Sproutback Trudge MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost9
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Fungus Beast
Abilities Trample
Power 9
Toughness 7

Key Takeaways

  1. Reliable comeback mechanism via life gain allows multiple uses, enhancing deck resilience.
  2. High mana cost and specific conditions can limit its versatility and prompt mana issues.
  3. Boasts potential as a deck staple in the right meta, especially where aggression reigns.

Text of card

This spell costs less to cast, where X is the amount of life you gained this turn. Trample At the beginning of your end step, if you gained life this turn, you may cast Sproutback Trudge from your graveyard.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sproutback Trudge features the ability to repeatedly return to your hand from your graveyard at the beginning of your end step if you gained life this turn. This creates an opportunity for consistent card advantage, as you can gain the benefit from the Trudge multiple times throughout the game.

Resource Acceleration: In decks that are designed to gain life, the Trudge works as an effective form of resource acceleration. It synergizes with life-gain, allowing you to optimize your turns by potentially playing a powerful creature for a reduced cost through its Fateful Hour ability when you have 5 or less life.

Instant Speed: While Sproutback Trudge itself isn’t an instant, it incentivizes leaving mana open to cast other instant-speed interaction or life-gain spells. This in turn activates its return ability, making the threat of a looming Trudge more pronounced and adds to the strategic depth of gameplay.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: In the case of Sproutback Trudge, the ability to return it from your graveyard to your hand at the beginning of your end step comes with a life-gain prerequisite. While it’s not a traditional discard, this condition can sometimes be just as limiting, requiring a setup that hinges on an effective life-gain strategy within your deck.

Specific Mana Cost: Sproutback Trudge demands a specific mana allocation — three green and six mana of any color. This necessitates a solid mana base to consistently cast it in a timely manner, making it less flexible for multicolor decks that may struggle with mana fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The overall mana cost of nine may slow down your board development, as casting Sproutback Trudge requires a substantial investment. In faster-paced games, the delay in being able to play such a high-cost creature may give opponents an opportunity to establish dominance on the board or deplete your life total before you can utilize its benefits.


Reasons to Include Sproutback Trudge in Your Collection

Versatility: Sproutback Trudge offers a flexible role in decks that focus on life gain or creature-based strategies. It serves as both a formidable blocker and a repeatable source of life points, making it adaptable to various game situations.

Combo Potential: With its synergistic ability that triggers from gaining life, this card opens up opportunities for combos with cards that enable life gain multiple times per turn. It can be a key piece in engines designed to outlast opponents with incremental advantage.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where creature-based aggro is dominant, Sproutback Trudge’s formidable presence can be instrumental. It’s particularly effective against decks lacking exile removal, as its persistency can give you a recurring threat capable of turning the tides in prolonged matches.


How to beat Sproutback Trudge

Sproutback Trudge may seem like a resilient force in the mid to late game with its formidable presence and life-gain ability in Magic: The Gathering. This card differentiates itself from other creatures by having the ability to return to the battlefield—provided you’ve gained life in a turn. In that sense, it mirrors the functionality of persistent creatures that are hard to remove from the field permanently.

To effectively contend with Sproutback Trudge, removal spells that exile or force a player to sacrifice their own creatures are extremely beneficial, bypassing the traditional destruction methods that this card can potentially recover from. Some effective cards in this sphere include Path to Exile and Liliana’s Triumph, which provide clean and enduring solutions to the Trudge problem. Also, countering life-gain strategies integral to its revival mechanism can be a game-changer. Cards that impede life gain, like Tibalt, Rakish Instigator, assert control by keeping the Trudge in the graveyard, where it belongs.

Another strategic angle involves employing graveyard hate cards, such as Rest in Peace, to nullify the Trudge’s comeback ability altogether. By removing or neutralizing the conditions for its return, players can keep Sproutback Trudge from being a recurrent threat, ensuring a smoother path to victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

If you’ve got an appetite for tactical depth and recurrent threats in your MTG matches, Sproutback Trudge might just be the card to bolster your deck. This formidable creature offers more than just size; it’s about creating lasting board presence and pivoting plays around its life-linked abilities. Synergize it with life-giving spells to leverage its return from the graveyard, making each of your life gains a step towards reclaiming your Trudge. Whether you’re building a life-gain deck or seeking resilient creatures, consider the Trudge for that extra edge. Dive deeper with us and unearth strategies to optimize your MTG gameplay with Sproutback Trudge.


Cards like Sproutback Trudge

Sproutback Trudge may reminiscent of other life-gain creatures in Magic: The Gathering, yet it stands out in several aspects. A creature like Ageless Entity, which also gains +1/+1 counters whenever you gain life, provides a similar synergy for life-gain decks. Nevertheless, Ageless Entity doesn’t have trample nor the built-in recursion ability that makes Sproutback Trudge a persistent threat on the battlefield.

Another counterpart worth mentioning is the Loxodon Hierarch. Much like Sproutback Trudge, the Hierarch provides a significant life boost upon entering the battlefield. However, it lacks the self-recurring capability that the Trudge possesses, which can be crucial in long, grinding games. Comparably, Pelakka Wurm comes to mind, not only aiding with life gain but also drawing a card when it enters the battlefield. Yet again, it doesn’t match the Trudge’s tenacity to return from the graveyard to play.

In analyzing these options, it’s evident that while there are creatures that can contend with the Trudge in life-gain stature, the combination of trample and self-reanimation affords Sproutback Trudge a notable edge in resilience and staying power among its MTG counterparts.

Ageless Entity - MTG Card versions
Loxodon Hierarch - MTG Card versions
Pelakka Wurm - MTG Card versions
Ageless Entity - Darksteel (DST)
Loxodon Hierarch - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Pelakka Wurm - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)

Cards similar to Sproutback Trudge by color, type and mana cost

Titanoth Rex - MTG Card versions
Krosan Colossus - MTG Card versions
Myojin of Life's Web - MTG Card versions
Body of Jukai - MTG Card versions
Mockery of Nature - MTG Card versions
Arboretum Elemental - MTG Card versions
Apex Altisaur - MTG Card versions
The Tarrasque - MTG Card versions
Titanoth Rex - The List (PLST)
Krosan Colossus - Murders at Karlov Manor Commander (MKC)
Myojin of Life's Web - The List (PLST)
Body of Jukai - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Mockery of Nature - Shadows over Innistrad Remastered (SIR)
Arboretum Elemental - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)
Apex Altisaur - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC)
The Tarrasque - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Promos (PAFR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sproutback Trudge MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Commander 2021, 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 Sproutback Trudge and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sproutback Trudge Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-04-23 and 2021-04-23. Illustrated by Filip Burburan.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 901482015normalblackFilip Burburan
22021-04-23Commander 2021C21 682015normalblackFilip Burburan
32021-04-23Commander 2021C21 3952015normalblackFilip Burburan

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sproutback Trudge has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-04-16 Sproutback Trudge’s ability counts the total amount of life gained without considering any life you lost during that turn. For example, if you lost 3 life and gained 4 life earlier in the turn, Sproutback Trudge will cost .
2021-04-16 The cost reduction can reduce only generic mana in a spell’s total cost. It can’t reduce the cost to cast Sproutback Trudge beyond .
2021-04-16 To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you’re paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions (such as that of Sproutback Trudge’s first ability). Sproutback Trudge’s mana value is always 9, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
2021-04-16 You need to gain life before the end step begins for the last ability to trigger.
2021-04-16 You still need to pay the cost to cast Sproutback Trudge from your graveyard.

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