Zodiac Rat MTG Card

Zodiac Rat - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)

Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
1999-05-01 - Number 98

Magic Online Promos (PRM)
2002-06-24 - Number 35094

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Rat
Abilities	Swampwalk
Power	1
Toughness	1

Key Takeaways

Zodiac Rat offers card advantage by recurring from the graveyard, bypassing the need for extra draws.
Its single black mana cost accelerates resources, optimizing the mana curve for early spells.
Mana-specific and higher costs might limit playing this card, requiring careful deck construction.

Text of card

Swampwalk (If defending player has a swamp in play, Zodiac Rat can't be blocked.)

" . . . Cao Pi, Cao Rui, Fang, Mao, and briefly, Huan— / The Sima took the empire in their turn. . . ."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Zodiac Rat enables its controller to incrementally gain card advantage by reviving itself from the graveyard, thereby bypassing the need for drawing additional creature cards.

Resource Acceleration: By only costing a single black mana, Zodiac Rat helps in resource acceleration, allowing for a more efficient mana curve and leaving more mana available for other spells and abilities earlier in the game.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, the Zodiac Rat’s unpretentious mana cost makes it easy to summon alongside other instant-speed interactions, thus maintaining a dynamic and threatening board state even on an opponent’s turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One notable drawback of the Zodiac Rat is the necessity to discard another card to unlock its potential. This condition could strain your hand, especially when playing a strategy that relies on maintaining a robust card presence.

Specific Mana Cost: Zodiac Rat’s activation demands black mana, which can restrict its playability exclusively to black-centered decks or those with a reliable mana base capable of producing multiple colors with ease.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a single creature card, the Zodiac Rat comes with a relatively steep mana cost. In competitive play, players may find other creatures or spells that provide greater value or impact on the game at a lower mana expense.

Reasons to Include Zodiac Rat in Your Collection

Versatility: Zodiac Rat brings adaptability to black color decks, capable of serving as an early game play or a late game enabler in a variety of strategies that tap into graveyard play or creature sacrifice synergies.

Combo Potential: This card can be a key piece in combos, working with cards that care about creature types or those that have mechanics tied to the graveyard or recursion themes, enhancing the depth of possible interactions in your gameplay.

Meta-Relevance: As the game meta fluctuates, having cards that can interact with popular deck types or disrupt emerging strategies is crucial. Zodiac Rat, with its ability to fit in decks focused on creature density or synergistic tribal themes, remains a relevant choice.

How to beat

Zodiac Rat is a unique creature card that can add a stealthy edge to any black deck in the MTG universe. Its low casting cost makes it an early game piece, capable of slipping under more costly removal spells. However, overcoming the abilities of Zodiac Rat involves a mix of strategic blocking and taking advantage of its low toughness attribute.

One effective approach is to use cheap creature removal spells or those with a broad range to clear the board without investing significant resources. Cards like Fatal Push or Shock can quickly dispatch Zodiac Rat, provided the criteria for these spells are met. Another strategy is to make the Rat irrelevant by strengthening your own creatures or using spells that can outpace the Rat in terms of creature development and board presence.

Finally, keeping your life total healthy with small incremental gains can negate the chip damage Zodiac Rat aims to inflict over time. Cards that offer life gain on cast or creatures that heal while deployed create a buffer that makes the Rat’s attack less significant, ultimately protecting you from its incremental strategy.

Cards like Zodiac Rat

Zodiac Rat from Magic: The Gathering offers a unique twist on early game creatures. When stacked against other one-cost black creatures, the rat holds its own, particularly in decks that celebrate the Rat creature type, such as with Marrow-Gnawer’s tribal synergies. While Carrion Rats also allows for early graveyard interaction, it does not offer the consistent board presence provided by Zodiac Rat.

In comparison, Typhoid Rats brings a deathtouch mechanic to the table, making it a compelling choice for control strategies, despite not having the tribal synergy potential of the Zodiac Rat. Then there is the Festering Goblin, offering an on-death effect that slightly nudges board advantage in your favor. However, its impact is momentary, unlike the Zodiac Rat, which can consistently benefit from various rat tribal synergies over time.

Ultimately, each of these cards serves a unique role depending on the player’s strategy, but Zodiac Rat stands out for its potential in specialized Rat decks and the persistent threat it poses, especially when buffed by other cards in the tribal family.

Cards similar to Zodiac Rat by color, type and mana cost

Stone-Throwing Devils - MTG Card versions

Foulmire Knight // Profane Insight - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Zodiac Rat MTG card by a specific set like Portal Three Kingdoms and Magic Online Promos, 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 Zodiac Rat and other MTG cards: