Vermin Gorger MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Vampire
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. The ability to gain card advantage and unearth deck components is a pivotal strength of Vermin Gorger.
  2. Instant speed activation allows for tactical responses, enhancing the strategic play of Vermin Gorger.
  3. While powerful, its specific mana cost and discard requirement may restrict versatile deck integration.

Text of card

, Sacrifice another creature: Each opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.

"Once, vampires ruled this world, commanding the fear and respect that befit our noble blood. Have we truly sunk so low?" —Sorin Markov


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Vermin Gorger offers an avenue for card advantage in longer games where the battlefield is cluttered with creatures. By sacrificing creatures you can draw key components of your deck, potentially tilting the match in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: With its ability to sacrifice creatures, Vermin Gorger can pave the way for decks that benefit from creatures entering the graveyard, thereby accelerating resource utility and potentially unlocking powerful graveyard synergies.

Instant Speed: The activation of Vermin Gorger’s ability can be done at instant speed, allowing strategic flexibility. Players can wait until the last possible moment, such as in response to an opponent’s action, to make optimal use of their resources and surprise opponents.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Vermin Gorger demands a card be discarded to activate its ability. This could be a hurdle, especially in the late game when your hand might be running low, forcing you to weigh the cost of diminishing your options against the benefits it provides.

Specific Mana Cost: With a requirement for both black and red mana, Vermin Gorger’s inclusion is primarily constrained to Rakdos decks or those with a sufficient mana-base to accommodate such color demands, potentially limiting its utility in a broader range of decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Vermin Gorger’s mana cost might be seen as steep for the effect it grants. There are cards within the same mana range that could potentially provide a more substantial immediate impact on the game without the additional cost of discarding a card.


Reasons to Include Vermin Gorger in Your Collection

Versatility: Vermin Gorger can adapt to various deck builds due to its flexible mana cost and creature type. It’s a solid choice for tribal strategies or as an early game drop to maintain board presence.

Combo Potential: With its ability to sacrifice another creature for a gain in life, Vermin Gorger can synergize with strategies that revolve around life gain or sacrificing creatures for benefit, increasing the tactical complexity of your deck.

Meta-Relevance: As metagames often fluctuate, having a card that can adjust and combat aggressive decks is crucial. Vermin Gorger can act as both a blocker and a life source, making it relevant in matches where stability is key to outlasting your opponent.


How to beat Vermin Gorger

Vermin Gorger presents a unique challenge for Magic: The Gathering players with its creature-based strategy. Its ability to gradually grow stronger can seem daunting, effectively feeding off discarded creature cards. However, successful strategies to contain this threat often involve early removal spells. Rapid intervention is key, utilizing spells like Shock or Fatal Push, which can eliminate Vermin Gorger before it becomes too powerful and starts to dictate the pace of the game.

Another effective tactic is to leverage graveyard disruption tools. By using cards like Relic of Progenitus or Scavenging Ooze, players can target the creature cards in the graveyard, undercutting Vermin Gorger’s potential for growth. Additionally, maintaining control over the battlefield with recurring board clears or setting up defensive measures with creatures that can efficiently block the Gorger are strategic moves. This ensures that Vermin Gorger never finds the foothold it needs to become a dominating force.

Ultimately, recognizing the incremental threat posed by Vermin Gorger is vital. Swift and decisive actions, paired with a disruption-led gameplay plan, are often the best countermeasures against this tenacious creature. By employing these strategies, players can effectively tame the Vermin Gorger, keeping it from wreaking havoc on the game.


Cards like Vermin Gorger

Vermin Gorger offers MTG players a nuanced choice in the realm of early-game creatures. It draws a parallel to the likes of Festering Newt. Both creatures require a low mana investment and provide incremental value upon exiting the battlefield. Yet, Vermin Gorger’s edge comes from its vampire synergy, which makes it a potential cornerstone in decks capitalizing on such tribal themes.

Further along the lines of creature comparison, Typhoid Rats is another card that players could weigh against Vermin Gorger. Typhoid Rats brings deathtouch to the table, ensuring that it can trade with almost any creature regardless of size. While this is a powerful effect for a one-drop, it lacks the tribal synergies that Vermin Gorger could exploit. Yet another analog is the Vicious Conquistador, which also has the potential to deal damage early in the game. However, Vermin Gorger’s ability to grow through creature-specific mechanics can tilt decisions in its favor for players aiming for long-term board presence and strength in creature numbers.

Collectively, evaluating creatures in MTG involves balancing immediate impact with strategic depth over subsequent turns. In vampire decks or those reliant on creature synergies, Vermin Gorger may indeed be among the go-to options for its scalability and tribal cohesion.

Festering Newt - MTG Card versions
Typhoid Rats - MTG Card versions
Vicious Conquistador - MTG Card versions
Festering Newt - Magic 2014 (M14)
Typhoid Rats - Innistrad (ISD)
Vicious Conquistador - Ixalan (XLN)

Cards similar to Vermin Gorger by color, type and mana cost

Drudge Skeletons - MTG Card versions
Nether Shadow - MTG Card versions
Erg Raiders - MTG Card versions
Cuombajj Witches - MTG Card versions
Order of the Ebon Hand - MTG Card versions
Bog Imp - MTG Card versions
Wall of Corpses - MTG Card versions
Blighted Shaman - MTG Card versions
Rabid Rats - MTG Card versions
Dakmor Bat - MTG Card versions
Ravenous Rats - MTG Card versions
Flesh Reaver - MTG Card versions
Bloodcurdler - MTG Card versions
Nantuko Shade - MTG Card versions
Piper of the Swarm - MTG Card versions
Undead Augur - MTG Card versions
Shepherd of Rot - MTG Card versions
Swarm of Rats - MTG Card versions
Skullsnatcher - MTG Card versions
Nezumi Cutthroat - MTG Card versions
Drudge Skeletons - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Nether Shadow - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Erg Raiders - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Cuombajj Witches - Chronicles (CHR)
Order of the Ebon Hand - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Bog Imp - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Wall of Corpses - Mirage (MIR)
Blighted Shaman - Mirage (MIR)
Rabid Rats - Stronghold (STH)
Dakmor Bat - Portal Second Age (P02)
Ravenous Rats - Invasion (INV)
Flesh Reaver - Urza's Saga (USG)
Bloodcurdler - Odyssey (ODY)
Nantuko Shade - Commander 2014 (C14)
Piper of the Swarm - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Undead Augur - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Shepherd of Rot - Onslaught (ONS)
Swarm of Rats - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Skullsnatcher - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Nezumi Cutthroat - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)

Where to buy

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

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Printings

The Vermin Gorger Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2021-06-18 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Tobias Kwan.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-06-18Modern Horizons 2MH2 1072015normalblackTobias Kwan
22021-08-26Jumpstart: Historic HorizonsJ21 4012015normalblackTobias Kwan
32022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 4852015normalblackTobias Kwan

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Vermin Gorger has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
GladiatorLegal
TimelessLegal

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