Munitions Expert MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Goblin
Abilities Flash
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Boasting dual utility, Munitions Expert can offer a significant card advantage on the battlefield.
  2. Casting at instant speed, it provides strategic flexibility to disrupt opponent plays.
  3. While powerful, its dependence on Goblin synergy can limit its versatility in some decks.
Flash card art

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.

Text of card

Flash When Munitions Expert enters the battlefield, you may have it deal damage to target creature or planeswalker equal to the number of Goblins you control.

When dealing with goblins, if it isn't nailed down, it's headed your way.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Munitions Expert provides dual utility by offering both a creature on the battlefield and a potential removal option. This combination of abilities can shift the board state in your favor, effectively translating into a card advantage as you deal with an opponent’s threat while developing your own board.

Resource Acceleration: While the Munitions Expert itself does not directly accelerate your resources, its low casting cost and the synergy with other Goblin cards can lead to increased board presence and indirectly bolster your available resources. Casting Munitions Expert enables explosive plays that can accelerate your strategy, especially in decks designed to utilize Goblins.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Munitions Expert at instant speed grants you the flexibility to react to your opponent’s moves. You can wait until the most opportune moment, perhaps when they are committing to a critical attack or casting a significant creature, to introduce your Expert onto the board and disrupt their plan. This reactive playstyle can be incredibly advantageous, allowing you to retain the upper hand in the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of playing Munitions Expert is its necessity for a specific creature type—Goblins. If you’re not running a Goblin-centric deck or lack sufficient creature counts, the utility of this card significantly dwindles since you won’t be able to leverage the full potential of its ability when it enters the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: Munitions Expert requires a black and red mana to cast. This restricts deck-building options, locking you into at least two colors if you want to include it in your deck. For players who prefer monocolored or other color combinations, Munitions Expert may not fit naturally into their deck’s mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: As a card mainly valued for its enter-the-battlefield effect, the combined mana cost may seem high for the impact it brings immediately upon playing. Other cards with similar effects may cost less, granting players earlier interaction or removal options without the necessity of aligning with the tribal Goblin theme.


Reasons to Include Munitions Expert in Your Collection

Versatility: Munitions Expert is not just a creature; it’s a utility player. With a flash ability that allows it to be cast at instant speed and a damage-dealing effect upon entry, it can seamlessly fit into various red or black deck archetypes, acting both as removal and a surprise blocker.

Combo Potential: This card shines in decks that harness the power of Goblins. With each Goblin you control, the damage from Munitions Expert’s ability increases, which can lead to game-changing plays, or even combo off to clear the board, making it a critical piece in any Goblin-themed strategy.

Meta-Relevance: As decks fluctuate in popularity, Munitions Expert remains relevant in an environment teeming with powerful creatures. In games where board presence is vital, having an instant speed creature that disrupts your opponent’s plans is priceless. Its ability to target both creatures and planeswalkers ensures that Munitions Expert can find its place in various metas, providing your deck with an edge in creature-heavy match-ups.


How to beat

Munitions Expert is a versatile Goblin card that can pose a threat to your creatures in MTG. Its flash ability allows it to be played at nearly any time, which requires a careful game strategy to mitigate its impact. To effectively handle this challenge, controlling the number of Goblins on your opponent’s battlefield is key as Munitions Expert’s damage is linked to them.

One strategy is to remove the Goblins before Munitions Expert can leverage them. Board-clearing spells or those with targeted removal can keep the Goblins in check. Also, considering Munitions Expert’s low toughness, combat tricks or small damaging spells can easily dispatch it. It might also be wise to hold back on casting creatures with a toughness of one until Munitions Expert has been dealt with or there’s a way to protect them.

Remember, while Munitions Expert can be a strong card in the right scenario, its strength is proportional to the Goblin presence. Limit this, and the Expert’s potential impact diminishes. Therefore, understanding and anticipating your opponent’s moves will guide you in retaining the upper hand against this particular threat.


