3. Despite its simple design, Rotted Hulk’s inclusion can be pivotal in certain metagames.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Rotted Hulk may not directly generate card advantage, but its presence on the battlefield can force opponents to spend multiple resources to deal with it. This can indirectly lead to a more favorable card balance for you as you compel opponents to use their removal spells.

Resource Acceleration: While the Rotted Hulk itself isn’t typically known for resource acceleration, it can pave the way for bigger threats. By absorbing removal spells, it may allow more impactful cards to thrive without opposition, ultimately accelerating your control over the game’s resources.

Instant Speed: This creature doesn’t operate at instant speed, but it’s essential to consider how it interacts with instant speed spells in your deck. It can be a significant threat if returned to the battlefield during an opponent’s turn through instant speed reanimation effects, catching them unprepared.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The necessity to discard a card in order to fully harness Rotted Hulk’s abilities might strip your hand of essential resources, leaving you at a disadvantage during crucial moments of play.

Specific Mana Cost: Rotted Hulk’s casting requirement includes black mana, which confines its inclusion to decks with a black mana base, potentially limiting the card’s versatility across the diverse array of MTG archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Given its mana value, Rotted Hulk’s stat line and effects may not stack up favorably against other creatures in the same cost bracket, which could offer greater impact or more valuable abilities for the same investment.


Reasons to Include Rotted Hulk in Your Collection

Versatility: Rotted Hulk is a card that, though seemingly simple, can be slotted into various decks within the MTG ecosystem. Its stats make it a sturdy blocker in the early game and a respectable threat as the board develops. It offers solid value in decks that capitalize on creature count or those looking to establish board presence.

Combo Potential: The four mana cost of this creature aligns well with mechanics that care about casting cost. Additionally, Rotted Hulk can seamlessly integrate into strategies that exploit synergies with the Zombie creature type or those that utilize graveyard mechanics to reanimate or benefit from creature deaths.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that favors aggressive starts, Rotted Hulk serves as a reliable deterrent. Its relevance in the game increases in environments where toughness and the ability to survive damage spells or combat are paramount. Moreover, this card can be key in sideboard strategies against decks that struggle to remove large creatures efficiently.


How to Beat Rotted Hulk

Rotted Hulk is often seen in decks that leverage its innate ability to grow stronger with each graveyard-stocked creature. Overcoming this juggernaut means cutting off its power at the source – the graveyard. Graveyard management is key. Cards that exile or shuffle the opponent’s graveyard into their library can be pivotal. Tormod’s Crypt and Sentinel Totem come to mind, eclipsing Rotted Hulk’s potential by clearing the graveyard cache that it relies on.

The art of controlling the board cannot be overstated. Establishing a strong line of defense with creatures that have deathtouch or utilizing spells that can destroy or exile Rotted Hulk before it becomes a larger threat is crucial. Spells like Path to Exile or Murderous Rider can do the trick. But timing is everything; preemptively managing threats and resource denial through counter spells or land destruction can nip a problem like Rotted Hulk in the bud before it takes hold of the game.

In summary, while Rotted Hulk can be a formidable foe, strategic gameplay and the right choice of disruption can turn the tides. Effective graveyard interference and board control are your best play against this growing threat, ensuring that the Rotted Hulk is more a minor inconvenience than a game-ending nightmare.


Cards like Rotted Hulk

Exploring the dynamics of creature cards like Rotted Hulk in Magic: The Gathering unfurls a range of comparable powerhouses. Rotted Hulk itself is an unassuming yet potentially strategic creature, despite its fundamental stats and lack of overt abilities. As a reference, we can look at cards such as the Sengir Vampire, which shares a kinship in mana cost and base power. However, the Vampire tips the scale with its ability to grow stronger whenever it destroys another creature.

Another familiar face in the lineup of straightforward creatures is Craw Wurm. It boasts a higher power and toughness ratio but at the cost of an additional green mana, which might not always align with a player’s mana curve or deck strategy. Then there is Nightmare, which, like Rotted Hulk, indulges in the sinister monochromatic mana cost. Its strength and toughness are directly influenced by the number of swamps one controls, presenting an advantage in a dedicated mono-black deck.

Matching these creatures against each other offers insight into the tactical deployment of cards like Rotted Hulk. Its no-frills attribute might be the perfect fit for certain deck archetypes, making it a silent but potentially impactful player in the diverse world of Magic: The Gathering’s creature base.

Sengir Vampire - MTG Card versions
Craw Wurm - MTG Card versions
Nightmare - MTG Card versions
Sengir Vampire - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Craw Wurm - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Nightmare - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

Cards similar to Rotted Hulk by color, type and mana cost

Hell's Caretaker - MTG Card versions
Rag Man - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Debaser - MTG Card versions
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions
Slinking Skirge - MTG Card versions
Gravedigger - MTG Card versions
Scandalmonger - MTG Card versions
Urborg Shambler - MTG Card versions
Whispering Shade - MTG Card versions
Filth - MTG Card versions
Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions
Bold Plagiarist - MTG Card versions
Toxin Sliver - MTG Card versions
Vampiric Spirit - MTG Card versions
Nim Shambler - MTG Card versions
Scourge of Numai - MTG Card versions
Deathgazer - MTG Card versions
Dirty Wererat - MTG Card versions
Faceless Butcher - MTG Card versions
Crowd of Cinders - MTG Card versions
Hell's Caretaker - Chronicles (CHR)
Rag Man - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Phyrexian Debaser - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Slinking Skirge - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Gravedigger - The List (PLST)
Scandalmonger - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Urborg Shambler - Invasion (INV)
Whispering Shade - Odyssey (ODY)
Filth - Judgment (JUD)
Demon of Catastrophes - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Bold Plagiarist - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Toxin Sliver - Legions (LGN)
Vampiric Spirit - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Nim Shambler - Mirrodin (MRD)
Scourge of Numai - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Deathgazer - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Dirty Wererat - Hachette UK (PHUK)
Faceless Butcher - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)
Crowd of Cinders - Shadowmoor (SHM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Rotted Hulk MTG card by a specific set like Journey into Nyx, 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 Rotted Hulk and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Rotted Hulk has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

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