Floodhound MTG Card

Modern Horizons 2 (MH2)
2021-06-18 - Number 335

Modern Horizons 2 (MH2)
2021-06-18 - Number 42

Floodhound - Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)

Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)
2021-08-26 - Number 193

Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
2022-12-02 - Number 300

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number MH2-42

Card sets	Released in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Elemental Dog
Abilities	Investigate
Power	1
Toughness	2

Key Takeaways

Generates card advantage with Clue tokens for resource replenishment and sustained hand size.
Boosts resource acceleration by drawing into important lands or ramp spells through Clue tokens.
Instant speed ability allows for flexible responses and efficient mana utilization each turn.

Text of card

, : Investigate. (Create a Clue token. It's an artifact with ", Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.")

Action: This creature is a BLOODHOUND formed entirely of WATER.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Floodhound is designed to help you sustain a steady flow of card advantage. Each time it investigates, you’re essentially adding another card into your hand. While it may not draw cards directly, the Clue tokens it creates can be cashed in for fresh draws when you need them, ensuring you never fall behind on resources.

Resource Acceleration: This creature may not produce mana or Treasure tokens outright, but its investigate mechanic indirectly accelerates your resources. By providing Clue tokens, it gives you the potential to draw into more lands or ramp spells, keeping your resource development on track and enabling bigger plays sooner.

Instant Speed: Its built-in ability triggers at instant speed, allowing you to fully utilize your mana each turn. Whether you’re responding to an opponent’s move or simply making the most efficient play possible, Floodhound facilitates a flexible game plan and can adapt quickly to the evolving pace of a match.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Floodhound demands you to discard a card, which can backfire when you’re trying to maintain card advantage or when every card in your hand is essential for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Floodhound’s casting cost includes blue mana, making it exclusive to blue or multicolored decks and potentially restrictive for players not running those particular mana colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that is considerable for its size and abilities, Floodhound can be outpaced by other, more cost-effective creatures. Some alternatives provide similar or enhanced effects with a lower mana investment, offering a more efficient use of resources.

Reasons to Include Floodhound in Your Collection

Versatility: Floodhound fits neatly into various deck builds, offering both early game presence as a creature and later utility as a land when necessary. This two-in-one feature makes it a practical choice for players who value flexible card roles.

Combo Potential: It harmonizes well with strategies that capitalize on graveyard interactions. With the right setup, the ability to return Floodhound to the battlefield as a land can be repeatedly exploited, pairing well with landfall mechanics or recursion tactics.

Meta-Relevance: As the game environment shifts, cards that adapt to multiple scenarios gain prominence. Floodhound’s low casting cost and transformability ensure it remains relevant across a variety of competitive decks, countering various tempo plays without sacrificing board position.

How to beat

Floodhound is a unique creature in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, particularly valued for its ability to swell its power and toughness through its investigate mechanic. Comparable to other grow-over-time creatures, Floodhound gains strength as its controlling player investigates and puts clue tokens into play, a feature that makes it a growing threat.

In the strategy of outpacing this creature card, timing is of the essence. Removal spells, such as Fatal Push or Path to Exile come into play effectively here, as they can be used to dispatch Floodhound before it has a chance to mature into a more formidable obstacle. Similarly, bounce effects like Unsummon can reset its growth, giving you a respite and a chance to establish control of the board. Counterspells also shine by nipping the problem in the bud and preventing Floodhound from entering the battlefield to begin with.

Ultimately, beating Floodhound revolves around preemptive measures and keeping it from becoming a larger issue than it needs to be. With the correct strategy and choice of control or removal spells, players can ensure that the hound’s investigative days are short-lived, maintaining dominance in their game.

Cards like Floodhound

Within the realm of creature cards in MTG, Floodhound offers something for players who appreciate strategic nuances. It’s akin to cards like Merfolk Looter, which allows a player to draw and then discard a card. However, Floodhound brings its own unique twist with Investigate, creating a Clue token that can later be converted into a card draw. This adds a level of versatility and resource management that Merfolk Looter doesn’t provide.

Analogous to Floodhound is Rumaging Goblin, which also permits card filtering through its tap ability to discard and draw. Although Rumaging Goblin shares this filtering feature, it doesn’t confer the additional long-term value that comes with Floodhound’s Clue tokens. On the other hand, we have Thraben Inspector, which also Investigates when it enters the battlefield, providing a similar draw mechanism but packed in a one-time use unlike the repeatable process offered by Floodhound.

In sum, while there are various creatures that dabble in card advantage, Floodhound stands out with its repeatable Investigate mechanic. This not merely aids in deck thinning but also paves the way for more strategic depths through resource accrual. Its resemblance to, yet distinction from, similar MTG cards makes it a noteworthy choice for players valuing gradual advantage.

Cards similar to Floodhound by color, type and mana cost

Merfolk of the Pearl Trident - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Floodhound MTG card by a specific set like The List and Modern Horizons 2, 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 Floodhound and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Floodhound Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2021-06-18 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Lius Lasahido.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST	MH2-42	2015	Normal	Black	Lius Lasahido
2	2021-06-18	Modern Horizons 2	MH2	335	2015	Normal	Black	Lius Lasahido
3	2021-06-18	Modern Horizons 2	MH2	42	2015	Normal	Black	Lius Lasahido
4	2021-08-26	Jumpstart: Historic Horizons	J21	193	2015	Normal	Black	Lius Lasahido
5	2022-12-02	Jumpstart 2022	J22	300	2015	Normal	Black	Lius Lasahido

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Floodhound has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2021-06-18	The token is named Clue and has the artifact subtype Clue. Clue isn't a creature type.
2021-06-18	You can't sacrifice a Clue to activate its own ability and also to activate another ability that requires sacrificing a Clue (or any artifact) as a cost, such as that of Lonis, Cryptozoologist.