Thriving Grubs MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Gremlin |
| Released | 2016-09-30 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Kaladesh |
| Set code | KLD |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 1 |
| Number | 138 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | normal |
| Border | black |
| Illustred by | Steve Prescott |
Key Takeaways
- Thriving Grubs can influence improved board trades, pivotal in energy-driven decks for smoother threat deployment.
- The two red mana cost may restrict integration with varied mana base decks, impacting overall deck synergy.
- Despite being a straightforward 2/1 creature, the energy counter mechanic enhances its offensive potential in game.
Text of card
When Thriving Grubs enters the battlefield, you get (two energy counters). Whenever Thriving Grubs attacks, you may pay . If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on it.
Some passengers ride without tickets.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Thriving Grubs may not directly draw cards, but playing this creature can influence the board state significantly. Their presence incentivizes more favorable trades, helping to maintain card parity with opponents.
Resource Acceleration: While the Thriving Grubs don’t produce additional mana themselves, their synergy with energy-centric decks facilitates a smoother and faster deployment of threats and answers, acting as a catalyst in energy-themed strategies. The energy tokens they provide can be pivotal.
Instant Speed: Although Thriving Grubs is a creature card and does not have instant speed, its energy counter mechanic can sometimes work with other cards in your deck that operate at instant speed, providing unexpected combat tricks or an instant speed advantage when needed.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Thriving Grubs asks for no discards, but that could leave players wishing for a way to utilize extra cards in hand for added benefits.
Specific Mana Cost: Thriving Grubs requires two red mana, which may not align with multicolor deck strategies that have a tight mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of two mana for a mere 2/1 creature, players might find better value in other cards that provide more impactful board presence or additional abilities for a comparable cost.
Reasons to Include Thriving Grubs in Your Collection
Versatility: Thriving Grubs offer a solid choice for red-based aggressive decks, being a two-drop creature that presents immediate board presence. Its energy counter mechanic also allows for adaptable plays, catering to energy-themed decks and red beatdown strategies alike.
Combo Potential: As a participant in energy counter synergies, Thriving Grubs can be an essential cog in combos with other energy-utilizing cards. Upon entering the battlefield, it can enable bigger plays by increasing other creatures’ size or activating abilities requiring energy counters.
Meta-Relevance: The fast pace of many current MTG games means early advantage can dictate the match flow. Thriving Grubs can help establish that early pressure and maintain relevance, especially in a metagame that favors quick, aggressive tactics.
How to beat
Thriving Grubs enters the battlefield channelling energy that can shift the tide of a game in Magic: The Gathering. As a two-mana creature with the capacity to grow stronger, it can become a formidable presence. This card thrives, pun intended, in an energy-focused deck, expanding its power with every energy counter.
To combat Thriving Grubs, the key is to prevent this growth. Removal spells such as Fatal Push or Lightning Bolt can take it out before it has the chance to accumulate energy and become a larger threat. Moreover, cards that block energy accumulation like Solemnity can stop Thriving Grubs and its counterparts from snowballing. Another strategy is to outpace the energy mechanics by deploying faster aggro elements or establishing control with counterspells or board wipes, leaving no room for the Grubs to mature.
Effectively, handling Thriving Grubs is about timing and disruption. Nipping the problem in the bud, or using the right control elements, can ensure that this eager creature doesn’t evolve beyond a manageable threat – keeping your game plan solid and undisturbed.
Cards like Thriving Grubs
Thriving Grubs is an intriguing option for players looking to beef up their creature forces in Magic: The Gathering. This card mirrors other two-drop creatures like Borderland Marauder, which gains a temporary boost in power when attacking. However, Thriving Grubs takes a unique approach by garnering energy counters that can then be spent to permanently increase its power.
Much like the well-known Longtusk Cub, which also utilizes energy to grow stronger, Thriving Grubs provides that same adaptability on the battlefield. Although the Cub has the ability to become more formidable over time without mana investment, Thriving Grubs requires a strategic setup to reap its benefits. Voltaic Brawler is another card in the energy arsenal, arriving with a solid power base and similarly utilizing energy to temporarily increase its stats, offering a significant early game threat.
In essence, Thriving Grubs presents a flexibility in resource management, with its potential for growth in power. While it may not have the immediate presence of some alternatives, its ability to permanently escalate its threat level can be a deciding factor for building a sustainable offensive strategy within the game.
Cards similar to Thriving Grubs by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Thriving Grubs MTG card by a specific set like Kaladesh, 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 Thriving Grubs and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See Magic products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Thriving Grubs has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Thriving Grubs card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2017-02-09 | Energy counters are a kind of counter that a player may have. They're not associated with specific permanents. (Other kinds of counters that players may have include poison and experience.) |
| 2017-02-09 | Energy counters aren't mana. They don't go away as steps, phases, and turns end, and effects that add mana “of any type” to your mana pool can't give you energy counters. |
| 2017-02-09 | If an effect says you get one or more , you get that many energy counters. To pay one or more , you lose that many energy counters. Any effects that interact with counters a player gets, has, or loses can interact with energy counters. |
| 2017-02-09 | Keep careful track of how many energy counters each player has. You may do so by keeping a running count on paper, by using a die, or by any other clear and mutually agreeable method. |
| 2017-02-09 | Some triggered abilities state that you “may pay” a certain amount of . You can't pay that amount multiple times to multiply the effect. You simply choose whether or not to pay that amount of as the ability resolves, and no player may take actions to try to stop the ability's effect after you make your choice. |
| 2017-02-09 | You can't pay more energy counters than you have. |
| 2017-02-09 | is the energy symbol. It represents one energy counter. |
