Arborback Stomper MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Beast
Abilities Trample
Power 5
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Life gain provides a significant advantage, especially against aggressive strategies, ensuring player endurance.
  2. The creature’s 5/4 stats make it a formidable force, pressuring opponents and commanding board control.
  3. Mana requirement and cost should be weighed against potential benefits in your deck’s strategy.

Text of card

Trample When Arborback Stomper enters the battlefield, you gain 5 life.

The power of aether draws creatures to it like a magnetic force, and those that are touched by it are forever altered.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Arborback Stomper ensures a significant swing in life totals, effectively acting as a health buffer and granting you more sustainability in the game. The substantial life gain gives you the upper hand, providing extra staying power against aggressive decks.

Resource Acceleration: This card doesn’t directly provide resource acceleration in the traditional sense of adding mana, but its 5/4 body can quickly become a formidable force on the battlefield. It can help you maintain a board presence, pressuring your opponent and potentially reducing their resources as they deal with it.

Instant Speed: Although Arborback Stomper is not an instant itself, the life gain it brings upon entering the battlefield can be a surprise boon during combat or in response to life-threatening situations. It can also synergize with instant speed effects that may rely on a high life total or the presence of a sizeable creature.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Arborback Stomper doesn’t specifically ask for a discard, playing it in a deck means you must acknowledge the potential cost of discarding other valuable cards to make room for its five mana cost—especially in formats where every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: This creature spells out the need for a precise combination of mana, including three green. In multicolored decks or formats with a more unstable mana base, fulfilling this requirement can pose a challenge, restricting the card’s widespread playability.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a price tag of five mana, Arborback Stomper competes with other finishers or impactful cards in the same mana range. Given the competitive environment of the game, it’s vital to evaluate if its effect justifies its cost in your deck’s strategy.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Arborback Stomper is a card that easily adapts to a variety of green decks. Its substantial toughness allows it to serve as both an attacker and a formidable blocker. Moreover, its Trample ability ensures that even when blocked, it can deal damage to the opponent, making it a solid versatile choice for any green strategy.

Combo Potential: With its life-gain ability upon entering the battlefield, Arborback Stomper works well in decks that exploit life total changes. It can be paired with cards that benefit from gaining life or with Aetherworks Marvel to harness energy counters generated through life gain.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that’s heavy on aggressive strategies, having a creature that can swing life totals while leaving a substantial body on the board is invaluable. Its ability to stabilize the board makes it relevant in many matchups, and being a five-mana creature, it fits well in the curve of midrange decks.


How to beat

The Arborback Stomper has carved out its niche in Magic the Gathering as a powerful creature known for both its substantial toughness and the life gain on entering the battlefield. Beating this card requires a strategy that can bypass or minimize these advantages. Removal spells that exile, such as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, can effectively handle the Stomper without triggering its life gain ability. Board control through sweepers like Wrath of God can clear the field, including the Stomper, mitigating its impact on the game.

Players can also turn to counter spells to stop the creature from ever hitting the board, utilizing options like Cancel or Mana Leak. It’s also beneficial to include creatures with deathtouch in your deck, as they can destroy the Stomper regardless of its size. Moreover, focusing on an aggressive gameplay strategy with a fast-paced deck could outpace the Arborback Stomper, making its presence less threatening and keeping the opponent on the defensive. Understanding its strengths and the several ways to neutralize them could shift the match in your favor when facing this green behemoth.


Cards like Arborback Stomper

Arborback Stomper is a notable presence in MTG when it comes to life-gaining creatures. Much like Thragtusk, it offers a substantial life boost upon entry to the battlefield. Both of these beasts offer a five-point lift in life total which can turn the tide in a closely contested match. Yet, unlike Thragtusk, Arborback Stomper requires five mana of any type plus one green, whereas Thragtusk’s flexibility lies in its lesser generic mana requirement.

Exploring the green creatures’ wing further, we encounter Obstinate Baloth, another card that provides a life-gain advantage. While the Baloth provides four life points which is slightly less than Arborback Stomper, it costs one less mana to cast and can be a surprise play against discard strategies. On the other hand, Arborback Stomper stands out with Trample, which provides a clear path for excess damage to impact the opponent’s life total.

Comparatively, Arborback Stomper holds its ground well against similar cards, offering a formidable combination of life gain and offensive capabilities. It’s this blend that solidifies its status in green creature decks where maximizing life while maintaining board presence is key.

Thragtusk - MTG Card versions
Obstinate Baloth - MTG Card versions
Thragtusk - Magic 2013 (M13)
Obstinate Baloth - Magic 2011 (M11)

Cards similar to Arborback Stomper by color, type and mana cost

Thicket Basilisk - MTG Card versions
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Ironroot Treefolk - MTG Card versions
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Primeval Force - MTG Card versions
Spitting Spider - MTG Card versions
Copperhoof Vorrac - MTG Card versions
Tel-Jilad Lifebreather - MTG Card versions
Thicket Basilisk - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Cockatrice - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Ironroot Treefolk - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Elvish Bard - Alliances (ALL)
Durkwood Boars - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Elven Riders - Duels of the Planeswalkers (DPA)
Redwood Treefolk - Weatherlight (WTH)
Spined Wurm - Stronghold (STH)
Rabid Wolverines - Exodus (EXO)
Deadly Insect - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Vintara Elephant - Prophecy (PCY)
Crashing Boars - Beatdown Box Set (BTD)
Kavu Chameleon - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Spring-Leaf Avenger - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Okina Nightwatch - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Consuming Blob - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Primeval Force - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Spitting Spider - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Copperhoof Vorrac - Mirrodin (MRD)
Tel-Jilad Lifebreather - Fifth Dawn (5DN)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Arborback Stomper MTG card by a specific set like Kaladesh and 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 Arborback Stomper and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Arborback Stomper Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-09-30 and 2020-11-12. Illustrated by Dan Scott.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-09-30KaladeshKLD 1422015normalblackDan Scott
22016-09-30KaladeshKLD 142†2015normalblackDan Scott
32020-11-12Kaladesh RemasteredKLR 1522015normalblackDan Scott

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Arborback Stomper has restrictions

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

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