Ravenous Squirrel MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Squirrel
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Ravenous Squirrel offers card advantage, turning sacrifices into fresh hand resources, which is crucial for maintaining momentum.
  2. Resource acceleration via token generation and sacrifice synergy boosts the creature’s power, creating advantageous board states.
  3. Instant speed sacrifice capabilities add versatility, allowing adaptation in reaction to opponents’ moves for strategic play.

Text of card

Whenever you sacrifice an artifact or creature, put a +1/+1 counter on Ravenous Squirrel. , Sacrifice an artifact or creature: You gain 1 life and draw a card.

"Nope, no monsters in the forest. Nothing in there but squirrels." —Joskun, An-Havva constable


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ravenous Squirrel provides incremental card advantage by allowing you to draw a card each time you sacrifice another creature or artifact. This synergizes well with other strategies that feature sacrificing for benefits, keeping your hand replenished and maintaining pressure on your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: This nifty creature can function as a form of resource acceleration. Through its ability to produce a token which can potentially be sacrificed, it not only buffs the Squirrel but can set off a chain reaction with other cards that benefit from creatures entering the battlefield or dying.

Instant Speed: Although the Squirrel itself is a creature, the ability to sacrifice another creature or artifact for its growth and card draw effect can be used at instant speed. This means you can respond to your opponent’s actions, making it more versatile and allowing you to adapt to the state of the game on the fly.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The power boost for Ravenous Squirrel necessitates a discard, often a creature card. If your hand is scant or the creatures in play are indispensable, this can be a setback, potentially stalling your game momentum.

Specific Mana Cost: Bear in mind the specific mana required to activate its abilities. The single black mana can be a bottleneck in multicolor decks not heavily focused on black mana, making the card less versatile across various deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Its activated ability, although impactful, comes with a relatively high cost considering alternative options in the card pool. For decks aiming for optimization, this cost-benefit ratio might not fit smoothly into their strategic planning, especially in fast-paced games where efficiency is key.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Ravenous Squirrel presents a unique adaptability, slotting into various strategies that emphasize creature growth and sacrifice mechanics. It can transform everyday token generation into a recipe for a sizeable threat on the board.

Combo Potential: This furry critter offers an excellent combo enabler, pairing perfectly with cards that produce creature tokens or have sacrifice outlets. It’s a valuable asset in an Aristocrats-style deck, turning each creature’s death into power and life gain.

Meta-Relevance: With its abilities tethered closely to recurring deck themes in the MTG landscape, Ravenous Squirrel can thrive in environments rich with creature usage. It also gives players an edge in the face of graveyard-based strategies, accumulating value from each creature’s demise.


How to beat

Ravenous Squirrel has become a peculiar yet poignant threat on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. This crafty creature often slips under the radar, growing in power with each artifact or creature that meets its demise. One might compare it to the underhanded tactics of a Scavenging Ooze, which similarly thrives on the graveyard’s resources to bulge in strength. The key difference, however, is that Ravenous Squirrel can both produce tokens and gain life, making it a dual threat that is not to be underestimated.

To successfully navigate the challenge it presents, players should focus on exile effects, which render the death-triggered abilities of the squirrel obsolete. Instant-speed removals like Path to Exile or Scavenger Grounds can banish the squirrel before it becomes too mighty. Think of it as addressing a Dreadhorde Invasion—eliminate it swiftly before the amassed army overwhelms you. Therefore, having an exile strategy in your deck composition could be the deciding factor between victory and defeat by a deceptively charming, ever-hungry squirrel.

In essence, the core strategy against Ravenous Squirrel centers around efficient removal and graveyard disruption. Much like facing any incremental threat in Magic: The Gathering, early recognition and disruption is the pathway to ensuring the squirrel’s ambitions don’t spiral out of your control.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the art of MTG isn’t just about owning powerful cards, it’s also about understanding the interplay and synergy between them. Ravenous Squirrel may appear modest at a glance, but its potential to command the battlefield is undeniable. Integrating this card into your deck offers a strategic edge, cultivating a resourceful cycle of sacrifice and reward. For players who revel in tactics that are as cunning as they are deadly, this card is a must-have. Explore its depth and optimize your gameplay as you unlock the versatility of Ravenous Squirrel. Enhance your collection and join us to dive deeper into the world of strategic deck building.


Cards like Ravenous Squirrel

Ravenous Squirrel nestles snugly in the pantheon of creature cards that grow stronger with other creature’s demise. It shares a thematic kinship with Carrion Feeder, another one-drop that thrives on the sacrifice of critters. While Carrion Feeder gains a +1/+1 counter each time it feasts, it can’t provide the card draw perk that the Squirrel offers once it acquires a savory nutriment of four food or treasure tokens.

Winding Constrictor silently hisses in comparison. This sneaky serpent not only buffs itself with extra counters when they’re placed on any creature you control but also amplifies the effect of counters on other permanents. On the other hand, Ravenous Squirrel’s advantage lies in its ability to independently satiate its hunger for growth and cards without additional counter manipulation.

Blood Artist, meanwhile, strokes a bloodier canvas, reaping benefits from any creature’s death toll, not just the ones you’ve sacrificed. This Artist siphons life from opponents, a tactic that Squirrel doesn’t employ. Nonetheless, Ravenous Squirrel’s agile and multifaceted nature—as both a creature enhancer and card advantage engine—ensures its own unique standing among MTG creatures that excel in an environment filled with demise and sacrifice.

Carrion Feeder - MTG Card versions
Winding Constrictor - MTG Card versions
Blood Artist - MTG Card versions
Carrion Feeder - Scourge (SCG)
Winding Constrictor - Aether Revolt (AER)
Blood Artist - Avacyn Restored (AVR)

Cards similar to Ravenous Squirrel by color, type and mana cost

Elves of Deep Shadow - MTG Card versions
Valentin, Dean of the Vein // Lisette, Dean of the Root - MTG Card versions
Odious Trow - MTG Card versions
Slitherhead - MTG Card versions
Deathrite Shaman - MTG Card versions
Gnarlroot Trapper - MTG Card versions
Elves of Deep Shadow - The List (PLST)
Valentin, Dean of the Vein // Lisette, Dean of the Root - From Cute to Brute (PCTB)
Odious Trow - Eventide (EVE)
Slitherhead - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Deathrite Shaman - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Gnarlroot Trapper - Magic Origins (ORI)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ravenous Squirrel MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons 2 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 Ravenous Squirrel and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ravenous Squirrel Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-06-18 and 2021-08-26. Illustrated by Dan Scott.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-06-18Modern Horizons 2MH2 2112015normalblackDan Scott
22021-06-18Modern Horizons 2MH2 3752015normalblackDan Scott
32021-08-26Jumpstart: Historic HorizonsJ21 7282015normalblackDan Scott

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ravenous Squirrel has restrictions

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

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