BurnMana Recommendations

Diving into the strategic depth of Magic the Gathering, the Munitions Expert exemplifies the kind of hybrid utility that can turn the tide in creature-heavy matchups. As you build your decks, consider how this card can disrupt and dominate. It’s not just a standalone piece; in a Goblin-focused build, it becomes exponentially more impactful. For those striving to calibrate their decks to dynamic metas, remember the versatility and combo potential of the Munitions Expert can be formidable. Eager to find out how this card could reshape your gameplay or to discover more MTG insights? Let’s embark on this journey to refine your strategies together.


Cards like Munitions Expert

Munitions Expert is a tactical choice for Magic: The Gathering players who love to control the battlefield with creature-based strategies. Just like Munitions Expert, cards such as Flametongue Kavu also allow for direct damage to creatures, offering a quick solution to remove threats. Flametongue Kavu, however, deals a fixed amount of damage without the scalability that comes with Munitions Expert’s ability tied to the number of Goblins you control.

Looking at Skirk Prospector, this Goblin offers a different edge, letting you sacrifice a Goblin for a quick mana boost. What it shares with Munitions Expert is the Goblin synergy, yet it doesn’t provide the direct creature removal. On the other hand, Goblin Cratermaker brings versatility to the table, being capable of destroying colorless nonland permanents or dealing damage to any target, though it doesn’t share the flash mechanic or scale its damage with the total Goblin count, which are key aspects that set Munitions Expert apart.

To sum up, Munitions Expert fits uniquely within its niche in Magic: The Gathering. It provides a pinpoint removal option that can significantly impact the board based on your Goblin presence, making it a card that scales well as the game progresses and your Goblin army grows.

Flametongue Kavu - MTG Card versions
Skirk Prospector - MTG Card versions
Goblin Cratermaker - MTG Card versions
Flametongue Kavu - Planeshift (PLS)
Skirk Prospector - Onslaught (ONS)
Goblin Cratermaker - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)

Cards similar to Munitions Expert by color, type and mana cost

Marsh Goblins - MTG Card versions
Acidic Sliver - MTG Card versions
Shivan Zombie - MTG Card versions
Valki, God of Lies // Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor - MTG Card versions
Rakdos Guildmage - MTG Card versions
Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger - MTG Card versions
Juri, Master of the Revue - MTG Card versions
Labyrinth Raptor - MTG Card versions
Gobhobbler Rats - MTG Card versions
Squealing Devil - MTG Card versions
Sootstoke Kindler - MTG Card versions
Spiteflame Witch - MTG Card versions
Goblin Deathraiders - MTG Card versions
Goblin Outlander - MTG Card versions
Crimson Muckwader - MTG Card versions
Rix Maadi Guildmage - MTG Card versions
Rakdos Shred-Freak - MTG Card versions
Spike Jester - MTG Card versions
Tymaret, the Murder King - MTG Card versions
Deathbellow Raider - MTG Card versions
Marsh Goblins - The Dark (DRK)
Acidic Sliver - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Shivan Zombie - Invasion (INV)
Valki, God of Lies // Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor - From Cute to Brute (PCTB)
Rakdos Guildmage - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger - Multiverse Legends (MUL)
Juri, Master of the Revue - Multiverse Legends (MUL)
Labyrinth Raptor - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
Gobhobbler Rats - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Squealing Devil - Dissension (DIS)
Sootstoke Kindler - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Spiteflame Witch - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Goblin Deathraiders - The List (PLST)
Goblin Outlander - Conflux (CON)
Crimson Muckwader - The List (PLST)
Rix Maadi Guildmage - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Rakdos Shred-Freak - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Spike Jester - Modern Masters 2017 (MM3)
Tymaret, the Murder King - Theros (THS)
Deathbellow Raider - Theros (THS)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Munitions Expert MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons and Jumpstart: Historic Horizons, 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 Munitions Expert and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Munitions Expert Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-06-14 and 2021-08-26. Illustrated by Jesper Ejsing.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-06-14Modern HorizonsMH1 2092015normalblackJesper Ejsing
22021-08-26Jumpstart: Historic HorizonsJ21 7052015normalblackJesper Ejsing

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Munitions Expert has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
GladiatorLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-06-14 The number of Goblins you control is counted only as Munitions Expert’s ability resolves. If Munitions Expert is still on the battlefield, it will count itself.

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