Reckless Racer MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human Pilot
Abilities First strike
Power 2
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Reckless Racer’s card filtering enhances deck consistency and hand quality through strategic discarding.
  2. Its discard synergy fuels gameplay speed, adding depth to graveyard and madness tactics.
  3. Its ability’s instant-speed activation allows players to adapt swiftly to in-game dynamics.

Text of card

First strike Whenever Reckless Racer becomes tapped, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card.

Illegal street races turned out to be perfect practice for avoiding Consulate patrols.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Reckless Racer provides a consistent card filtering mechanism. Each time the racer becomes tapped, not necessarily only by attacking, you get to draw a card and then discard a card. This allows you to sift through your deck, maintaining a flow of resources and improving the quality of the cards in your hand.

Resource Acceleration: Although Reckless Racer doesn’t directly generate mana, its synergy with discard-related mechanics can be a form of indirect resource acceleration. By discarding cards with Madness or reanimating discarded creatures, you effectively utilize your graveyard as a resource pool, thus speeding up your gameplay.

Instant Speed: While Reckless Racer itself isn’t an instant, its ability can be triggered during your opponents’ turns. Crewing a vehicle with Reckless Racer to tap it outside of your turn can provide card filtering at instant speed, allowing you to be more flexible and responsive during the course of the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging with Reckless Racer’s ability hinges on discarding a card. This could hinder your hand, especially in critical turns where every card counts, leaving you at a disadvantage when resources are scarce.

Specific Mana Cost: The red mana cost of Reckless Racer may not fit seamlessly into multi-colored decks, which can hamper its flexibility. Playing this card demands commitment to red mana, which might not align with all strategic deck constructions.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With other cards at a lower mana value offering similar or better advantages, Reckless Racer’s cost effectiveness comes into question. Players often seek out the most mana-efficient cards to optimize their gameplay, and the mana investment in Reckless Racer might not always yield the expected returns.


Reasons to Include Reckless Racer in Your Collection

Versatility: Reckless Racer is a card that can easily find a place in various red decks, especially those focusing on vehicle synergy or discard strategies. Its ability to draw cards whenever it becomes tapped gives you value each time it crews a vehicle.

Combo Potential: Its discard and draw ability has excellent synergy with madness or graveyard-based strategies. You can toss extra lands or unused cards to enable graveyard play or trigger madness costs for additional effects.

Meta-Relevance: In a playing field where aggressive strategies are valued, Reckless Racer can shine by providing both a steady beatdown and card selection to maintain pressure on opponents. Its solid two-power for three mana lets it crew most vehicles keeping it relevant in the metagame.


How to beat

Reckless Racer is an intriguing card in MTG, offering players the ability to discard and draw cards while staying aggressive on the battlefield. This red Human Pilot can become an annoyance if left unchecked, thanks to its capacity to refine the player’s hand each time it becomes tapped.

To effectively counter Reckless Racer, it’s important to limit its combat opportunities. Deploying creatures with higher toughness can create a formidable barrier that renders the Racer’s attacks futile. Removal spells are also highly effective, allowing you to eliminate the threat before the opponent can extract significant value from the looting ability. Incapacitating effects or spells that prevent the racer from attacking or tapping can stall the opponent’s strategy further, making it difficult for them to cycle through their deck.

In essence, the key to outpacing Reckless Racer lies in strategic suppression of its abilities. Through a blend of control and disruption, you can inhibit the card’s impact and maintain the upper hand. Each well-placed counteraction intertwines to dismantle the potential card advantage the Racer provides, ensuring your opponent’s momentum stays in check.


Cards like Reckless Racer

Reckless Racer has carved a unique niche among vehicles and aggression enablers within the MTG realm. What makes it enticing is the blend of prowess with rummaging, as one might find in cards like Mad Prophet. The difference lies within Reckless Racer’s ability to engage in combat as a creature or as an equipment to boost another creature, unlike Mad Prophet who only functions as a creature. Another comparable card is Daredevil Dragster, which also embodies the vehicular aggression but doesn’t offer the repeatable rummaging post-combat that Reckless Racer does.

Likewise, Speedway Fanatic carries the haste trait which is pivotal in aggressive strategies, but it lacks the rummaging ability of Reckless Racer that helps cycle through the deck. Then there’s Smuggler’s Copter, widely recognized for its efficiency and evasion in combat yet at a higher value than Reckless Racer. While Smuggler’s Copter offers consistent looting, the Racer’s potential of activating every combat phase provides a dynamic that might be more favorable in decks encouraging frequent skirmishes.

Assessing the agility and utility Reckless Racer provides against its relatives, its versatility in both roles fulfills a distinct position in MTG decks focused on combat tricks and card advantage.

Mad Prophet - MTG Card versions
Daredevil Dragster - MTG Card versions
Speedway Fanatic - MTG Card versions
Smuggler's Copter - MTG Card versions
Mad Prophet - Avacyn Restored (AVR)
Daredevil Dragster - Aether Revolt (AER)
Speedway Fanatic - Kaladesh (KLD)
Smuggler's Copter - Kaladesh (KLD)

Cards similar to Reckless Racer by color, type and mana cost

Dwarven Warriors - MTG Card versions
Raging Bull - MTG Card versions
Goblin Flotilla - MTG Card versions
Wall of Stone - MTG Card versions
Wall of Lava - MTG Card versions
Brassclaw Orcs - MTG Card versions
Sabretooth Tiger - MTG Card versions
Imperial Recruiter - MTG Card versions
Cavern Crawler - MTG Card versions
Uthden Troll - MTG Card versions
Hobgoblin Bandit Lord - MTG Card versions
Goblin Rabblemaster - MTG Card versions
Windseeker Centaur - MTG Card versions
Nosy Goblin - MTG Card versions
Goblin Sky Raider - MTG Card versions
Skirk Commando - MTG Card versions
Cosmic Larva - MTG Card versions
Mannichi, the Fevered Dream - MTG Card versions
Cunning Bandit // Azamuki, Treachery Incarnate - MTG Card versions
Ghost-Lit Raider - MTG Card versions
Dwarven Warriors - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Raging Bull - Legends (LEG)
Goblin Flotilla - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Wall of Stone - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Wall of Lava - Ice Age (ICE)
Brassclaw Orcs - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Sabretooth Tiger - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Imperial Recruiter - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Cavern Crawler - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Uthden Troll - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Hobgoblin Bandit Lord - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Promos (PAFR)
Goblin Rabblemaster - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Windseeker Centaur - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Nosy Goblin - Onslaught (ONS)
Goblin Sky Raider - Onslaught (ONS)
Skirk Commando - Archenemy (ARC)
Cosmic Larva - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Mannichi, the Fevered Dream - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Cunning Bandit // Azamuki, Treachery Incarnate - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Ghost-Lit Raider - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Reckless Racer MTG card by a specific set like Aether Revolt 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 Reckless Racer and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Reckless Racer Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2017-01-20 and 2021-08-26. Illustrated by Viktor Titov.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12017-01-20Aether RevoltAER 952015normalblackViktor Titov
22021-08-26Jumpstart: Historic HorizonsJ21 5012015normalblackViktor Titov

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Reckless Racer has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2017-02-09 For the ability to trigger, Reckless Racer has to actually change from untapped to tapped. If an effect attempts to tap it, but it was already tapped at the time, this ability won’t trigger.
2017-02-09 This is a triggered ability, not an activated ability. It doesn’t allow you to tap Reckless Racer whenever you want; rather, you need some other way of tapping it, such as by attacking or crewing a Vehicle.

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